Lichfield Musical Youth Theatre – Hadestown ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Lichfield Musical Youth Theatre – Hadestown

Lichfield Garrick

Wednesday 23rd September 2026 Opening Night

By Nigel Gambles

Photography – Lichfield Musical Youth Theatre

★★★★★ — Five stars simply aren’t enough.

Every so often, you walk into a theatre expecting an enjoyable evening and leave having witnessed something truly extraordinary. Last night’s opening performance of Hadestown was one of those occasions.

This ambitious youth theatre production was outstanding in every department. From its remarkable young cast and superb live orchestra to the exceptional choreography, atmospheric lighting and ingenious revolving stage, it delivered an evening of musical theatre that will stay with me for a very long time.

Welcome to Hadestown

Based on the ancient Greek myth of Orpheus and Eurydice, Hadestown tells a tragic tale of love, hope, temptation and sacrifice, weaving together the stories of two very different couples: the young lovers Orpheus and Eurydice, and the troubled marriage of Hades and Persephone.

Guiding us through this world is Hermes, our narrator and companion, who opens the show with Road to Hell and introduces the characters whose lives we will follow.

And what an introduction it was.

Jack Rowlands, at just twelve years old, was quite simply remarkable as Mr Hermes.

From the moment he stepped onto the stage, he commanded it. His confidence, charisma and natural stage presence belied his age as he broke the fourth wall, drew us into the story and guided us through its unfolding tragedy.

He performed with the heart and assurance of a seasoned entertainer, establishing an immediate connection with the audience that never faltered.

Remember the name Jack Rowlands. I have a feeling we’ll be seeing it in West End programmes before too long.

As Orpheus, JJ Watkins beautifully captured the innocence of a naïve, starry-eyed romantic whose faith in love and the power of music drives the story forward.

Opposite him, Molly Darby gave a deeply affecting performance as Eurydice, a young woman whose independence and resilience mask a desperate need for the simplest things in life: food, warmth and shelter.

Her journey from guarded self-preservation to a growing tenderness towards Orpheus was beautifully portrayed. When circumstances lead her to sign away her soul to Hades, the tragedy of their love becomes all the more poignant.

Together, Watkins and Darby brought genuine emotional depth to these doomed lovers, making the audience invest completely in their journey.

The second half maintained every bit of the first half’s extraordinary standard, beginning with a wonderful performance from Beth Whispear as Persephone.

Her singing was superb, and her increasingly playful, inebriated dancing was a delight to watch. Beneath that exuberance, however, lay a woman desperately trying to hold on to the love she once shared with her husband.

As Hades, Zach Daniels-Sully was commanding. His deep, booming voice perfectly conveyed the character’s strength, authority and power, while his presence brought a formidable weight to the underworld.

The chemistry between Whispear and Daniels-Sully was excellent. Persephone longs to recover their relationship while Hades remains consumed by his own world and nature. When the two eventually reconnect, their dance together is pure poetry — a beautiful moment of tenderness amid the darkness.

Throughout the story, the three Fates — Imogen Willis, Yohanna Gee and Niamh Mulligan — exert their unsettling influence over gods and mortals alike.Their taunting and manipulation feed the lovers’ doubts and fears.

Their combined voices were hauntingly beautiful, blending exquisitely, while each performer was equally compelling in her solo passages.

Their movement around the stage seemed more like floating than walking, an ethereal quality enhanced by their beautiful costumes. They brought an extraordinary visual and musical beauty to some of the story’s darkest moments.

The company of approximately 25 young performers filled the stage with infectious energy, enthusiasm and remarkable discipline.

The powerful ensemble scenes were choreographed with tremendous precision, using every inch of the performance space. Whether portraying the workers of Hadestown or contributing to the larger musical sequences, the company created a spectacle that was as impressive in its coordination as it was in its vitality.

There was never a sense of young performers merely filling the background. Every member of the company contributed to the world being created before us.

The staging itself was ingenious. Two revolving sections were used to striking effect, particularly during the scenes involving the workers of Hadestown and Orpheus’s journey out of the underworld.

Wafts of smoke rose through the stage, combining with the atmospheric blue and amber lighting to create an almost living, breathing underworld.

The revolving stage was not simply an impressive technical feature; it became an integral part of the storytelling, giving the production movement, momentum and an extraordinary sense of place.

At the helm of this ambitious project, director Richard Poynton delivered an exceptional production.

Bringing together a large young company, demanding musical numbers, intricate staging and a story of considerable emotional depth is no small undertaking. Yet every element felt purposeful, assured and beautifully integrated.

Jessica Bennett’s choreography was nothing short of extraordinary. Considering the sheer weight of ensemble work, the precision and energy achieved by the company were particularly impressive. The movement was never simply decorative; it helped tell the story, creating powerful images and bringing the world of Hadestown vividly to life.

Holding everything together was Oliver Rowe, the company’s Chairman and Musical Director, who also conducted the live orchestra from the keyboard.

His superb musical direction provided the foundation for the evening, allowing the remarkable young voices, demanding choreography and emotional storytelling to work in complete harmony.

The live orchestra added tremendous richness and atmosphere, bringing the score to life and remaining an essential part of the theatrical experience.

The first half was breathtaking. The second was every bit as strong.

I left the theatre having witnessed something truly special — a production filled with energy, heart, imagination and performances that will remain with me long after the final curtain.

Lichfield Operatic Society – The Sound Of Music ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Lichfield Operatic Society – The Sound Of Music

Lichfield Garrick

Wednesday 16th September

There are certain musicals that need almost no introduction. From the opening notes of The Sound of Music to Do-Re-Mi, My Favorite Things, Sixteen Going on Seventeen, Edelweiss and the magnificent Climb Ev’ry Mountain, Rodgers & Hammerstein created a score that has become part of musical theatre history.

This week those familiar songs return to the Lichfield Garrick as Lichfield Operatic Society celebrates an extraordinary milestone — its 130th anniversary.

Founded in 1896, the Society has remarkably staged The Sound of Music only twice previously, most recently in 2013, making this third production something of a special occasion.

And at the centre of it all is Maria.

A Maria full of warmth Samantha Hedley takes on one of musical theatre’s most recognisable roles and brings together the qualities Maria needs: warmth, humour, spirit and, crucially, a voice capable of carrying one of Rodgers & Hammerstein’s best-known scores.

Maria’s journey from uncertain postulant to governess and ultimately the emotional heart of the von Trapp family demands considerably more than simply delivering the famous songs. Her relationship with the children needs to feel natural, while her growing feelings for their father gradually change the direction of both their lives.

Hedley’s Maria has a lovely sense of personality about her, particularly in her scenes with the children, where the character’s playful side comes to the fore.

Opposite her, Cameron Morgan takes the role of Captain Georg von Trapp, initially presenting the disciplined, emotionally guarded widower whose seven children are summoned by whistle and expected to behave with almost military precision.

As Maria brings music back into the household, that formality begins to give way to something warmer.

The developing relationship between Maria and the Captain is one of the show’s most important threads, while the Captain’s Edelweiss takes on considerably greater meaning as events outside the von Trapp home begin to threaten everything the family holds dear.

Those wonderful children , Of course, The Sound of Music would be nothing without the von Trapp children — and Wednesday evening featured the youngsters of Team Whiskers.

Shannon Robinson leads the siblings as Liesl, with Jude Pick as Friedrich, Rosie Pilling as Louisa, Elliot McDonagh as Kurt, Eva Walters as Brigitta, Dotty Shipton as Marta and Robyn Johnson as Gretl.

Together they bring the energy and sense of family that the production needs.

Choreographer Jemma Tiso-Johnson has plenty to work with in numbers such as Do-Re-Mi and The Lonely Goatherd, and these are precisely the moments when the relationship between Maria and her young charges can really shine.

The production photographs capture that particularly well: whether gathered around Maria in their nightclothes or appearing together in their beautifully coordinated outfits, there is a genuine visual sense of this disparate group gradually becoming a family.

And little Gretl inevitably has some scene-stealing opportunities of her own!

The eldest von Trapp daughter has her own story, and Shannon Robinson’s Liesl shares one of the musical’s most charming numbers with Leo Foëtu-Foster as Rolf.

Sixteen Going on Seventeen initially provides some youthful romance and welcome lightness, but their relationship subsequently becomes entwined with the much darker political events unfolding around them.

That changing atmosphere is one of the reasons The Sound of Music has endured so successfully. What begins as an enormously warm family musical gradually becomes a story about courage, principles and the choices people make when circumstances around them become increasingly threatening.

The abbey scenes provide another of the production’s strengths.

Under David Easto’s musical direction, the nuns establish the musical world of the show from its opening moments, while the production photographs reveal some particularly atmospheric staging, with towering arches, stained glass, candles and carefully controlled lighting creating an impressive setting.

At their centre is Dawn Welch as Mother Abbess, joined by Rebecca Bowley as Sister Berthe, Heather Bustin as Sister Margaretta and Lucy Averis as Sister Sophia.

Their How Do You Solve a Problem Like Maria? brings some delightful humour, but Mother Abbess also gets one of the great musical-theatre moments of the entire evening.

Climb Ev’ry Mountain has become an anthem far beyond the confines of this musical, and its message of having the courage to pursue the life you believe in remains as powerful as ever.

Director Chris Stanley allows the warmth of the von Trapp story to sit alongside the increasingly ominous events surrounding the family.

As Nazi influence tightens around Austria, the carefree atmosphere of the earlier scenes begins to disappear.

Hein Hemke’s Max Detweiler and Kate Pilling’s Elsa Schraeder are inevitably caught up in that changing world, while Captain von Trapp’s refusal to compromise his principles ultimately places his family in danger.

The contrast is important. The songs and humour haven’t disappeared, but suddenly they mean something different.

Music, which initially brought Maria and the children together, becomes symbolic of the family’s identity and unity.

Visually, the production has considerable scale too. The Garrick stage moves between the abbey, the von Trapp home and outdoor settings, while the larger company scenes make excellent use of the available space.

The production photographs also show some striking use of colour and lighting throughout, particularly in the abbey sequences and the large ensemble scenes.

There is another lovely story behind this particular production which seems especially appropriate during Lichfield Operatic Society’s 130th year.

Three generations of the same family are appearing in the show.

On Wednesday evening Rosie Pilling appeared as Louisa, alongside her mother Kate Pilling as Elsa, while Rosie’s grandparents Lynne and Dave Hill appear as Frau Schmidt and Franz.

A musical fundamentally about family being performed by several generations of one real family has a rather wonderful symmetry to it.

And perhaps that’s ultimately why The Sound of Music continues to work.

Yes, there are those glorious Rodgers & Hammerstein songs. Yes, there’s romance, comedy and spectacle. But underneath everything is a story about people discovering what family means — and what they are prepared to do to protect it.

For Lichfield Operatic Society, a company celebrating an astonishing 130 years, this feels like an especially appropriate musical with which to mark the occasion.

A production bringing different generations together, both onstage and behind the scenes, to tell a story that has itself passed from one generation to another.

The hills at the Lichfield Garrick are very definitely alive once again

The Sound of Music runs at Lichfield Garrick until Saturday 19 September, with evening performances at 7.30pm and a Saturday matinee at 2.30pm.

Congratulations to Lichfield Operatic Society on 130 remarkable years — and here’s to the next 130.

Photographs from Lichfield Operatic Society

Sutton Arts Theatre – The Full Monty ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Sutton Arts – The Full Monty

Sutton Arts Theatre

Wednesday 10th September 2026 – Opening Night

By Nigel Gambles

Photography –Studio 55 Photography

There was a definite buzz around Sutton Arts Theatre before the doors had even opened.

This was a sell-out performance, the bar was packed and one question seemed to be hanging in the air:

Will they… or won’t they?

More of that later!

What followed was a fantastic production, packed with warmth, humour and, perhaps most importantly, heart.

From the outset, it was obvious just how much hard work director Emily Armstrong, her production team and the entire cast had put into creating an authentic and affectionate stage version of a story so many of us know and love.

Anyone familiar with the film will appreciate that transferring its distinctive world from screen to stage is no easy task, but Sutton Arts Theatre does it brilliantly. Mark Nattrass’s set design, the costumes, lighting and clever staging transport us straight into the world of mid-1990s Sheffield.

And, of course, all those favourite moments are there — not least the unforgettable Jobcentre queue gradually succumbing to the moves of Donna Summer’s Hot Stuff.

Six Men and One Crazy Idea

One of the most striking aspects of the production is its casting.

The actors may not necessarily look like their big-screen counterparts, but in personality and style they capture the essence of these familiar characters remarkably well. Crucially, though, they never feel like impersonations.

Oliver Farrelly is excellent as Gaz, nailing the brash, cheeky, jack-the-lad exterior while revealing the pain underneath. For all his crazy schemes, Gaz desperately wants to be the best father he can be to Nathan.

That relationship is beautifully portrayed by Freddie Smith as Nathan, who gives an incredibly mature and assured performance. Nathan frequently sees through his dad’s bravado better than anyone, and the partnership between Smith and Farrelly gives the story much of its emotional heart.

Luke Saldana is terrific as Dave, Gaz’s long-suffering friend and former workmate. He captures Dave’s humour and loyalty alongside his deep insecurity about his body and the damage unemployment has done to his pride and self-confidence.

Then there’s Paul Atkins as Guy, who very nearly steals the show.

Guy can’t really dance, can’t sing and has an inexplicable enthusiasm for Singin’ in the Rain — but what he lacks in conventional theatrical talent, nature has apparently compensated for somewhere considerably below the belt!

Atkins embraces every second of it and his audition is one of the biggest comic highlights of the evening.

Jerome Pinnock-Glasgow is an absolute delight as Horse, the oldest member of this unlikely troupe. His breakdancing days may be behind him, but thankfully the Funky Chicken most certainly isn’t! His performance of it is another highlight, delivered with tremendous enthusiasm and the slightly bewildered expression of a man wondering exactly what he has let himself in for.

Ethan Gibson brings real sensitivity to Lomper, finding the perfect balance between the character’s timidity and vulnerability as a troubled young man struggling with his sexuality, loneliness and personal life.

Completing the six is Rob Phillips as Gerald, the former foreman desperately attempting to remain aloof from the men he once managed while hiding an increasingly impossible secret.

Gerald has been unemployed for months, yet still leaves home each morning pretending to go to work because he cannot bring himself to tell his wife. Phillips gives him wonderful charm, gradually revealing a proud man who is rapidly reaching the end of his tether.

Together, the six develop into a wonderfully believable group. What begins as a seemingly ridiculous money-making scheme gradually becomes something much more important — friendship and a way of rediscovering their confidence and dignity.

And the Women Trying to Make Them See Sense…

The women in their lives provide both wonderful comedy and much of the emotional reality behind the story.

Michelle Riley gives a brilliant performance as Mandy, Gaz’s ex-wife and Nathan’s mum. She’s had enough of Gaz’s hare-brained schemes and what she sees as his habit of leading Nathan astray. Riley gives us a terrific mixture of anger, frustration and exasperation while never losing sight of a mother trying to do what she believes is right for her son.

Jayne Lunn is wonderful as Jean, Dave’s increasingly frustrated wife.

Jean knows something is wrong, but Dave’s insecurities prevent him from telling her the truth. Eventually those bottled-up emotions explode in one of the evening’s strongest scenes as Jean confronts him — red thong in hand and with plenty of questions demanding answers!

It’s very funny, but it’s also genuinely moving and perfectly demonstrates the emotional depth beneath the comedy.

And Sarah Stanley is excellent as Linda, Gerald’s slightly snobbish and blissfully unsuspecting wife. While Gerald desperately maintains the pretence that he’s still working, Linda merrily talks of skiing holidays and expensive restaurants without the slightest idea that the money has stopped coming in.

More Than Men Taking Their Clothes Off

And that is ultimately why The Full Monty still works so well.

Beneath the laughs — and eventually beneath the clothes — is a story about people whose livelihoods, confidence and sense of purpose have been taken away.

It deals with unemployment, body image, sexuality, relationships, friendship, fatherhood and dignity. At its heart is the idea that self-worth and human connection can be reclaimed even in the face of economic hardship and despair.

Director Emily Armstrong should be immensely proud of this production. You can see the hours of work and rehearsal that have gone into making something that ultimately looks effortless.

The same applies to Janine Henderson’s choreography.

The Jobcentre sequence is the perfect example. It has to look spontaneous — almost as though those little movements are simply happening — when in reality it takes meticulous choreography and rehearsal to stop it becoming a mishmash. Henderson gets it just right.

And then…

🎩 WILL THEY OR WON’T THEY?

Oh yes.

They do.

The finale is quite simply glorious.

As those opening notes of Tom Jones’ You Can Leave Your Hat On arrive, the anticipation that had been building since before the theatre doors opened finally erupts.

Is every move absolutely perfect?

Perhaps not.

Does it matter? Not one bit.

Because by this point the audience isn’t simply watching a carefully choreographed theatrical number. They’ve been swept up in it.

The noise, laughter, cheering and applause from a packed Sutton Arts Theatre created an extraordinary atmosphere — and, yes, our unlikely heroes ultimately keep their promise and bare all.

As my wife said to me afterwards:

“It was just like being there.”

That sums it up beautifully.

By the end, the audience were on their feet for a richly deserved standing ovation.

Funny, warm, poignant and ultimately joyous, Sutton Arts Theatre’s The Full Monty delivers everything you hope it will — and underneath all the laughter is a surprising amount of heart.

⭐ A fantastic night’s theatre and quite simply a show not to miss.

The Full Monty

📍 Sutton Arts Theatre

📅 Running until 19 September 2026

And yes…

They really do go the Full Monty. 🎩😂👏