... Hippodrome Circus Great Yarmouth It is a case of never say never again for Great Yarmouth Hippodrome Circus owner Peter Jay. Ten months after claiming he had staged the final show, we were back for a gala reopening. This production is confident, slick and bang up-to-date, proving that Jay is still very much a master of the art. He may be a relative new comer to the circus world but he has ...

... Bembridge When you are 73, having been singing in Britain since 1950, fol lowing an initial career in South Africa, you need more than a little motivation to keep touring the country. But 41 years after being voted Britain's top male vocalist by Melody Maker readers, is still a fine singer and accomplished showman. Only his memory plays the odd trick, par ticularly in remembering his run ning ...

... National Youth Dance Company The Place Few professional companies take on the work of six different choreographers in one evening, but the National Youth Dance Company did precisely this in its programme Sextet, proving once again the versatility of the young dancers engaged in this troupe. Of the pieces, Jason Piper's Saturday Night Squeeze suited them best. Setting his work to Kula ...

... Ancient inspiration Spring Loaded: Purcell Room Taxila For her latest piece, Nahid Siddiqui has taken her inspiration from the ancient city of Taxila-literally the city of cut stones-which lies in ruins in the Indian subcontinent not far from Islamabad, and Liz Reed's set affords three large panels streaKea witn mua Drown, ana a few large blocks to resemble rough stones. This piece purports ...

... The Eddie Cochran Show Bury St Edmunds/Touring During two hours of rock'n'roll-- some 40 or more three-minute items during which the human brain was never asked to count to more than four, lyrics that would not tax an octogenarian dormouse, wacky words like 'Bee I Biccy Bup Yo Yo Yo' (I think), all performed by two young British artists pretending to be American fifties icons such is the ...

... The right Brand of rude humour Newark/Touring Jo Brand UK Tour 1998 Jo Brand packs 11 widely-separated venues into a fortnight for her 1998 tour, which began before the ecstatic faithful at the Palace. They loved her even before she came on and doubly so when she had finished. It was typical straight from the shoulder stuff though the shoulder was about the only part of the human body which ...

... Sold out on going it alone Emma Manning visits Peter Schaufuss deep in the Danish countryside-- the setting for the pioneering dance company that bears his name So what happened to Peter Schaufuss? After a less than amicable departure from his post at English National Ballet, the Danish-born dancer went on to direct the Deutsche Oper in Berlin and subsequently the Royal Danish Ballet, but ...

... The Way Out/Adios Jacksons Lane There are some evenings when you sit in the theatre and wonder exactly why you are there. The pieces on offer neither structure or dramatic clarity, and the dancers are neither charismatic nor remarkably skilled technically. Presenting The Way Out and Adios, Delta Foxtrot succeeded in producing exactly one of those dreaded, banal evenings. Hijacking Luigi ...

... Admire this physical agility Oxford Eighty Eight/ Winnsboro Cotton Blues Siobhan Davies, that doyenne of British contemporary dance, has been honoured with an MBE and has scooped more awards than any of her fellow compatriots. Like bespoke clothes, her choreography is stamped with a designer's label, and her company's tenth anniversary season programme comprises a revival of Winnsboro ...

... Comedy antics win through Southampton JAKS National Talent Final III The lively themed venue Jumpin' Jaks, part of the impressive Leisureworld entertainment complex, was an ideal place for the final of this major national talent contest. There was plenty of atmosphere, which must have been daunting for the contestants out in tnese circumstances there are always those who rise to the ...

... When the shows were the stars Lyceum Hey Mr Producer! Like him or not, Cameron Mackintosh has proved to be a hell of a showman during his 30 years as a producer, so he must have relished every moment of this slickly presented, star-studded charity event in the presence of Her Majesty the Queen. Galas such as these are often packed with sycophantic anecdotes, told by a string of people who ...

... The Killer Soprano in Cabaret Grace Rosemary Ashe is a unique talent, a singer who encompasses opera, operetta, the musical and popular song with a vocal ease that is enviable. Where otners (wno shall remain nameless) sound either uneasy or ill-suited to music out side their field, she moves effort lessly from the scented charm of, say, Coward's Melanie's Song to the raunchy anger of Dolly ...