... ties as, after a house fire, a 13- year-old girl is entrusted to the care of her two aunts. To their dismay, Mary- will not speak, but clings for comfort to her stuffed toy dog. Why is she mute? Is it the shock of the fire? Or does the trauma go much deeper ...

... spotted dress who clearly has stepped out of the fifties and puzzle over the modern white socks, wideboy garb of the man. Both speak in South London accents while referring to each other as made moiselle and monsieur, another irritat- ting aspect adding to ...

... heritage tour. It stars Una Stubbs who, having stooped to acting, fares quite well as a pretentious gauche lady of the country speaking in an accent which is not dissimilar to that of the grocer's wife in Coronation Street. Andy Serkis as Tony Lumpkin brings ...

... were the Diane Bradbury dancers and babes from the Chesterfield School of Theatre Dance. They took on a variety of dancing, speaking and singing roles including wood land creatures, marching soldiers. and the all-important seven dwarfs Brainy, Batty, Sniffy ...

... through the floor boards. Michael Maloney contrives to look passably like the photograph in the programme of Lewis Carroll, speaking with a stutter and walking as he did with an erect stance and oddly jerky movement. It is an intense performance that conveys ...

... fascinating and amusing. The production makes us forget the play's central logical flaw (that the language the characters speak is im possible without the experience that gives it meaning) by offering us a convincing picture of humanity in its raw, wondering ...

... attractive though they may be. It is a comedy of pure situation, stretched to its absolute limits, which requires an exquisite speaking of lines that it does not quite get here. Keith Baxter is more of a jovial Elyot than one might expect, lacking something ...

... Soviet life, based as it is on Moscow's chronic housing shor tage. But the play's concerns are far from parochial. Exchange speaks with equal clarity to British audiences, as is proved at the Nuffield by Patrick Sandford's fine production of Michael Frayn's ...

... dialogue, allowing the charac ters and the petty differences to devel op. He also obviously concentrated on getting everyone to speak out loud and clear, even in the noisiest and emotionally hysterical moments. Somehow he manages to re-create every battle with ...

... in her marriage while coping with massive change. A silly feud develops between the couple and Tom childishly refuses to speak to Alice until eventually he overcomes his feeling of rejection. Tim Brooke-Taylor delivers a strong and humorous performance ...

... 'below stairs' lad, reminiscent in many ways of Gary Wilmot's stunning performance as Bill Snibson in Me and My Girl. ..and speaking of thumping good tunes, this pantomime was not too proud to include Ain't Misbehavin and Pick Yourself Up among its varied ...

... newcomers, are past members of the company who have been specially invited to take part in this last production, and their speaking of the verse is most delightful to listen to. Paul Spence is a most noble Orsino and his growing interest in the disguised ...