Am Dram groups ready for performances and anniversaries
I was delighted to hear that Walsall Gilbert and Sullivan Society is celebrating its 60th anniversary this year and performing a show entitled 60th Anniversary Gala Celebration at Walsall Arena and Art Centre from March 31-April 1.
There is not only G&S to look forward to, as the group will perform a selection of hit songs through the six decades, including musical theatre numbers including Any Dream Will Do from Joseph, Wouldn’t It Be Lovely? from My Fair Lady, a Beatles medley, pop songs such as Top of the World by the Carpenters and of course a whole host of G&S classics to enjoy.
Favourites will include Hark the Hour from Trial by Jury, Strange Adventure from Yeomen of the Guard, From the Sunny Spanish Shore from Iolanthe and The Kissing Duet from The Mikado.
Tickets are £15 each with a concession of £7.50 for children and can be booked at walsallgands50@zoho.com or by calling 01922 646977. New members are always welcome.
Interested in joining? Contact dlcy1408@gmail.com for more information.
Still in the Walsall area, but in complete contrast, why not go and see The Full Monty musical at the Prince of Wales Theatre in Cannock, presented by Walsall Operatic Society, from March 22-25?
This is a fun show, which follows the antics of a group of men who in order to make money taking up stripping. It is a little different to the 1997 movie set in Sheffield, but the premise of the show is the same.
It is full of catchy tunes including Big Ass Rock, It’s A Woman’s World, You Walk With Me and Let It Go.
On a more serious note while promoting this show, the group has also been raising money for Prostrate Cancer UK and for every programme sold at performances, 50p will be donated.
Apparently one in eight men are affected by this type of cancer and any donations made will go towards research and raising awareness, so Well Done Walsall Operatic Society.
For tickets, visit walsalloperatic.com or call 07782668880.
Meanwhile, Pedmore High School is proud to present the musical Annie from March 22-24.
This is the perfect vehicle for a school production. The storyline is happy and sad in just the right measure, the songs include the classic Tomorrow, Easy Street and You’re Never Fully Dressed Without A Smile and there are children, a dog, a love story, need I go on? It’s a great show!
Director, Emily May said: “We are incredibly proud of the talent and commitment that Pedmore High School students have shown since commencing rehearsals in September.
"This is a watershed moment for Pedmore with a seven-piece orchestra brought together by our Musical Director and Lead Practitioner for Invictus Performing Arts, Pete Wingate.
"The live music has no doubt elevated the professional quality of the show and contributed to our unprecedented ticket sales.”
It sounds amazing. For tickets, visit pedmorehighschool.uk or call 01384 686711.
Drama lovers will enjoy the Grange Players production of Rules for Living by Sam Holcroft, at the Grange Playhouse, Walsall from March 16-25.
Everyone creates their own coping strategies or rules for living. But what happens when an extended family gathers in the kitchen for a traditional Christmas and they each follow those rules, rigidly?
As long-held mechanisms for survival are laid bare, even Mum, who has been preparing this lunch since last January, becomes embroiled.
Time-honoured rivalries and resentments will out. Accusations fly, relationships deconstruct, the rules take over.
In this theatrically playful, dark comedy the instructions are there for all to see, the audience included, so there is no place to hide.
For tickets priced at £10 each, visit grangeplayers.co.uk, ticketsource.co.uk/the-grange-players-ltd or call 07909 036835.
West Side Story seems to be as popular as ever, with several groups across the area presenting it this year.
The Peterbrook Players will perform the classic musical at The Core Theatre, Solihull, from March 28-April 1.
This contemporary Romeo and Juliet is set on the streets of New York, where rival gangs The Jets and the Sharks, fight to the death for superiority.
But when two youngsters from opposite sides, Tony and Maria, meet and fall in love, this fuels the fire even more.
With an incomparable score which includes Tonight, Maria, Somewhere, I Feel Pretty and America, West Side Story is nothing short of a masterpiece of musical theatre and storytelling.
For tickets, visit peterbrookplayers.com or thecoretheatresolihull.co.uk
Our House is the perfect example of a jukebox musical, featuring the hits of supergroup Madness.
From March 29-April 1st, Stone Revellers Musical Theatre will present Our House at St. Michael’s hall in Lichfield Street, Stone.
London lad Joe Casey takes the girl of his dreams on their first date on his sixteenth birthday. To impress her, Joe breaks into a building site owned by a high-end property developer, Mr Pressman, but when the police arrive, Joe’s life splits in two.
Which character will win? the Good Joe who stays or the Bad Joe who runs away.
The hits come thick and fast in this one, and include House of Fun, Baggy Trousers, Wings of a Dove, Driving In My Car, It Must Be Love and of course the title song.
For tickets, visit stonerevellers.org.uk/shop/tickets/our-house/ or the group’s Facebook page.
Finally this week, The Shropshire Drama Company will be performing a self-penned comedy in celebration of the forthcoming coronation of King Charles III.
Entitled 42 Crowns, the show will be performed by four actors and a musician and is a wry, quirky observation of the antics of past monarchs in the form of poetry, songs and rhyming verse.
Catch 42 Crowns at Montford Parish Hall, Shrewsbury on March 21 and Hermon Chapel Arts Centre in Oswestry on March 22.
For tickets, call 01743 246917 or visit shropshiredramacompany.co.uk
That’s all for this week. Please email all your news and good quality colour photos to me at a.norton@expressandstar.co.uk, call me on 01902 319662 and follow me on Twitter @AlisonNorton and Instagram
