... Fishtank Finborough Any play that starts with the line: Strange way to make a living, removing foreskins, is bound to grab your attention. Fishtank certainly does that. Writer, director and former cab driver Clive Saunders provides a wry, witty look at the close cabbie community where lost souls end up as a last resort. He lands us in Top Cabs in 1983, amid frilly shirts, songs by Wham! and ...

... Nightmares Chester Chester Gateway's 1997 opener has been dogged by misfortune. A one-man piece with an American star fell through when the actor pulled out at late notice. This replacement double bill of classic creepy stories should have been performed by two people. Shortly before open ing, one left and two actors stepped in, one for each play. It is impressive that it suc ceeds as well ...

... Don Quixote Haslemere Opera Omnibus enriched admirers of good music by plucking Jules Massenet's little-known work from a dusty shelf for a production of delightful operatic singing accompanied by orches tral excellence. This rarely performed work is a gem. Four suitors and the Don ser enade Dulcinea and the Don proves his gallantry by retrieving her jewels from brigands. But she refuses his ...

... Tamara McLorg Dance Jacksons Lane Choreographer Tamara McLorg's new company of young dancers presented its credentials with two new contrasting works, Neon Dreams and Fragments, which mine the perennial theme of men behaving badly. Perhaps not so new in some senses. Much of the movement looks almost old-fashioned resid ual crash and bum' tearings- around with leaps on to hips, nestlings ...

... Sophistication set the tone NEAC Southern Branch Frimley Green Sophistication set the tone for the most recent showcase from the National Entertainment Agents Council Southern Branch at Frimley Green's Lakeside Country Club. A punchy, well-dressed dance number from the cabaret troupe Sophistication was not only the name of the first act but also set the show off to a good, polished start. ...

... The Message Leeds There is an inescapable feeling of disappointment about The Message, but let's not shoot the actors. Perhaps if there had been more input from Tony Harrison, and I mean some new verse, I would not be carping. The Leeds-bom writer, whose collabo ration with Volcano Theatre was intended, in part, to celebrate his 60th birthday, apparently spent just three days with the company ...

... For the Crack Newcastle/Touring Live Theatre has come up with a cracker for its spring tour. Three short plays brought the house down with their rapier wit and hard-hitting humour, but in all cases a storyline that was easy to grab on to and simple to asso ciate with. Polls Apart, by Carol l McGuigan, brought two friends i (Phillippa Wilson and Gez Casey) F back together through the lonely ...

... Just Bodies Dublin In Just Bodies, John Scott has chosen to return to basics, to pure dance. Of course he cannot resist the odd prop, bizarre reference and the use of interesting design. This is Irish Modem Dance Theatre's first all-male dance piece and uses two dancers from the recent all-male Swan Lake. Designed by Henk Schut in the basement of the RHA Gallagher Gallery, it physically ...

... Mozart piece out of focus Cambridge The Marriage of Figaro Metaphors must be consistent to be effective. So must translations. Stephen Medcalf has set his new production of Mozart's The Marriage of Figaro for English Touring Opera in a model agency run by the Count, with Figaro his assistant photographer. nowever, ne esiaonsnes no credible ambience and hierarchy of power. Why do the Walkman- ...

... Party of acts all can enjoy Modbury, Devon Hartbeat Entertainments Hartbeat Entertainments' show case cabaret extravaganza, ai Southleigh Caravan Park, Modbury, Devon, has become one oi the looked-for occasions in the calendar. Robbie and Liz Hart create an atmosphere which makes the evening far more of a party than anything else. Comedienne/entertainer Sonja- Jayne Salmon had to step in on ...

... Get Out of Here! BAC Theatre group Commotion has made quite a name for itself, particularly in its adept way of striking that happy medium between quirky performance and quality theatre. The storyline of its latest offering has its feet firmly in the bizarre. It starts with three friends startled by a stranger who has just fallen out of the sky. The man in question turns out to be Lucifer ...

... Sacred Hearts Trinity Arts Centre Five prostitutes have taken sanctuary in a church in Lyon, France. Outside lurks 'the ripper', a psychopath responsible for the murder of eight women who worked the main street of the city's red light district. But this is not the girls' only worry. For the police under the guidance of Jonathan Coote's excellent Inspector, have the building under ...