... Aladdin Bridlington They don't come any nastier than Coronation Street's Terry Duckworth, which makes Nigel Pivaro the ideal Abanazar in this family panto at the Spa Theatre, presented and produced by Paul Holman. From his first entrance he is clearly a hit and his performance does not disappoint. In the title role Terry Gleed is excellent, his slight build and light movements concealing a ...

... Dick Whittington Torquay Princess Theatre's panto is a ramshackle affair. It is short on story. The standard scene on Highgate Hill, where Dick hears the bells calling him back to London, is omitted. The sketches are skimpy, and singing and dancing sequences are hardly a feature. A lot of time is taken up by Aiden J Harvey inducing audience response. They were will ing enough, but ...

... Light Almeida Theatre de Complicite's staging of Torgny Lindgren's novel is, as is its wont, company-created under the direction of Simon McBurney, who also composed the text with Matthew Broughton. i lie resuu is a uufisiaiiuy inventive but sprawling and tonally uncertain work repeatedly in danger of losing its way and its audience. A plague-decimated medieval village is left with no ties to ...

... Road to Heaven Lyric, Hammersmith The therapeutic properties of showbusiness have never been better demonstrated than by this show at the Lyric, in which the youngest performer is in the late sixties and the eldest nudeine 90. It began life in a low-income meal site for the elderly in North ampton, Massachusetts, created by Bob Cilman as a diversion for the old folk, something in which they ...

... Worthy display of family strife York Behind the Scenes at the Museum This first stage version at the Theatre Royal of Kate Atkinson's highly acclaimed novel could hardly have a better home. The story, telling the turbulent and dysfunctional family history of character Ruby Lennox, is set in York, which also happens to be Atkinson's birthplace. Bryony Lavery's adaptation and Damian Cruden's ...

... Best Before Etcetera This cleverly titled new play about Alzheimer's Disease, written and directed by Lizi Hann, is not as grim as you might expect. Although it does not shirk the stark realities of dementia and it does not offer any easy comfort, you do not come away feeling depressed. For one thing, this does have some surprisingly funny moments. But there is a strong sense of the value ...

... Running riot with cliches Edinburgh The Shaughraun Dion Boucicault's 19th century comic melodrama runs riot with every cliche about the Irish in the book. From the big-hearted wandering poacher of the title to feisty Irish county ladies, red-headed informers and dim British soldiers, Boucicault sets them all up. And in this fast-paced production at the Royal Lyceum, director Mark Lambert ...

... Things We Do for Love Chester Alan Ayckbourn's mordant look at the destructive effects of love receives its north west premiere at the Gateway. Guy Retallack's beautifully- judged production portrays every shift of mood and emotion as the play moves from the style of Abigail's Party to that of Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? Barbara, a poised career woman, lives in the elegant flat which ...

... The Pearl Fishers London Coliseum Philip Prowse's exotic version of Bizet's Gallic Mills et Boon romance set on an island in the Indian Ocean is back. Savour again the petal-strewn stage, the central pillared platform, sacred elephants carved on its columns, the beached boat and huge slatted overhang, all awash with Gerry Jenkinson's colourfully expressive lighting. It is possible to find ...

... Dog Well Done Finborough If you ever buy a hot dog from a street vendor, spare a thought for the web of vendetta and violence that might have provided seasoning. Potentially a microcosm for dogeat-dog capitalism, in Stephen Keyworth's play the sausage sandwich is more literally the focal point of a cycle of blood-lust perpetuated by the dog of war Grist a tyrannical bringer of economic ...

... Are Unheard Memories Sweet? Edinburgh/Touring Lung Ha's, the theatre company which provides opportunities for adults with learning difficulties, has stepped back from its large-scale productions of recent years for a more compact, touring show. Not that cc-directors and writers lohn Mitchell and Louise Ironside have compromised story telling or production values in any way. This is a ...

... The Wizard of Oz Weymouth This excellent adaptation from John Spillers at the Pavilion has just sufficient pantomime business for festive season presentation. The dynamic Lisa Jayn Dancers are soon in the aisles partnering eager customers for a western hoe- down while everyone claps along, and thereafter the atmosphere remains exhilarating. The costumes are bright and the sets simple, but Mark ...