Your Midlands and Shropshire am dram round-up
The works of the acclaimed poet and writer Dylan Thomas have been debated over by critics and biographers alike, but the fact remains that one of his most popular compositions is Under Milk Wood.
Tanat Theatre, who perform at Llanrhaeadr ym Mochnant village hall, will present Under Milk Wood from April 13-14.
By staging it in the round, this production draws the audience into the small fishing town in which it’s set, to share the curious customs of its characters.
Under the spell cast by the play’s two narrators, an evening spent with the Tanat Theatre Players becomes a whole day in the world beneath Milk Wood where, between sunrise and sunset and between the two ends of the town, all life is to be found in the dreams, hopes, disappointments and songs of its people.
l Tickets, priced at £7 for adults and £3.50 for children, are available from Izzy Roberts on 01691 860398.
Spring it may be, but it’s snowing over Cradley Heath Amateur Operatic Society, as they are looking for particular performers for their next venture. They will perform White Christmas in November.
I love this show. Having performed it with my home company South Staffs MTC in 2015, it’s a firm favourite and I’m sure CHAOS will thoroughly enjoy to.
White Christmas oozes romance, glamour and yuletide cheer and includes some wonderful musical theatre numbers such as Blue Skies, The Best Things Happen While You’re Dancing, Happy Holidays, I’ve Got My Love to Keep Me Warm and the title song.
The show requires a troupe of excellent dancers, so the group is seeking male performers and tap dancers. Contact chaos@chaosoperatics.co.uk or chaos1908@outlook.com for more information.
There’s just time to catch Oswestry Musical Theatre Company’s production of Sondheim’s hit musical Into the Woods from April 13-14 at The Marches School.
Sondheim’s complex storyline tells of four central characters: Cinderella, Little Red Riding Hood, Jack (of beanstalk fame) and the childless Baker and his wife. Each embark on a journey into the woods to try and fulfil their respective dreams, while their individual stories cross and intertwine with each other. As to be expected with this composer, despite the fairy-tale title, nothing ends with a Happy Ever After.
l Tickets priced £12-£8 are now on sale; in person from Christian Jewellers, Bailey St, Oswestry and online from www.ticketsource.co.uk/omtc. Further information is available at www.omtc.info
Having just watched the BBC documentary entitled The Ruth Ellis Files; A Very British Crime, the case of the last woman to be hanged in Britain intrigues me, so when I saw that The Crescent Theatre Company were performing Amanda Whittington’s play, The Thrill of Love, I had to include it here.
Ruth Ellis confessed to the crime of shooting her lover yet refused to offer defence or mitigation. The play looks at her life through the eyes of three woman who were her friends in the seedy world of London nightlife in the 1950s, as Ellis pursues a destructive relationship.
l Catch The Thrill of Love at the Crescent Theatre in Birmingham from April 28-May 5 in The Studio. For tickets priced at £12-£7 visit www.crescent-theatre.co.uk or call 0121 643 5858. There’s an After Dark Q&A session following the evening performance on May 4.
News of local auditions now. Trinity Musical Theatre Company, who are based in Wolverhampton and perform at the Dormston Theatre in Sedgley, is holding open auditions for their forthcoming production of The Wizard of Oz, which they will perform later this year.
The group is particularly interested to hear from men and young performers.
Adult auditions (for 16-year olds and older) will be held from 8pm on April 24 at St Columba’s Church Hall, Castlecroft, and auditions for Munchkins will be on April 29 at the same venue, from 2pm onwards.
l Are you a potential Wicked Witch, Flying Monkey or Munchkin? Or indeed, a Dorothy, Tin Man, Scarecrow or Lion? Or simply would like to join in the ensemble? If so visit www.trinity-mtc.co.uk
Over in Solihull, St Alphege Musical Production Society are getting excited as they prepare to present Gilbert and Sullivan’s The Mikado at The Oliver Bird Hall, Solihull from April 18-21.
Look out for colourful characters singing the likes of Three Little Maids from School Are We, A Wand ‘ring Minstrel I, On A Tree by a River (or Tit Willow as it is more affectionately known) and The Flowers that Bloom in the Spring. The company is also holding a launch night on May 2 for their next production, A Christmas Carol, which they will perform later in the year.
l To book tickets, visit www.stamps-solihull.co.uk
Tettenhall Amateur Players will perform Patrick Hamilton’s play, Rope, from April 24-27 at Linden House in Wolverhampton.
First performed in 1929, Rope is a thriller, thought to be loosely based on a murder case of that era in which two university students are accused of murdering their fellow pupil as an expression of their superior intellect.
In a rather macabre act, they hide the victim’s body in a chest and then proceed to host a party for his friends of family, using the chest as the buffet table. Strange, but interesting; why would they do such a thing?
l Find out by purchasing tickets from www.tettenhallplayers.com or visit the group’s Facebook page.
