... MANCHESTER THE twenty-seventh international circus al Belle Vue is a well balanced mixture of turns, animal and human, drawn from several European countries as well as from America, with veteran George Lock-hart as ringmaster for the twenty-seventh time. Added to the human skill and animal intelligence, is colourful and appealing presentation. After the clowns have made their bow. .ponies ...

... WESTON-SUPER-MARE 'BABES IN THE WOOD' THIS Dan Sherry production at the Knightstone is an excellent achievement in traditional style, and if it touches with affection on aspects of pantomime which some producers to-day discard in favour of modern streamlining, it is fast moving and up to the minute in presentation. From Dan Sherry s playing of Simple Simon it is clear that ho could r.ot ...

... BEDFORD 'PUSS IN BOOTS' at ihe Royal County, Sandy Lauri presents Pu^ in Boots. .1 lovely and brilliant show, with many colourful scenes. Sandy Lauri. a ...

... HUDDERSFIELD 'LITTLE RED RIDING HOOD' THE Winter Garden Players make Red Riding Hood, at the Royal, a good repertory actors' pantomime. Nita Valerie is not only an appropriately dashing Hal the Hunter, but is also responsible for original lyrics and the choreography, Fred Ferris introduces somethinig of the atmosphere of his broadcast material as King Whacker and Josh Woolgar suggests a ...

... DOUGLAS 'CINDERELLA' COMPTON PRODUCTIONS have hit on the right balance of festive fare in their lifth pantomime at the Gaiety. Cinderella is beautifully dressed and attractively staged, con taining bright songs, a sprinkling of snappy dances and some effective comedy routines. Shirley Currie makes a handsome Prince, including Blue Star among her songs, and You. My Love,' with Joy Banks as ...

... MORECAMBE 'DICK WHITTINGTON' THE management of the Winter Gardens are presenting Dick Whittington for a short season. Delightfully staged and with a talented cast, backed by colourful scenic effects, the pantomime is proving enchanting to patrons of all ages. Jcanettc Landis. in the title part, invests the character with the story book quality demanded, having a pleasing personality and an ...

... KEPT BUSY THF. activities of B. C. Hilliam A (Flotsam) are at the moment many and varied. A scries of key board doodling recitals, with Joy Flolman as vocal aide, are being in terspersed with commercial TV, tea with Elsie and Doris Waters on BBC TV (February 13), Variety Playhouse. on February 25, and a weekly Flotsword puzzle in the News Chronicle. the first cross word puzzle in rhyme ...

... AFTER Oklahoma! Drury Lane began to live inadventurously and prosperously on American musicals, one sure-fire hit following another. Carousel, South Pacific, The King And I--we aged but they did not. They ran and ran. But with Plain And Fancy an element of risk crept into the business. Rogers and Hammerstein did not write it, nor have they backed the latest import, in some ways an even more ...

... LONDON'S parks and squares are far-famed, and deservedly; their green charm is apparent to every visitor. But the city has another, more secret landscape-- her mysterious network of back-gardens. William Sansom's new novel The Loving Eye (Hogarth Press, 13s. 6d.) is set in just such a panorama. His thirty-nine year old hero, Matthew Ligne, spends much time gazing out. This is what he sees: ...

... MR. ROGER MACDOUGALL and Mr. Ted Allan invite us in Double Image to guess and guess, over and over again, when Mr. Richard Attenborough may be David impersonating Julian, when he may be Julian impersonating David and whether there is any such person as David-- or Julian. This sounds more like a nursery game than a play; yet as a game it is likely to fill the Savoy for a long time with people ...

... RARE, these days, are anonymous novels, but here is one. To Madame Solario (Heinemann, 15s.) mystery attaches-- who is the author? It seems, moreover, the work of a practised hand. Hardly less mysterious is the heroine, this delicious creature-- Nathalie to her friends, Nelly to her redis covered brother. The time is September 1906, the setting Cadenabbia, on Lake Como-- playground, in those ...

... 1 1 I IT is only necessary, in a rash moment, to accept an invita tion to judge home-made wines at the village fête to discover how many there are how many, and how various, ranging from those that simply explode at the touch, to others which only burn slowly, and a few that are as delicious as the products of a French master. In her book Amateur Wine Making j (Faber and Faber 21s.) Mrs. S ...