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  • X Men star Ellen Page comes out

    X-Men Actor Ellen Page comes out at a Human Rights Campaign conference.

    • Ellen Page, an Oscar nominee came to fame in the Juno movie
    • Spoke about wanting to live an ‘open and authentic live’
    • Celebrities react with positivity over her coming out

    26-year-old actress Ellen Page has come out as gay at a ‘Time To Thrive’ Human Rights Campaign conference in Las Vegas saying:

    ‘I’m here today because I am gay

    ‘And because maybe I can make a difference. To help others have an easier and more hopeful time. Regardless, for me, I feel a personal obligation and a social responsibility.’

    TIRED OF LYING BY OMISSION
    Page also said she was coming out because she was: ‘tired of hiding and I am tired of lying by omission. I suffered for years because I was scared to be out. My spirit suffered, my mental health suffered and my relationships suffered. And I’m standing here today, with all of you, on the other side of all that pain. I am young, yes, but what I have learned is that love, the beauty of it, the joy of it and yes, even the pain of it, is the most incredible gift to give and to receive as a human being. And we deserve to experience love fully, equally, without shame and without compromise.’

    ‘If we took just 5 minutes to recognize each other’s beauty, instead of attacking each other for our differences. That’s not hard. It’s really an easier and better way to live. And ultimately, it saves lives. Then again, it’s not easy at all. It can be the hardest thing, because loving other people starts with loving ourselves and accepting ourselves. I know many of you have struggled with this. I draw upon your strength and your support, and have, in ways you will never know.’

    Ellen Page made her fame in the film Juno, however she has also starred in X-Men The Last Stand and Inception.

    Her new film X-Men Days Of Future Past is due out in May 2014.

    STAR REACTION
    Former Boybander Lance Bass took to twitter to congratulate the star saying:

    ‘I just watched Ellen Page come out! Wow! What a speech! Congrats!!’ the gay N’Sync singer captioned the picture. ‘We love you @ellenpage!!’

  • Grindr use triples in Sochi

    Grindr Use In Sochi Triples During Olympics.

    • The popular hook up app has had its users triple in the first week of the Olympic games
    • One week ago there was 185 active users, now there are 541 users
    • Grindr rival in Russia Hunters was recently hacked and shut down.

    Vocativ is reporting that numbers of users on the popular hook up app Grindr have tripled during the Winter Olympic games. The total number of users in Russia is around 55,000 – small compared to countries such as the UK or USA, but there is much potential for growth as long as anti-gay groups don’t use the service to lure gay men to attack and entrap them.

    One such group was filmed for Channel 4’s Dispatches programme called Hunted. The programme caused outcry in the UK, when a group of men and one woman, Katya (Ekaterina) Zigunova, were filmed savagely beating and interrogating a gay man they found using an Internet site. Last year a man was reportedly killed after he was lured, sanred and then tortured by a group, who posed as an individual on a social network site, who wanted to meet.

    Russia does have its own hook up app, called Hunters. It was, however, recently hacked and shut down.

    The app had around 72,000 active users, of which the tech team were only able to retrieve 24% after the hack.The company is now moving its servers to prevent further attacks.

    Last year the Russian government passed a bill making it illegal to talk about ‘non-traditional’ relationships to anyone under the age of 18. A 100-year ban was also put in place on holding a gay pride in Moscow.

    THEGAYUK approached Grindr to ask if they had in place any safeguards for users in Russia to protect them from abuse from anti-gay abusers. We are waiting for their response.

  • BOOK REVIEW | Checkmate by A. L. Olson

    ★★★★ | Checkmate by A. L. Olson

    Bored university student/cheesy diner waitress Ambrosia’s mundane and ordinary life takes a turn for the bizarre when her boss starts buying chess sets for customers to play, and two of the chess pieces appear to come to life and begin offering Ambrosia unsolicited life coaching.

    When she begins taking the advice of the chess pieces, her life begins to get on the right track until she is thrust into a suddenly bizarre world of hallucinations, seemingly crazy psychologists, and A.I. robots, Ambrosia finds herself the unlikely heroine, almost alone in her quest to save the world.

    This first novel by Olson is quirky yet relatable. Ambrosia is an interesting character, who you want to love, even while she complains a lot about the ‘current generation’ (hipsters with iPhones etc.). The plot moves quickly through familiar territory, interwoven with original ideas. The fact that a lot of the plot twists, and there are many, are inspired by, or borrowed from other sci-fi stories: there’s certainly elements of The Matrix, Philip K. Dick, and many zombie movies; makes the book instantly familiar, without being predictable and boring. Just when you have the idea that you know where you’re going, Olson throws in another twist and the story rockets off in a different direction. It is a great first novel, thought I think it could benefit from a few notes before being an excellent novel, it is a fun read, and well worth the time to get invested in the characters.

    Written to help raise funds to cover the cost of much needed surgery, resulting from hormone treatments, Olson steers clear of and heavy-handed ‘Queering’ of the characters, and the potential same-sex attraction in the story is included naturally and doesn’t feel shoe-horned in. It also doesn’t deal with any societal issues faced by the characters because of their sexuality, real or perceived, and it thus avoids coming off as a ‘preachy’ story. Olson stays true to the story line, and the issues being dealt with there, and thankfully refrains from getting bogged down in queer social issues or politics. This is a refreshing story where the protagonist happens to have a same-sex attraction that is not central to the story, rather than being the only plot point.

  • COLUMN | Deep Down

    There are lots of things that I really like about myself. I have quite pretty blue eyes (if I do say so myself). I can eat a whole pack of bagels without putting on an ounce, can usually empathise with other people and have my entertaining moments.

    I kind of like my weird double jointed big toes and my ability to see at least a little good in most things. I’m also very good at Cluedo and have read the complete works of Agatha Christie.
    Naturally there’s a balance. I hate the little hairs that grow out of my ears, the way I can be prone to judge people harshly without getting to know them well enough first and my terrible eyesight. My clumsiness is a legendary cross which I bare and I tend to be a quitter with a feeble motto of “If at first you don’t succeed then it’s probably just not for you, love.” a motto that’s seen me unable to drive a car, ride a bike or master the yo-yo.

    I suppose we all possess traits and qualities that we have to learn to accept and I’ve written about mine here before: my dodgy mental health. I’m sorry to recur, to bring it up again and to go on about the same old thing but I’m also afraid that that’s just the nature of the beast. It rears its ugly head. It’s also pretty topical with this week’s amazing Time for Change campaigns’ ‘Time to Talk Day’.

    Statistically we were a mental illness once. Gay people were classified as officially possessing a mental disorder, just because they were gay. Loving or even just lusting after, someone of your own gender was considered to be a form of madness and was only removed from the official USA manual of classified psychiatric disorders in 1973. Unsurprisingly, discrimination, homophobia and prejudice have all been linked to alarmingly high rates of poor mental health with associated high substance abuse and suicide rates in LGBT people.

    I don’t know why I get depressed and anxious. I don’t actually care either. I’ve been down the route of therapy (self-help books, counselling, psychoanalysis, cognitive behavioural therapy, medications). I’ve soul searched, analysed and been analysed and it doesn’t matter to me any more whether it’s my stressful job, my childhood experiences, my abusive past relationships or my dodgy genes. It just matters that I can get by the best I can with whatever resources I can access. I try to spot the triggers and try to engage my relapse survival mechanisms when an episode hits (spoken like someone who’s been through way too much therapy).

    So, a week of feeling desperate, bowling balls nestling in my stomach and a sick sense of dread? It’s not much of a joy feeling so joyless. It’s been hard to keep perspective and think about my good career, my relationships, my friendships and the people who love me. So why am I sharing this with you? Is this entertaining or worth the read? I hope that the latter is true. I’m a normal functional human being who just struggles a bit at times. It’s true of one in three of us apparently.

    So, that’s my purpose. I’m talking about it. I’m human. I work, I eat, I sleep and have a good job that I love. This silly depression of mine should carry no stigma. I’ve been ill. It’s like the flu. I’m ill, not weak or defective. I’ve been having a low period and I’m getting a bit better thanks for asking. I just want you to know what I wish people had sometimes told me: lots of people feel like this. It’s really bloody hard, but we can get by. There are lots of us about and we sometimes just want to talk about it.

  • FILM REVIEW | GBF

    ★★★ | GBF

    When Tanner is accidentally outed in school, whilst the other boys in his class may resort to taunting and bullying him, the girls start to seriously compete for his attention.

    Three of the most popular teen girls in particular believe that if Tanner would be their G (ay) B (est) F(riend), which their favorite fashion mags say is ‘the’ must-have accessory of the season, then this would seal their election to become the next Prom Queen. There is Fawcett a very pretty buxom blond, ‘Shley the slightly serious good-time Mormon girl, and Caprese the African/American drama queen.

    Whilst Tanner glows in his new-found popularity as the girls fall over themselves to capture him for themselves, his best friend Brent who is still stuck in the closet, is so jealous of all the attention that so starts to plot Tanner’s downfall.

    This rather charming ‘boy-lit’ high school comedy is peppered with some very good performances by a very professional young cast who have cut their teeth on TV :Michael Willet as Tanner (The United States of Tara), Paul Iacono as Brent (The Hard Times of RJ Berger),Xosha Roquemore as Caprese (The Mindy Project),Sasha Pieterse as Fawcett (Pretty Little Liars) andAndrea Bowen as ‘Shley (Desperate Housewives).

    It is however the adults that inadvertently steal all their scenes particularly Jonathan Silverman and Rebecca Gayheart who play Tanner’s supportive parents. However even they are trumped by a wonderfully funny turn by the ever delightful Megan Mullally (‘Karen from Will & Grace’) who is hysterically funny trying to drag her son out of the closet. The two of them watching the ‘Brokeback Mountain’ movie on TV together is unquestionably the best scene in the entire film.

    It’s all very cute, has a few really good one-liner’s like the one on Mormon’s ‘they smile to your face, then Prop 8 you in the back,’ but it is a squeaky clean teen-movie that is meant to be for the young… or at least the young at heart.

    P.S. Don’t miss the ‘bloopers’ at the end!

    BUY FROM iTunes | Amazon

  • House of Cards set for Netflix return tonight

    As a Valentine’s present from Netflix, House Of Cards returns to our small screens from tonight (14th Feb 2014).

    • Second Season Available for streaming from 14th Feb 2014
    • Stars Kevin Spacey, Kate Mara and Robin Wright
    • 3rd Series Has Been Confirmed

    House Of Cards is a Netflix Original Series, which follows the inner circles of political powers. Based on the BBC series of the same name.

    Kevin Spacey plays Frank Underwood a Democrat who after being passed over for the appointment of Secretary of State, decides to seek retribution.

    The makers of the show have confirmed a third series.

  • INTERVIEW | Shane Bitney Crone on Bridegroom

    In 2012 Shane Bitney Crone’s ‘It Could Happen To You’ video became a viral phenomenon. His heartbreaking video, a tribute to his late partner Tom Bridegroom, was posted on the one-year anniversary of his death. Tom Bridegroom fell from a 4th-floor rooftop, whilst taking photos of his best friend and never regained consciousness.

    Shane and Tom, practically inseparable, had met in Los Angeles, after leaving their respective small towns in the states of Montana and Indiana. They were together for 6 years before Tom’s tragic passing. Both Tom and Shane had difficulties coming to terms with their sexuality in small town America, being victim to homophobic abuse, which is an all too familiar story for many young gay teens. The draw of the big city, somewhere where they’d feel more accepted was something that attracted them both.

    ‘The day I left Montana I felt much more free’, recounts Shane.

    ‘I was just so excited about my life. I spent so many years just wanting to get away and finally there was that moment where I could move away and find someone who could love me – and I did.’

    One year on from the ‘It Could Happen To You’ video, Shane and Tom’s story has been turned into a full-length documentary film.

    Heartbreaking, but inspirational, poignant and arguably one of the most important films of this generation, Bridegroom isn’t just a story about marriage equality.

    Before the run up to the film’s release, (Oprah’s Own Network premiered the film at the end of October 2013 in the United States, whilst Netflix has made the film available worldwide), I had a moment with Shane to ask him about the making of the initial ‘It Could Happen To You’ video and the subsequent Bridegroom documentary. I wondered what had made him want to make that first YouTube video about Tom?

    ‘It was a couple of months before the anniversary of Tom’s passing and I was just dreading the date. I just wanted to do something to honour him and to generate awareness of what happens when people don’t have the same rights.’

    There are still twenty-five states in the US, in which many hospitals have policies in place that don’t allow non-married partners in to see their stricken loved ones, regardless of legal documentation that prove your power of attorney or papers that verify the implied consent from your partner to be involved in the decision-making process should you become ill.

    Recently Janice Langbebn and her three children became innocent victims of this discrimination in the saddest way possible when her partner of 17 years, Lisa Pond, became suddenly ill with a brain aneurism whilst on holiday in Florida. Janice and the couples’ children were refused access to Lisa in her last moments because she was told from a social worker at the hospital that Florida is ‘an anti-gay state’.

    Lisa died the next day without seeing either her partner or her children, despite legal documents the pair had drawn up to protect themselves in case something like this tragedy were to ever happen.

    The problem is that as the current laws stand, regardless of the legal documentation you can try and put in place to assert your rights as a partner, a hospital’s administration, it seems, can overrule those protections. The only legal documentation that carries any weight is a marriage certificate.

    Gay marriage is legal in only 16 states at the time of writing this interview, leaving many same-sex partners completely unprotected and just like in Janice’s and Shane’s story the surviving partner is left in the dark about their loved one’s condition or health decisions.

    ‘(In) a lot of hospitals across the US, and in particular this one, it’s their policy, unless you’re a legal family member they won’t share any information with you,’ Shane says with the sound of deep regret in his voice.

    ‘When I got to the ER I don’t even know how long it was before he passed away, because they wouldn’t tell us anything.
    ‘I was in complete shock and it was hard to really process what was happening when they told me I couldn’t see him. It was just devastating and I was just so confused.
    ‘It’s very upsetting because when you’re committed to someone and you want to spend the rest of your life with them and this could potentially be your last moment with them or to ever see them – and for someone to take that right away from you, it’s just not right.’
    However, Shane was able to see Tom. Shane recalls the moment he saw his partner for the last time,
    ‘Fortunately I had one of my best friends there who was able to fight and argue with the nurses to let me see him. A nurse risked her job and she just snuck us back into his room – but at the time I didn’t realise that it would be the last time I would ever be with him.
    ‘I didn’t think that I wouldn’t be able to go to his funeral or his burial and properly say goodbye.’
    Sadly after Tom’s death his family cut Shane completely from the funeral arrangements and even from the service itself. Tom’s family had never been accepting of his sexuality. There’s a disheartening story in the documentary where Tom even had a gun pulled on him by his own father after he heard about his relationship with Shane.

    When Shane travelled Indiana to attend Tom’s funeral he received a phone call which alerted him to threats of abuse from some of Tom’s family should he dare to show his face.

    The documentary, which was made by Linda Bloodworth-Thomason contains so many photos and footage of the two men happily in love. Six years together provides a lot of footage and pictures – I wonder how it felt for Shane to revisit old photos.

    ‘It was hard at times going through all the old footage, but at the same time it was healing in a lot of ways. I’m just so grateful that we have as much footage as we do have. It’s a little embarrassing on one level that we have so much, but I think it’s part of our generation.’

    Does he still video diary anymore?
    ‘I don’t, I think it’d be too bizarre. One of the reasons I did a video diary was as an outlet for me, it made me feel connected to Tom in a way.
    ‘It started back in High School as a way to feel like I wasn’t burdening anyone.

    ‘Sometimes it feels like people know me better than I know myself, because I’ve put myself out there.’

    What does he want the documentary to achieve?
    ‘The main goal is to open people’s hearts and minds, and I believe film has the power to do that, more than a lot of other things.
    ‘I felt a lot of pressure of having to be an expert, that I had to have knowledge of the history of the equal rights movement, now I realise that we are all kind of activists in our way. By just sharing our stories that’s a form of activism. I’ve embraced that and I’m proud of it. I hope that it shows it doesn’t matter who you are, as long as you have a voice you can help people.’

    One of the burning questions that people I’ve spoken to about Shane’s story ask the same thing, have Tom’s parents been in touch since the ‘It Could Happen To You’ video or the filming of Bridegroom; with a sigh of sadness Shane says,

    ‘No I haven’t heard from them, and we reached out to them quite a few times in the making of the documentary and unfortunately they didn’t respond. There are members of his family that do support me and Tom and this film, it’s just unfortunate that no one from his family was able to participate.’

    I wondered what Shane thinks Tom’s reaction would be about the way in which Shane’s been treated by his family?

    ‘Overall with everything that has happened I think Tom would be disappointed in them. I don’t think he’d want people to be attacking them or harassing them.
    ‘I wanted to try and make it clear that it’s about the bigger picture and not just about his parents. I want people to walk away feeling inspired and wanting to live their life more honestly and not just focus on Tom’s parents.’

    Towards the end of the documentary a film crew travels with Shane to Tom’s grave, where Shane discovers that Tom’s parents have made every attempt to cut Shane out of the picture altogether. They’ve bought a family plot, with space for his mother on one side and his father on the other.

    ‘It was very upsetting to get to the gravesite to see that even in death his parents have prevented me from ever being with him. They’re on each side of him. There’s no way I can ever be buried next to him, but I realised that’s not where Tom is. It’s just his body.
    With the premiere of the film and worldwide release, I ask whether Shane finds it hard to talk about Tom all the time.
    ‘A lot of people think it might be hard to continuously talk about him, but I’d much rather talk about him and share him with people than not talk about him. I love the idea that people get to see such an amazing human being who inspired me and is now inspiring a lot of other people. It feels good to talk about him.’

    I’m nervous to ask the next question, but I feel that throughout the film there’s a theme, a sort of rebirth for Shane, a new beginning in many ways, I ask, if he had his time again with Tom, would he do anything different. Shane is almost delighted for the question,
    ‘Yes! I have to say, that for most of my life I was ashamed of being gay. A lot of times it prevented me from loving Tom as much as I should have or wanted to.
    ‘So looking back I wish I wouldn’t have cared so much about what people thought of us.
    ‘I would have been able to love him without being ashamed and to show that we are in love and we are a couple, who want to spend the rest of our lives together. ∎© IMAGES Supplied by Netflix

    You can watch Bridegroom on Netflix or order from Amazon

  • Violent Ex Lover Faces Jail After Battering Three Men

    A Glaswegian man faces jail after the court hears how he battered three lovers in an abuse case that spans 10 years.

    Kevin Conway, 29, a bank manager from Glasgow has appeared in court after three men accused him of battery and abuse, which spanned a decade.

    Paul Scrase, Mark MacDonald and Andrew Fleming all accused Conway of beating them whilst in a relationship with Conway.

    During one savage beating Conway hit Scrase over the head with a candle stick which left Scarse needing stitches and he head butted MacDonald breaking his nose. Fleming also told of how Conway had threatened to pour boiling water from a kettle on him.

    The abuse left Fleming ‘terrified’.

    The Daily Record reports that in other attacks Conway had threatened to have someone rape Fleming.

    Conway accused the men of lying and claimed that he had suffered domestic abuse, however, the sheriff rejected these claims.

    The Glasgow Sheriff court is a local court service in Scotland, based in the Gorbals area of Glasgow. The court deals with an assortment of cases including: Solemn and summary criminal cases, fine payments, and civil actions.

    Conway was convicted of 10 charges of assault.

    Paul Scrase said:
    ‘It’s a great sense of relief, the sheriff has seen exactly who he is and what ¬ behaviours he had demonstrated.

    ‘When the domestic abuse task force approached me I was shocked.’

    Conway will be sentenced later in February.

  • Valentine’s Day Carnival Outside Russian Embassy

    A carnival is due to take place outside the Russian Embassy tomorrow to celebrate Valentine’s Day, called For Russia With Love.

    The event that is being sponsored by Lush, All Out, London Roller Girls and the Peter Tatchell Foundation, is aiming to show opposition to the human rights abuses in Russia.

    The rally’s start time is 12PM until 2:00PM
    Address: Russian Embassy, Assemble corner Bayswater Road & Ossington Street, London W8 4QP
    Nearest tube station: Notting Hill Gate

    ‘We are rallying near the Russian Embassy in London to show our opposition to the continued human rights abuses sanctioned by the Putin regime, including the new anti-­gay law banning “propaganda of non-­traditional sexual relations to minors”, which has coincided with an upsurge in homophobic and transphobic violence in the country,’ said co-organiser Juliet Chard of Lush.

    Fellow co-organiser Peter Tatchell added:
    ‘The Sochi Olympics are in full swing. This carnival is our fun way to keep up the pressure on the Russian government and show our support for LGBT Russians and all Russian victims of human rights abuses. We don’t want Putin to think that now the Olympics have started the protests are over. Let’s keep highlighting the terrible things happening in Russia and support the heroic Russian activists – gay and straight – who are defending human rights. Freedom of expression for all.’

  • A1 in the Big Reunion Tonight

    One of our all time favourite boybands – mainly because we’ve got a naked pic of them – are to appear in The Big Reunion Tonight.

    In Episode 2, which airs tonight, two major bands of pop history feature – Eternal and A1. Spats and arguments are put aside as these pop stars get their groups back together.

    A1 Are Ben Adams, Christian Ingebrigtsen and Mark Read.

    Some of the band began to compete for their fans’ attention as an intense battle of egos began. Ben explains: “Me and Christian always had a… it wasn’t rocky, it was competitive.”

    Christian recalls: “Ben always loved being in the centre and the centre of attention. And sometimes I wanted to be there too.”
    Ben remembers one particular confrontation: “He (Christian) turned around and he went to punch me, but instead opened his hand and slapped me.”

    Although Ben admits: “Thinking back now, I would have hated myself. But at the time, I thought I was brilliant.”
    The bands popularity reached new heights with their number one cover of Take On Me. Mark says: “Everything was going our way, to top it off we won a BRIT award for best new band. That year was the year Craig David was nominated, Coldplay was nominated – we were in good company there.”

    A1’s success came at an unexpected cost when tragedy struck on the band’s tour of Asia. Ben recalls what happened when an extreme case of overcrowding at a shopping mall signing ended in four fatalities: “We could see girls at the front actually being squashed against the glass. I remember looking up and going to everybody ‘can you see this?’. I just think the sheer enormity of people that were there was just uncontrollable. Unfortunately, four young girls got squashed to death at the signing.”

    Christian says: “We know we didn’t cause it. But we also know if we hadn’t been there, those people would still be alive maybe. I guess it’s something we can never fully come to terms with and accept”

    Following the tragedy, A1 withdrew from the public eye. Ben says: “It was a time for us to re-evaluate what we were doing and why we were doing it.”

    The band returned to the spotlight with a new look and feel, writing their own hit number one single Caught in the Middle.
    As their music changed, so did their bond. Mark says: “There was a weird dynamic now in the band, because you had two musicians and two vocalists in the middle, but one (Paul) not really doing much.”

    Christian says: “Looking back now, I think Paul stopped caring as much and withdrew a little bit more.” Ben recalls: “I think for an entire month on tour he refused to speak to me.”

    Ben says: “Everything is going great and here’s this, whatever you want to call him, ruining it for everybody. Paul leaving was definitely the catalyst in the split up of the group.”
    The band received a text from Paul asking them to read his letter of resignation. Shortly after, A1 were ditched from their record label with debts of £2m.

    The Big Reunion Continues Tonight at 9:00PM on ITV2

  • THEATRE REVIEW | Seven Brides For Seven Brothers, Sheffield Lyceum Theatre and UK Tour

    ★★★ | Seven Brides For Seven Brothers, Sheffield Lyceum Theatre and UK Tour

    Set in the backwoods of Oregon in 1850, Adam Pontipee is a burly woodsman who lives on an isolated farm in the mountains. On a visit to town to trade goods, he decides to take himself a wife and meets the feisty Milly who agrees to marry him. But when they return to the farmhouse to start their married life together, Adam introduces her to his six ill-mannered, uncouth and rough and tumble brothers.

    But the brothers are diamonds in the rough, and following a little smoothing around the edges, Adam takes his brothers to the town social, where they meet and fall in love with their prospective girlfriends. But when the lovesick boys return to the farm, they pine for their girls, so decide to head to town and bring them back. But with the girls distressed at being kidnapped and the farm cut off from the town for the winter by an avalanche, will true love win through?

    This vibrant and colourful revival of one of the most popular musicals from the golden age of MGM Studio’s was great fun. The show itself is twee, old fashioned and, at times, very camp, but therein lies its utterly infectious charm. The songs include “Bless Your Beautiful Hyde”, “Going Courtin’” and “Wonderful, Wonderful Day” and were proficiently performed by the cast. The songs were interspersed with some exuberant and energetic dance numbers, with somersaults and acrobatics aplenty. Both the town social (the main set piece of the first act) and the finale were particular highlights. The stage was crammed full of talented singers, dancers and musicians, all of whom performed a number of well-choreographed and enjoyable pieces.

    In terms of the cast, Sam Attwater, who plays Adam was unable to perform on the night, and his shoes were ably filled by Alex Hammond. Hammond’s deep voice and gruffness in his singing neatly mirrored the wooden roughness of the wilderness setting. Helena Blackman, who was runner up on “How do you solve a problem like Maria?” was in fine voice and provided a good turn as the go-getting Milly. The rest of the brothers were made up of an attractive and very buff set of young men who proved that they had been chosen for their talent as well as their looks by being more than capable of some great dancing and singing. The remaining ensemble made up the townsfolk and nicely rounded out the cast.

    Director and choreographer Patti Colombo has added some nice touches, such as a variety of dance styles, ranging from some ballet inspired pieces to an abundance of lively barn dancing, and also including some musicians on the stage during some scenes or to act as bridging tool in scene changes. The music was typical of the country genre and in good keeping with the setting of the show, with violins, acoustic guitars and mouth organs aplenty.

    The detailed and effective set looked great, with the stage being easily and smoothly transformed from the forest to the town to the interior of the farmhouse. The set was awash with wooden buildings, furniture and props which fitting in nicely with the feel of the show. The lighting was well thought out with a green tinge enhancing the forest, good use of silhouette at times and a warm glow in the outdoor scenes. All of the costumes were colourful, with flowing gowns and smart tunics and added nicely to the vibrancy of the whole thing.

    Seven Brides for Seven Brothers a whole had a really light feel to it and was undemanding, foot tapping, enjoyable entertainment. The story itself is a little thin and quaint, but the reality is that this is good old fashioned entertainment which harks back to a more innocent time and is more than capable of entertaining the audience without the use of special effects or elaborate mechanical props. It is a credit to the musical itself to think that 60 years after being written for the big screen, the stage show can still bring a smile to the face of theatre goers.

    Seven Brides for Seven Brothers is currently playing at the Sheffield Lyceum until the 15th February 2014 before continuing on its national tour. For information and tickets visit
    http://www.sheffieldtheatres.co.uk/event/seven-brides-for-seven-brothers-14/ and the official website at http://www.sevenbridesthemusical.com/sights-sounds.html

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