A Small Mind At The Theatre

The hit musical travels from Broadway to the West End, to, erm, Northampton, as the first ever British tour of Kinky Boots launches in its spiritual home (fact fans, it was actually a factory nine miles down the road in Earls Barton that became the home of kinky boots). The 2005 film of Kinky Boots is a relatively minor old British film and didn't exactly set the box office alight, but it has a wealth of homegrown acting talent (including a certain Chiwetel Ejiofor as Lola, on his way to Oscars success a few years later). Personally, I really loved it (although its depiction of Northampton is overtly weird), and as well as some great performances, it was sharply written by Geoff Deane and the always remarkably reliable Tim Firth. Therefore it comes as no surprise that the basis of their work is the best part of this stage musical version of the film. Despite this being a book by Harvey Fierstein, the best lines and situations are plunked right from Deane and Firth's work....

This Tuesday I attended the launch of a brand new initiative in the arts to help disabled children get greater access to the field and improved job success. Based in the East Midlands and covering Derbyshire, Leicestershire, Lincolnshire, Nottinghamshire and Northamptonshire, the Northampton event was the central stop of a day of events. With the group set off from Leicester in the morning before heading down the waterways towards Northampton, they stopped over at the brand new University of Northampton Campus on the banks of the River Nene. Following this, the Northampton launch took place in the Royal Theatre, before then finally heading to Nottingham for the evening launch. By the time the Royal stage event was reached, things hadn't totally got to plan timewise, so a little late, the event began. Following a brief welcome from Royal & Derngate artistic director, James Dacre, The Mighty Creatives chief executive, Nick Owen, launched into an explanation of what was planne...

It's a few years since I read Alice Sebold's novel The Lovely Bones , a story which tells the tale of Susie Salmon, and her murder and her observations and attempts to control events from Heaven. However, even after this many years, I still remember it for being the source of many manly tears. Therefore it was with some trepidation that I set foot in the Royal part of the Royal & Derngate to see this touring co-production with Birmingham Repertory and Northern Stage. I needn't have worried, as although the story remains much the same, Bryony Lavery's adaptation heads towards the comedy and more relaxed aspects of the story if that is possible of a tale of a murdered 14-year-old. Lavery and director Melly Still do attempt to unsettle their audience immediately though, launching into a sensory overload of light and sound as we get flashes of things to come in a stylish opening. We have already at this point, seated in the auditorium, been treated with a littl...