... King's Head 9½ Quid Revue Those who remember intimate revue in its heyday do so with great fondness, but there is little chance that Martin Chamin's production will revive the genre for a new generation of theatregoers. Chamin, who devises and directs the show, has had a long and varied career as a director, composer, librettist and producer in American theatre, but appears never to have lost ...

... Salisbury Sassy, saucy supper theatre at the Playhouse's Salberg Studio offers a feast of Stephen Sondheim in a show so good that it makes for a very special night. It is fun Sondheim's witty lyrics ensure that but also captures a range of emotions, from loving sweetness to cold anger and heartbreak. Above all, this is a happy show, with singers Jules Davison, Shona Lindsay and Philip Wrigley ...

... Sign up for Service memories BY JOHN MARTLAND Exactly 55 years ago this month, and only a few weeks after Germany's surrender brought an end to the war in Europe, the Labour Party swept to a landslide victory in the General Election. One of the first decisions made by Clement Attlee's government was to affect the lives of two and a half million young men during the next 18 years. These were ...

... Variety--the final Frontier Pamela Watford discovers a Yorkshire club which defies the industry's recent bad fortunes Compiled By Peter Hepple Most of the big glittering nightspots of yesteryear have long gone, but one of the most famous Yorkshire venues, Batley Variety Club, is still going after 19 years as the Frontier. Owner of the club, Derek Smith, has seen many changes since the early ...

... KT Sullivan and Mark Nadler Pizza on the Park Tired of Gershwin? Then rush to the Music Room where American cabaret performers KT Sullivan and Mark Nadler are presenting American Rhapsody- this show will rejuvenate the most iaded palate. Following Nadler's Piano Prelude I, Sullivan's disembodied voice is heard singing Fascinating Rhythm. When she arrives onstage stunning in black dress and boa ...

... Graft -Tales of an Actor Komedia @ Southside Bit of a conundrum here. Anything Steven Berkoff writes comes with a built-in blueprint that moulds the aspiring performer unto his likeness. Any hint of innovation can provoke an inevitably terminal case of no-play. George Dillon has embraced the great man's one-man travel ogue into the infenal underbelly of a fading actor's life, and his Faustian ...

... No 2 Assembly Rooms What can I say? It is a world of many tastes but if you gave me just one show to see this year, Madeleine Sami in No 2 is it. Penned by Toa Fraser, this is a majestically observed minnepic that kicks off at 4am in a Fijian New Zealand suburb. A crotchety grandmother has just roused her unruly progeny to prepare a feast so she can nominate her successor before abandoning ...

... Addy Borgh Pleasance Sometimes I just can't be both ered to get up in the morning, says Addy Borgh, ruminating on what he might say if he were asked about his negative points in a job interview. Well, it is unlikely to get him a nine to five job, but on stage he can use his laid-back 'I used to smoke a lot of dope' charm to pretty decent effect. He is quite an engaging performer who relies ...

... Swinging its way to success Scotland Yard Playground Decky Does a Bronco Grid Iron Theatre Company's productions always 'do a Bronco'- they are dangerous, exhilarating and absolutely brilliant to watch when they get it right. Broncoing a swing park stunt where you jump off a high, fast swing and kick the seat over the bar as you land is at the heart of this wonderful new play by Douglas ...

... Cambridge Footlights: Sensible Haircut Pleasance Matt Green as a performer was the bright spot in otherwise unmemo- rable shows last year and the one before that. As Footlights president, he directs this year's, but is nowhere to be seen, which is a pity. This is a whimsical rambling affair, with the men in fifties gear, about a sweetshop, assertiveness training, authors and their readers, and ...

... Fantasia- A Clown Show c The concept, though not original, certainly has a ready potential for comedy. Faced with the non- appearance of the actors for a show, two theatre ushers improvise entertainment for the audience until hopefully the cast arrive, which never happens. Swedish clown Jonas Sodergren and Hong Kong actress Ka-Lee Ho, youthful members of the inter national Players Ensemble, ...

... The Leisure Virus Gilded Balloon mis snow written by Wins Head and Barry Ferns is a revue of remarkable consistency in that every single item is the concept for a sketch but not the sketch itself. Repeatedly a premise is established and then goes nowhere, as the sketch either abruptly stops or drags on in search of a punchline until the lights mercifully drop. A man thinks he has a womb. A ...