"Barbara Ingledew's portrayal of this sad, delusional woman was awesome."

Bath Chronicle

"Lesley Langley's portrayal of her is outstanding, conveying that certain but contained madness with huge skill.

Ann Garner's Next Stage production brings out strong performances all round, most notably from David Dunn and Steve Leanaghan as the old and young Bennetts, and from Marion Wood as the playwright's mother."

Bath Chronicle

"Shaffer's play which is huge, has been given ample room in which to move and in the hands of Next Stage it is simply breathtaking.

But if artistic director Ann Garner has got the technical stuff right she has also played a blinder in choosing John Matthews as Salieri. What a performance. But it doesn't stop there. Each of the actors plays a part in making this one of the best shows we are likely to see anywhere in Bath this year. Whatever you do, don't miss it."

Bath Chronicle

"Life, death and everything feature as we watch the characters in a bar; all portrayed by Tim Evans and Joanna McDerra.

Switching swiftly from landlord to layabout, or whatever character is required, this pair are outstandingly good.  I defy any member of the audience not to laugh or be moved."

Bath Chronicle

Stanley @ The Theatre Upstairs, The Mission Theatre, Bath

(May 2006)

"The characters, including a rumbustious Augustus John, constantly convince in this high quality production, which carries the audience along without the pace ever flagging. Luke Hardy's excellent, hyperactive portrayal of Spencer, on stage in virtually every scene, must leave him worn out. Running until Saturday, the show and the theatre are well worth a visit. With nearby parking facilities in Avon Street car park they must surely be the best in Bath."

Bath Chronicle

"It's strong stuff and in the sure hands of Next Stage Theatre Company it made for powerful drama. But although this was difficult viewing, it was also compelling, thanks to an excellent cast."

Bath Chronicle

"This uncomfortable trio created a wonderfully funny situation with a riveting performance from Charlotte Bassil as the attentive Paula."  (Drinking Companion)

"Again, it was splendidly acted"  (Between Mouthfuls)

Bath Chronicle

"However, it is played with tremendous aplomb.  And the special effects are tackled with great ingenuity.  Strong ensemble work is one of Next Stage's great assets - there are no weak performances at all."

Bath Chronicle

".... I defy anyone not to laugh out loud.

The cast ..... are universally excellent."

Bath Chronicle

"In all, another triumph for Next Stage and a very entertaining evening for us."

Bath Chronicle

"If this is a difficult play to do, and I suspect that it is, this accomplished group of players gave no hint of it.

Next Stage enthusiasts won't need reminding that this is solidly professional theatre disguised as amateur dramatics."

Bath Chronicle

"... the acting, passion and commitment from this experimental company, directed by Ann Garner, is of an impressive, professional standard."

Bath Chronicle

"Dave Dunn's Marquis de Sade is compelling: plump and sensual, he explores the limits of his depravity with surgical precision; elsewhere, Claire Rumball is one of a handful of characters who meld inmate and performer persona perfectly.

... and the sense of menace mounts as the critics and disciples circle around Marat, building to a splendidly anarchic climax."

Venue Magazine

"Caroline (Groom) is a wonderful Rita ...

For those people who see the show this week Caroline will always be Rita. Whenever we think of that role, we will undoubtedly think of her ...

Go and see the play this week and find out just why Next Stage is, a decade on, still one of the most talked about theatre companies in the west." 

Bath Chronicle

"Next Stage's production of Peter Nichol's Passion Play is a theatrical treat.

... but this is an intriguing play, with insightful directing, a strong inner core of performers, and a group of thoroughly competent actors in supporting roles.

 Altogether these make a production for which it would be well worth missing an evening in front of the telly."   Bath Chronicle

"It is a huge tribute to the set designers and special effects team that we were transported to this soggy, windswept island - whoever arranged to recreate Derwent Water just out of sight deserves a slice of Kendal mint cake."   Bath Chronicle

"This was a first class production and a credit to Next Stage."

"I am full of admiration for the achievement your Production attained and wish you success with your next production."   Rose Bowl citation

"Kay Crooke, of the award winning Next Stage theatre company, held an audience in the palm of her hand for a full two hours as the Scouse mouse..."   Bristol Evening Post

"NEXT Stage makes a stunning return to the plays of Arthur Miller with this production of All My Sons."

"... this deceptively easy, laid back approach is perfectly mirrored by the inspired direction and some truly admirable performances."

"This is a real Christmas treat ..."   Bath Chronicle

"Next Stage is on top form with its production of this modern classic."

"Luke Hardy (Davies) gives a lovely performance ..."

".... the three actors show every nuance in the constant shifting of the balance of power in the various relationships."   Bath Chronicle

"Director Ann Garner, who was also responsible for the atmospheric set, ensured that the pace never slackened and that the characters were fully explored."

"At its best, however, this was an incisive interpretation of a fine Pinter play."  Bristol Evening Post

"The Cherry Orchard is another triumph for the Next Stage theatre company."

"The production brings out the play’s subtleties and different layers, its naturalism and its symbolism; the result of intelligent direction and a responsive and talented cast."

"This is one of those productions that a theatre-goer really should not miss ..."   Bath Chronicle

"When it comes to Kay P Crooke in her one-woman performance of Willy Russell's Shirley Valentine ..., to the respect you can add admiration, a feeling of self-recognition and a sense of thorough enjoyment and satisfaction."

"This was a superb performance by a confident and gifted actress successfully conveying the emotions, feelings, confusions and desires of a woman wanting more from life than the drudgery of domesticity."   Bath Chronicle

"The direction and performances have a sort of muscular sensitivity about them."

"The in-the-round setting emphasises the intimacy and immediacy of the play, especially where the characters – all beautifully sustained throughout – talk directly to the audience."   Bath Chronicle

"Despite its flaws, the play's still worth seeing - especially when performed by a company who continue to bypass the obvious and present well-honed productions of challenging modern dramas."   Venue

"The dialogue is laced with clever humour, of which director Ann Garner and her cast take full advantage."

".... a cast who get the best out of a play which hits most, if not all, of its targets."   Bristol Evening Post

"... the well planned moves, which came perfectly naturally from the characters ..."

"Pacing of the text was always good .... our interest level in what was going on on stage never slackened for one moment throughout the evening."   Rose Bowl citation

"Caroline Groom as Amy gives an intense and pressured performance ..."

"... all helped to maintain the tension in this stimulating production from the Next Stage Theatre Company."   Bath Chronicle

"The two brave actors ... brilliantly handle five characters in the Garden Fete version of the play.

Darian Nelson plays ... Toby, the headmaster, who is given some waspishly funny lines, beautifully and acidly delivered.

Kay P Crooke gives us Irene Pridworthy - all tweeds and headscarves.  She plays her with a delightfully peremptory, unsmiling manner, as if young Princess Margaret were having an off-day."  Bath Chronicle

... the set pieces are superb ...

The standard of performance all round ... is golden, with the protagonists ... being nothing less than pure gold."   The Cornishman

Blue Remembered Hills @ SJT, Scarborough (Mar 2001)

"This production ... sees the Next Stage theatre company hitting the top of its admirable form.

... the production is tight and beautifully timed, and played, so that everything Arthur Miller put into it is delivered right back to the audience."  Bath Chronicle

"Next Stage has an enviable reputation for quality drama ... a sophisticated and gifted company."   Bath Chronicle

"... the brilliant ensemble work placed this production in a field of its own worthy of any professional theatre."   Rose Bowl Adjudication