Your Midlands and Shropshire am dram round up

Following the adventures of Compo, Clegg and Foggy, not to mention Compo’s love interest, the incomparable Nora Batty, the stage adaptation of the show is every inch as amusing as the small screen version.

Chosen by Secga Theatre Company, who perform at The Towers Theatre within Tettenhall College, it encompasses just about every outrageous situation the trio encounter and is the perfect way to spend a summer’s evening.

Foggy has decided to invite a lady around for an evening of sophisticated entertainment, but with friends like Comp and Clegg, he stands no chance. Her name is Constance and she is not only Nora Batty’s niece but also the long-term fiancée of Foggy’s arch-rival, Gifford Bewmont.

You get the picture? Well the laugh out loud moments are aplenty in this fast-moving, funny farce!

As a taster prior to the play, the cast will be performing short extracts at the Cupcake Lane Tea Room in Tettenhall, on July 2 from 12.30pm to 2pm, so if you fancy a cuppa with Compo, why not pop in?

Catch Last of the Summer Wine from July 13-15 at The Towers Theatre.

l For tickets priced at £7 each, call 01902 337908 or 07766277039, call into Cupcake Lane Tea Room or email secgatheatre@hotmail.co.uk

First performed back in 1892 at the Theatre Royal, Bury St Edumunds, Charley’s Aunt by Brandon Thomas, is a farce in three acts, which in its day broke all box office records, running for 1,466 performances on the London stage.

It is often referred to as ‘comical farce at its very best’, and I would agree. Even today Charley’s Aunt will raise a smile for its witty, intelligent script and colourful characters.

Jack is in love with Kitty. Charley is in love with Amy. They both need Charley’s aunt’s help, but when she cancels her visit at the very last minute, the boys are distraught. So, they coerce a male friend to pose as the windowed millionairess. However, when Jack’s father and Amy’s uncle turn up and both take a keen interest in ‘Charley’s aunt’, things become very complicated!

l The resident drama company at The Oldbury Rep will present Charley’s Aunt from July 8-15. For tickets, visit www.oldburyrep.org or call the box office on 0121 552 2761. It promises to be a hoot!

There is a distinct feline air over at The Rose Theatre in Kidderminster at the moment, because the Youth Section ofthe town’s operatic society have chosen Cats the Musical as their next show.

Based on Old Possum’s Book of Practical Cats, a series of poems about cats and their behaviour and personalities, Cats the musical was composed by Andrew Lloyd Webber, produced by Cameron Mackintosh and first performed in 1981. It ran for 21 years in the West End, enjoyed a highly successful Broadway run too and won numerous awards.

There are no humans whatsoever in this unique musical – as the title would suggest, just cats and they are everywhere. If you are an owner of a feline (I am the proud owner of a ginger tabby called Gloria) you will fully appreciate every movement, every noise and every trick they play. It is so realistic it is laughable.

The score includes highlights such as The Naming of Cats, The Jellicle Ball, Old Deutoronomy and, of course, the wonderful hit song Memory, which has become a musical theatre blockbuster. The role of Grizabella who sings Memory has been performed by greats such as Elaine Paige and Betty Buckley and in recent years, Beverley Knight and Nicole Scherzinger. It is one of the most coveted roles in musical theatre.

The show has been available for young groups to perform for some time now, but has just been released for adult amateur companies too. Personally, I think adults should be very careful as this show requires an exceptional cast of highly-trained dancers who can also sing and act, something which is not always possible in am dram. But for youngsters, it is a wonderful show.

l Catch Cats at The Rose Theatre in Kidderminster from July 6-8, at 7.30pm nightly and a 2.30pm Saturday Matinee performance. For tickets call 01562 743745 or book online at www.rosetheatre.co.uk

Here’s a chance to really help a local company now, simply by voting for them.

Side by Side Theatre Company from Stourbridge, who offer training in the performing arts to disabled people and those with learning disabilities, is delighted to have been selected as one of 300 charities across the UK who could be eligible for a share in £3 million from the Masonic Charitable Foundation, as part of Freemasonry’s 300th anniversary celebrations.

l The group could receive as much as £25,000 if all their friends and supporters vote on line at www.mcf.org.uk/vote The voting period runs from June 12 to July 31. Please help them by voting. Groups of this nature are so important to our community and to the arts.

From June 27-29, the resident group at the Crescent Theatre in Birmingham will present the Jane Austen classic, Sense and Sensibility in the theatre’s studio before taking the play on a short tour during July.

Set in the early 1800s, in an era when women were totally dependent on the benevolence and generosity of men, sensible Elinor pines for the quiet, kind-hearted Edward Ferrars while the the impulsive Marianne dreams of her romantic hero on horseback, John Willoughby.

Jessica Swale’s cleverly-written, fast-paced and delightful adaptation of Jane Austen’s novel, follows the fortunes of the Dashwood sisters as, cheated out of their inheritance by their selfish brother, they pursue their dreams.

l For tickets and tour dates, visit www.crescent-theatre.co.uk or call 0121 643 5858.

l Well that’s all for this week. Please keep those emails and good quality photos coming to a.norton@expressandstar.co.uk, call me on 01902 319662 or follow me on Twitter @AlisonNorton

Break a leg!