Your Midlands and Shropshire am dram round-up

While all the young performers across the area are skipping with delight, there are plenty of mums and dads who are thinking what on earth they are going to do to entertain the children for the next six week.

Well, I just might have the answer to keep them occupied for a couple of those weeks, at least.

Lollipop Theatre School, based in Brewood, has been improving the theatrical skills of young people for eleven years now with weekly lessons in singing, dancing and acting and regular performances to showcase what the youngsters have learned.

Not afraid of taking on full scale musicals, the group has tackled Me and My Girl, Seussical the Musical, Joseph, Guys and Dolls and Our House to name but a few. Their chosen showcase for this year’s summer school project is The Addams Family.

Running from August 6-17, youngsters aged between six to 18 years old can enrol to take part. Rehearsals are 9am-4pm each day at the Jubilee Hall in Brewood, culminating in a performance of the show at Great Wryley High School in Walsall at the end of the run.

Based on the characters created by Charles Addams, The Addams Family is, as the song depicts, creepy, spooky and kooky and includes some amusing songs, for example When You’re an Addams, One Normal Night, The Moon and Me and Live Before We Die. You will denote a rather macabre theme, but that’s what it is all about.

There are some fabulous characters to choose from too – Morticia and Gomez, the parents, Uncle Fester, Wednesday and Pugsley the children and of course Lurch the Butler.

So, for a spine-chilling, hair-raising couple of weeks call 01902 850788, 07984598589 or email lucyellenparker@gmail.com. It’s £200 per child with a discount for siblings at £185, but well worth it as the skills the youngsters will learn are invaluable and of course, it will keep them out of mischief too.

l For further information on Lollipop Theatre School, visit www.thelollipoptheatreschool.co.uk

The Stafford Gatehouse Theatre summer school project for 2018 is Disney’s The Little Mermaid, which the young performers will present from August 2-4, with performances at 7pm nightly, and a 2pm matinee on Friday and Saturday.

In the magical world under the sea, a beautiful mermaid longs to leave her ocean home and walk on dry land. However, her father King Triton has other ideas. Can Aerial make a deal with the evil sea witch, Ursula and convince the handsome Prince Eric that she’s the girl whose enchanting voice he’s been seeking?

It’s a great one to take the children to see during the holidays. They will love it and so will you.

With a host of songs including Part of Your World, Under the Sea, Bedtime and Happy Ending, The Little Mermaid is a pure delight.

l For tickets priced at £9 each, visit www.staffordgatehousetheatre.co.uk or call 01785 619080.

Another group of young performers who will be treading the boards this summer holiday is Get Your Wiggle on from Shrewsbury, when they present the ever-popular Tony award-winning musical Hairspray at the Walker Theatre within Theatre Severn on August 3.

The 50s are out and the 60s are in! Hairdos are bigger and higher than ever before and the music and dancing is a wow!

It’s 1962 and chubby teenager Tracy Turnblad dreams of appearing on the local TV station’s favourite programme, The Corny Collins Show. Finally, Tracy gets her big chance and is transformed from social outcast to local celebrity, despite her size, and wins the love the teen heartthrob and fellow performer Link Larkin.

But it’s not all plain sailing, as Link was previously engaged to the reigning Miss Teen Hairspray, Amber the ambitious daughter of Velma Von Tussell, the studio boss and neither mother nor daughter are happy.

There is so much more to Hairspray and teenage romance though. It’s about acceptance, love, integration of the black community and reaching for your dreams no matter how hard it seems.

The score is so uplifting and happy and includes The Nicest Kids in Town, Without Love, You’re Timeless to me, Welcome to the 60s and of course the high-energy finale, You Can’t Stop the Beat.

The characters include Tracy’s amazing mother, Edna, who is traditionally played by a male performer, her crazy but loveable father Wilbur who owns a joke shop and Motormouth Maybelle, who sings one of biggest and best songs in Musical Theatre, I Know Where I’ve Been, which is guaranteed to bring the house down at every performance!

l For an evening of pure entertainment from a talented group of youngsters, call 01743 281281, or visit www.theatresevern.co.uk for tickets.

Worcester Operatic and Dramatic Society Youth Section has made a brave choice of musical, taking on the mighty Seven Brides for Seven Brothers from July 31-August 4 at the Swan Theatre in the city.

I love this show and it is one that I would love my home company to perform at some point, but it is a difficult one to cast for an adult company, because there are at least fourteen male roles, the majority of who need to be dancers and we all know how difficult it is to cast males in amateur theatre don’t we?

That said, with a talented bunch of youngsters, this show should be a hit.

The score includes classic musical theatre tunes such as Bless Your Beautiful Hide, Love Never Goes Away, We Gotta Make It Through the Winter and Wonderful Day.

l There are nightly performances at 7.15pm and a matinee on August 4 at 2.15pm. Call 01905 611427 or visit www.WODS.com for tickets.

Finally this week, there’s just time to catch Stourport Choral Choir’s summer concert on July 26 at Arley House.

The choir will sing from 2pm onwards at this popular charity garden party, including opera excerpts, modern and classical choral pieces and songs from shows.

l For more information, visit www.stourportchoral.org.uk

l That’s all for this week. Keep sending me all your news, together with quality colour photos to accompany your pieces. You can also call me on 01902 319662 or follow me on Twitter @AlisonNorton