Midlands and Shropshire am dram guide

West Bromwich Operatic Society will be the latest group of performers to jump on the jukebox wagon when they present Rock of Ages at the Wolverhampton Grand Theatre from April 25-29.

Well known for the performers breaking the 'fourth wall' where the cast speak directly to the audience, and set to the songs of Bon Jovi, Def Leppard, Europe, Pat Benatar and Twisted Sister to name but a few, Rock of Ages is essentially a love story.

Aspiring singer Sherrie Christian is rescued from trouble by the handsome and charismatic Drew, a barman at the legendary club, the Bourbon Room. With stars in their eyes, the young lovers chase their dreams, but a misunderstanding involving rock god Stacee Jaxx threatens to tear them apart.

The show opened on Broadway in 2009, followed by a short West End run in 2011, before being made into a movie a year later, starring Tom Cruise and Catherine Zeta-Jones.

The perfect combination of popular tunes, peppered with comedy and larger than life characters make Rock of Ages a must for all music fans.

Local actors, David Walters from Pendeford plays Drew, with Olivia Jones as Sherrie.

WBOS stalwart, Simon Pugh narrates the piece, appearing as Lonny, while Lyndon Flavell from Penn will provide superb vocals in the role of Stacee Jaxx.

The score includes We Built This City, The Final Countdown, Here I Go Again, Can't Fight This Feeling and I Want To Know What Love Is.

I can feel you reaching for your air guitars as we speak.

For tickets, priced from £16.50, visit www.grandtheatre.co.uk or call 01902 429212.

There's nothing like a good laugh and one musical guaranteed to raise a smile and give you a Dolly good night out is 9 to 5 The Musical, which several groups around the area are performing over the next few weeks.

I spoke to Helena King, the spokesperson for Brownhills Musical Theatre Company, who will present 9-to-5 from May 2-9 at the Garrick Theatre in Lichfield.

"We are super excited to be doing this show as it's a real hoot!" she says. "It has some great songs and choreography and the audience are in for a real treat!"

Written by queen of country Dolly Parton, the show is based on the 1980 hit movie of the same name which starred Dolly, Lily Tomlin and Jane Fonda as three office workers, Violet, Judy and Doralee. The three of them reach the end of their tethers with their 'sexist, egotistical, lying, hypocritical bigot' boss, played to perfection in the film by Burt Reynolds.

They begin to dream of how they would each in turn give the boss the boot, but when the dream becomes reality, although scared at first, the girls soon grab the opportunity to give their workplace a complete makeover, take control of the company and appoint Violet as the CEO. Maybe secretaries aren't so daft after all.

The score, although you might only know the title song, is a dream and includes Backwoods Barbie, Shine Like The Sun, Around Here, One Of The Boys and Get Out And Stay Out.

In this production, Alison Room plays Violet, Sarah Taylor as Judy and our Am Dram Star of the Week, Phillipa Mills as Doralee – the role which Dolly played in the film. Doralee is probably as close to the Dolly Parton we know and love as any character can be, complete with blonde hair, tight skirts and a couple of other assets the queen of country is famous for.

The boss, Franklin Hart Jnr. is played by an exceptional amateur actor, whose strengths lies in both drama and comedy, Greg Yates. He's performed with many local companies in the West Midlands. In fact he is also appearing in Rock of Ages with WBOS, playing the role of Dennis Dupree, just the week before 9-to-5. A very busy man indeed! It's enough to drive you crazy! 9-to-5 is an all round thoroughly entertaining piece of musical theatre, with a comedy script to-die-for, superb music and wonderful characters.

For tickets, visit www.lichfieldgarrick.com or call 01785 715368 or 01543 412121.

Drama lovers can take their pick of several productions across the region, starting with Quartet by Ronald Harwood, presented by Bridgnorth Players on April 28 at Birchmeadow Centre in Broseley; April 29 and May 6 at Bridgnorth Community Hall; and May 5 at Chelmarsh Parish Hall. It's a travelling circus.

The once-popular opera diva Jean Horton creates a stir with her arrival at Beecham House, a home for retired performers. But no one feels the uproar more than Jean's ex-husband, who still stings from her long-ago infidelity. Most of the other Beecham residents are delighted, and try to convince Jean to join them in a performance of Rigoletto. Jean, however, knows that she's long past her prime and is reluctant to sully the memory of her once-lovely voice. Quartet is a must if you enjoy a gentle, heart-warming tale.

For tickets visit www.bridgnorthplayers.wordpress.com

J B Priestly is of course most famous for his novel An Inspector Calls, but Dangerous Corner, which Highbury Theatre in Sutton Coldfield will present from May 2-13, is an equally good drama.

Freda and Robert Caplan host a dinner party for their colleagues and friends, all of whom are executives at a transatlantic publishing company. They have the world at their feet, but when an ill considered remark sparks of a series of revelations and dangerous secrets, the truth is exposed. A mind-blowing thriller guaranteed to keep you on the edge of your seat.

For tickets visit www.highburytheatre.co.uk or call 0121 373 2761.

That's all for this week. Keep those emails and photos coming to a.norton@expressandstar.co.uk, call me on 01902 319662 or follow me on Twitter

@AlisonNorton