... Bottle Cottle for a rainy day Battersea Park/Touring Gerry Cottle's Circus Tony Hopkins is presenting Gerry Cottle's Circus on an eight month tour. In a Big Top at Battersea Park, he had to contend with awful weather and Wandsworth council's ban on advertising posters. However, it is a wonderful show with a packed international programme. Simply outstanding was Hungarian juggler Karoly Donnert ...

... Sugar Bombz Rotherham Nottingham-based three-peice outfit Sugar Bombz took the stage in front of a very busy house at Rotherham's lovely East Dene Club and caught many a discerning ear with their renditions of covers by Tina Arena, Aswad and Toni Braxton. Sugar Bombz are a trio con sisting of two males and one female. Their image is very nineties and their vocal ability is considerable, to say ...

... The Tango Room Loughborough Hotel We have had Tango Argentina, The Tango Lesson and now Aspect Theatre Productions have come up with The Tango Room, directed by Josette Bushell Mingo with choreography by Alison Vale. Located in the ballroom of the Loughborough Hotel (once known as the Mambo Inn when it was the ultimate haunt of Latin American dance aficionados) in south London, the ...

... Rich Hall Bloomsbury Rich Hall seems like the gentler brother of Bill Hicks who not only went to Sunday School but probably bothered to listen as well. Lines such as Arkansas is Darwin's rewind button, or his questioning of why the word gay is seen as an important prefix to the 'serial killer' who got Versace, has the kind of pungent political stand-up which garnished the meat of a typical ...

... The Best of British Eastbourne An accomplished cast is assembled at the Royal Hippodrome for this elegant British songsheet variety show in which every act wins Yvonne Lloyd and Lesley Windsor are experts at evoking past decades with obvious enjoy ment, including several humorous items and fine singing. Stylish Philip Day is energeti cally helpful and disappears into a collection of ...

... The Good Old Days Leeds A packed house saw the last bill in the present season of music hall at the City Varieties. Coronation Street star and local girl Deborah McAndrew once a member of the Leeds Girl's Choir has a sweet singing voice, and soon endeared herself to the audience with songs made famous by great ladies of the halls. Clad in a Victorian-style olive green gown, her selection ...

... Exotica 2000 Raymond Revuebar There is a lot of strip but very little tease in this fanniesout-for- the-lads show, which will rake it in but. as art, probably has to be judged by the individual. It is good for anyone capable of enjoying the sight of a lot of feather boas and (mainly female) genitalia prance around a stage for an hour; mindblowingly tedious if, like the massed ranks of ...

... 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 ...

... Just imagine the scene By LISA MARTLAND In my last column I suggested that Jim Moir's decision to bring some 'fresh' blood on board at Radio 2 might not be such a bad thing, and I am sure he feels relatively confident that these changes will contribute to the station's continued success--four Golds at last week's Sony Radio Awards cannot be bad. My only regret is that even though many of ...

... Joe Loss Orchestra and Philharmonic Community Choir Liverpool In 1930, at the age of 21, Joe Loss became the youngest band leader in the West End. He quickly achieved fame throughout the country as a result of his radio broadcasts arid recordings of popular songs of the day. His success lasted through to 1990 when he retired at the age of 80. He died the following year. His band, however, ...

... Charity Concert Barnsley A charity concert in aid of the Macmillan Nurses Appeal was staged at Cariton Smithies Club and featured three acts in the form of established duo Cats Eyes and two young newcomers. First on stage was young Lassard, only in this country a year and apologising for his English. Although he seemed a little nervous, this lad, who I believe is from Tunisia, has appeal and a ...