... Bull's Eyes: the Selected Memoirs of Peter Bull, edited by Sheridan Morlcy (Robin dark, £9.95) Peter Bull, who died in 1984, was what one could call a character. Of huge girth, with a face that seemed to go very well with his surname, he was an actor that everyone knew by sight, but he never took his profession with undue seriousness, describing himself as the least dedicated actor I know. ...

... Bedtime Story BRIGHTON NOBODY can provoke an air of action and excitement on stage better than Sean O'Casey. The innate volatility of his characters finds ready expression in the soft lilt of the Southern Irish tongue, and even if the situation itself may be fairly static, he still contrives to fill it with movement and animation. Bedtime Story, the one-act burles que presented by ...

... The Recruiting Officer SALISBURY LOVE, marriage, money and the military all come under fire in George Farquhar's good-natured satire of 18th century life, The Recruiting Officer, at the Salisbury Playhouse. The action is set, appropriately enough, in a small country town invaded by two recruiting officers vieing with each other for the affec tions and loyalties of the townspeople, both male ...

... MAGIC--that has to be the verdict on Moving Being's latest in-the-round multi-media extravaganza at St David's Hall, Cardiff as part of the company's 20th anniversary celebrations. Jon Holliday Devised, choreographed and directed by the ever-enterprising Geoff Moore, Merlin The Magician was the fourth part of their saga drawn from the myths, legends, allegories and bardic tales of The ...

... Born Yesterday Natalie Anglesey THIS PRODUCTION of Garson Kama's award-winning play Born Yesterday at the Royal Exchange Theatre is the first British production to be sanctioned by the author for 15 years. A wise-cracking comedy of a dumb blonde who turns the tables on her keeper, it is a modern parable in which inherent good triumphs over corruption and epitomises the kind of entertain ment ...

... DUBLIN Beyond Reasonable Doubt AS A love story, this Gaiety stage production of Jeffrey Archer's Beyond Reasonable Doubt is mildly successful; as a courtroom drama, it's rather more exciting than watching paint dry. Part of the fault lies with the dramatic structure. Sir David Metcalfe (Godfrey Quig- lev) appears so blackly villainous in the first act, that even the most trusting amateur ...

... SOUTHBOROUGH CINDERELLA sparkled in a glistening cascade of magic, mirth and festive frivolity at the Royal Victoria Hall, Southborough, when Albemarle of London presented their truly traditional pantomime gala. The audience waited expectantly for the show to start, unaware of the panic behind the scenes. Wendy Taylor, who later charmed and de lighted as the downtrodden heroine of the fairy ...

... TUNBRIDGE WELLS ANN EMERY sister ot TV's Dick is a delightful Mother Goose at the Assembly Hall, Tunbridge Wells. With a blend of quickfire gags and some witty ad-libs, she succeeded in holding the show together. Her tap dancing. delivery and singing must also be commended. Husband-and-wife theatrical management team Phillip Charles and Jennifer Haley must be con gratulated for bringing this ...

... MORECAMBE WHAT a joy to see a professional pantomime in Morecambe after an absence of six years. Robinson Cleaver and Clive Stock presented their family Aladdin for a short season at their own theatre, The Palace. Based on the traditional storyline, the show had the children cheering, laughing and booing throughout the show with obvious enjoyment. The young exuberant principal boy, played by ...

... DONCASTER IT COMES as a mild surprise to find Valentine Dyall sharing the stage with a troupe of tap-dancing kiddiwinkies in Doncaster Civic's Aladdin Dyall condemned by a voice that would chill marble to spend his life playing villains brings great style and dignity to the part of evil uncle Abanazar. He stalks on stage, growls a couple of lines, deflects the boos, leers evilly and stalks ...

... BEXHILL THE BEST thing Santa brought Bexhill-on-Sea this Christmas was the Sussex resort's finest pantomime in years. All the best ingredients in seasonal entertainment were packed into a show which ran at the town's De La Warr Pavilion until January 5. Goldilocks and the Three Bears had magic, colour, music and laughter. It is a winner. Goldilocks is unashamedly children's entertainment ...

... ASHTON-UNDER-LYNE THIS MOTHER GOOSE deserves to lav a golden egg for the Tameside, Ashton-under-Lyne. Bright as a new pin, with splendid costumes and scenery, it also boasts some excellent special effects and hard-working cast who throw themselves into their roles with sive gusiu. Taking a short break from the night club circuit, Charlie Daze, one of the stars in the latest The Come ...