Personals Sept 1998

This delightful show concerns characters from all walks of life whom are looking for love, but unable to find it. So they write to the lonely-hearts columns in search of romance. This musical revue follows each of them with their hilarious and sometimes very sad experiences.

It is said in the program notes that the three writers were friends at college when they first came up with the idea of this show. They looked at the personal ads from a whole variety of papers and magazines and decided they could produce a satirical show with music.

'Personals' is a very funny show indeed! Mainly because the sketches are very realistic and many of us can relate to them from when we were on our first date. However, it is not just the hilarious sketches that make this show outstanding, it is also the songs with their great lyrics that are sung by a very talented cast.

The cast includes Summer Rognlie, who was recently in the West End playing Jan/Maddie in "Maddie". Also in the cast is Ria Jones who has been seen in London in a host of shows, including "Nine" at the Donmar Warehouse last year when she superbly played the role of ' Necrophorous'. It is not just these two that make the show pulsating! All the performers were great, David Bardsley, Marcus Allen Cooper along with the multi talented Chrisina Fry, who plays many characters with great skill. And lastly Martin Callaghan, who is simply brilliant, particularly playing a man who, along with his wife, falls in love with a transvestite dwarf!

If there was a show deserving of a West End transfer, this is it.

Go see it now!

(Darren Dalglish)