Winchester Today 26 February 2024

MESSAGE FROM THE MANAGING EDITOR

Dear Readers,

We regret that we are unable to bring you our normal edition this week due to a serious medical incident involving our managing editor.

Kevin is currently recovering at home, and hopefully we will return next Monday with a full issue.

Please keep him in your thoughts as we get through this tough time.

We thank you all for your ongoing support.

The new elective hub page 3

Bonnie & Clyde The Musical page 17

Houdini’s great escape page 20

“Really sorry that due to a medical emergency last week that we need to bring you a shortened version of the newspaper today.

“I would like to extend my grateful thanks to my neighbours, the paramedics from South Central Ambulance Service and all the medical team at RHCH. You are truly amazing.

Please enjoy what’s inside, support our advertisers and stay strong!

Kevin

GREEN LIGHT GIVEN TO THE NEW ELECTIVE HUB FOR HAMPSHIRE IN WINCHESTER

Hampshire’s new elective hub has now been given the green light and building work at the Royal Hampshire County Hospital (RHCH) in Winchester will now begin in all three options that are being discussed in the ongoing Hampshire plan.

The new elective hub will provide more capacity and allow more operations to take place therefore improving access to elective surgery and reducing the elective backlog across Hampshire and the Isle of Wight.

The plans for the elective hub were approved at the Hampshire Hospitals Foundation Trust (HHFT) board meeting on Thursday 15th February.

Adults across Hampshire and Isle of Wight who require operations for orthopaedics (such as hip and knee replacements) will be eligible to attend the new elective hub. Operations taking place at the hub would be in addition to surgery already taking place at our hospitals across Hampshire & the Isle of Wight. Initially patients in Southampton and Hampshire, will be offered the choice of having their operation at either their local hospital or the hub. In the future patients from Portsmouth and on the Isle of Wight may also be given the same opportunity.

The hub will deliver an additional 2,400 procedures each year, will operate six days a week with consultants from both University Hospital Southampton and Hampshire Hospitals Foundation Trust operating on their patients in the Hub.

Images: University Hospital Southampton

Julie Maskery is project director at Hampshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust:“The elective hub will provide a new way of working for orthopaedic surgery and we are delighted that we have had the final approval for the elective hub as it will benefit many people across Hampshire and the Isle of Wight.

“The building work for the hub will involve refurbishing a floor within the Burrell building in the Royal Hampshire County Hospital to create two theatres andthe associated inpatient facilities. The elective hub is due to open in April 2025 and we look

forward to welcoming our first patients.”

The enabling work is already underway and the programme is collaborating with the contractor Integrated Health Projects (IHP) and AD Architects to develop the building specification.

At the same time as building the new elective hub, Hampshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust will also be commencing the construction of a new orthopaedic outpatient facility at the Royal Hampshire County Hospital.

Scheduled to open in the summer 2025, this is part of the Trust’s ongoing commitment and investment into services in Winchester.

The new department will provide eight outpatient rooms; a co-located plain film x-ray service with an adjacent treatment room; and four fracture clinic assessment booths with an adjacent two bay plaster room. Activities delivered in the Orthopaedic Outpatient Facility will include:

Specialist advice and support, clinical consultation, diagnosis, and treatment planning and delivery for orthopaedic patients. Therapy consultation, diagnosis and treatment in conjunction with a multi-disciplinary Allied Health team, including physiotherapy, occupational therapy and dietetics.

Application and removal of plaster casts.

By co-locating services and increasing the footprint of clinic rooms, the Trust will significantly reduce how long patients have to wait for an elective outpatient appointment. Once up and running, they aim to reduce the average wait from 9 weeks currently to below 5 weeks for patients to be seen for a first appointment following a referral to the service.

The “one-stop” model will also reduce the number of follow-up appointments by delivering the care patients need in just one appointment, with teams working side by side.

Dr Lara Alloway is Chief Medical Officer for NHS Hampshire and Isle of Wight: “These two developments will provide a significant benefit to our residents and is a positive step forward in reducing our backlog for elective surgeries. Waits for orthopaedic surgery is one of the biggest challenges across Hampshire, so by using the hub to focus on our orthopaedic patients, we can work in partnership to reduce the waiting times for surgery.

“We are working hard to improve our services and we are confident that the elective hub and the new orthopaedic outpatient facility will play a significant role in achieving this.”

The new elective hub and the orthopaedic outpatient facility will continue to run from the Royal County Hampshire Hospital in Winchester, in all three options that are being discussed in the ongoing Hampshire. The planned future investment in the Royal Hampshire County Hospital.

The Winchester Hotel and Spa

J u s t a 1 0 - m i n u t e w a l k f r o m W i n c h e s t e r H i g h S t r e e t , l i e s a p a r a d i s e w a i t i n g t o b e e x p l o r e d .

F r o m s o o t h i n g m a s s a g e s t o r e j u v e n a t i n g f a c i a l s , o u r t r a i n e d s p a t h e r a p i s t s w i l l t a k e c a r e o f y o u r e v e r y n e e d .

U n w i n d i n o u r n e w l y r e n o v a t e d s p a f a c i l i t i e s , i n c l u d i n g a n e w p l u n g e - p o o l , h y d r o - p o o l , s t e a m r o o m a n d s a u n a .

V i s i t t o o u r n e w f i t n e s s s t u d i o , c o m p l e t e w i t h f r e e w e i g h t s

r e s i s t a n c e c a b l e m a c h i n e s , c a r d i o v a s c u l a r m a c h i n e s , a n d a n a r e a f o r a e r o bi c e x e r c i s e .

S i g n u p t o o n e o f o u r m e m b e r s h i p p a c k a g e s a n d r e c e i v e a

r a n g e o f b e n e f i t s i n c l u d i n g 2 0 % o f f o u r r e l a x i n g t r e a t m e n t s .

F o r m o r e i n f o r m a t i o n , v i s i t w w w . t h e w i n c h e s t e r h o t e l . c o . u k / s p a

W o r t h y L a n e , W i n c h e s t e r , S O 2 3 7 A B

Gift recycling initiative brings in £1,800 for Winchester Hospice thanks to Three Saints Benefice

A mass gift exchange, known as ‘Recycle Sunday’, has raised £1,804 for Winchester Hospice following the event at Winchester’s St Lawrence Church last month.

Organised by Christine Pilgrim, Environmental Officer for the Three Saints Benefice Winchester, the initiative hoped to reduce waste of unwanted Christmas gifts whilst supporting a local charity chosen by the Benefice’s parishioners.

The Three Saints Benefice, which is made up of St Bartholomew’s, St Lawrence and St Swithun upon Kingsgate churches, host the event every year, with this being it’s 4th instalment.

The event, which was held on 28 January, welcomed over 50 people from across the churches. Everyone in attendance brought a gift and for a donation to Winchester Hospice, took home another person’s unwanted treasure.

On the morning, the church buzzed with kindness and generosity as Liz Baron, parishioner and long-serving ambassador for Winchester Hospice, shared more about the work of the charity and the impact of its presence within the city.

“We are so delighted that there has been such a terrific response to such a worthy charity through the initiative this year.

“Having a hospice in the heart of our city is incredibly valuable and so, as Winchester residents, it is really important that we support this service.”

Allison Warren is ward manager at Winchester Hospice,: “It’s fantastic to see our community being so creative and finding ways of fundraising that not only benefit our hospice, but the environment too.

“We feel incredibly grateful to have the support of our local churches so I want to say a huge thank you on behalf of all of us here to everyone involved!”

Winchester Hospice is the only adult hospice in the city providing palliative and end of life care to those with life-limiting illness. In order to continue and grow its services, Winchester Hospice Fundraising Charity must raise at least £500,000 every year.

Christine Pilgrim and Liz Baron present Winchester Hospice the funds raised

Balmer On The Double For City

Harrow Borough 1 Winchester City 2

Saturday 24 February 2024

Match Report: Matt Richbell

Olly Balmer scored twice as Winchester City won 2-1 away at Harrow Borough on a sticky West London pitch in the Southern Premier Division on Saturday afternoon, writes Matt Richbell.

Manager, Craig Davis, once again made several changes with Tommy Wright unavailable, so Trevor Caborn started up front and new signing, Sam Ashton, named on the bench. Last weeks’ goalscorer, Simba Mlambo, also missed today’s game, but Devon Arnold returned to the bench after injury.

Playing The Music From Your Life… here’s a guide to your radio listening this week on Winchester Today:

Monday to Friday

0900-1300 Kevin Gover, including the Golden Hour at 0900.

Monday 26 February 1979

Tuesday 27 February 1988

Wednesday 28 February 1982

Thursday 29 February 1976

Friday 1 March 1973

1300: The Lunchtime Express

1400: Tony Simon

1700: Jon Gripton, including ‘The Big Book of Birthdays’.

1900: Jess Garner with his Mighty Fine Tunes.

2100: The Golden Hour

2200: The No Sleeping Zone! While others send you to sleep, we do exactly the opposite!

Saturday 2 March includes Jon Gripton’s Party Zone at 1700

Sunday 3 March includes Chrissie Pollard at 1000, and ArtsPlus at 1700.

DAB+ between us and on

Find us on DAB+, TuneIn or your smart speaker.

City started the game brightly and after several corners, Olly Balmer came close but his shot was well saved by the Harrow keeper, who had a very busy afternoon.

Max Smith and IK Hill both also came close to breaking the deadlock, before Balmer did open the scoring.

On the 20 minute mark, Olly Balmer (pictured - thanks to Gary Marsh) cut inside and curled an effort into the bottom corner from the edge of the box, to the delight of the travelling City fans behind the goal.

Image: Gary Marsh

Happy New Year from Pearsons!

Last year was un unpredictable market, even for the usually very resilient Winchester market. We are pleased to notice much better levels of interest across the board even this early in 2024. Buyer confidence started to stabilise in November and December 2023 and has surged in the first weeks of the year. With interest rates holding, mortgage lenders being more competitive and stable with their products and vendors that have waiting now coming to market, we anticipate a fruitful ‘bounce-back’ year.

If you are considering moving over the next year or simply interested in the price of your property – please do get in touch, we would love to hear from you. In the meantime, have a lovely festive season!

Testimonials

“We moved to Pearsons 6 months into attempting to sell with hopes of better success. We were not disappointed. Sam and his team provided a genuinely insightful and professional service.”

“I have moved several times over the years and this is by far, the best experience I have had. I was kept informed throughout the selling process what was happening; where things needed to be expedited they did what was required to make things happen. My faith in Estate Agents has been restored, I have and would recommend Pearsons to anyone wishing to sell their house.”

“Pearsons give a personal, kind, friendly service which simply can't be under-estimated when buying and selling houses. They listen and treat you as an individual. I'd really recommend them.”

“Mighty Fine Tunes Needed Please…”

”Jess Garner, weekdays at 7pm on Winchester Today on DAB+ across the city.

Fun For The Family – Young And Old!

The Theatre Royal in Winchester has a whole host of family shows to enjoy… here’s an idea of what’s happening.

Zog and the Flying Doctors, Friday 08 – Sun 10 March, various times

Science Museum: The Live Stage Show, Sunday 17 March, 1.30pm

The Gruffalo’s Child, Saturday 23 – Sunday 24 March, various times

Charlie Cook’s Favourite Book, Tuesday 02 – Wednesday 03 April, various times

Dear Zoo, Saturday 06 – Sunday 07 April, various times

The Singing Mermaid, Saturday 13 – Sunday 14 April, various times

Cillian O’Connor: My Magic World, Tuesday 30 July, 7pm

Call the Box Office on 01962 840440 or see the website at theatreroyalwinchester.co.uk

“I couldn’t be more excited!”

Meet Catherine Tyldesley as she’s about to make her professional musical theatre debut in ‘Bonnie & Clyde The Musical.

Playing Blanche Barrow in Bonnie & Clyde The Musical is a dream come true for Catherine Tyldesley. This is the Coronation Street and Strictly Come Dancing star’s professional musical theatre debut. “And I couldn’t be more excited,” Catherine says about appearing in the show named Best New Musical at the 2023 WhatsOnStage Awards.

She’s been approached about doing musicals before. “But I had to be really in love with something for me to leave the children for that amount of time,” the mother-of-two admits. Then she heard Blanche’s big number That’s What You Call A Dream and was hooked. “Me and my husband [Tom Pitfield] got one verse in and he looked at me and went ‘Oh my God, you have to do this show’.”

Image: Darren Bell

Catherine, 40, listened to the rest of the music. “And I was 100% in. I fell in love with it and I knew that this was the one musical I had to do. I’ve been extremely lucky with film and television but I’ve waited a long time for this.”

The show features music by Frank Wildhorn, lyrics by Don Black and a book by Ivan Menchell, and it played to packed houses in London’s West End across two rave-reviewed seasons. It’s an electrifying, energised retelling of the story of outlaws Bonnie Parker and Clyde Barrow, who became folk heroes during the Great Depression, with Tyldesley playing Clyde’s sister-in-law Blanche. Married to Clyde’s elder brother Buck, she reluctantly became part of the bank-robbing Barrow Gang and was the only member of the core group to survive, later serving a prison sentence for assault with intent to kill.

“She’s a powerhouse,” Catherine elaborates, “and she wears the trousers in the relationship between herself and Buck. They are deeply in love and she would do anything for him, but she’s very devout in her faith and she wants him to be on the right path in life. Buck is like ‘I can’t argue with this woman, she is the boss, so I’ve got to do what she says’.”

Delving into Blanche’s diaries, the actress was interested to learn she also tried to get Clyde to see the light. “But there’s a

turning point mid-show where she realises that he is past all help. In her diaries she writes ‘I tried to help Clyde, I tried to help Bonnie’ but they were just unreachable.”

Catherine is no stranger to theatre. Her previous stage work includes Jim Cartwright’s Is There Anybody There? and she wrote and starred in The Ceremony, which also featured Sue Johnston and was filmed for broadcast during the pandemic to raise money for out-of-work actors.

Tyldesley, who was born in the Greater Manchester town of Walkden, hasn’t done a professional musical before Bonnie & Clyde, although during her training at the Birmingham School of Acting she appeared in such shows as The Sound of Music, Grease and Oliver! And she’s always been singing between acting roles, saying: “That’s how I made my bread and butter prior to Corrie. I was singing five or six nights a week, doing a lot of musical theatre numbers because that was my passion, along with jazz and swing.”

Having released her debut album Rise in 2016, she adds: “I’ve always loved singing and it’s great that now I finally get to do it in a big stage musical.”

The show, she notes, has a bit of everything. “You’ve got great music, adventure, the gangster element, but it also delves into the love story, to see the chemistry between Bonnie and Clyde, as well as between Blanche and Buck. It’s got that adrenalinejunkie feel but at the same time it’s really going to pull on your heartstrings. And it’s got great comedy in there too. Part of the reason that I was drawn to Blanche is because her one-liners are just brilliant.”

Can she relate to the character in any way? “I would say that I’m incredibly determined, as Blanche is. I was raised a Catholic and I don’t practise the faith anymore, but my mum is incredibly devout and anyone who meets her says ‘There’s something really special about your mum, something really powerful’. I’m using that for Blanche. She kind of has an inner strength that she takes from her faith, which makes her feisty.”

Music and musical theatre are in Catherine’s blood. Both her grandfather and her aunt were jazz singers and her mum was a huge Doris Day fan. “So it was Calamity Jane non-stop,” she smiles. “I remember going to see Grease five or six times and thinking ‘This is what I want to do when I grow up’. After I left drama school I was convinced that I would work predominantly in musical theatre, but it just so happened that I fell into film and television.”

Tyldesley made her screen debut in 2006 in Holby City and was in Coronation Street (as a midwife), Doctors, Emmerdale and Shameless before returning to Corrie in 2011 as plucky Eva Price. “It was amazing,” she beams about landing the plum role for a seven-year stint. “I’d watched Corrie since I was a little girl and my family were obsessed with it. It really was a dream job but I felt I left at the right time because I wanted to explore other things and to develop as an actor and as a person.”

She’s had so many enjoyable jobs since leaving Weatherfield. “I’ve been incredibly lucky since leaving Corrie and have been blessed with such varied and wonderful roles, working with amazing talent and traveling to some beautiful places. I always struggle to pinpoint favourite jobs because each role is a blessing and a journey.”

A recent highlight is Channel 5’s hit murder mystery The Good Ship Murder, about which Catherine says: “It has been an incredible job with the most stunning locations, so much fun, with a wonderful cast. People have fallen in love with it and I’m so thrilled. Who doesn’t love a good murder mystery?”

She also loved being partnered with Johannes Radebe on Strictly Come Dancing in 2019. She’d done basic jazz dance at drama school. “But most of the time I avoided those classes because I just didn’t have any confidence. Strictly gave me that confidence and that came from Johannes, who is a special soul. I was like ‘I’m too tall to dance and I look a bit gangly’ and he told me ‘You’ve just got to go out there and own it’.”

She went on to do the Strictly live tour. “That was probably my favourite bit actually, because the pressure was off and we got so good because we were doing the same dances every night. We were so polished by the end of it and I was like ‘I wish we were this good on the telly show!’”

Tyldesley will be doing what she calls “a bit of mild dancing” in Bonnie & Clyde and she’s looking to touring the country again, this time in a fully-fledged music. “It’s super exciting and we’re going to all these iconic theatres in all these beautiful towns and cities.” She smiles. “It’s going to be quite the adventure.”

Review : Houdini’s Greatest Escape

Theatre Royal Winchester

22 February 2024

Review: Jack Shaw

New Old Friends Theatre have brought their latest show ‘Houdini’s Greatest Escape’ to the Theatre Royal as part of its UK Tour and it was an enjoyable evening of high jinks and hilarity!

After their ‘Crimes . . .’ series of shows that have proved successful in recent years, this was a slightly new venture for the established theatre company, albeit one that stayed true to many of its signature traits, chief amongst them – comic multi-roling, physical humour and farce.

This new play, written and directed by Feargus Woods Dunlop, is a fictional story featuring a very well known figure. The set up? The great Harry Houdini and his wife Bess are framed for murder and quite literally have to escape in a comic thriller of a show with shades of ‘The 39 Steps’.

Along the way, Harry and Bess make it their mission to expose a so-called ‘Spiritualist’ named Agatha, inspired by Houdini’s real life crusades against false mediums. (In part to Houdini’s own experience with charlatan mediums he met in the aftermath of the death of his mother.)

The show requires sustained high energy from its cast and they were very much up to the task. Ben Higgins took on the role of Harry Houdini and Lydia Piechowiak, his wife Bess. The two had a great chemistry with each other and we

felt ourselves rooting for them, as they negotiated their way through the twists and turns of the often elaborate plot. Kirsty Cox and Adam Elliott were left with the multi-roling and my goodness, this was an impressive feat from both. Elliott’s character list easily extended into double figures. A particular highlight was an Act One sketch in which he jumped between four characters in just one short scene. Kirsty Cox’s Nelly the Elephant (amongst many other characters!) was also very memorable and led to some great comic lines, as did her portrayal of the Spiritualist Agatha.

There were plenty of laughs, including from the cast in one very funny Act Two scene, which had them corpsing on stage (this all added to the fun of the evening). The show never took itself too seriously, always very much aware of the ridiculous and heightened nature of the plot and story. Some absurdist humour added to the show including a very well done scene in which a police car plunged underwater. There were also some funny one-liners (I won’t spoil a very witty remark about Basingstoke!) and subtle ‘Easter Egg’ references to Houdini’s actual career.

Magic also played a part in the evening’s proceedings with Pete Firman (who recently performed his very funny magic show ‘Trik Tok’ at the Theatre Royal) acting as Magic Consultant. The escape illusion at the end of the evening and the card trick performed by Adam Elliott at the start of Act Two were both very well done. I did, however, feel that given the subject matter, there was perhaps scope for more magic throughout the show.

All in all, a very funny evening of theatre.

THE REGENT’S PARK OPEN AIR THEATRE PRODUCTION

LYRICS BY TIM RICE MUSIC BY ANDREW LLOYD WEBBER

STARRING

JULIAN CLARY

THU-SAT AS HEROD

MON 25 - SAT 30 MAR

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It’s Back!

Very Soon!

Easy ways to advertise with Winchester Today!

If you would like to advertise with us, we have kept it very simple for you.

There are two ways: Online Only and Full

Online Only: £35 / month. This gives you a 1/4 page ad in the online newspaper every Monday. No minimum spend, advertise when you like ahead of a campaign. And, like our friends at BA, now and then we’ll upgrade you to a full page!

Full: £95 / month. You get a full page ad in the online newspaper every week and daily coverage on the radio station, with the radio coverage exactly to your choice. You can have traditional radio adverts across the day or choose to be associated with a show, like ‘Playmakers’ have done on Jon Gripton’s show every evening. ‘A World of Furniture’ is associated with Kevin’s show every morning. ‘Pearsons’ support our Saturday radio programmes. ‘Sarker World of Dance’ supports our Saturday Night Party.

Please Support Our Advertisers and Supporters!

Please Support Our Advertisers and Supporters!

Without them, we simply would not be here. All our arts supporters allow us to see their shows and report back so that YOU can make your own mind up!

Without them, we simply would not be here. All our arts supporters allow us to see their shows and report back so that YOU can make your own mind up!

Many thanks to:

Many thanks to:

A World Of Furniture, Chandler’s Ford Pearsons Estate Agents, Southgate Street Mayflower, Southampton

A World Of Furniture, Chandler’s Ford Pearsons Estate Agents, Southgate Street Mayflower, Southampton

Sarker Danceworks

Sarker Danceworks

Theatre Royal, Winchester

Theatre Royal, Winchester

Chesil Theatre

Chesil Theatre

MAST Southampton

MAST Southampton

Jane Austen’s House

Jane Austen’s House

The Anvil, Basingstoke

The Anvil, Basingstoke

Cheriton Players

Cheriton Players (left)

(left)

TakeTen – Snakes and Ladders New Writing Festival – Chesil Theatre –24th February 2024

Review: David Cradduck and Helena Gomm

What started some 16 years ago with Chesil playing host to ten local playwrights staging their ten-minute plays as part of the Nuffield Theatre Writers’ Group has blossomed over the years into a fully-fledged national writing festival, attracting hundreds of entries from amateurs and professionals alike from all over the country.

It is a well tried and tested formula and performs an important function by inspiring writers to showcase their established credentials or simply to have a go at writing for the first time.Of the many entries, ten are chosen by an objective panel of judges to be performed back-to-back. Naturally, all the plays are simple in staging (they must be) with small casts, minimal props and ‘sets’ created by projecting images onto the backdrop. For instance, a café, a living room with raindrops running down the window outside, a fire crackling in a 14th century fireplace, a charity shop, an illustration of Brighton Pier. The ‘backdrop’ images are carefully chosen, add the required setting and ambience quickly and effectively and require no physical intervention to change.

The gaps between the plays themselves can be counted in seconds rather than minutes, making the whole presentation very quick and slick indeed. Lighting plots are minimal but help to create the necessary illusions and add dramatic effect.

Chesil Theatre is the ideal venue for such an event with its tiny but atmospheric and intimate auditorium and stage. Such an event simply wouldn’t work on a big stage.

And the festival has attracted some big names as supporters: the programme features glowing tributes from Jessica Swale (current patron of the Little Theatre Guild), Sir Kenneth Branagh and Sir Ian McKellen, no less, who describes it as “an example of what a company like Chesil can do better than a professional one”. Praise indeed.

The standard of all the entries this year is incredibly high, and although it is not our place to judge which should be an outright winner, we have our favourites – sometimes for objective reasons such as the standard of writing, staging, direction or acting – and sometimes for subjective reasons. Some appeal more than others when it comes to personal choice. So, to get more than one view on this, this review is written by two people, independent of each other, taking half the programme each. We’ll leave it to you to work out who reviewed what!

Firing Blanks by Kathryn West: Basically, a two-hander centred around a man and a woman meeting in a café for an online date. From the off it is obvious that they are there to meet other partners through the dating site ‘CupidsArrow. com’ but despite their different phobias (one snakes, the other ladders) they find they have a lot in common. Clever banter between Emily Monsell-Holden as Frances and Paul Riddell as Sam with Denise Truscott as the obviously proud vegan waitress. Some nice touches – two steak eaters meeting in a vegan café ironically called The Happy Cow and some amusingly spurious reasons for their respective phobias. A good opener for the festival, even though the ending is a little obvious.

Unlived Experience by Barry Hood: A lonely but feisty old woman lies on the floor of her flat as a succession of visitors – window cleaners, a burglar, police officers – fail to notice her and reveal either their inadequacies or their disrespect. Eventually, you realise she is dead, and they are failing to notice her corpse. The final two, the police officers, have come because the neighbours have reported the smell. One of them takes a leering selfie with the corpse before he leaves.

The woman reflects on a breakdown in community spirit, lack of support for the elderly, neglect of family responsibilities, all problems of our times. She refers to her visitors as ‘snakes’, an unusual insult which seems a little shoe-horned in for the benefit of the festival theme. Another odd thing is the sound effect of breaking glass when the burglar climbs through the window, though the woman clearly states that she left it open.

Nevertheless, Mary Mitchell gives a fine performance as the elderly woman and Steve Clark and Aaron Bartlett are her assorted visitors. A thought-provoking and unusual play seen from the viewpoint of an undiscovered corpse.

Revisiting by Hayley Scott: A rather sad and topical tale of two sisters deciding what to do about their mum who has dementia. Probably a discussion currently going on a lot between siblings, one of whom has acted as carer for some while and wants to continue, the other who has been absent and wants mum to go into a home. Kate Price and Liz Finbow ably portray the two sisters valiantly trying to play trivial board games whilst discussing things of huge importance. Not the cheeriest of numbers but one that will prick many a conscience. Directed by Chesil veteran David Baldwin.

Cake by Victoria Buse: The situation is awkward. Richard has invited Jane, his new girlfriend, to meet Sam, his son, over tea and cake. Richard has not prepared Jane for the fact that Sam has Down’s Syndrome. To him, this should not present a problem, so when her shock is evident and she asks one or two inappropriate questions, including whether they took the test for Down’s Syndrome when Sam was in the womb (with the clear implication that they could then have opted for an abortion), he reacts badly. When she subsequently reveals she was once in the same boat, did take the test and ended her pregnancy as a result, instead of showing understanding of her situation, Richard asks her to leave. Despite their short acquaintance, Sam has decided that he likes Jane, so he is pleased when she comes back and asks for the chance to start again. It looks as if the three of them are going to make a go of it.

What any of this has to do with snakes and ladders is anybody’s guess, but it is a fine play with convincing performances from Ben Tyler as Sam and Andrew Jenkins and Christina Pye as Richard and Jane.

Moksha Patam by Mike Shephard: As the author is a professional writer of comedy (Comic Relief, Have I Got News For You) I was rather expecting a funny, modern playlet. Instead we are transported back to a Victorian Brighton guest house where a young, earnest man, Edwin (Tom Dangerfield) is sharing tea with a slightly caricaturist old Colonial duffer, Mr Jaggery (Geoff Dodsworth) who has spent time in India. No spoiler intended but this is a morale tale of revenge not unlike An Inspector Calls and it involves cucumber sandwiches and arsenic (of course). As young Edwin reveals his true intentions it is already too late for Mr Jaggery…. Ably supported by Heather Bradford as housekeeper Jane, the two adversaries are superbly portrayed and the whole piece is delightfully Sherlock-ish.

Alan Has Left the Chat by Nicky Denovan: The physical comedy in this play provides a lot of light relief. Naturally timid Stuart (Danny Olsson) is egged on by his wife (Emily Monsell-Holden) to be more assertive and ask for a pay rise, given his excellent recent sales results. However, when Stuart confronts his boss Alan (Peter Andrews), not only is there no chair supplied for him to sit on, forcing him to make his plea for a pay rise on his knees, but Alan reveals that the company has decided to let him go, replacing him with a chatbot. Adding insult to injury, he reveals that all Stuart’s hard work over the preceding months has been used to train the chatbot to replace him. Olsson and Andrews exploit all the possibilities of performing gymnastics over, under, on and round a table as they struggle for control of Alan’s phone, with Stuart eventually succeeding and convincing the chatbot to replace Alan with him on the company

board. To their horror, they then realise that the chatbot itself has designs on taking over the company, getting rid of both of them in the process. The fluidity of ethics and cut-throat nature of business as workers try to ascend the company ladder are well portrayed.

Powerplay by Lucy Aley-Parker: Lucy’s background as a professional actress, playwright and experience in publishing shines through as we see a mature hopeful auditionee going for a part in a TV production and being auditioned/ interviewed by a couple of pretentious so-called TV casting executives. Again, a lovely twist (albeit slightly inevitable) as the tables are turned against the two by our candidate who is rather more than she seems and turns out to be the author that they have been belittling. A powerplay in more ways than one, the trio of actors – Sarah Andrews playing the hopeful Miranda and her two sleazy casting characters being portrayed by Brad Hall and Daisy Norwood – creates a very believable situation that has you willing someone to be dropped into a vat of hot oil.

Time to Let Go by Sarah Nash: A worker in a charity shop encounters three donors, bringing goods to the shop: a wedding dress from a wedding that never happened; designer clothes belonging to a runaway wife and the last donations from a woman who knows she is about to die. Here, again, the link with the theme is rather tenuous, perhaps just the changes experienced by the different donors. All the characters are well played by Marina Humphrey, Julie Bonham Cozens, David Collis and Denise Truscott, but I was left wondering about the point of it all – and just what is in the sparkly jar that Elsie hands over towards the end.

New Master by Sarah Hawkins: A two-hander set in 1349 (although the Lord of the Manor has perhaps time travelled back from more Tudor times, although I am no expert if 14th century costume). Another tale of turning the tables, a handy routine when squeezing a story into ten minutes. A rather amusing plot with a serious message, as gawky peasant, played with gusto by Lorraine Hedworth gradually reverses roles with the Lord of the Manor, Sir William (Martin Humphrey) as he realises to his horror that he may have the money and the title but he can’t bring the harvest in without the cooperation of the peasant workers. A beautifully warm period atmosphere with animated crackling log fire as one backdrop, and some very Terry Gilliam-style animated pictures of peasants and horses working the fields or blowing trumpets in others.

Portrait of Isabella by Kate Price. There are two snakes here. One is hiding beneath a bunch of flowers in a sentimental painting of a woman. An art restorer (Hazel Round) suspects this has been overpainted and that underneath lies the portrait of a strong and wealthy Italian Renaissance woman, the snake perhaps hinting at her penchant for poisoning and a warning to unworthy suitors. The other snake is a graduate student (Arthur Wood) who is working under the direction of the restorer. He is something of a slippery character, ambitious and ruthless. Rather foolishly, he reveals that he is having an interview with the museum director the next day and that he will claim the discovery of the hidden painting as his own. Perhaps rather predictably, but very neatly echoing the structure of the painting, it turns out that under the white lab coat of the restorer hides the smart suit of the museum director. Both characters are well played and this provides a strong ending to the festival.

Take Ten is proving to be a firm date in the diary and a favourite for writers, performers and audience alike. No doubt behind the ‘little red door’ the Chesil team are already working on the next one (although we’re not entirety convinced that you need a theme, really – one audience member spent a good while counting the snakes – perhaps a bit of a distraction?).

If you missed our special interview ahead of The Sleeping Beauty with BRB Ambassador Darcey Bussell, just go to our issue from Monday 22 January.

Review: One Last Push –

Salisbury Playhouse –Wiltshire Creative

20 February 2024

Review: David Cradduck

Wow, that must be a first! Giving birth on stage? Well, yes, it’s unusual but nothing very ordinary happens in this madcap comedy, the world premiere of One Last Push by Chris Chibnall at Salisbury Playhouse this week. But it’s obviously in safe hands, as ironically three of the six cast members have appeared in BBC’s Call The Midwife and three have been in either Casualty or Holby. Plus they have two midwifery advisors on hand!

So how does a life changing event like having your first child come to be the hilarious subject matter of Chibnall’s latest production as part of the Wiltshire Creative team? He explains, “I really love the idea of a set of comedies about the big events of life”, which is why his first such play was entitled Worst Wedding Ever and the next was about a first date. “So the logical next one was a comedy about a home birth … inspired by the story of my youngest son’s birth”.

What a hoot this play is! From start to finish, it runs at a cracking pace – maybe one reason why it’s only two hours long including interval.

Jen (Laura Maine) and Mark (Sam Alexander) are readying themselves for a home birth, complete with oversized paddling pool – more of which later – and a well-thumbed birthing plan. Jen is trying to remain focussed, keep calm and pump up the pool, Mark is fretting about how to get a car parking space at the hospital should they need a Plan B, the Tens machine and even whether he is up to the job of being a dad. In his frustration and panic, he isn’t

listening to Jen who gradually turns from calm to understandable frustration as Mark’s nerves get the better of him. Add to the mix Mark’s estranged dad, Dave (James Gaddas) who is busy doing some dodgy DIY in the kitchen; their neighbour Paul (David Partridge) who arrives kitted out like a Ghostbuster and is intent on killing the badger in their garden; well-meaning Eileen, Jen’s mum (Sherry Baines), hell bent on being Jen’s doula but rather preoccupied with her posts on Instagram and finally zany Alize (Valerie Antwi), Dave’s much younger girlfriend who arrives with bottles of pink fizz and a baby shower present.

The jokes come thick and fast and you have to listen carefully to catch them all. The Playhouse’s excellent acoustics mean no wireless mics, just good old-fashioned projection which for the most part works well. The situations become farcical but somehow still plausible as things go from bad to worse. Paul’s vendetta against the poor old badger (a running joke – “that badger is an ANIMAL”!) involves shooting bullet holes in the pool and frantically trying to plug them with chewing gum, fingers and whatever else comes to hand. There are errant floorboards, collapsing shelves, an exploding fusebox and water, water everywhere. Giant mobile phone screens appear on either side of the stage depicting what our characters are seeing on their phones, including Paul’s stealth CCTV wildlife cameras and Eileen’s attempts at live streaming the birth. On that subject I was assured some weeks ago when I interviewed the cast that the “tech crew are brilliant and have certainly risen to the challenge”. I agree. Ok, it’s not the first time water has appeared on a stage by any means but it must be nerve-wracking to deliver comedy at that pace whilst working with hoses, running water, buckets and wet towels.

The giant screens are a novel addition but I’m not sure they add too much to the comedy or plot. Certainly, there are a few laughs to be had from them but the distraction away from the action on stage is perhaps a tad unnecessary.

The cast, naturally, are all seasoned actors who know their stagecraft well; timing and expression by all six is impeccable and Salisbury’s artistic director Gareth Machin’s direction is exemplary. Simon Kenny’s set depicts a chaotic, lived in, ground floor flat that was part of a once grand house (there are some nice touches like the plaster ceiling rose and ornate coving that despite the modern furniture place its build much earlier).

To sum up, if you fancy a thoroughly good night out watching a life event being hijacked “by life itself”, enjoying a good old-fashioned laugh whilst we forget the troubles in this world, and marvelling at the wonderful setting that Wiltshire’s jewel in the crown offers, get yourself a couple of tickets.

Restoration

For a fascinating look at how theatre costumes are restored, please take a look at our feature in the Winchester Today edition from Monday 29 January.

Review: Shrek The Musical

Review: Jack Shaw

I first remember seeing Shrek the Musical on stage at the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane over a decade ago. Having caught the show a couple of times on tour as well, I believe this was my fourth overall visit, which perhaps speaks to the strong appeal of the story, characters and of course, wonderful music.

Whilst on the surface, you could argue that this is a musical designed for children (and of course, it is very much a family friendly piece), there is also much to enjoy for theatregoers of all ages, as evident by the opening night audience at The Mayflower this evening.

The original Broadway production of Shrek opened in 2008 and for me, this is always going to be the benchmark. Despite it actually being a box office flop (due in no small part to its huge budget), the show was thankfully recorded for posterity. The cast, set and mood of this production are all spot on and the recording is very much worth a viewing!

The current UK Tour can’t boast a revolving stage like in New York or a dragon flying down from the balcony as per the London production, but I’m pleased to report that this current version is still a feel-good triumph! Antony Lawrence is brilliant as Shrek, with a wonderful singing voice, particularly affecting in his Act Two numbers

‘Words Fail’ and ‘Build A Wall’. Both Joanne Clifton and Brandon Lee Sears, as Fiona and Donkey respectively, are also such giving performers. You can’t help but admire how much they put into their superb performances. Much of the comedy comes from James Gillan’s enjoyable portrayal of Lord Farquaad. Although it was surprising to see a new take on this character, not playing him on his knees!

The music by Jeanine Tesori is an absolute cracker and in my opinion, it could well be her best musical theatre score. The beautiful melodies of ‘Who I’d Be’ and ‘Words Fail’ contrast so nicely with the more comedic numbers such as ‘Don’t Let Me Go’ and ‘Things are Looking Up’. Then, of course, you have the anthemic ‘Freak Flag’, a rallying cry to all those who are different.

David Lindsay-Abaire adds some real warmth and humour with his lyrics and book, which remains very faithful to the film and allows the story to flow nicely. There is not a dull moment and the pace never lets up for even a second in this show.

The orchestrations for this production sound amazing and the seven-strong band make a truly impressive sound. As do the show’s ensemble, with particular mentions to Cherece Richards as Dragon and Georgie Buckland as Gingy, whose powerhouse vocals were simply stunning.

As has also been the case in recent revivals of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and The Wizard of Oz, video projection does a lot of the heavy lifting to create the mood and backdrops in this show. This often works brilliantly well, sometimes not quite an adequate substitute to a fuller scale set, but in saying all this, a small grievance when the overall package is so good!

Part 2 of the Winchester Film Festival 2024 is here, with Winchester Today proud to be involved once more, as we have since Day 1. Festival Director John Hayes tells us more:

“At Winchester Film Festival we offer a selection of award winning films from across the globe that broaden horizons, provoke debate and reflect the burning issues of our time. And for every challenging, provocative and thoughtprovoking film we seek to screen a film that tickles the senses and makes our audience laugh. This year, we also have an unprecedented array of national and international award-winning directors, producers, scriptwriters and actors in attendance for audience Q&As after the films.

“The theme for 12th edition of the festival is The edge of Reason’, with protagonists crossing

the ‘invisible line’ with a variety of consequences - some funny, some sad, some scary, some empowering and all transformative. “To ensure that everyone can enjoy the festival, this year we have launched a new Culture for All policy, which includes concessions not only for students, under-twenty-fives and over sixty-fives, but also for anyone on low income. And for those who still can’t afford a ticket, we offer a fee waiver”.

“We believe film to be a vital tool in the battle for freedom of expression. This year we have deepened our commitment to supporting free-spirited, independent filmmakers censored in their own countries with a series of screenings entitled Whispers from Iran.”.

DAB+ Radio Update: As you may have read elsewhere, our DAB+ radio service is back on, and we are broadcasting from our new transmitter at Flagstaff Stables, near Crabwood Farm. This follows a considerable but necessary consultation period carried out by the regulator Ofcom throughout January.

You can now enjoy us on the move if you have a DAB+ receiver in your car, or at home on TuneIn and via your smart speaker. Ask Alexa: “Alexa, play Winchester Today.”

Our training days for anyone aged 16-25 and interested in a career in media will be open for applications very soon. This is provided through our training team: media professionals determined to pass on their skills to the media professionals of the future. Initially, the details will be released to schools in the Winchester District. Last time, sessions were sold out. Don’t miss out!

Contact: Thank you for reading the online version of the Winchester Today newspaper. We publish every Monday morning. If you would like to get in contact with us either for editorial or advertising purposes, please ring 01962 458452.

Our email address is news@winchestertoday.co.uk Winchester Today, 47 Southgate Street, Winchester SO23 9EH.

Managing Editor: Kevin Gover. Layout Design: Grace Pradhan. Contributors: David Cradduck, Jon Gripton, Helena Gomm, Beccy Conway, Sophia Sample, Tony Simon, Chrissie Pollard, Matt Richbell, Jan Conway, Jack Shaw, Mark Ponsford, Eleanor Marsden, Jess Garner and Rachel Gover

Project:Alfie150 – supporting the training of young journalists in Winchester since 2012.