The Cherry Orchard

“Dad, do you know the pianos on my foot?” It's a classic joke and one which should be studied in detail by anyone presenting Chekov's The Cherry Orchard. Program notes beat on about comedy and pathos but rarely do they show it as they continue to throw down the piano harder and harder.

“Dad, do you know the piano is on my foot” isn't the funny part. The poor boy has probably broken his foot and will need a trip to the hospital.
“You hum it son and I'll play it” is where we're supposed to laugh as they make light of an otherwise unfortunate situation.

The Blackeyed Theatre Company promise the same delights given by trained tea-drinking chimps of the time but no matter how hard they drop the piano it doesn't get a laugh. What they do exquisitely is to take a thirteen hand play and give it to four actors who with subtlety and brilliance, quick changes of costume and character geniusly switch between a 90 year old fool, a middle aged lady of aristocratic breeding, a shandy drinking fop and many more. It was the acting which made this performance worth seeing. I can only assume the director was making a brew.

www.blackeyedtheatre.co.uk

The Palace runs a varied schedule throughout the year which includes cabaret, dance, drama, pantomime and workshops. www.mansfield.gov.uk/palacetheatre

Indie Night

I've been being poked for an age to check out the radical new offerings put forward at the Late Lounge on a Saturday night. Two DJ's hidden behind a heron and a hedge give us a lesson on whats been hot in the indie world for the past 20 years. It all seems a little “too nice” for indieville – feet dont stick to floors and there's not a plastic glass in sight. The best beer garden in town is only a few paces away and if you fancy switching to disco, it's just up the stairs and wont cost you a penny extra.

If you are looking to be musically challenged you might prefer to be elsewhere and at £7 entry plus nightclub tariffs it makes for a costly night out but it is safe and as long as old-school party standards are what you're after you wont be disappointed.

The Late Lounge is above And Why Not, 62 Leeming Street, Mansfield.