Autumn seems to have arrived very suddenly this year, and ,as if the darker nights and some foul weather aren't enough to depress everyone, there's nothing but sad, unhappy and downright tragic news everywhere - no wonder people are looking for a cheery evening out.

So it's no real surprise to find absolutely packed houses at The Village Theatre bent on having a really enjoyable, escapist night out - and in this humdinger of a production, that's exactly what was on offer.

Everyone knows the story, and you'd have to have spent a considerable part of your life on Planet Alpha Centauri not to know at least some of the songs - but this is based on a social satire by George Bernard Shaw, and it's a surprisingly wordy and complicated plotline. Although the jokes are eighty years old by now, in the hands of a skilful Director they can still raise a good belly- laugh!

As a study in the foibles and frailties of human nature, from pseudo-social scientist Professor Higgins and the Freud-influenced repressive behaviour of the 'Upper Classes' in a hilarious Ascot Races scene to the self conscious 'Mockney' act put on by working class 'oiks' , this really cannot be bettered. In terms of social satire too - who can resist Alfred Doolittle's horror at being forcibly recruited into the middle classes?- it's pretty hot stuff.

But in the end, it's about entertainment. And for every performance, from the moment that the talented Nicola Faulkner stepped onstage, the audience was captivated. There wasn't a performance from any of the experienced hands or relative newcomers appearing in this production that did not receive an enormous boost from the appreciative audiences at each show -and in return, those on stage acted, sang and danced their socks off.

Production team Darren and Vikki England displayed their combined wealth of experience in smooth and clever Direction, bringing out excellent performances -Nicola Faulkner as Eliza, Iain Sinclair as Henry Higgins, Alan Dickson as the eponymous Alfred Doolittle and Kevin Finlayson as the moonstruck Freddy forming a principal dramatic quartet counterpointed by the witty musical score.

The female characters are a nicely varied lot - Joanne Cochrane's accomplished and humane performance as Henry Higgins' Mother set off Shona Docherty's wonderfully snobbish Mrs Eynsford-Hill, while a lively cast of Cockney Charmers balanced the stilted snobbery of Society ladies. Keith Mercer, Chris Tilston and Dougie Hannah as Pickering, Harry and George the Bartender all produced extremely polished and very funny performances.

Set piece Choreography by Wendy Tilston didn't let this production falter either - and neither did the superb standard of acting, particularly in the pairing of Higgins and Eliza where moments of real and very understandable humanity were revealed.

It takes months and months for a big production to mature and reach performance scale, and it's a very frightening undertaking -but audiences will be grateful to Studio 32 for their hard work. Every performance was clapped along with, sung along to, laughed along with, and applauded to the rafters -
And with audiences like these, any production would be lifted to the skies.

So the audiences loved the cast, and the cast absolutely adored the audiences -this was a classic week at The Village Theatre, and all thanks to everyone who took part or bought tickets. It doesn't get much better than this!

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