By Lewis Maclean. The Drama flew thick and fast on Saturday night in Shirley. The location; the Maskers Theatre. The “Amateur company with professional standards” is being politely modest, as their latest show proved. Even the mere feat of walking onto the stage impressed. The stage design was quite...
Applause Reviews
Review: FASAT Pantomime: Hail Caesar, Freemantle Community Centre, Southampton
HAIL CAESAR! All credit to Freemantle and Shirley Amateur Theatrical Society (F.A.S.A.T.S.) for presenting a pantomime with a real difference. This is not your usual Cinderella, Dick Whittington and the like. This was a mad story set in 55 BC (Before Covid!). It combined the ladies of the WI...
Applause review: Wilde: Scenes of love and power, BBV Theatre Company, November 2
By amateur dramatics editor Martin Brisland. An all male group of five actors perform some of the ‘greatest hits’ of Oscar Wilde without scenery, costume, make up, lighting, sound effects or props other than a couple of chairs. Sounds like a tall order? Well not for the excellent BBV...
Applause review: Blithe Spirit, Maskers Theatre Company, Southampton
By amateur dramatics editor Martin Brisland. The Maskers maintain their usual high standards with their latest production. Blithe Spirit is a 1941 comic play by Noel Coward, described by the author as “an improbable farce” which imagines what may happen if we could contact the spiritual world. This experiment...
Little Man Tate come to Southampton in October
Sheffield indie-rockers Little Man Tate have shared details of their first studio album in over a decade, ‘Welcome To The Rest Of Your Life’ (out 17 November 2023), ahead of a UK tour which brings them to Southampton’s Engine Rooms this October. The announcement follows the release of the...
Applause review: Time and Tide, Maskers Theatre Company
By amateur theatre editor Martin Brisland. Some may think that the history of Southampton is boring but not when presented like this! Time and Tide is an excellent evening of stories, songs and sea shanties presented by the Maskers Theatre Company with the help of the Southampton Salty Sea...
Applause Review: Jane Eyre, Maskers Theatre Company, Townhill Park House, July 18, 2023
By amateur dramatics editor Martin Brisland. There is an old entertainment adage that says you should never work with children or animals. Well the Maskers Theatre company did both and it was a triumph! Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte is their 41st outdoor summer production and maintains their deserved...
Applause review: Broadway’s Jukebox Musicals, Freemantle & Shirley Amateur Theatrical Society
by amateur dramatics editor Martin Brisland. Singing is a great way to lift your spirits and that is just what Freemantle and Shirley Amateur Theatrical Society (FASATS) provided for an enthusiastic audience on a hot Friday summer night at Freemantle Community Centre (16/6/23). The ‘jukebox musical’ has become a...
Applause review: The Picture of Dorian Gray, Maskers Theatre
by Charlotte Ndupuechi. Going the Maskers Studio Theatre is always such a joy and living in Shirley, I’m very lucky to have this on my doorstep. From the moment you walk in you are met with a lovely warm welcome. The bar is incredibly reasonable, so it seems only...
Applause review: SOS Presents Evita, MAST Mayflower Studios, Southampton, January 26
by Peter Nicholson. Not having seen the stage show of Evita prior to my visit to the MAST Mayflower Studios on Wednesday evening, I was seeing the world-famous show with a very open mind, and no preconceived notions. To be frank, the only recent experience I’d had with one...