Your Midlands and Shropshire am dram guide

Based on The Bard’s Romeo and Juliet, West Side Story is surely the greatest love story set to music, transporting us into the modern-day streets of New York City where two young, idealistic lovers find themselves caught between warring street gangs, The Jets and The Sharks.

Tony and Maria’s struggle to survive in a world of hate, violence and prejudice is one of the most innovating, heart-wrenching and relevant musical dramas of our time and features some of musical theatre’s best-loved songs including I Feel Pretty, America, Tonight, Somewhere and of course the wonderful ballad, Maria.

This production features a fantastic live orchestra and a super talented cast who bring Bernstein’s masterpiece to life.

For tickets priced at £20.50-£13, visit www.theatresevern.co.uk or call 01743 281281.

Blue Orange Arts based at the Blue Orange Theatre in Birmingham meanwhile, is presenting Around the World in 80 Days, a play based on the novel by Jules Verne from July 9 to10, with performances at 7.45pm nightly.

This is a small cast play, but with more than fifty unforgettable characters.

Phileas Fogg of London and his newly appointed French valet, Passepartout, attempt to circumnavigate the globe in just 80 days to win a £20,000 wager set by his friends at the Reform Club. Will they make it?

Presented by the Acting and Devising Class at Blue Orange Arts, this promises to be amusing, entertaining and proof that classic tales never die.

For tickets, visit www.blueorangetheatre.co.uk or call 0121 212 2643.

Gilbert and Sullivan operettas remain as popular today as ever and fans will be pleased to hear that Tettenhall Operatic Company will present The Grand Duke at Codsall Community High School on July 11 to 13.

This was the last comic opera written by the duo in 1896 and is based on a theatrical troupe who find themselves acting out the roles they are supposed to be performing. G&S storylines are never straight-forward!

Ludwig, an actor, replaces the company manager Ernest, and then he replaces the miserly Grand Duke Rudolph of Pfennig Halbfennig, after killing each of them by drawing the ace from a deck of cards in two statutory duels

By winning these duels, Ludwig assumes all of Ernest's and Rudolph's rights and obligations and soon finds himself with far more wives, and prospective wives, than he knows what to do with. There is of course a happy ending but not without a series of amusing incidences.

The overture to this operetta is widely acclaimed to be Sullivan’s best, while the gentle humour of the piece will please all. It is a shame therefore that The Grand Duke is rarely performed these days. Why not take this opportunity to see it?

Performances are at 7.30pm nightly and for tickets, contact the ticket secretary on 07817365485 or visit www.tettenhalloperatic.weebly.com.

It is so good to see our next company up and running again in their own theatre, following a difficult time last year when the Grange Playhouse in Walsall fell into disrepair.

However, The Grange Players are hard workers and their determination has paid off to get the venue back on its feet.

They will present The Shell Seekers, the wonderfully romantic, heart-warming tale by Rosamunde Pilcher, from July 11 to 20.

This is the story of Penelope Keeling and her family and the passion and heartbreak that have held them together for three generations. The location of the play moves between time and place beginning with Penelope's return to her Cotswold home from hospital in the present day.

The story then continues through the advent of three children and Penelope's desertion by her husband, with the pull of Cornwall ever present.

I would say this is a perfect play for an amateur group to perform and a refreshing change from some of the repetitive productions available to us at present.

For tickets visit www.grangeplayers.co.uk or call 07909036835.

We are invited to join Union Theatre based in Solihull, for their summer concert which has the somewhat bizarre title of ‘Les Greatest Star is Mamma Poppins in the Bohemian Moulin Rouge!” What can I say? Well, I think we all know what they are getting at.

The show takes place at St. James the Great Church, Shirley and is a presentation of musical movie songs guaranteed to entertain just about everyone.

For tickets visit www.uniontheatresolihull.co.uk or call 0121 705 6762.

Finally this week, our Am Dram Star is Megan Keaveny a student from Moreton Hall in Oswestry, who is celebrating success having gained a place at the prestigious National Youth Theatre in London.

Seventeen-year-old Megan competed against no less than 6,500 performing arts students to win her place. The National Youth Theatre boasts some of the country’s best-loved actors and actresses including Idris Elba, Helen Mirren, Daniel Craig, Colin Firth and Sheridan Smith, so she amongst the very best.

Megan said, “I am invited to go on a two-week acting course in the summer in London with one of the most prestigious youth theatre companies in the country. Once I have completed the course, I will be an official member which means I can take part in many of their workshops and masterclasses, as well as being able to audition for parts in their professional productions.”

Megan’s Drama Teacher, Katie Howells said, “Megan is quite simply one of the most talented and hard-working girls I have taught in a very long time. She takes direction like a dream and her ability to embed the psyche of a character within her is really quite astonishing. I cannot think of anyone who deserves this more than Megan. I have already placed a bet with her Mum that we will be going to see her first West End performance soon. I am in no doubt this is where she belongs.”

Well done Megan and here’s to a bright future.

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

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