Tributes paid to Black Country am dram star Mitchell Bastable

Mitchell was such a huge part of the am dram scene, particularly in the Black Country, performing a host of leading roles for local companies. His untimely death has left am dram land and, of course, his immediate family and fiancée Beth Berwick-Lowe, 24, saddened and deeply shocked.

Beth says: "I met Mitchell while performing in The Witches of Eastwick when he was playing the leading male role, Daryl Van Horne and I was playing one of the three witches. The attraction and chemistry between us was instant. Everyone said I had been seduced by the devil!"

Their relationship soon blossomed and they got engaged earlier this year after Mitchell proposed on the closing night of West Side Story, which the couple performed with TAB Operatic Society in May. It was a romantic but dramatic proposal, which naturally Beth accepted.

"All he wanted to do was to get married, which we planned to do in November 2020. We were supposed to book our wedding venue just a week before he died," she says.

"I adored performing with Mitchell. It was our life. We would audition together and tell the director that we came as a pair, so not to cast one without the other," she explains.

In fact, the couple appeared in The Witches of Eastwick, Return to the Forbidden Planet and West Side Story during their two-year relationship and then had recently been cast together in All Shook Up with Carpet Trades Musical Theatre Company, which they were due to perform in October. I’m not sure if the show will now go ahead.

"His passing has rocked the whole cast of the show. Everyone feels as if it is a dream," she says.

"All Mitchell wanted to do was help people and make them happy. Positive energy just radiated from him. Nothing can bring him back, which is all I want. Mitchell made an impact on everyone he met."

Beth adds: "If I really think about it though, he would have hated to live to be an old man, withering away. In true style, Mitchell left us while he was still very much alive and beautiful."

Mitchell’s mum Trina says: "I feel as if my heart has been ripped out. He was my only son. He will live on through my grandsons, Aaron and James though. They are all I have to live for."

Heart-breaking words from a mum who naturally adored him.

I only met Mitchell once but I certainly remembered him because he was such a huge personality and I liked him very much. That said, before writing this piece, I obviously needed to get a feeling of what he was really like. On delving a little deeper into his world, I found that he had a large circle of very loyal friends, all of whom had nothing but praise and admiration for this uniquely talented guy.

Fellow performer Sarah Cousens says: "It’s no secret that Mitch was immensely talented. I have never known anyone who could walk straight into a role and become that person as if it was written entirely for them. For many of us, he will always be Darryl Van Horne from The Witches of Eastwick, but for those who never had the privilege of working with him, they won’t know how great he was off stage too. He was always the first to volunteer to help, never a diva, just a great friend, a constant laugh and a drama, but one of the best guys I have known. He will be sadly missed."

David Ball, from Perton, also worked alongside Mitchell in Trinity Musical Theatre Company’s 2016 production of The Witches of Eastwick.

He says: "I loved performing with Mitchell. He made me feel completely at ease and made me laugh both on stage and off. He is such a great loss to everyone who knew him."

Another performer in the same show, Maggie Paige, says: "Mitch’s comedy timing, musicality, stage skills and individual style all amounted to a dynamo of a man, a captivating performer and a strong team player. It is so unfair that the stage will never be blessed with Mitch again."

I reviewed this particular show and remember writing:

"Of course, the character of Daryl Van Horne requires an uninhibited performer of the utmost confidence and Mitchell Bastable sure fits the bill in a performance which can only be described as wild and wicked! I hated him on sight, which is actual a good thing if you think about it and continued to do so throughout the whole production."

Apparently, Mitchell’s response to this was: "She hated me! I did a good job then!"

Need I say more? He was superb in his favourite role.

Local am dram director, Jez Luckins, described Mitchell as: "One of the most talented all-round performers I have had the pleasure of working with.

"Mitch helped me to fulfil my ambition of directing a musical on a big stage."

Another of Mitchell’s favourite roles was Freddy Benson in the hit musical Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, which he played with TAB Operatic Society back in March 2017.

This role really gave him the opportunity to show off his comedy acting skills, as his character is a conman, but not a very good one, who resorts to all sorts of ridiculous tricks to win a bet. He is goofy, recrazy, zany yet very loveable. For those of you who knew Mitchell well, do these character traits remind you of anyone?

I believe he stole the show, something which although not intentional, was typical of Mitchell such was his talent.

Mitchell was also lead singer with a local band called Got the T-Shirt, which I featured on this page some 12 months ago. The band was another great passion of this larger than life performer.

Fellow band member and best pal, Carl Cook, says: "Mitchell was my best friend and the closest thing I’ve ever had to a brother. We would fall out like siblings and then half an hour later be back to normal as though nothing had happened.

"We started the band, which for the past nine years has been booked 12 months in advance, such was our popularity thanks to Mitch’s flair and dynamism as a front man."

Choreographer and friend, Zoe Russell summed Mitchell up perfectly. "He was one of a kind," she says. "He worked hard and enjoyed life. His personality was one in a million. A cheeky chappie who always had a one liner to brighten a dull or serious moment."

Fellow performer Phaedra Nicholls says: "That ball of energy, his non-stop singing and boyish charm will be missed greatly. But, in who we lose, heaven gains. It will never be quiet up there again, that’s for sure!" she smiled.

The Bradford family, Tom, Julie and Ollie knew Mitchell from their involvement with Stagecoach. Tom says: "He always made time to chat, exuded energy and enthusiasm, was a true professional performer and all-round decent bloke. He was always complimentary towards our son Ollie’s performances too. His passing has left us all stunned."

As we touched briefly on the subject of young performers, am dram leading lady, Sheila Wood from Stourport-on-Severn, says: "Mitchell was a marvellous role model and has left a legacy for our young performers going forward."

Friend Gail Wood says: "Mitch was one of the kindest, most genuine people you could meet. His smile light up a room and he was a fantastic entertainer and a marvellous friend."

Unsurprisingly, Mitch used to be a director of entertainment at a holiday park. His close friend and colleague Joel Bentley says: "I have a career as an entertainments manager now because of Mitchell. He shaped so many lives."

It has been an eye-opener writing this tribute to Mitchell. Social media exploded once the news broke. I don’t think I have ever seen so many messages of condolence and expressions of utter shock online.

It goes to prove that in am dram land you are never alone and when the chips are down, friends and colleagues will always gather together to get you through, so Beth, you have no need to worry about the future. We are all there for you.

Shine bright up there Mitchell. Down here we will keep listening in case you decide to burst into song. Even if it is your very last performance.

The funeral of Mitchell Bastable will take place on August 24 at 11:15am at St Mary and All Saints Church, Kidderminster.