CRAMPONS OF FEAR
Eastern Angles
John Mills Theatre Ipswich

2 January 2008

A pre-war concert party - knife-throwers, ventriloquist, cheeky chappy - collides with a Buchanesque espionage saga.

Characters and story lines come at us thick and fast, laced with inventive wit and just a hint of schoolboy smut - the arch-villain's sidekick is called Nadgers ...

We rush from Venice to the Alps - a quick singalong involving Heidi and her grandad's goats - and we're back in London for the climax on the clock face.

Eastern Angles have perfected these skilfully silly Christmas shows over the past ten years. Performances are just far enough over the top, and the music and the dancing are a bonus.

The loyal, local audience loved every minute. So did I, and Arts Council willing, I'll be back for more next Christmas.



First show of the year, and it'll take a bit of beating for sheer entertainment value.
Julian Harries's spoof, with music by Pat Whymark, who also directed the five actors in a joyfully pacy romp, poking fun at the music hall, Hitchcock and much more.
The humour was gleefully Round the Horne - the Baron's sidekick was named Nadgers - and the twists and turns of what passed for the plot kept us all on the edge of our seats.