By the Service Players

Erin Art Centre

Dec 2025

Review by Mike Trout

‘In the bleak mid winter’ , familiar words as we begin singing Carols in the build up to Christmas and the Festive Season. Mid Dec 25 and it certainly was bleak, dark and dank and not conducive to thinking of an evening out. However, I was keen to look for some entertainment and it was clear that there were one or two pantomimes being performed – Oh yes there were!!!

I noticed that the Service Players were putting on a three night run of ‘Christmas Carol’ . This familiar story, originally written by Charles Dickens, has been presented in all aspects of entertainment, theatre, film, cartoon and radio plays. However I noticed that the Service Players  were doing something rather different in as much it was to be a radio play but presented on stage as a play.

I thought that it it could be an interesting presentation of the familiar story and I have to say that I was not disappointed. The stage was set in the recording area of a radio studio. The cast were in the studio creating activity in the background such as having a nip of whiskey or looking through their scripts. Each character coming forward to the microphones  as required , to take their part.

The venue was the Erin Arts Centre and the auditorium was a sell out on each of the three evenings. Those of you that know the venue will realise that their is no actual stage as such. The seating is tiered with the front row being at the same level, and very close to  the actors. Perfect for the intimate atmosphere created by this rendition. One could very much feel being involved with Scrooge and his visiting ghosts.

Presented as a radio play meant that it could be performed in a very fast and slick manor ( in the best meaning of the word slick). This was because there were no costume changes and many of the actors took on several character parts. This meant very quick exchanges, adding the the excitement of the occasion.

The presentation was enhanced because the setting was in an American Commercial Radio Station and all the usual jingles and adverts kicked in from time to time. There was no interval but, as good as a break, the main advert was for a Fruit Cake. The whole cast joined in a humorous song promoting this cake and some of the wording was saucy and fruity, adding to the fun. A brilliant addition was that during the song some of the cast came round the audience offering pieces of fruit cake – it was delicious and a wonderful additional touch to the atmosphere of the evening.

The whole cast should be praised for their performance and they pulled off a very different, brilliantly entertaining evening which was enjoyed by a very appreciative audience. The leading characters were admirably played by Toby Smith, Geoff Collier, Gemma Varnom, Kim Quine, Tom Cain and Marc Tyley. Each giving excellent performances and portraying several characters.

The supporting roles were also magnificently portrayed by Rae Carine, Sarah Radcliffe, Linda Mann, Lindsay Quayle and Bob Whitcher. Sadly Kelly Firth, a regular member of the Service Players cast,  was unable to perform at the last moment and many thanks to Bob for standing in for her at very short notice.

Bob also deserves a mention for his role providing sound effects from doors slamming, bells ringing and all sorts of ghostly noises. Julie Brew gave a wonderful accompaniment on the piano and Mike Lean looked after the lighting of the production.

Well done to all concerned, a brilliant performance , very entertaining and finally, a big thank you to Lisa Smith for Directing another very success Service Players presentation.

Review of Treasure Island

Hello Little People

Port St Mary

Review by Vanessa Montgomery Williams

We were so glad to make the pilgrimage from Ramsey for Hello Little People’s Alternative Panto in Port St Mary. After enjoying Dick Whittington and the Manx Cat in 2023, we knew that with Treasure Island we were in for another lively, family‑friendly adventure – full of music, magic, and local jokes to keep the parents entertained too.

Hello Little People have been creating wonderful, inclusive events for some time now, and their Go Wild Festival at Milntown in the summer was spectacular (more please!). The alternative panto is a much more manageable outing for families whose children find the Gaiety’s offering too long, loud, or overwhelming. At just over an hour plus a short interval, it’s the perfect length. The Town Hall setting is informal, with cushions at the front, freedom to move around, and plenty of seats for cuddles with parents if needed.

With Treasure Island, they reimagined the classic tale with magical twists and a relaxed, welcoming atmosphere. Alongside the familiar Jim Hawkins and Long John Silver were colourful new additions: Jim’s Mum, Maisie the magic mermaid, and Squawk the talking parrot. The subplot of a struggling ice cream shop felt timely given the current challenges in the hospitality industry, but was delivered with humour and joy. Children delighted in shouting the traditional “He’s behind you!” as the story unfolded.

Hello Little People once again succeeded in turning a well‑known tale into something vibrant, inclusive, and imaginative. Thanks to Michelle Jamieson and Chloe Shimmin – still can’t believe what they can pull off with just the two of them – and we can’t wait to see what they have planned for 2026.

Review of The 39 Steps, adapted by Patrick Barlow

Parker & Snell Company

Gaiety Theatre 27^th-29^th November 2025

Reviewed by: Sarah Lockyer

This Olivier and Tony Award-winning 2005 adaptation of the novel by John Buchan is a parody of Alfred’s Hitchcock’s 1935 film. The play’s concept calls for the entirety of the spy story to be performed by a cast of only four, giving the tale a wonderfully comic twist.

The story sees the hero, Richard Hannay, a disaffected London gent, getting drawn into a deadly international conspiracy while attending a West End show, where he meets a mysterious woman. When she is murdered in his apartment, he has to flee to Scotland, evading the police and the gang that killed her. His final encounter with the mastermind behind the espionage takes place back in the same London theatre, with his new-found love interest by his side.

The Gaiety is the perfect venue for the play, with use made of the boxes and aisles, especially in the final scene set in Palladium. The mood is established by a wonderfully evocative score of 1930s music which also pays tribute to the silent film era. Costumes are spot on, from Hannay’s tweeds to a Scottish crofter’s smock, and a plethora of wigs and hats provides plenty of visual gags. Staging is deliberately sparse and theatrical, with plenty of fun involving curtains and bits of furniture that are dragged in to use as everything from a steam train to the Forth Bridge. Running jokes include a lamppost that has to be pulled on and off stage several times in one scene, and a door that is wheeled around as characters go in and out of houses. Shadow puppetry showing Hannay racing across the moors pursued by policemen and aeroplanes is ingenious and hilarious, and the famous chase scene on the top of a train is created simply by characters hopping across trunks and flapping their coats to simulate the wind.

It is the acting that makes this production such a tour de force. Richard Hannay is portrayed expertly by Carl Parker, whose manner, accent and bearing make for the perfect, if often perplexed, hero. He does have the luxury of playing just the one character, while Lisa Kreisky creates his three romantic interests marvellously, shifting from femme fatale to Highland lass to platinum blonde with aplomb. The other dozens of characters, male and female, fall to the two ‘clowns’: Ben Hynes and Dave Shaw. Quick changes of hats, coats and accents—often within the same scene— bring to life, among others, a cockney milkman, a Scotland Yard detective, a music hall emcee, a Bond-style villain, bumbling policemen and virtually unintelligible Scottish hotel owners. Their comic timing is superb, and their energy remarkable!

The audience were clearly captivated by the whole experience and laughed throughout this comic whirlwind of a production. It was certainly a thoroughly entertaining show.

Studio Theatre at Ballakermeen, 7^th November 2025.
Reviewed by Anthony Lawler on behalf of the Manx Amateur Drama Federation

Introduction

Sponsored by the IOM Arts Council, ‘Remember Me to All at Home’ is a tribute to the fallen of both World Wars. With two award winning plays ‘The Perfect Gentleman’ by Sharon Walker and ‘Shelter’ by Jenny Derbyshire, (both of whom are Isle of Man residents) and performances from the Isle of Man Arts Council Choir. Both plays are set in World War I and World War II, respectively, and were performed by their original cast.

Production Overview

The production opened with a selection of songs from the first world war period, sung by the fantastic Isle of Man Arts Council Choir led by conductor Mandy Griffin and accompanied by John Riley the audience were encouraged to sing along, which set the atmosphere ready for the first performance, A Perfect Gentleman. Written by Sharon Walker, this play takes you on a thought provoking and emotional journey of one young soldier’s experience during the first world war. The play was inspired from the letters written home of Lt Cyril Gordon Walker MC to his family.

There was a short interval followed by a return of the choir who gave us songs from the second world war period, which led into the second play of the evening, Shelter. Written by Jenny Derbyshire, this was another thought-provoking piece of work set in an Anderson Shelter where a husband and wife, Will and Mary face the realities of war and relive the horrors of the past. While not a true story this play is based on two very real people and from where the title of the evening stemmed from, a letter from Will Derbyshire written in 1940 in which he pens “remember me to all at home”

Performance Highlights

Let’s start with The Perfect Gentleman – Three Actors took to the stage to perform this play and while I will not spoil the plot or how the performance was presented, I will say that all three were outstanding bringing not only their characters to life but, through their performances, brought us, the audience, into the world of Lt Walker and what he endured during his time at the front.

Shelter – This play sets a very different tone, with only two actors on stage who take us on another emotional journey of loss, love and hope. Again, with a powerful script and amazing acting you are transported into this very real story of a husband and wife who are trying to make sense of what is happening to them while trying to reconcile the past. The chemistry between the two actors is fantastic to see as they bring this story to life.

Direction & Technical Elements

Both plays used minimal staging and set, however, what was used was perfect. It transported you into the living room of a family reading letters from their loved one at war. And in the case of Shelter, into that Anderson shelter where the story unfolded. There really was no need for a dramatic set or fancy costumes, the acting and the scripts were enough.

Audience & Atmosphere

With a full house, the atmosphere was tangible. Ballakermeen Theatre Studio was made for these intimate performances and these two plays brought everyone there on an emotional journey from start to finish. I must admit I had a tear in my eye at one point and on more than one occasion the hairs were standing up on the back of my neck.

Final Thoughts

What an amazing night’s entertainment, thought provoking, emotional, and so very worth watching. If you get the chance to see any of these two plays either together or separately then do so. You will not be disappointed.