“Gaslight” at The Mission Theatre, Bath, July 8th-11th 2026

by Ian Diddams

images by Michael Stevens – Pharos Photography

Shakespeare is credited as having introduced around 1,700 words into the English language, and several hundred phrases and idioms. This practise of word invention was not however unique to Shakespeare, or that late 16th Century period… A play written in 1938, by Patrick Hamilton, was not only popular amongst theatre goers but its name became a by-word for marital deceit, trickery and mental abuse. The play was named “Gaslight.”

Google and Wikipedia will fill in the plot synopsis but as per our use of the verb “to gaslight” in English, the play revolves around the mental abuse of Bella Manningham by her husband, Jack Manningham – an upper middle-class couple – as he undermines her self-confidence and sanity with a plan to send her to a lunatic asylum.

Next Stage Theatre Company present Hamilton’s disturbingly engaging play at the Mission Theatre, Bath this week. The cast deliver a tense, gripping performance over two and half hours plus interval, and every character is ideally presented. With a little over twenty-four hours’ notice, due to cast sickness, Sam Fynn stepped in to play the villain of the piece, Jack. It’s testament to his skill and ability that his performance was all but perfect.

Antonia White played the down trodden, abused target of Jack’s gaslighting, and her portrayal of the victim’s descent into self-doubt and loss of sanity is indeed harrowing – so much so, that at one moment I felt genuine compassion to “Bella” as she stood just a yard from me looking so confused, withdrawn and psychologically beaten.

The supporting cast were no less excellent. Mayur Bhatt, a Next Stage regular, presented Rough, the former Inspector as a perfect foil to Bella’s confusion. His level headed, intense but kind persona, not lacking a little humour, was ideal to help at times relieve the gut churning story unfolding before us. He represents a far lower middle-class character, transcending the gap between the master and mistress of the house with their two working class servants.

Ananda Rhodes played Elizabeth a long standing and loyal housekeeper who is Bella’s only friend, with demure touches really underlying a servant’s position who has no power, no control but is desperately trying to help. Their relationship blurs the lines of Victorian society at its edges, a state that Jack not only notes but berates Bella for as part of his controlling actions.

In total contrast the young house maid, Nancy, is no follower of standard protocols… she uses the front door of the house; she is hugely passive aggressive towards her mistress and desires and makes herself available to her master. Her surly nature contrasts with Elisabeth’s deference perfectly. James Hacker and Oliver Manners complete the cast with cameo roles as Rough’s “muscle”.This entire cast work seamlessly together with fully believable characters, all tied together by director Claire Rumball (also set design) and her team Oliver Manners and James Hacker as stage management. Tech is delightfully delivered – including of course dimming and raising gaslights – by Kris Nuttall and Andy Punt on lighting and Andy also on sound. The thoroughly delightful costumes arranged by Ness Bishop.

The show however is so far more than just a story of a married couple’s relationship. Its also more subtly a commentary on Victorian – and no doubt 1930s when this was written – society and its mores and attitudes. Whilst being a kindly uncle type figure, Rough himself demonstrates some patriarchal traits, and Nancy’s surly and disrespectful outlook clashes with every other character’s social reserve, even Jack who himself merely maintains a social status quo in his household.And ultimately the play provides huge passive-aggression and irony in its final scenes, over the finessing of Bella’s “madness”, First by Rough to Jack, and then ultimately Bella to her husband, who deliciously turns the tables on him when he believes momentarily that she will aid him in escaping Rough’s clutches and thus the hangman’s noose.Come and see “Gaslight”, played in the round at The Mission Theatre, Bath this week. You will not be disappointed – tickets from https://www.missiontheatre.co.uk/tickets?category=Gaslight

“The Mother” at The Mission Theatre, Bath, July 16th-19th 2025.

by Ian Diddams
images by Ian Diddams, Next Stage Theatre Company and Mike Stevens

Florian Zeller is a contemporary French playwright and screenwriter, who received critical acclaim for his films, “The Father” and “The Son” in the early 2020s. The films were both adapted from his stage plays of the same name, and it will not therefore be a surprise that he preceded both of these original plays with a third “The Mother”. Next Stage Theatre Company bring this first Zeller play to The Mission Theatre, Bath this week, with its time slipping, reality questioning story of a post-menopausal empty-nester whose raison d’etre has gone.

Anne – the titular character role – played by Hayley Fitton-Cook, lives a lonely, insular and empty existence in a home dominated by her favourite colour, red. Her children have grown up and left home, and are somewhat estranged to her; her husband she suspects of having an affair. Her life is meaningless and she dulls the tedium with increasingly larger doses of pills, and booze. The play is her experienced life, the other characters being puppets to enact her perceived reality, though we very quickly start to question which is real, which is fever dream, and which is just unreliable memories. Hayley plays the character honestly – as written, straight, she explained, playing The Mother in each scene as if that is the time and place in the real world. Her uncompromising, incessant performance really strengthens the delivery as we wonder which of the almost repeated scenes with minor changes and nuances is the actual real one – they are all real to Anne as they happen.

The Father, Pierre, is played by Mayur Bhatt, as the slightly lost businessman trying to keep a connection to his wife, and failing dismally. He is kind and gentle in his own way but his work life is either overtaking his own existence, or is providing a cover for extra-martial nefarious activities. Mayur delivers his confused, hurt, but also self-centred character sublimely, delivering a perfectly crafted Willy Loman style businessman, looking forward to the next exciting convention on microcredits, while achieving not much at all – except an opportunity to avoid Anne.

Nicholas, The Son, is played by Oliver Manners. The Son represents Anne’s confidence crisis – he is mid twenties and has left home to live with his girlfriend, and hardly communicates with The Mother now, finding her too stifling of his life. His own relationship crisis brings him back to the family home and the inner tensions and loss of mutual support are exposed all too obviously. The Mother tries to mother him, which he is rejecting; his relationship with his father is at best strained, and Nicholas knows “things” about Pierre that Anne doesn’t. Its a tightrope of a plot line to follow for an actor – neither too close to his parents but equally not totally dismissive of them either; their remains some inklings to family ties but they are stretched. Oliver’s perfection of this fledged offspring counterposed by his critical encapsulation of Nicholas’ insecutorites belies the fact that this is his first role with Next Stage.

Finally the fourth character of The Girl is played by Perrine Maillot; the girl is a melange of various female characters within the story. The is certainly Nicholas’ girlfriend, Elodie… but she is – in Anne’s confused mind – also her husband’s lover, and a mental health nurse arranging treatment for Anne. And there may be a thought amongst the audience that maybe Elodie/lover is actually Nicholas’ sister who is continually referenced but never seen, and has no contact ever with her family. Perrine is strong in her characterisation of Elodie, the girlfriend that doesn’t like the Mother, who in turn doesn’t like Elodie – though they both like red dresses….

The mastery of the play is its continual time slip/alternative reality of scenes, often repeating themselves in a ground-hog day scenario, leaving the audience to work out their own understanding of what is going on. There are no right or wrong plot lines here – Zeller has deliberately set up the play with multiple answers and endings, leaving us to decide which narrative fits our own understandings. Is Anne mad? Is this all a repeating nightmare? Is some of it actually reality surrounded by alternatively recollected situations and outcomes in Anne’s addled mind. Is Anne depressed? Menopausal? Has she dementia? Are some of the characters Anne interacts with actually dead? Are they all dead? Do some of the characters actually ever exist and are just figments of her imagination in her Walter Mitty world?

The set is simplistically perfect – Anne’s favourite colour red abounds in the bedroom/diner open plan set. Even the scene changes are done to a lowered red wash of light. Created by Director Tiana James it is the perfect reflection of Anne’s mind. Lighting and Sound is provided between Rowan Bendle and Kris Nuttal with Nicky Wilkins as fight choreographer.

Its a challenging play – it will likely raise emotions, query one’s own visions of what is real and what is pretend, and some aspects may well be triggering. But art should challenge us – and Zeller’s play so well delivered by Tiana James on her directorial debut ably assisted by cast and creatives certainly provides the chance to be challenged in all the best ways.

“The Mother” is showing at The Mission Theatre from July 16th-19th 2025, at 7.30pm. Tickets from https://www.missiontheatre.co.uk/tickets/the-mother

PREVIEW : “The Mikado” at The Mission Theatre, Bath, July 22nd-23rd 2025.

by Ian Diddams
images from Jon Lo Photography

Ask the typical man – or woman – in the street which Gilbert & Sullivan performances they can name, and you may well receive such answers as “Top Of The Pops, 1972”, “Man about the House”, “Crucible Theatre World Snooker Final 2001” and “Who? What?”. [ That’s a bit left field? – Ed ] . However, amongst the cognoscenti within this theoretical vox-pop, you may find some that do actually understand the question… and amongst the more likely answers of “Pirates of Penzance” etc, you may well find somebody suggesting “The Mikado”.

The Mikado has had some troubles in recent years being staged, as the core principle of Gilbert’s satire being the send up of BRITISH society by utilising an alternative environment which was all the rage in London Society at the time, is confused with patronising that other place. You may disagree with me, which is your prerogative, of course. But whatever the reasons it has become … uncomfortable … presenting The Mikado as how it was historically performed.

More modern adaptations however have avoided any unnecessary disquiet by setting the operetta in other situations – Devizes based White Horse Opera staged a highly successful version set in a dystopian country ruled by a despotic dictator akin to a 1970s central American military president just a few years ago … I know because I was the Mikado! This in itself however is also I believe to be refreshing – if all such shows (including Shakespeare etc) were always performed in exactly the same manner, aside from Sullivan’s wonderful music they may quickly lose their shine – seen one, seen them all. Reimagining the background creates new ways of looking at the story, naturally.

So step forward “Forbear! Theatre”, a London-based professional theatre company known for producing innovative Gilbert and Sullivan shows, and their splendid Terry Pratchett inspired adaptation, performed at The Mission Theatre prior to their transfer to New York. Minimal changes have been made to the text in bringing this fantasy kingdom to life, with the same madcap characters, plot and iconic songs that have been loved for generations. This version of “The Mikado” aims to represent Gilbert’s original intention by being set in an other-worldly, beautiful and dangerous fictional culture; the perfect canvas onto which to paint British flaws. And of course, Sullivan’s sublime and clever – almost cheeky – music.

So come and find out for yourself how Gilbert’s characters fare in this Pratchett inspired fantasy world at The Mission Theatre, July 22^nd and 23^rd 2025. After all, others have praised this production to the hilt already

“They live for their art. And it shows in their show. You could put this production on at the London Coliseum” (*****) – London Theatre 1
“Superb singing and silly goings on in the land of Tirwudu” (****) – London Pub Theatres
“Rachel Middle has given an old story a beautiful new home” (****) – North Westend
“A real triumph from the creative team who have passionately and carefully reimagined this iconic piece of theatrical history” (****) – The Deskbound Dramatic
“Brilliantly subversive” – Everything Theatre

Tickets from https://www.missiontheatre.co.uk/whats-on/2025/the-mikado

“Jerusalem” at the Mission Theatre, Bath, January 21st-25th.

By Ian Diddams
Images by Gail Foster

What is reality? Is it the cold light of everyday activities? Is it the symbiosis of contemporary time and ancient natural forces beyond our ken? Is it the raddled memories of mind altering drugs? Or is it a mixture of all of those combined, as personal perception sways between LSD flashbacks, inexplicable encounters, and simple bullshit?

Next Stage Theatre Company bring Jez Butterworth’s 2009 play “Jerusalem” to The Mission Theatre, Bath, this week. In a thinly disguised setting of Pewsey (Wiltshire), which is named Flintock but where the pubs names are all real pubs, the play centres on the character of Johnny “Rooster” Byron (Richard Chivers) who along with other characters in the play are based on actual Pewsey-ites, some of which still live in Pewsey today.

The story is a twenty-four hour period of Byron’s life, focussed on fair day on St. George’s day, and his interactions with his loyal friend Ginger (Sam Fynn), various hanger-on young people (“rats” as he calls them) Davey (Bryan Mulry), Pea (Sophia Punt), Lee (Jonathan Taft), Tanya (Miranda Webb), the senile Professor (Dave Dunn), somewhat dodgy publican Wesley (Brian Hudd), ex-girlfriend Dawn (Tania Lyons), local council officials intent on evicting him Mrs Fawcett (Tania Lyons) and Mr. Parsons (Andrew Ellison), Byron’s son Marky (Spike Fynn), and the lost teen Phaedra (Dilys Hughes) and her angry dad Troy (Andrew Ellison).

As the course of the day and night unwind, we experience Byron’s warped vision of his world as he tells ridiculously tall and impossible tales interspersed with somewhat surreal anecdotes and harsh truths. We see he is a very flawed character – he is in no way a hero, and very much an anti-hero. His criminal and abusive nature is laid bare, where he despises everyone that surrounds him, even his longest lasting and loyal friend Ginger… with the exception of Marky his son, who he shows genuine affection for (while avoiding any paternal commitment), the Professor and seemingly fifteen year old Phaedra – about whom we are left with a rather disturbing suspicion as to their underlying relationship.

The set is wonderfully portrayed as a clearing in “Roosters Wood”, all ramshackle a mess as you could possibly imagine as an illegal encampment of a broken down caravan’s site surrounded by old garden implements, wood burning stove, boxes and crates, woodland detritus and the remains of Byron’s own drug addled vandalism amongst other assorted accoutrements. Ann Ellison directs the show with an exquisite touch over the banality and failure of Byron’s life – as well as creating the set along with Brian Fisher – and the performance though lasting over three hours rattles along at such a high pace there is never a dull moment. Neat little touches abound – as characters get drawn into Byron’s world, they become coated in straw and woodland detritus, while Byron himself stays clean of these. It is telling that as Lee is to leave Flintock for pastures new far away he is clean of all this woodland connection. Even the Professor ends up covered in straw as his own senile alternative reality merges seamlessly in the renegade aura of the campsite.

Tech is provided by Kris Nuttal, Brian Howe, and Andrew Ellison as they set the scenes of bright morning, sun dappled afternoon and dark and threatening evening. No spoilers here but some cleverly worked backlighting towards the end relieves the audience of unpleasantness while leaving nobody with any doubt as to what is happening. Vanessa Bishop leads costume to perfectly place the setting in the modern day.

Which leads us then back to the actors. A lovely mix of ages as befits the story, all sell their characters believably. I was so drawn in at one stage it was a jolt when I realised that I was watching a work of fiction, and this wasn’t “real” – so kudos to the company for creating a fully immersive environment here. Richard Chivers is quite simply superb as the thoroughly egocentric but dangerous Byron. Sam Fynn is wonderful as his lifelong and lost, almost desperately childlike, sidekick Ginger. The “teens” of Jonathan Taft, Bryan Murphy, Sophia Punt and Miranda Webb believingly display youthful male exuberance and teenage slapper. Dave Dunn portrays the heart tearingly sad bewildered and confused doddery old man. Brian Hudd is cringingly excellent in his portrayal of the seedy and low-level dodgy publican who is really no different to the teens while in his own way abusing them as much as Byron is.

Spike Fynn gets Marky spot on as a conflicted nine year old … “Do I love my dad? Do I like my dad even? Do I trust my dad?”. He sells his character precisely through his physical acting as much as Butterworth’s lines. Tania Lyons and Andrew Ellison double up their parts seamlessly – to the extent that especially for Tania I hadn’t even realised she played two parts until I checked the program after the show! And Dilys Hughes as Phaedra is quite sublime… ethereal, fairy like, other worldly… and even when that dreamy existence comes crashing into real life, she still keeps an entirely child like innocence despite our suspicions that what happened in Byron’s caravan may not be so innocent…

So – back to reality. Or various versions of it. From fairies and elves, tall tales and taller creatures, nature’s ancient powers. Drugs. Dreams. Cognitive breakdown. Youthful inexperience and ignorance. Bullshit. All of these variations feature prominently in Jez Butterworth’s powerful text, culminating in Byron’s final monologue as his life crumbles around him and he calls upon everything in his warped mind to help him as he subconsciously seeks an answer to the big question, which he has already passed the point of rationalising…

What IS reality?

“Jerusalem” by Jez Butterworth is performed by Next Stage Theatre Company at The Mission Theatre, Bath between January 21^st to 24^th at 7.30pm, with a matinee on Saturday at 2 pm.

Tickets from https://www.missiontheatre.co.uk/tickets or on the door if any left.