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Post by FrontrowverPaul on Dec 24, 2018 13:35:26 GMT
I'm a big fan of amateur as well as professional musicals and have attended about 80 amateur shows this year, ranging from small-scale productions in village halls and schools to big budget shows I would never have guessed were non-professional at venues like the Orchard Theatre Dartford, Hippodrome Bristol, New Theatre Cardiff, Lyceum Sheffield and Devonshire Park Eastbourne.
Most companies choose well-known shows, depending on what amateur licences are available. There are plenty of opportunities to see My Fair Lady, Sound Of Music, Made In Dagenham, Oliver, The Producers, Spamalot, Betty Blue Eyes, West Side Story and numerous others. However some lesser-known musicals are seldom performed and they are the ones I particularly seek out and sometimes travel considerable distances to attend.
This year for example I have seen A Slice Of Saturday Night in Dunstable, Meet Me In St Louis in Worthing, You're A Good Man Charlie Brown in Bexleyheath, Bad Girls in Lichfield and Merrily We Roll Along in Putney (plus at the other end of the spectrum 15 different productions of my absolute fave My Fair Lady!). All thoroughly enjoyed and worth every penny spent and rail and coach mile travelled.
Here are some examples of musicals which I would place in the "rarely performed by amateur companies" category I have already got booked for 2019........Just So (Cirencester), She Love Me (Stroud), Disney's Beauty & the Beast (Beckenham), Drowsy Chaperone (Chesham) and Starlight Express (Yeovil).
There's no single source of information about all upcoming amateur musicals. I use the NoDA and Ticket Solve websites among others, google searches and I'm now on the e-mailing list for dozens of theatre and theatre groups but I'm sure there are still shows I don't hear about and would love to attend. Distance (from Kent) is almost no object
Thanks for reading and any suggestions for upcoming "rare" musicals and comments would be most welcome
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Post by robertb213 on Dec 24, 2018 16:37:04 GMT
Great idea!
I'm probably too Midlands-based to be useful to you, but the following are on my radar for next year which might come in helpful to someone!
Mack & Mabel, Theatre Royal Nottingham, 7-11 May
The Who's Tommy, Sharnbrook Mill Theatre near Bedford, 3-8 June
The Full Monty musical, Lichfield Garrick Theatre, 25-29 June
Fingers crossed for lots more! My wishlist isn't going to tick itself off... 😀
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Post by robertb213 on Dec 24, 2018 16:37:59 GMT
The mods may want to move this to the Musicals section though 😀
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Post by FrontrowverPaul on Dec 24, 2018 20:29:42 GMT
I've already booked to see Mack & Mabel so great suggestion. I enjoyed Tommy at Greenwich Theatre in 2015 and would happily see that again but the Sharnbrook Mill Theatre is a fair way from a railway station and won't appeal to my (occasional chauffeur) wife.
I travelled to Wolverhampton in October to see the Full Monty musical at the Grand Theatre and enjoyed it much more than the British play-with-a-few-songs version so that's a definite maybe.
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Post by Deleted on Dec 24, 2018 20:53:01 GMT
If y'all use the "report" function, the mods will get the message that you want the thread moved much more directly.
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Post by robertb213 on Dec 24, 2018 20:58:04 GMT
I've already booked to see Mack & Mabel so great suggestion. I enjoyed Tommy at Greenwich Theatre in 2015 and would happily see that again but the Sharnbrook Mill Theatre is a fair way from a railway station and won't appeal to my (occasional chauffeur) wife. I travelled to Wolverhampton in October to see the Full Monty musical at the Grand Theatre and enjoyed it much more than the British play-with-a-few-songs version so that's a definite maybe. Sharnbrook is only 10 minutes from both Wellingborough and Bedford stations, if that helps 😀 |
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Post by FrontrowverPaul on Dec 24, 2018 23:35:06 GMT
Possibly but I assume you mean by road transport, not on foot. I'm a non driver and rarely use taxis so for evening shows the theatre needs to be less than a mile from a railway station - which most are - and with a train service that will allow me to get back to Victoria or St Pancras after the show by around midnight. Haven't got stranded in London yet but it will happen one day.
I like weekday matinees. Many amateur shows for understandable reasons don't have them but theatres in Wolverhampton, Worthing, Southend, Bromley, Bristol and Bath and a few more usually do. I'm retired but my wife still works so on a Saturday we sometimes book two shows not too far apart, eg we saw White Christmas at Leicester and Wizard Of Oz in Birmingham together a few Saturdays ago. I pay, she drives !
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Post by demelza on Dec 25, 2018 22:13:33 GMT
There's a production of Bonnie and Clyde in Southend at the end of March!
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Post by FrontrowverPaul on Dec 25, 2018 23:48:06 GMT
There's a production of Bonnie and Clyde in Southend at the end of March! Many thanks. That's exactly the sort of show I like to see. Two front row seats already booked for the Saturday matinee. |
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Post by QueerTheatre on Dec 26, 2018 10:57:22 GMT
I don't have anything to add to this thread, but its making me very happy reading about all the great amateur work you're actively seeking out. The theatre needs people like you FrontrowverPaul |
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Post by BurlyBeaR on Dec 26, 2018 11:26:36 GMT
Hope Mill usually put at least one amateur musical into their season, this year was Title of Show and previous years was Urinetown, both excellent but I’m not sure if they do a matinee. Manor Operatic in Sheffield are doing Our House the Madness Musical next May.
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Post by FrontrowverPaul on Dec 26, 2018 15:25:30 GMT
I don't have anything to add to this thread, but its making me very happy reading about all the great amateur work you're actively seeking out. The theatre needs people like you FrontrowverPaul Thank you for the kind words. I first attended an amateur production at the Bristol Hippodrome Theatre only three years ago having previously imagined they would be akin to the slightly embarrassing evenings I spent at school plays. I was blown away by how talented the cast were and the high production values and since then I've gone to more every year. I'm lucky I guess that I have time on my hands and a decent pension so I can indulge my passion almost guilt-free. I also enjoy rail and coach travel so getting to shows is more pleasure than chore. I've attended 229 shows in 2018 with two more booked this week all as a paying customer, of which 89 have been amateur musicals including a borderline obsessive 18 different *My Fair Lady. Not sure if I will top that in 2019 but hope to get close ! My second favourite among the classic musicals is Annie Get your Gun but that is out of favour at present and I'm not aware of any forthcoming productions. Betty Blue eyes is my number one among the more contemporary shows performed by amateur groups. *Bath, Crewe, Redhill, Maidenhead, Cheltenham, Hornchurch, Ipswich, Colchester, Portsmouth, Budleigh Salterton, Bournemouth, Lichfield, Grays, Redditch, Telford, Totton Lancaster and Hammersmith |
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Post by QueerTheatre on Dec 26, 2018 18:42:41 GMT
Your commitment certainly is commendable - and I look forward to reading about what shows 2019 brings your way!
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Post by Dawnstar on Dec 26, 2018 18:51:14 GMT
I've attended 229 shows in 2018 with two more booked this week all as a paying customer, of which 89 have been amateur musicals including a borderline obsessive 18 different *My Fair Lady. Not sure if I will top that in 2019 but hope to get close ! My second favourite among the classic musicals is Annie Get your Gun but that is out of favour at present and I'm not aware of any forthcoming productions. Betty Blue eyes is my number one among the more contemporary shows performed by amateur groups.
If you're after 2019 My Fair Ladies then my local, the Cambridge Arts Theatre, has an amateur production on next month. Of course you may already be booked for it if you hunt them out that assiduously!
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Post by demelza on Dec 26, 2018 19:58:42 GMT
There's a production of Bonnie and Clyde in Southend at the end of March! Many thanks. That's exactly the sort of show I like to see. Two front row seats already booked for the Saturday matinee. You're welcome! I've just seen that another local group are doing Side Show at the start of May at the same theatre! |
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Post by musicallady on Dec 27, 2018 15:27:13 GMT
Been in amateur dramatics for over 25 year. To me the rare amateur musical would be Bless The Bride, Summer Song, Waltzes From Vienna, The Card, Viva mexico.
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Post by oxfordsimon on Dec 27, 2018 17:49:19 GMT
Bless the Bride would be an absolute joy to perform. So many glorious tunes.
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Post by FrontrowverPaul on Dec 28, 2018 18:42:28 GMT
You're welcome! I've just seen that another local group are doing Side Show at the start of May at the same theatre! Thanks for another good suggestion and as before I had it booked within minutes of reading on Boxing Day. I'd never heard of the show but having sampled the original cast album on Amazon I'm sure I'll enjoy it. It's an interesting choice and will hopefully be popular through the Greatest Showman effect. PS to Dawnstar, My Fair Lady at Cambridge will be my first encounter with Miss Doolittle and Prof. Higgins in 2019. I did indeed book, for the Thursday matinee, a while ago but hoping my son (in his final year there) will be able to join me as he's never seen it and thinks I'm a bit crazy to travel so far to keep seeing it! |
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Post by oxfordsimon on Dec 28, 2018 20:24:44 GMT
There will be more MFL productions in 2020 as the rights are being extended to allow amateur groups to perform it in larger venues - Oxford Operatic have programmed it for May 2020 at the New Theatre (following on from Crazy For You in January 2020 at the Oxford Playhouse)
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Post by ladyred on Dec 29, 2018 19:40:21 GMT
For those of you in Scotland, there will be an amateur production of ‘City of Angels’ in Aberdeen in November 2019 by Phoenix Theatre, a local company.
I for one am looking forward to this production, as I loved seeing the revival a couple years back at the Donmar.
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Post by partytentdown on Dec 29, 2018 20:01:42 GMT
Been in amateur dramatics for over 25 year. To me the rare amateur musical would be Bless The Bride, Summer Song, Waltzes From Vienna, The Card, Viva mexico. It's my understanding that the rights for a lot of older shows are severely restricted, I guess because of the complications around royalties owed to/permissions needed from creatives who may have passed away. |
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Post by BurlyBeaR on Jan 1, 2019 16:11:33 GMT
Side By Side productions have just announced Lucky Stiff at the Hope Mill in July.
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Post by FrontrowverPaul on Jan 2, 2019 2:08:22 GMT
Side By Side productions have just announced Lucky Stiff at the Hope Mill in July. Fortunately for me (in Kent) Lucky Stiff is also on at the Bob Hope Theatre in Eltham from 3 to 6 April. I missed it at the Bridewell Theatre last September but have already booked a front row seat at the Bob Hope. All suggestions continue to be much appreciated. |
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Post by TallPaul on Jan 5, 2019 12:57:09 GMT
Have you ever experienced the many delights that Rotherham has to offer, FrontrowverPaul ? Sadly, a town more recently known for all the wrong reasons. The Civic Theatre will, in quick succession, be playing host to amateur productions of Annie Warbucks, Big and A Chorus Line, all with Saturday matinees, though no mid-week ones, unfortunately. As you frequently travel by train, you're probably already aware that the Northern network has, for months and months, been paralyzed on a Saturday by strike action, but fear not. Two years behind schedule, and five times over budget, Sheffield and Rotherham are now linked by a tram-train. Is it a bird? Is it a plane? No, it's a tram-train!!! Even if you come by car, with your wife, how can either of you miss the chance to travel on the country's very latest mode of transport for the final part of your journey? www.rotherhamtheatres.co.uk/ |
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Post by FrontrowverPaul on Jan 5, 2019 20:25:18 GMT
I've never been to Rotherham and for there to be three interesting amateur musicals all in the same month in one town is very unusual in my experience. I've just signed up for the theatres newsletter.
I saw Big in Plymouth a couple of years ago and thought it was okay but not great. I'd have loved to see both Annie Warbucks and A Chorus Line but unfortunately I've already booked other shows in Essex on the Saturdays concerned
I haven't been on the tram-train yet and that will be a bonus when I do manage to get to a show in Rotherham. I might try for Chicago in June there if nothing "rarer" comes along !
Many thanks for the information.
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