Entertainment

Yes the circus is in town! My kids may be teenagers, but I knew they would still enjoy a trip away from their PlayStations and laptops – and so it proved! We went on the first night and although the crowd was a little sparse, the performers did not let it affect their enthusiasm and energy. The days of animals at circuses are long gone, so the show had to rely on human performance, in particular clowns, acrobats and trapeze artists, and they did not disappoint.

Run by a local family and opened in 2005, Big Space is a ten minute drive from St Albans. There are lots of seriously cosy sofas, a café with a big variety of hot drinks (even Maltesers Hot Chocolate), soft football area, wavy slide, drop slide (my kids' favourite), climbing wall, chill-out room,

Britain’s newest Circus Company, Chaplin’s Circus is the brainchild of three entertainers with decades of experience in the world of performance. Their aim is simple – to provide their audience with a brand new, unique circus show as well as a host of other, community based offers to create a rounded, family friendly experience. In addition to their spellbinding circus show, Chaplin’s Circus also offers not-for-profit circus skills workshops for local children as well as partnerships with animal welfare charities thanks to their strict ‘No Circus Animals’ policy.

I was rather hesitant about going to this year’s Christmas Pantomime at the St Albans Arena. For the past few years, I paid over £100 to see the pantomimes with my family and had not come away feeling satisfied. Last night, however, my child and I were enthralled by The Little Mermaid from start to finish. I spoke to other parents who were equally as awed by this show.

This was the first time I had seen a performance in the studio part of the Abbey Theatre. I must say I liked the intimacy this created. Allowing the audience to feel a part of the production, almost. The play is quite short, in two acts of 45-50 minutes or so and this felt right. All the dialogue and action had meaning and impact.

I must admit that this is not a play that I was familiar with, but some research showed that the lead role was performed by Mark Rylance originally, for which he won many awards and the play many plaudits. The play has a reputation for being, shall we say 'edgy', due to the adult content, including frequent strong language. An interesting and laudable choice for a local theatre group. The play revolves around the character of Johnny ‘Rooster’ Byron, played by Marlon Gill. A loner, living in a caravan close to a new Housing estate, the residents of which would like to see the back of him. A larger-than-life character, living on the edge of the law.