... Scottish Dance Theatre Edinburgh In these two newly-commissioned works at the Traverse, Dundee Rep's associated dance company has stepped away from the narrative linearity of recent works, while retaining a strong sense Of the theatrical. Plunge, choreographed by Janice Garrett to a score by Chris topher Bernstead, was the easi est on the eye. The slinky costume design by Craig Givens ...

... Krazy Spirit Manchester Congratulations to the Contact Theatre on its first anniversary and to RJC Dance, the popular black contemporary group who helped with the theatre's launch and returned to perform at the new celebrations. RJC s individual blend of con temporary dance mixed with jazz, reggae and club culture brought a packed house to see the specially commissioned Krazy Spirit. This ...

... Comedy Bonanza 2000 Blackpool For his 13th consecutive Grand Theatre summer show director/ producer Jon Conway has opted to preserve a fast dying form of variety- the traditional seaside show Twenty years since last top ping a Blackpool summer bill, John Inman has returned to his adopted home. His roots are in the type of entertainment this show strives to re-create, his name is synonymous ...

... Falstaff Guildford Verdi never intended that his final opera should be performed, but mercifully a reprieve gave the world an elegant masterpiece so different from his usual boisterous showstopping arias and ensemble. London Opera Players premieres a delightful production at the Yvonne Amaud Theatre, directed without gimmickry by John Ramster and accompanied by Charles Farncombe, who ...

... Cabaret with class Pizza on the Park KT Sullivan and Steve Ross Barry J Mishon's style of slick and well constructed cabaret shows has never been better demonstrated than by this joint recital from two luminaries of the New York scene, the already familiar Steve Ross and the more recently garlanded diva KT Sullivan, known to aficionados in this country only through her recordings. The ...

... Night of the Dons 2 - The Big Pay Back! Greenwich Night of the Dons 2 reprises the comic mayhem of 1997's Night of the Dons but, ousting the pride of male black comedy, this time it is the women's turn to strut their stuff in this roaring production from Goodfoot Entertainments in association with Theatre Royal ouairuru tasi, wnere an me actors/comics play themselves. Eddie Gee has a ...

... A Tribute to Frankie Vaughan Liverpool Friends and admirers of the late Frankie Vaughan gathered at the Empire Theatre to pay tribute to one of Liverpool's favourite sons. After an overture from The Danny Mannix Orchestra, compere Frank Carson opened the show with a few comical 'crackers'. There was a brief stint from the distinguished Wyn Calvin and The Siege Dancers made two fleeting ...

... BY JOHN MARTLAND The mouth-watering prospect of hearing two of our leading humorists, Alan Bennett and John Bird, exploring the theory and practice of comedy, made That Mocking Bird (Tony Staveacre Productions for R2, Saturday, March 11) required listening. It was hardly surprising that this was a chummy affair, because they have known each other since working together in the sixties on the ...

... Grease Cafe Royal Here's an interesting thing. If reduced-scale musicals are so popular on cruise ships, and in British and overseas holiday centres, could they be made to work as cabaret attractions? Live Business International, which took over cruising special ists Grosvenor Productions a few months ago, believes it is worth a try, and on the evidence of the short season of Grease at the ...

... Brendon Burns Pleasance Go see Brendon Burns, they say. He's just had a baby (well, not him exactly) but it hasn't changed him one bit. Yeah right. Male stand-up, first-time father. Seen it all before --the descent into IKEA gags and let's all make the world a safer place. But under the six-a-second expletive delivery, Bums has always ranted for a safer world, and if he's really a dad then ...

... Blanket coverage GUY MASTERSON Producer Guy Masterson says press coverage of the Fringe has changed tack in recent years-- and not always for the better It may not be entirely kosher to talk about another publication when writing for The Stage, but the issue in hand is, to my mind, perhaps the most important the festival has had to face for several years. The Scotsman reviews are hard to ...

... Craig Hill's Alive with the Sound of Music Gilded Balloon Not quite as alive as he might have liked, however, on a night when a bad throat has forced Craig Hill to cut back on the Julie Andrews Impersonations and concentrate on his audience banter. Hill has a pleasing ability to keep his material fresh. His stories of growing up in East Kilbride his flatmate Nancy forcing him to choose between ...