Cuckoo Teapot, Evening Star

After the shock of the threatened cuts to their funding and the subsequent struggle to overturn that decision with the Arts Council, it is good to see Eastern Angles back on the road with production that is an example of what they do best. 

A drama rooted in local history that is well crafted and well acted with a touch of wit and a little music to add spice - this felt that the company were very much back to form.

Cuckoo Teapot covers a time when young labourers from Suffolk and Norfolk made a regular migration to Burton-on-Trent to work in the breweries and in doing so found themselves in a different world where they had to grow up very quickly.

This play follows the journey of Joseph who is retracing his brother's footsteps and in doing so finds out about the secrets of his and his family's past. 

Although it was a little slow to start, and initially a bit difficult to follow - once the characters were established and the story began to take shape, the pace quickened and it became a joy to watch the team working together to create this moving drama.

Tim Bell brought a vulnerability to the role of Joseph, and his relationship with Emily (Bryony Harding) was very believable.

Helen Grady was superb as the severe chapel-bound mother, a good contrast to Jacqueline Redgewell's solid northern grandmother, and Graham Howes subtle changes made the most of his various roles.

On a stark but versatile set this was a fast-moving piece that just got better as it went along - helped by well-written, crisp dialogue that didn't let the story get bogged down with too much information - ending with a topical if not totally surprising climax.

Worth going out into the cold for.

Susan Hawkes, Evening Star