Review By: Ian Howie-Lee & Catherine Collins – Photo Credit: Kate Hunter Photography Thousands of revellers once again descended on Southampton Common yesterday for the return of retro ‘80s festival, Let’s Rock, with headline performances from Soft Cell and Boomtown Rats. There were ‘80s costumes and neon galore, and...
Review: The Ocean at the End of the Lane, Mayflower Theatre, 4 July 2023
The Ocean at the End of the Lane is a National Theatre production based on the best-selling novel of the same name by local author Neil Gaiman. The show premiered in 2019 but this is its first national tour (delayed due to the Covid pandemic). The book was released...
“I wasn’t ready to do nothing” – Supporting an African village from a shop in Southampton
By Catherine Collins When Vivienne Gilbert had to give up work due to Fibromyalgia, she wasn’t quite ready to ‘do nothing’, and now she has set up a not-for-profit shop to help support an African village. Kookies Crafts, based in Woolston in Southampton, provides a venue for local crafters...
Review: Buddy: The Buddy Holly Story, Mayflower Theatre, 20 June 2023
By Joy McKay Buddy: The Buddy Holly Story was one of the very first ‘Jukebox Musicals’ premiering in 1989. It is part biopic, part gig and 100% celebration of the incredible and tragically short career of the Incongruously bespectacled Rock ‘n’ Roll legend Buddy Holly. After six years the...
Review: The King and I, Mayflower Theatre, Southampton, 13 June 2023
By Catherine Collins I remember singing along whilst watching the film, The King and I, on the TV as a child, so I was excited to be in the audience when it opened at Mayflower Theatre tonight. Set in 1860s Bangkok, The King and I tells the story of the unconventional...
Review: Winnie the Pooh: The New Musical Stage Adaptation, Mayflower Theatre, Southampton, 31 May 2023
The new musical adaptation of Winnie the Pooh – which opened at Mayflower Theatre today – brings Pooh, Piglet, Kanga, Roo, Owl, and Tigger, to the stage. Deep in the Hundred Acre Wood, a new adventure is about to begin as we join Pooh and friends on a series...
Review: Sister Act, Mayflower Theatre, Southampton, 2 May 2023
By Catherine Collins Sister Act opened at Mayflower Theatre tonight, and this feel-good show was a joy to watch from start to finish. Based on the iconic movie of the same name from 1992, starring Whoopi Goldberg, this sparkling tribute to the universal power of friendship, sisterhood and music...
A mission for pet owners help to stop ghost fishing nets
By Catherine Collins. After seeing photos of dolphins, turtles and seals trapped in lost, abandoned or discarded fishing nets, Sam Cartwright and Xavier Warburton had to do something to make a difference. “We kept seeing these awful photos,” says Sam. “It turns out that in some places, nearly half...
Review: Annie: The Musical, Mayflower Theatre, Southampton, 24 April 2023
By Catherine Collins When Annie: The Musical opened at Mayflower Theatre last night – I was immediately transported back in time to one of my favourite childhood films of the 80s. The show begins with the set of an orphanage dormitory in New York in the 1930s – during...
Review: Gormenghast, Maskers Studio Theatre, Southampton, 24 April 2023
By Martin Brisland Firstly, for those who haven’t yet discovered the Maskers Theatre Company it is time you did! Since 1994 it has had its own studio theatre seating around 40. Complete with a bar, this hidden gem can be found just off Shirley High Street. Maskers were established...