'By Jeeves' at the Landor Theatre

I think it would be true to say I'm not a massive Andrew Lloyd Webber fan. His faux rock in the seventies and faux opera in the eighties mostly left me cold with the two notable exceptions of Phantom and Evita. However, if you're going to riff on a style or composer then creating some faux Coward is going to be much more to my taste. And the score for 'By Jeeves' does, thankfully, have a lot of that inspiration.

Having not seen the nineties West End production, I'm not sure how much of the framing device of the village hall recital is new but, given the history of the show, I wouldn't be at all surprised if it had been at least highly tweaked. In the small space of the Landor the setting comes into it's own. And the multiple part playing of the cast allows for pantomimic scenery chewing when telling the story and a look of faint embarrassment when the weaknesses of the score become a little too obvious.

The hard working cast really throw themselves into making the evening as silly as possible - the car journey being an especial pleasure. But even they can't quite carry us over the fact that the story just runs out at the end. The final medley - although brilliantly handled - seems almost like a desperate attempt to give the piece the finale it so severely lacked. And appearing as the characters from the Wizard of Oz did nothing for me.

With such sterling work from all participants it seems unfair to pick out anyone in particular but I enjoyed David Menkin's mugging disgracefully during the group numbers and Charlotte Mills' enthusiastic tap dancing was very funny.

High marks should go to Kevin Trainor keeping the whole thing ticking on as Bertie but, overall, it's a bumpy piece. Moments of absolute brilliance just go to highlight how long some of the weaker sections hang around. Well worth popping along to see though - much in common with 'Salad Days' (recently revived at the Riverside Studios) it's a particularly British bit of whimsey that doesn't try to do anything more serious than make you smile.

Bill Count: 2

'Ordinary Days' at the Trafalgar Studios

It's nice to try something you know nothing about and be pleasantly surprised.

There is a style of American off Broadway musical sound that seems to revolve around a heavy use of complex conversational lyrics, an arrangement that is aimed at a piano and a small number of strings and a complete inability to add a hummable tune. That isn't to say these shows are unenjoyable but they're never going to worry a Porter or Berlin at the box office.

As 'Ordinary Days' started, my normal sunny optimism slipped slightly as I realised we were into that territory. We even had a moderately irritating gay character to open the evening. However the nifty, slight, emotional story had heart and by the time we hit 'I'll Be Here' the show had turned me round and I was genuinely moved.

Julie Atherton - who I must have seen in 'Avenue Q' a couple of years ago - was quite brilliant in the role of Claire and, although the role of Jason seemed the most underwritten of the characters, Daniel Boys was doing his very best kicked puppy. Alexia Khadime is obviously someone to watch and Lee William Davies completed the quartet strongly. All must be commended for heartfelt performances but it was the neat intricacy of the show itself that I think won me over.

Sung through, simple and sentimental, it nevertheless had a satisfying emotional complexity. Now, if only we could get that killer melody too.

Bill Count: 1

'Twisted Tales' at the Lyric Hammersmith

A few weeks ago I went to see the Lyrics 'Ghost Stories' in it's new home on St. Martin's Lane and was very pleased to find I enjoyed it as much the second time even though I knew the end. In fact, sitting in a very (possible over) reactive audience, I tried not to feel slightly superior in an 'I know something you don't know' way - didn't manage it but that probably tells you a lot about me.

One of the consequences of seeing the play twice was the pleasure you get from watching out for the little touches that tied the whole evening together. The satisfaction that the final conceit gives you is one of the plays strength, the individual stories would probably feel quite lightweight and inconsequential otherwise.

Which brings me to 'Twisted Tales' - I had high hopes of another macabre evening especially given the source of the original short stories - Roald Dahl not being unknown for his, huh, twisted sense of humour. But the result was much less enjoyable than 'Ghost Stories' for two reasons.

Given a running time of about ninety minutes, five stories seemed too many. Admittedly these short stories aren't much more than set up and punch line but they still seemed rushed. Atmospheric and lovingly realised in that post war style of films like 'Brief Encounter', they weren't given room to breathe.

But I think the biggest disappointment was the framing device of commuters being told tall tales. There was no extra gloss given to the tales by the ending - which was a shame as I was hoping for a conclusion as clever as Jeremy Dyson's previous play.

That isn't to say that the evening was unenjoyable. The clipped vowel delivery and sheer nastiness of some of the tales was entertaining. I was just really hoping for more.

Bill Count: 0

'Company' at the Southwark Playhouse

I've always had a soft spot for Sondheim and I first heard 'Company' back when I was at university. It all seemed so clever, detailed and perceptive. How could anyone fail to be moved by the 'Being Alive' or touched by the clarity of 'Sorry-Grateful'? And seeing those songs brought to life by the impressive cast the Southwark Playhouse have gathered was nothing if not a pleasure.

But - isn't there always a but? - also a bit of a eye-opener. The show isn't perfect. Possibly not even that perceptive. There is a disparate nature to the songs which make them less as a whole than as individual pieces. And finishing both acts with Bobby explaining his state of mind overburdens the first. This is a musical put together by a enormously talented novice, a man who would go on to perfect his art a few years down the line with 'A Little Night Music' and 'Sweeney Todd'.

Rupert Young did his very best as Bobby but the character is difficult to bring to life - as the centre around which the other couples circle, he's a bit of a cypher. His performance was winning though and you could really understand why he might be so popular with everyone. I enjoyed Cassidy Janson as Amy very much - she barely seemed to draw breath during 'Getting Married Today' and Katie Brayben's unbelievably thick April was a comedy master class and brought genuine warmth to 'Barcelona' while Siobhan McCarthy tried to out-Stritch Stritch on 'Ladies Who Lunch'.

The band and direction were excellent and the evening bowled along. The decision to set things in the present day probably didn't quite work. Some of the worries of the couples just seem too set in the late sixties including, ironically, marriage. We may have reached the point where 'Company' has become a period piece.

However, as 'Being Alive' disappears, the final scene is played and the cast take their bows there is no denying that 'Company' is a wonderful piece of theatre just, maybe, not quite as perfect as I thought.

Bill Count: 1

"Accomplice' at the Menier Chocolate Factory (sorta)

I'm not a huge fan of audience participation - the audience sits in the seats, there should be a clearly defined stage and that's where the actors go. This may stem from being molested by a female dancing cat when in my adolescence, it's surprising what sticks with you. Never wanted to be called onstage at a panto either. It was always the parent pushed posh kids called Quentin. Anyway, I digress.

'Accomplice' is nothing but audience participation. You are instructed to meet at a secret location where someone attracts your attention and then tells you the plot. This is useful but unnecessary since what follows is more treasure hunt / Crystal Maze than country house whodunnit. A couple of hours later and you've tramped around Southwark, reached the treasure and even had a couple of beers.

And it's all enormous fun. Played for the comedy by the cast, this is light entertainment which is a bit out of the ordinary. The puzzles are just hard enough to challenge without frustrating. The chase long enough to be meaningful without dragging and the ending satisfying enough to be worth it. It even makes you consider the possibility of setting up something similar. For about five minutes.

'Ghost Stories' at the Duke of York's

As you can imagine, this post contains a spoiler or two.

Arghhhhhh! followed by a giggle. It's a classic reaction to a good scare. The tension, the shock then the relief. And a deft avoidance of the intellect centres of the brain. If the rest of the audience plays along too, well, you can all get taken in together. Much like comedy, horror works better in a group.

The direction, stage craft and script of 'Ghost Stories' are magnificently single minded, they want you to jump; that's about it. Maybe let out a squeak. Possibly scream. But definitely jump. And they use every classic theatrical trick to make it work. Sweeping light across the audience before something jumps out; loud noises highlighting sudden movement; the juxtaposition of the horrific and the mundane. It's not sophisticated but it is successful - judging by the people around me anyway.

And then there's the final twist. It really worked for me. It raised the ropey, predictable (and enjoyably hokey) trio of campfire tales into something much more horrific. It's always what you don't see, those things allowed to play in your mind that has the most impact and this was nasty.

What's most enjoyable about 'Ghost Stories' is however clever, jumpy and nicely played the earlier parts of the play are, it's the dropping of a pen that becomes truly horrific. And that's clever.