15 years on from The Full Monty Musical opening on Broadway at the Eugene O'Neill Theatre, Lichfield Operatic Society will now be bringing the hilarious and heartfelt show to Lichfield. 

Based on the hit British comedy about 6 Sheffield men who set out to outdo the Chippendale dancers by doing 'the Full Monty', this Americanised musical stage version carries the same combination of grit and laughs that worked so well in the film. Lichfield Operatic Society’s production follows 6 steelworkers down on their luck, facing their fears, self-consciousness, and anxieties and finding that the camaraderie of their mates gets them past all those inner demons.

Local residents of Lichfield and long-time members of the society, David Hill, Patrick Jervis, Mark Johnson and Fidel Lloyd, will be taking on four of the principle roles alongside two new members, Phil Bourne and Ben Green. 

Also new to the company is the director of the production, Helen Gilfoyle, who has many years of experience directing for other Midland amateur companies and performing herself, Lichfield Operatic Society are very excited to now have her on board. This will be Helen’s second time directing The Full Monty, a show she is extremely passionate about. 

She said:
“When I was approached by Lichfield Operatic Society to direct their production of The Full Monty, my initial thought was ‘you should never go back’. After directing the show back in 2008, I was hesitant. What if I didn’t feel the same about the show – a show that means so much to me? I needn't have worried. The sense of joy & excitement from the first rehearsal, convinced me that I had made the right decision. 


I'd like to thank LOS for giving me the opportunity to revisit this fantastic show and for making me so welcome. Backed by a great production team - in particular a choreographer with nerves of steel, I have loved every minute so far. My Magnificent 6, in particular, have brought a real sense of camaraderie and fun to rehearsals. I know that this will infect the audience too. It really is a show not to be missed.”  

Working alongside Helen will be Jack Hopkins as Musical Director and Charlotte Middleton as Choreographer.

Performances of the show will run at the Lichfield Garrick from Tuesday 13 October to Saturday 17 October. Tickets start from £15. To book click here or call the Lichfield Garrick box office on 01543 412121.

Patrick Jervis is certainly hoping he doesn’t get the roles he is playing confused this season!

The lucky Lichfield actor has been fortunate enough to land himself the title role in Sutton Coldfield Musical Theatre Company’s next show, Peter Pan, at the Lichfield Garrick Theatre, and while he’ll be donning his green tights for that performance, he’ll be wearing even less when he appears in The Full Monty at the same venue earlier that month.

Patrick said:
“As soon as I discovered SCMTC were performing Peter Pan I was determined to bag the role. It’s not just a pantomime, Peter Pan is a musical adventure that appeals to both adults and kids – I can’t wait for my family, particularly my 7 year old cousin Sophie to come and see it”. He continues “I will also be playing Malcolm in The Full Monty in October and whilst I am enjoying both productions I am being very careful to keep them separate – Pan is definitely a family show!”

Local audiences are no strangers to Patrick’s talent having seen him perform varied roles with many local companies; he won acclaim as Romeo in Shakespeare in the Park’s Romeo and Juliet, proved his depth and skill as Winston in 1984 for Different Animal Theatre Company and has shown off his singing and dancing talents in roles such as Will Parker in Oklahoma! for SCMTC in 2013.

This production promises to take you on a magical trip to Neverland, where you never grow old. JM Barrie’s timeless tale of the boy who refused to grow up is reborn as a spectacular musical with a score by Stiles & Drewe, as Peter Pan whisks the Darling family’s children beyond the stars to his island where there are “no tedious distances between one adventure and the next”.  


SCMTC are preparing for a fun filled production bringing to life the magical world of Neverland, with breathtaking scenes of flying, swashbuckling and sheer fantasy.

Tickets for both Peter Pan – A Musical Adventure and The Full Monty are available from the Lichfield Garrick on 01543 412 121 or by visiting www.lichfieldgarrick.co.uk.

Lichfield Garrick Youth Theatre (LGYT) proudly present their final show of their 30th Anniversary Year, Ghost – The Musical as a follow up to April’s Grease and July’s stunning 30th Anniversary Concert. It is also the first time this show will be produced in Lichfield. 

Ghost is a timeless fantasy about the power of love. Walking back to their apartment one night, Sam and Molly are mugged, leaving Sam murdered on a dark street. Sam is trapped as a ghost between this world and the next, unable to leave Molly because she is in grave danger. With the help of a phony storefront psychic, Oda Mae Brown, Sam tries to communicate with Molly in the hope of saving and protecting her. 

Featuring a cast of 40 young extremely talented performers, Ghost was adapted for the stage by Bruce Joel Rubin. LGYT's production is directed by Richard Poynton, who has worked with LGYT before on West Side Story and The Phantom of the Opera, with Musical Direction from LGYT’s long running Chairman Oliver Rowe and Choreography by LGYT’s long-time collaborator Jessica Lambert, who recently choreographed Cats with Youth Theatre. This is all supported by a fabulous band and stunning costume design by Sue Broad.

The production opened originally in Manchester then London in 2011, on Broadway in 2012 with two touring productions opened in the UK and North America in 2013, and South Korea in 2013. With other productions in Budapest and Milan. LGYT’s alumni member Siobhan Dillon starred as the lead character Molly for the shows final year on the West End. Dillon now stars as Ellen in Miss Saigon.

Ghost has been nominated for five Olivier Awards including Best Musical and three Tony Awards and was recently voted the ninth best musical of all time in a radio survey. It has now sold over one million tickets worldwide.

Running from 22 to 26 September at Lichfield Garrick, tickets for LGYT's production can be bought through the box office by calling 01543 412121 or by following the link on the youth theatre's website lichfieldyouththeatre.co.uk.

Subject to funding, Stiles & Drewe's Soho Cinders is to have its professional regional premiere at The Old Rep, Birmingham between 24 and 28 August 2016.

New musical theatre production company Benson Ell Theatrical Productions are proud to announce that they have obtained the rights to stage a professional production of Soho Cinders in Birmingham next year – a fresh and modern re-telling of the classic fairytale, set to Stiles and Drewe’s incomparable music and lyrics. Producers, Bradley Benson and Jenny Ell, need your help in order to make this happen.

Benson and Ell’s long term aim is to develop the emerging fringe theatre scene in the city where lesser known musicals can get the exposure they deserve outside of London. Showcasing professional local talent and businesses is at the forefront of the company’s vision. Although  Birmingham has an extensive selection of theatres, most are receiving houses. The ultimate goal is to produce professional theatre in the UK’s second city - for Brummies and made by Brummies!

Alongside the show itself, there will be opportunities to engage young people with supplementary educational events linked to the production such as masterclasses and curtain raisers. The production will benefit more people than just those watching it and other local arts organisations will be assisting to make this happen.

A stellar creative team have been lined up and are committed to the project. The full creative team will be revealed very soon.

Producer Bradley Benson trained in Musical Theatre at Birmingham Ormiston Academy where he performed in Elegies for Angels, Punks and Raging Queens, Just So and Spend, Spend, Spend. After graduating, Bradley produced two cabaret nights in Birmingham under the Musical Direction of West End MD Scott Morgan with performers from Mountview, PPA, Laine Theatre Arts, Italia Conti, University of Chichester and BOA MT. 

Producer Jenny Ell is trained as a Stage Manager and graduated from the Guildhall School of Music and Drama in 2010. Credits include: Merrily We Roll Along, Our House, Just So and Spend, Spend, Spend (BOA MT), Nunsense (All Round Theatre), Wings of Desire (IDFB), Paul Daniels: Hair Today, Gone Tomorrow and Liberace: Live From Heaven (Norwell Lapley Productions), Little Shop of Horrors (Birmingham Repertory Theatre) and various pantomimes at Solihull Arts Complex. She has also worked on the Wicked, War Horse and Lion King UK tours. Jenny frequently writes for Broadway World UK where she covers reviews, news features and interviews. 

Soho Cinders was originally staged as a concert back in 2011 preceding a fully staged production at London’s Soho Theatre in 2012. The production featured a West End cast including Michael Xavier, Amy Lennox and Beverley Rudd.

To assist Benson Ell Theatrical Productions in bringing this fantastic show to the Birmingham stage, please visit this Kickstarter link.

West Bromwich Operatic Society (WBOS) return to Wolverhampton Grand from 8 to 12 September with Andrew Lloyd Webber's blockbuster musical, Sunset Boulevard.
 
This will be the first time the show will be performed on the Wolverhampton Grand stage, weaving a magnificent tale of faded glory and unfulfilled ambition.
 
Silent movie star Norma Desmond longs for a return to the big screen, having been discarded by tinsel town with the advent of 'talkies'. Her glamour has faded in all but her mind. When Desmond meets struggling Hollywood screen-writer Joe Gillis in dramatic circumstances, their subsequent passionate and volatile relationship leads to an unforeseen and tragic conclusion. 

Based on the Billy Wilder film, the musical version of Sunset Boulevard includes music by Andrew Lloyd Webber and lyrics by Christopher Hampton and Don Black.

For more information and to book tickets for this brilliant show, visit Wolverhampton Grand's website here. 

Elvis is back in the building, the New Alexandra Theatre to be exact. Running from 24 to 29 August, Mica Paris stars in the UK and Ireland tour of Love Me Tender - the new musical inspired by and featuring the music of Elvis Presley.

From the producers of Hairspray, Jersey Boys and West Side Story , Love Me Tender is a hilarious feel-good musical featuring Elvis Presley’s greatest hits. In a small town in 1950s America, a guitar-playing, hip-swivelling stranger rides his motorbike into town. Is he The Devil in Disguise or a Hound Dog in his Blue Suede Shoes? The townsfolk are about to be All Shook Up and could be headed for Heartbreak Hotel, but for Natalie, the love-struck, tomboy mechanic, it really is Now or Never.

Packed with 25 of the best loved songs by The King himself, Love Me Tender, by the writer of the award-wining West End and Broadway smash hit Memphis, is a funny and moving tale of hope, second chances and the healing qualities of Rock 'n' Roll.

Love Me Tender is Written by Tony Award-Winner Joe DiPietro (Memphis) and Directed and Choreographed by Olivier Award-Winner Karen Bruce (Saturday Night Fever, Dance ’Til Dawn, Pacific Overtures).

To book tickets for Love Me Tender, which runs from 24 to 29 August at New Alexandra Theatre, click here.

Priscilla Queen of the Desert rolls into Birmingham's New Alexandra Theatre from 20 to 24 October and the full cast has recently been announced.

Joining Jason Donovan as Tick, are Simon Green as Bernadette, Adam Bailey as Felicia and Philip Childs as Bob.

They are joined by: Richard Astbury, Rebecca Botterill, Matt Crandon, Peter Cumins, Amy Di Bartolomeo, Martin Harding, Lisa-Marie Holmes, Ricky Lee Loftus, Adam Lyons, Callum MacDonald, Laura Mansell, Catherine Mort, James Paul McAllister, Robin Mills, Craig Ryder, Naomi Slights and Julie Yammanee. 

Based on the movie, Priscilla Queen of the Desert The Musical is the heart-warming, uplifting adventure of three friends who hop aboard a battered old bus searching for love and friendship and end up finding more than they could have ever dreamed of. With a dazzling array of outrageous costumes and a hit parade of dancefloor classics including I Will Survive, Say a Little Prayer, Go West, Hot Stuff, Boogie Wonderland and Always on My Mind, this wildly fresh and funny new musical is a journey to the heart of fabulous! 

The multi-award winning musical originally opened in Australia, before hitting London's West End and Broadway.

The show runs at New Alexandra Theatre from 20 to 24 October. For more information and to book tickets click here.

Last month The Grange Players announced their exciting new season of shows at the Grange Playhouse and from 16 to 26 September they open their season with the brilliant Something's Afoot. 

Ten people are stranded in an isolated English country estate during a raging thunderstorm. One by one they are killed in mysterious (and hilarious) ways as they try to discover the murderer’s identity. The situation is complicated by rising floodwaters, power failures and suspicious behaviours carefully noted by Miss Tweed, an elderly amateur detective. 

With book, music and lyrics by James McDonald, David Vos and Robert Gerlach, Something’s Afoot is a musical spoof that takes a satirical jab at the Agatha Christie “whodunnit?” murder mysteries.

The cast features Jenny Gough, Phebe Jackson, Suzy Donnelly, Elena Serafinas, Robbie Newtown, Tomos Frater, Andy Jones, Ray Lawrence, Gary Pritchard and Jem Tonks, with Dexter Whitehead directing. 

For more information and to book tickets for the production, email boxoffice@grangeplayers.co.uk or call the box office on 07909 036 835.

Local community theatre group, Theatre Ingestre, are in the final stages of preparation for their 2015 summer production.

This year, running to raise money for Macmillan Nurses, the group will stage Evita, the well-known show that charts the rise of Argentinian First Lady Eva Peron. Performing in the courtyard at Ingestre Stables, this performance promises to deliver all of the magic of musical theatre. 

Now a regular feature in the calendar of performing arts in the Stafford area, Theatre Ingestre attracts audiences from all over the British Isles, having gained a strong reputation for delivering fantastic shows in a unique setting.

The show highlights much-loved songs, such as Another Suitcase In Another Hall and Don’t Cry For Me Argentina. Featuring local talent under the direction of Tim Downes and musical direction of Calum Robarts, with stunning choreography by Katie Farrier-Ray, the show promised to be a must-see for all local theatregoers.

Tickets are available online from ingestre.com.

Belgrade Theatre and Big Broad Productions present CRUSH, the brand new musical comedy, which will premiere at the Belgrade Theatre Coventry playing from Friday 4 to Saturday 19 September 2015.   

Starring Rosemary Ashe, Sara Crowe and Solihull’s Kirsty Malpass, the show is presented by a creative team whose hit stage and screen work includes Waterloo Road, Footballers’ Wives, Bad Girls: The Musical, The Sound of Music and La Cage Aux Folles. The production also features Solihull’s Eleanor Brown as Judith.

“This is an S.O.S. message. Please Save Our School from imminent catastrophe.”

It’s 1963 and Dame Dorothea Dosserdale School for Girls has a proud tradition of fostering free spirits from all walks of life - so it’s a crushing blow when the new Headmistress turns out to be a tyrant with strict Victorian values.

Giving a new twist to the world of Mallory Towers and The Girl’s Own Annual, with lashings of charm and toe-tapping tunes, Crush is a coming-of-age romp that celebrates schoolgirl friendships and fighting for what you believe in!

Prepare for riotous routines and hockey sticks to the fore as our girls battle to save their school – and find true love - in this smashing musical comedy. 

Rosemary Ashe plays Miss Bleacher, Sara Crowe plays Miss Austin and Kirsty Malpass plays Miss Givings.  The cast also includes Eleanor Brown as Judith, Stephanie Clift as Susan, Emma Harrold as Lavinia, Catherine Hayworth as Annabel, James Meunier as Dorian, Brianna Ogunbawo as Daimler, Georgia Oldman as Brenda and Charlotte Miranda-Smith as Camilla.  

CRUSH is written by Maureen Chadwick, with music and lyrics by Kath Gotts, orchestrations and musical supervision by Steve Edis and directed by Anna Linstrum. 

For more information and to book tickets visit belgrade.co.uk or call 024 7655 3055.