8. Salad Days - Riverside Studios

This was something of a last minute decision based on everyone raving about it and I'm so glad I got the ticket - it was like compacted joy from the start to the very finish. Literally, even the programme was adorable and wee and came with a free postcard and made me grin and by the time it started I was already grinning from my head to my very toes. I love it when productions extend the experience, spill over into the rest of the theatre or engage with you in some way. For Salad Days they had the cast in graduation robes greeting you as the entered, giving you graduation certificates (I love free gifts!) and showing you to your seats. It was such a lovely touch.

The set was simple and did exactly what it needed to - though what I really loved was that it's unusual to get to see a musical on a traverse stage - it was awesome getting to see the choreography from a greater variety of angles. It also had the affect, because the majority of the show was sung without amplification of letting you pick out individual voices as they grew closer to you. Which I loved and more than made up for the odd occasions I was unable to make out the lyrics. I also wanted to steal all the ladies costumes (and possibly some of the lads), but then I've alwaus loved 50's fashion.

Which sort of brings me on to my favourite thing about this production, which was also one of my favourite things about Hair last year - was the way they've unapologetically dealt with the changing attitudes from the time the original productions were staged and set. They don't try and update it, they aren't cynical about it, they don't perform these attitudes with a nodding wink - they accept and embrace them and invite you to experience the world for a while with a different viewpoint - it's charming and emotionally affecting and I love it.

Plus the story was silly and slightly ridiculous and infectiously heartening - the songs were great, the dancing was fantastic, it was funny and you really warmed to the characters, particularly Minnie. Though how Timothy, Jane and Nigel didn't end in a mutually happy threesome I shall never knew (just look at how he's gazing at him in the second picture down on the right).

Also all the performances were fantastic.- I had an understudy Timothy in Andrew Ahern, though he was so good you wouldn't have been able to tell and I rather liked the resulting Luke Baker's performance as Tony Booth - so it was win all round. Lots of excellent female performances too - with Katie Moore, Kathryn Martin and Rebecca Caine all standing out. I may also have been a little in love with Matthew Hawksworth (top right) by the end - but that's a completely different matter...

Anyway so much joy. :D