Alexa Terry 
‘Vanities The Musical’ is another dazzling production in Aria Entertainment’s charming and growing catalogue and, whether it is an evening with your friends, or with a glass of wine as your only accompaniment, I urge you to invest in a ticket – you won’t be disappointed as you come away with aching cheeks from smiling and your heart strings well and truly tugged.
Not only does he (Phil Willmott) offer free live performances to theatre virgins, to those who wouldn’t normally choose to spend their money on tickets and to those who now refuse to pay the extortionate rising ticket prices, but most importantly, for me, he tells us the stories which gather dust on our bookshelves; the ones we are all guilty of shoving to the back behind copies of Harry Potter and Bridget Jones. Overall, whether I enjoyed the musical doesn’t really matter because I was introduced to a classic that I should have appreciated by now – and a darn good one it is.
Although by the end of the piece I wanted to cuddle Uncle Napier, I didn’t feel the need to squeeze. Whether the play is liked or not, a promise has been kept and Blow’s uncle lives on at The Old Red Lion Theatre.
This Romeo and Juliet are not gushy and are more than the Innamorati of Commedia Dell’arte. They are (James especially) sincere and relatable versions of two sweethearts.
