"Rare" Amateur Musicals scheduled in 2019/2020

Thought I'd bump up this thread with a mention of a musical I've never seen and know nothing about .

Stephen Schwartz's Children Of Eden is being staged at the Winston Churchill Theatre in Ruislip this coming week. 

I haven't booked yet, partly because there's matinee and no reserved seats and but also I do generally avoid religious material in any format.

Any views or recommendations ?

( I've seen two "rare" - to me - musicals recently, Bonnie and Clyde and Side Show, both at Southend's Palace Theatre. Both were of the highest standard of amateur musicals and both really good stories and songs)

A couple of amateur musicals that aren't performed too often

Girlfriends, Howard Goodall's musical, is at Brentwood Theatre from 10 -13 July.

Spring Awakening is back at Stockwell Theatre also from 10-13 July. I've booked both on Saturday 13 July.

Nunsense, not that rare but good fun, is at Brookside Theatre Romford from 17 - 20 July.

Always interested in similar amateur productions anywhere within 200 miles of London !

I'd love to see (in the UK) amateur productions of two Bock and Harnick musicals that I love: Fiorello and Tenderloin. Both great scores. Fiorello tied with The Sound of Music for the Best Musical Tony Award in its year. Both shows are very New York, subject-wise, the one about the rise of Mayor Fiorello LaGuardia, the other about the 1890s NYC red-light district. Tenderloin was not a big hit, but the score is great, including the beautiful ballad "Artificial Flowers."

A favorite musical that does regularly get performed by amateur groups in the U.S. is Li'l Abner. Great score, fun show, lots of good opportunities for amateur casting.

Great thread. If you fancy a trip to the South Coast give BROS Musical Productions (IG, Facebook, a follow. Our home is the Alexandra Theatre in Bognor Regis.

We've just had a sell out production of Chitty Chitty Bang Bang and next is a concert is next in Oct with a 26 piece orchestra and cast of 50 followed by Chicago in May 2020.

Over our 94 year history (!) we've done many old favourites and a fair few 'rare' gems like The Will Rogers Follies (we are doing the Campaign song in the concert), The Scarlet Pimpernel and Hot Mikado.

Often though, ticket sales are poor for the less-well known stuff, despite them often being the most rewarding for those involved... Choice of rarer shows is always balanced with what we hope will be 'box office' for our demographic.

I've been in some seldom performed & small cast shows over the years: Balancing Act (a pre-Nunsense Dan Goggin 6 hander), The Mitford Girls (I believe as the only amateur company to do this show, first performed at CFT in the 80s), Return to the Forbidden Planet (cult status apparently, we had a family come to see us from Devon I believe as they tried to see every production of it!), Snoopy!, Dames at Sea and The Drowsy Chaperone.

Anyway, we'd love for forum members to come and check us out if we put on something 'rare' enough!

I'm sure there's a conspiracy against me to not perform R&H's Cinderella anywhere that I can easily get to! It's been on my list to see for ages. If anyone hears of any other productions of it, let me know. And The Music Man. And Nine. And Newsies. I'll stop now... 😀

To answer my own question, Southend is the 1957 version (from the R&H website).

Can't find Grays listed at all.

The 1997 version is on at:
Melksham in September
Carrigaline in October/November
Ilkley in March 2020

Nothing scheduled in the UK for the 2013 version.

Disco Inferno - The Faust Musical is at Brentwood (Essex) Theatre 22 -26 October.


Also a professional production of one seldom staged - Daddy Long Legs at Barn Theatre Cirencester 2 October - 2 November.

ive seen Saucy Jacks quite a few times. it's a really fun show, with a great catchy score, but definitely not ruder that Rocky Horror. Go see it.

#GlitterBootsSavedMyLife

For anyone who can get to Coventry, the youth group are performing 'Blitz!', Lionel Bart's follow up to 'Oliver'. 6th to 9th November.

albanytheatre.co.uk/yog-blitz

paul26 - two things, first of all, your commitment to amateur productions is phenomenal and it gladdens my heart to read about it, but a plea from me, review what you see on here. Maybe it can't influence box office, but it will tell us what works and what doesn't.
Secondly, there is a promising production of My Fair Lady at Theatr Clwyd, Mold in September. The venue is a bit off the beaten track, but Tip Top Productions is an established company giving reign to young blood directing. www.theatrclwyd.com/en/whats-on/my-fair-lady/

I've already booked to see My Fair Lady in Mold. Staying at a Travelodge overnight on the Friday with my wife for the Saturday matinee as part of a mini-break in Wales.

Saw a youth production of Blitz at Frome earlier in August and very good it was too. Can't make the Coventry one in November due to other bookings.

Immediately booked I Love You You're Perfect, Now Change at the Network Theatre so many thanks for that one. I'd never heard of either the show or that theatre.

There are only a few shows I've seen and decided I wouldn't ever want to see again but Return To The Forbidden Planet is one of them unfortunately.

August is the month of youth theatre. Tonight I've been to Oxford to see A Chorus Line by a very talented young cast. Sound Of Music at Kingston upon Thames had an exceptional Maria Von Trapp at last Saturday's matinee. Half A Sixpence at Wimbledon was my biggest disappointment of the year and could be called Quarter A Sixpence due to the swingeing cuts made. Bring It On at the Greenwell Theatre was well performed but let down by the most awful sound system rendering the lyrics almost impossible to follow. Legend Trippers at The Other Palace was a newly-commissioned piece but didn't really work for me and I felt the cast deserved better material.

A fairly "rare" one these days which is a favourite of mine - She Loves Me at Penarth ( near Cardiff) Paget Rooms from 11-14 September.

I use the amdram website, the Noda one and ticketsource to search for shows.

I also regularly check the websites of theatres I've been to before, because although I am on dozens of emailing lists they don't always publicise amateur shows and not all the amateur groups send out notifications of new shows to previous customers.

There's no comprehensive source of all amateur musicals and I still sometimes find out about shows I'd have booked only after they have finished their run.

A couple of interesting ones in November at the Bridewell Theatre, London. Half A Sixpence is on from 5 -9 November (GEOIDS) and is I understand the first amateur presentation of the Julian Fellowes version, then Ragtime follows from 13 -23 November (SEDOS). Both booked.