Actors go back to their roots

Jul 25 2008 Amateur Stage By John Slim

ACTOR Simon Rowe broke off from his leading role in the touring production of Blood Brothers to visit the group with which he learned his craft - Worcester Operatic and Dramatic Society Youth Section.

Simon, who grew up in Worcester and uses the stage name Simon Willmont, spoke to the young people about Blood Brothers during their break from rehearsals for their summer show, Back To The 80s, to be staged at Worcester's Swan Theatre from Tuesday to Saturday next week.

Another former member of WODYS, Samm Price has been touring in a production of Hello Dolly.

* LET'S talk 'commercial' theatre.

It certainly has not done any harm for Walsall's Grange Players, whose season has just ended with the run of Rebecca having sold every one of the 936 available.

Rebecca's 100 per cent score was one of four during the season, the others being Wait Until Dark, Ladies' Day - with 123 on the waiting list for tickets - and The Seven-Year Itch, all highly marketable shows.

The two 'failures' were Charley's Aunt (99.57 per cent) and Two and Two Make Sex (90.6 per cent).

Hall Green Little Theatre seems to have adopted a 'commercial' approach to next season, with a playlist dominated by thrillers, comedies and farce, supplemented by - a highly unusual venture in this venue - Melvyn Bragg's musical, The Hired Man.

The action opens on October 10, with Sylvia, a comedy by A R Gurney. Then, after a December pause for Jack and the Beanstalk, there's Strictly Murder by Brian Clemens (January 30-February 7), followed by The Hired Man (March 13-21).

Still to come thereafter are the Ray Cooney farce, Run For Your Wife, and The Twits by Roald Dahl, adapted by David Wood and heralded with a confession that it does not know how to categorise this one.