This week's Midlands and Shropshire am dram round-up

It’s the rags to riches tale of shop boy, Arthur Kipps who inherits a fortune, but struggles to fit into his new life when he is expected to leave his girl Ann behind and marry someone apparently more suitable.

The 1967 film version was written as a vehicle for Cockney song and dance man Tommy Steele, with Julia Foster by his side as Ann.

Then in 2016 the prolific theatre producer, Sir Cameron Mackintosh brought Half a Sixpence to the West End stage, putting a young musical theatre performer, Charlie Stemp in the role of Kipps. When I spoke to Sir Cameron recently he told me that Charlie Stemp came along to audition to be in the ensemble for the show, having recently performed in another hit West End musical, Wicked. But he stood out from the crowd by a mile and before he knew it, Charlie was a star. The classic theatrical happy ending!

It is such a lovely musical to appear in because there is so much for everyone to do, which is exactly why it is so popular amongst the am dram community.

The latest group to present Half a Sixpence is Willenhall Musical Theatre Company, who will be performing the show at the Mill Theatre, Dormston Centre in Sedgley from April 17-21st, with 7.30pm nightly shows and a 2.30pm Saturday matinee.

This show includes a host of sing-a-long favourites including If the Rain’s Got to Fall, All in the Cause of Economy, A Proper Gentleman, Half a Sixpence and of course the best-loved Flash, Bang, Wallop.

In this production, Will Phipps takes the role of Kipps, with Abbie Rai as his love interest Ann.

It promises to be an evening (or afternoon if you prefer) of pure musical theatre entertainment.

For tickets priced at £17 for adults and £10 for under 16’s, visit www.seaty.co.uk/halfasixpence or call 07757 808036.

From April 18-21, the award-winning Enville Street Dramatic Society will be presenting Ladies Down Under, which is a sequel to their April 2017 production of Ladies Day by Amanda Whittington.

The same four am dram actresses will be taking the roles of Pearl, Jan, Shelley and Linda once again, but this time the girls are celebrating a trip of a lifetime to the land of Oz, and I don’t mean as in The Wizard of!

While Shelley dreams of glamour and luxury, the rest of the girls decide to go native and camp out under the stars. But Shelley soon discovers there’s more on offer than posh hotels, stunning beaches and sun-kissed surfers, and Pearl find out that she has a mountain of her own to climb.

Catch the production at Amblecote Holy Trinity Church. For tickets and further information, call 01384 374376 or 07857543846 or email whemming@yescomputers.co.uk

Tipton Arts is presenting a concert entitled A Night at the Movies on April 13-14, at Mary Dermott Memorial Hall in Coseley, Wolverhampton, starting at 7.30pm.

It promises to be a fun filled evening of comedy, song and dance, all with a movies theme, all in aid of a very good cause; The Samaritans.

For tickets, visit the group’s Facebook page. Bring your own refreshments.

On April 12-14, you can catch a performance of Separate Tables by Terrance Rattigan at Birchmeadow Centre in Broseley, presented by Broseley Amateur Dramatic Society.

This production comprises two linked one-act plays set in the same small residential near Bournemouth.

In the first play, Table by the Window, sees ex-Labour MP John Malcolm, who has spent time in prison for assaulting his wife Anne Shankland, lives a life of virtual anonymity, writing for a left-wing weekly, New Outlook, under the name ‘Cato’. He is in a relationship with Miss Cooper, the manageress of the hotel, where Anne turns up unexpectedly. Oh dear.

The second play, Table Number Seven, is set in the same place eighteen months later. The focus is now on Major David Pollock, a long-term, ex-public school resident of the hotel, who has struck up a curious friendship with Sibyl, the infantilised, terrorised, fragile daughter of the tyrannical Mrs Railton-Bell.

It’s interesting to see how the play examines social attitudes towards lifestyles and behaviour deemed morally reprehensible in 1950s Britain.

For tickets priced at £10 and £8 for concessions, call 01952 879745 or pop into Downes Greengrocers.

Musical Theatre Stafford is presenting the juke-box musical All Shook Up at the Stafford Gatehouse Theatre from April 17-21.

As the title would suggest, this show has a whole host of tunes as tribute to Elvis, but the storyline is actually about a roustabout ex-con called Chad who rides into town on his motorbike, stirring the lives of the people in this dreary little backwater.

Believe it or not, it is based on Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night.

The songs include the title of course, as well as Jailhouse Rock, which is superb opening to the show, Hound Dog, Love Me Tender, Blue Suede Shoes, Devil in Disguise and the wonderful Can’t Help Falling in Love with You.

All Shook up is feisty, fun and full of high energy dance routines as well as a strong storyline and marvellous music and is well worth a look.

Remaining at the Stafford Gatehouse Theatre, their youth section will be presenting The Town the Great War Built from April 18-20 in the Met Studio.

In the Autumn of 1914, only months after the outbreak of World War One, construction began on two large camps on Cannock Chase.

An entire town was created where the soldiers would live and train. It would often become the final stop before travelling to Europe to face an uncertain future. The Brocton and Rugeley Camps provide stories of heroism, desperation, hope and humour.

To mark 100 years since the end of World War One, the group is presenting a devised piece using letters, postcards and photographs taken at the time to recreate life inside the "Town the Great War Built.” It’s compelling stuff.

For tickets for both shows, visit www.staffordgatehousetheatre.co.uk or call 01785 619080.

That’s all for this week. Please send all your news and good quality colour photos to a.norton@expressandstar.co.uk, call me on 01902 319662 or follow me on Twitter @AlisonNorton

Break a leg!