Phoenix Night Rises - A variety show that had something for everyone

A Phoenix Night Rises, performed at The Bear Pit Theatre, Stratford-upon-Avon, Saturday 16 May 2026.

Review by Charles Essex.

The Phoenix Players theatre company is 80-years-old and this variety evening was an opportunity to showcase the various performance genres and the talents of their members in 17 songs and comic sketches, and two one act plays. 

The evening kicked off with a rousing rendition of I’m gonna be [500 miles] involving all the cast, followed by an evening in a Greek restaurant, where puns and verbal gags flowed as freely as ouzo.  Nick Johnson sang If I were a rich man very tunefully.  The next sketch, Mastermind, was a series of corny puns and Christmas cracker jokes which delighted the audience.

Two skits from the 60s and 70s were very well received even if they were known to audience members of a certain age.  A Monty Python sketch about paying to have an argument and three characters from different social strata and periods of history, a clever variation of a recurrent theme in The Frost Report with the two Ronnies and John Cleese were performed well.

What Lies Before Us, a play written by Chloe McDonald, imagined what happened after death. Margo (Natalie Kaminski) had been killed in a car accident and met her former boss (Baz Stilinski), her sister Ruby (Fiona Robson) and her late husband (Nick Johnson) in heaven.  The play explored themes of forgiveness and Natalie played her part with feeling.  Fiona’s portrayal of Ruby was particularly moving and there was a convincing reconciliation between her and Margo.

The second half opened with a humorous wedding sketch as Lynne Neale confronted her ex-boyfriend at the altar. A recreation of the Radio 4 comedy show, I’m Sorry I Haven’t a Clue was very authentic.  The second play of the evening Detention Duty was very disappointing. It lacked pace and tempo, with neither tension or humour, and the attempt at the end to engender some poignancy was too little too late.  Fortunately, there were more laughs to come with I Spy, set at spy HQ, with clever plays on, well, not words but letters as confusion reigned.  Samm Lees sang Adele’s Make Me Feel Your Love beautifully.

As well as taking several roles in the sketches, Graham Robson and Lynne Neale were very accomplished compères and moved the whole production along smoothly.  Steve bird gave flawless accompaniment on keyboard throughout the evening. The Phoenix Players gave this enthusiastic audience, many of whom were friends and family, a cornucopia of entertainment.