How could they possibly portray such an epic story on stage?

The play covers the first three books from the series of nine written by John Galsworthy, spanning the years 1886 to 1920.

Directed by Charlotte Lightbody, this production moves cleverly and distinctly through the years, expertly telling the story and scandal of one family.

The cast works incredibly well together, a testament to the hard work and dedication The Players always give to a production.

Jo Pennell gives a strong and often emotional performance as ‘Irene’.

Cast opposite, Jonathan Everitt is a suitable ‘Soames’, showing the character’s cold and uncaring side.

Light comic relief is provided by Margaret Taylor and Sue Woodward who plays ‘Aunt Juley’ and ‘Aunt Hester’.

Laura Monkhouse gives a wonderful performance as ‘Fleur’, charming the audience as a young, modern 1920s girl in love.

If you like your theatre dramatic, intense and thoughtful then this production is for you.

‘The Forsyte Saga’ is on at The Nantwich Players Theatre on Love Lane, Nantwich, until May 25.

They performed an evening concert in front of 80 people at Bakewell Methodist Church in Bakewell.

Phil Houghton was the musical director and also introduced each song and soloist, and Jane Hale was the accompanist.

The choir sang Sing a Song of Sixpence (Diack), Someone to Watch Over Me (Gershwin), a Les Misérables medley (Schonberg), You’ll Never Walk Alone (Rodgers and Hammerstein), Jerusalem (Parry), Some Enchanted Evening (Rodgers and Hammerstein), Stranger in Paradise (Wright and Forrest), Phantom of the Opera medley (Lloyd Webber), Policeman’s Chorus (Gilbert and Sullivan), A Clare Benediction (Rutter), with the audience invited to join the finale for Guide Me, O Thou Great Jehovah (Hughes).

The soloists were Chris White (ukulele), Jane Hale (piano) and Phil Houghton (organ).

Phil said: “The choir had a wonderful visit to Bakewell, with time to explore this beautiful town before performing a concert in the evening which was greeted with warm applause.”

The Wistaston Singers were formed by members of the choir at St Mary’s Parish Church Wistaston in May 2000 and now has more than 40 members singing four-part harmony music.

The choir performs a variety and eclectic choice of music ranging from choral church music and anthems, Gilbert and Sullivan items, music from the shows, music from modern composers such as John Rutter covering from the 17th century to the 21st century.

They perform up to five concerts a year at various venues in south Cheshire and beyond and are also invited to perform at weddings in the area. The choir members are amateur singers who rehearse and perform purely for their enjoyment of music and singing.

New members can find out more from choir secretary Jill Oakes on 01270 662940, email: jillandjohnoakes@uwclub.net

This wonderful and delightfully funny one-act play won Best Production at The Chelford Festival last week – and I can see why.

The cast gave everything they had to their performance, each playing a number of roles in the production.

It is almost impossible not to laugh while you’re watching this.

Lee Edwards plays the police officer investigating a series of strange murders which occur in the spooky mansion home of the Darlings.

Here, the cast develop into a range of characters, played by Eamon Goodfellow, Lucy Desmond, Simon Dean and Angela Pearce.

The characters are hilarious and as in all murder mysteries, I found myself wondering what would happen next.

“whodidit?” highlights the extraordinary talents of The Nantwich Players, and there is a chance to see the production in the upcoming Theatre Festival on Friday May 31.

A new and exciting festival for the town, which celebrates Nantwich Players’ 30th year at the Love Lane Theatre and offers a wide variety of plays over five days.

It starts on Tuesday May 28 when Vamos Theatre presents Finding Joy.

On Thursday May 30, Kepow Theatre Company presents Crazy Little Thing Called Love, a comic look at love in a family friendly show.

On Friday May 31, you have a chance to see whodidit? and Jordan a true story about a woman marginalised by society.

The Players present Dumb Show on Saturday June 1, a funny black comic satire about celebrity.

I know where I’ll be that weekend. Watching whodidit? again, trying to catch the jokes which were drowned out by laughter the first time round.

Tickets for the festival are available from the Nantwich Tourist Office.

(Picture courtesy of The Nantwich Players 2013)

Joyce’s background as a playwright for Radio 4 comes into its own as the reader is taken on a journey across England that is filled with understated imagery of landscapes, cities and the variety of people our hero, Harold Fry, meets along the way.

His aim is to see an old friend who has informed him she is dying of cancer, so without thinking or preparing, Harold undertakes a pilgrimage to see her.

The only request being that his friend waits for him to get there before she dies.

Interspersed with flashbacks of Harold’s eventful life which are highlighted by themes of neglect, guilt, remorse and breakdowns of relationships, the reader becomes immersed in his journey and walks alongside him as he experiences the highs and lows of being a yacht-shoe’d, blister-footed, penniless, fetid traveller.

The highs are harder to come by than the lows, but it is the camaraderie one feels towards Harold’s simple and humble quest that inspires hope, challenges ideas of consumerism and leaves the reader striving for a life with less…baggage (although he could have at least taken a mobile phone with him!).

Nantwich Bookworms meets on the first Sunday of the month at the Black Lion in Nantwich at 8pm.

This month we are reading The Gift of Rain by Tan Twen Eng and are meeting on June 2.

New members are always welcome!

You can follow us on twitter @booknantwich or visit our blog nantwichbookworms.blogspot.com

So I knew I was in for a treat when I went along to Crewe Lyceum to watch Curtain Call Productions latest show “A Night at The West End”.

I wasn’t disappointed. The opening was perfectly choreographed with the YSD Kids performing ‘When I grow up’ from ‘Matilda’.

The audience was then stunned into silence by the amazing opening section from ‘Les Miserables’.

Joel Montague and Ryan Bearpark deserved a standing ovation for their performance of ‘Confrontation’.

Following a wonderful performance from Darren Thornhill and Beth Froud in ‘Master of the House’, I could hear whispers from the audience saying ‘aren’t they good’ and ‘that was amazing’.

Gabi Smith stole the second part of the show with a selection of songs from ‘Sister Act’.

Curtain Call, if you carry on producing outstanding musical performances like this you will always have an audience.

So please carry on, and a plea to the Lyceum Theatre.

Please keep continuing to support the local theatre groups in Crewe and Nantwich.

This production proves the extent of talent we have in our community, and without your support we wouldn’t be able to see such great shows like ‘A Night at The West End’.

Four quality comedians provided three hours of stunning entertainment, and the promoters got the running order spot-on.

They also have one or two members of the audience to thank as well – one in particular who was given an ovation of her own at the end!

For it was the brilliance of Paul Tonkinson who provided the perfect side-splitting set to leave the punters clutching their sides in satisfaction.

Tonkinson’s rubber-faced masterpiece sketches of everyday relationships, kids and marriage had us all nodding in recognition.

From the energy assassins to the wifey wine evenings, his hilarious observational humour was delivered with perfect timing.

It helped that Tonkinson’s audience had been perfectly prepared by the earlier acts, compered nicely by Irishman Andrew Ryan.

Geordie comedian Dave Johns was first on to set the tone for the night, with a brilliant mix of clever gags and downright daftness.

Safe to say there won’t be star on the black backdrop for Johns, he certainly didn’t die on stage last night.

A new face in Nantwich was the diminutive  Julian Deane, and the middle act made a big impact.

With a string of sharp one-liners, Deane delivered a high-energy set which was fitting for the occasion and provided the ideal appetizer for Tonkinson’s fabulous finale.

And the last word should be saved for front row Mary…

Roll on the next live show at the Civic on Friday June 7, click here for details.

The story centres on a husband and wife who deal very differently with modern life and the stresses placed upon them.

From elderly parents getting ill, children leaving home and the realisation that somehow, your own dreams got left behind when you were dealing with it all.

‘Jack’ played by Steve Huison and ‘Sally’ played by Susan Cookson worked incredibly well together.

Beautifully written. Beautifully acted.

I don’t normally give a star rating, but this would definitely be a four out of five.

If you like your theatre to be funny and moving at the same time, then this is definitely for you.

A gala variety show of dancing, singing and comedy was held to mark the occasion of new owners taking over from Cheshire East Council.

There was something for everyone in this well planned and produced show.

The audience had a great night – including my dad, who said he hadn’t laughed that much in ages.

Reminiscent of Tommy Cooper, Brian Conley had the audience crying with laughter, although he may want to rethink the fire-eating sketch!

Wishing he could still fly, Orville along with his very best friend Keith Harris stole the show and made the night an evening to remember.

The wonderful Jane McDonald sounded amazing and received a well deserved standing ovation from her admiring fans.

All in all, an enjoyable and fun night out was had at The Lyceum.

Hopefully, there will be many more to come.

The May 3 gig at Nantwich Civic Hall marks half a decade of performances in Crewe and Nantwich.

It also marks three years since the event was moved to the Civic Hall from Crewe.

And May 3′s line-up promises another top night of comedy, including Michael McIntyre’s Comedy Roadshow star Rob Beckett (pictured).

Promoter Mike Ramm said: “In five years we’ve brought you some fantastic comics including many who have gone on to become household names in the world of comedy, TV and Radio.

“Back in 2008 when we had our last show at Crewe Limelight having already seen the likes of Jason Manford, John Bishop, Sarah Millican and Rhod Gilbert, The Very Best In Stand up was born.

“The premise was simple – to bring the very best acts from the national and international comedy circuits and bring them to South Cheshire for a price that offered a great value night out and to introduce more people to stand up comedy.

“Comedy then started a huge boom in popularity in which it was described as “The new Rock and Roll”.”

“But comedy loses a lot of its impact on TV and you simply cannot replicate the feel of live comedy by being there.”

Other comedians to grace South Cheshire include Reginald D Hunter, Jack Whitehall, Jon Richardson, Rufus Hound and Greg Davies.

Promoters also introduced one-off shows starring a big name comedians, which has seen success with sell-out shows by Jim Jeffries and earlier this week Richard Herring.

The Friday May 3 show tickets are £10, available from Nantwich Civic Hall and www.civiccomedy.co.uk

Doors 7.15pm Show 8.15pm.

That’s the hope of festival organiser Phillip Martin who believes luring Holland to the town is a real possibility.

Thousands of music fans descended on Nantwich over the Easter weekend for the 17th annual festival, with dozens of venues putting on a range of live performances.

Now Mr Martin has revealed his ambitious plan to grow the festival and attract massive names like Holland.

“For the 20th anniversary I want to have Jools playing free of charge in Nantwich town square,” he told Nantwichnews.

“It would cost a lot of money but I’m going to do it. We will take the festival up to another level with the right support and backing from sponsors.

“It would be a free concert for the supporters of the event and for local people!”

Mr Martin, who runs The Crown Hotel in Nantwich, believes the latest event was another big success in terms of the atmosphere around the town and the variety of music on offer.

And despite the unseasonably cold weather, many venues reported big audiences and takings.

“I think it was one of the best ever festivals,” he said. “There was something for everyone during the event.

“The licencees are happy which is what I set out to do. They had fantastic business and they all geared up for it.

“We don’t know how many tickets and wristbands we sold exactly, a lot of people still feel they can blag their way into venues during the festival.

“And we gave a lot of wristbands away to participating venues to reward their regulars.

“But we’ve had some fantastic comments on our Facebook and Twitter accounts and emails from people who came from as far afield as Kent, Hampshire, Sussex and Essex!”

Big draws during the festival were The Wonder Stuff’s Miles Hunt and his acoustic set, and the first performance by Sad Cafe for over 20 years.

“We also have to thank organisations like the BBC and The Cat radio who got involved and helped to broadcast and cover the festival as it happened,” added Mr Martin.

(pic courtesy of Chris Boland, Flickr)

Geordie compere and host Matt Reed, Danny Deegan, Elis James and Scouser “Nige” provided a fabulous night of entertainment.

Reed was shocked by the lack of medical professionals in the audience, then compared Nantwich with Crewe and his hometown of Sunderland.

He was corrected on his pronunciation of Nantwich, which he then on sarcastically pronounced as ‘Nant-twitch’.

First act was 30-year-old comedian, writer and actor Danny Deegan, who last appeared at the Civic at the New Year’s Eve Show two years ago.

Deegan moved from his hometown of Bury to York to be with his ‘banshee’ girlfriend.

He told an anecdote about making a cup of tea for a friend he was talking to via Skype, but it turned out the friend preferred coffee.

He sarcastically said the ‘adrenalin rush’ from the gig would help him drive home after the gig!

Second act was Welshman Elis James making his Nantwich debut. He was shocked to learn someone in the audience was also from his hometown of Carmarthen and questioned them on their knowledge of the local area.

Anecdotes like how he was worried when his doctor used Google and the Feeling Lucky button to research his rash and about how he peed in the local swimming pool as a boy had the audience in stitches.

He got the whole audience singing Wham’s Last Christmas (topical).

Closing the show was twitchy Scouser ‘Nige’ – @WeLoveNige – who had ‘too many hands’, but used the two he had to play a guitar song about an ex-girlfriend.

All in all, another classic night of comedy at the Civic!

The hotel has live music on all weekend with its “Keep Music Live” festival.

As well as J.L.S, other acts to perform include The Prospects, Red Head, Tumblin Dice, Vavoom, Mad Dog, Brazen, and many more.

The Cat and Firenze on Welsh Row are also staging their own “Easter on the Row” theme, with performances from The Tone Junkies, James Martin, Dave Barton and Amy Winehouse tribute.

Together with the popular 17th Nantwich Jazz, Blues and Music Festival, which has 100 performances in more than a dozen venues, the town is expected to pull in more than 40,000 visitors.

Nantwich-based 4-piece punk band “Lost In Space UK” are just one of the many groups to take the stage.

“Lost in Space UK” played a fine set at The White Horse, in Pillory Street, which has been staging “jammin sessions” each evening.

More than £1 million is expected to be injected into the town’s economy.

Entry to 17th Nantwich Jazz, Blues and Music Festival pub gigs is via a £6 wristband on sale from the Crown Hotel, Crewe Lyceum, Nantwich Civic Hall, Nantwich Tourist Information centre, the Nantwich Square or online.

Headline acts playing at the Civic Hall, Crown Hotel or The Studio include The Blockheads, Shakatak, The Wonder Stuff, Sad Café and Courtney Pine.

The “Keep Music Live” and “Easter on the Row” festivals are free entry.