... Closing event in style DAY TWO EVENING SESSION The final, longest and I would say strongest session kicked off with a great tribute to the Village People, and the seventies music scene in general, by South Wales group New Recruits. Dressed appropriately as sailor, construction worker, Indian (or, should one say. Native American) chief et al, they stormed their way through YMCA and In the ...

... Big Top skills dazzle the crowd Monaco 24th International Circus Festival For the second successive year at this annual circus festival at Fontvieille, an act from Montreal's Cirque du Soleil set the crowd alight. Yves Decoste and Marie- Laure Mesnage are Vis Versa, a hand-to-hand balancing duo. Moving in seamless slow motion on a shallow domed plinth, they held the most extraordinary ...

... Cavelleria Rusticana/ I Pagtiacci Plymouth Love, betrayal and murder are the key elements of Opera South West's potent double bill at the Drum Studio. The cast, under the polished musical direction of Derek Kitt, captures the nuances of the marvellous melodies in these Italian masterpieces. The power and beauty of the Easter Hymn, On with the Motley and the famous intermezzo are fully ...

... Shakespeare on Broadway Leeds As part of Opera North's Shakespeare weekend of opera, recitals and talks, members of the fine chorus had a ball putting across a range of songs inspired bv the Bard at the Citv Varieties. Sympathetically accompanied by Jim Holmes and Philip Sutherland (keyboards), who themselves occasionally entered the action, they brought infectious enthusiasm to songs culled ...

... Turnage proves his true mettle London Coliseum The Silver Tassie Taking Sean O'Casey's play, neatly filleted by Amanda Holden, as his theme, Mark-Anthony Tumage has come up with an opera which, if not exactly giving a resounding start to the new millennium, is eminently approachable. Its score, though not without modernistic dissonances, will not frighten the traditionalists, and its ...

... The Musicals and More! AshtoiHinder-Lyne/Touring Every vocalist's nightmare is noisy amplifiers and a microphone that does not work. It came true for one member of the cast of this Tameside Hippodrome show who, nevertheless, carried on like a trouper. Another cast member failed to switch off her phone when she left the stage, to the audience's amusement. Apart from sound problems, this ...

... Alison Jiear Brentwood In addition to versatile singing and impeccable phrasing, Alison Jiear displayed great talent at the Brentwood Theatre: irreverent comedy gifts, a bright personality and singing perfectly off-key. This was the second time I had heard the former Fabulous Singlette solo. Not only was she more relaxed, the act was honed. There were old Eydie Gorme numbers Since I Fell for ...

... Days when 208 was truly great By JOHN MARTLAND We are constantly being told that nostalgia is not what it used to be, but there is still an awful lot of it around, especially on radio. Why, only just recently, a misty- eyed (at least, he sounded like it) Noel Edmonds hosted a fulsome 60-minutes worth of cences about The Great 208 the Story of Radio Luxembourg (R2, Tuesday, February 15). ...

... The Magic Flute London Coliseum Twelve years in the English National Opera repertory, Nicholas Hytner's spectacular staging, set in the Age of Enlightenment, is a delightful combination of pantomime fantasy and robust humour. This revival, directed by Carlos Wagner, features a tip-top cast of favourites returning to their roles plus talented newcomers. And with Bob Crowtey's lavish designs, ...

... Dynamic start to class show BY PETER HEPPLE DAY ONE AFTERNOON SESSION Showcall Showcase II had a new, if temporary, home this year-- the Horseshoe Showbar at Blackpool Pleasure Beach-- which turned out to be highly successful, in part because it is a dedicated nightclub-style venue with excellent sightlines and a superb lighting installation. All the acts, and The Stage's production team, ...

... Stand-in is a showstopper Lyric, Hammersmith/Touring Fascinating Aida- Barefaced Chic! As the curtain rises on this revamped show, first seen in London at the Theatre Royal Haymarket last year, the three members of Fascinating Aida are 'backstage', pondering the highs and lows of this business called show. And well they should, for although the pre-publicity had all been about new member, ...

... Lee Hurst Leicester A capacity audience greeted Lee Hurst at the De Montfort Hall when he appeared as part of this year's Leicester Comedy Festival, beaming his trademark grin. The Londoner quickly got them laughing with a topical gag, that Leicester people are friendly like Stan Collymore the troubled Leicester City star. Then Hurst went into an hour of fine comedy. The themes were not ...