Heritage Day 2025

What a fantastic day it was for Heritage Day! 🎉 The Town Hall was buzzing with excitement as we enjoyed behind-the-scenes tours, previews from local Musical Theatre groups, and exclusive film screenings by Sutton Coldfield Movie Makers. 🎭🎬 We even had the unique opportunity to have our names on a roof slate, creating a permanent reminder of this special day!

The Food Festival brought delicious flavors to the town centre, featuring an array of local delicacies that tantalized our taste buds. From artisanal cheeses to mouthwatering street food, there was something for everyone to enjoy! 🍴🌮

Meanwhile, exhibitions at Sutton Coldfield Train Station showcased our rich history, with intriguing displays that told the stories of our town’s past. The Masonic Lodge opened its doors for fascinating tours, sharing stories from the past that captivated all who attended. It was a rare glimpse into the history and traditions of this historic building, adding even more depth to our understanding of Sutton Coldfield.

What did you get up to? Did you visit any of the other events? Share your experiences below! 👇✨

#HeritageDay #SuttonColdfield #CommunityEvents #LocalHistory #FoodFestival #SupportLocal

Beauty & The Beast – Script Youth Musical Theatre ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Beauty & The Beast – Script Youth Musical Theatre Company

Crescent Theatre

Thursday 11th September 2025 – Dress Rehearsal

By : Nigel Gambles

Photography by : Studio 55 Photography

This familiar story, is a magical tale of mystery, sorcery, dreams, sadness, longing, and a just-in-time happy and moving ending.

A young prince, cursed and imprisoned in the form of a beast must find true love before the last rose petal falls to break the spell.

The true love appears in the form of Belle played by Erin Phillips, a wonderful singer with an amazing voice, a village girl who is being pursued by the narcissistic and arrogant hunter Gaston played to perfection by Findlay Laidlaw a strong and powerful vocalist, along with his side-kick LeFou the talented and hilarious Evie Rice, more on Evie later.

Belle refuses Gaston’s advances, yet the other village girls Effie Jobling, Isabelle Round and Darci Rice very amusingly fawn for his attention and affections.

Belle comes face to face with the Beast Samuel McCormac in his castle, whilst looking for her father Maurice, Zachariah Scrivens, who has been captured and selflessly ends up swapping places to gain his freedom. Belle soon befriends a host of wonderful characters in the ‘enchanted’ castle, who hope ‘this is the one to break the spell’. This magnificent group – Lumiere (Kian Haden), Mrs Potts (Chloe Mason), Chip (Oliver Malkin), Cogsworth (Amiee Whillis), Madame De La Grande Bouche (Jess Lewis) and the constantly amusing Babette (Louise Heard) are forever memorable.

Despite a turbulent beginning, a deep friendship develops between Belle and Beast and eventually the curse is broken. The true prince is revealed, Gaston is seen off, and peace, dance and merriment ensue. Therein lies the underlying message of the play: inward characteristics such as kindness should forever be valued over superficial qualities like appearance.

Forgive me for not mentioning by name the many other young actors, but they were all fantastic and the final number including the whole cast was a total delight.

Well done to Louise Farmer for such creative, enthusiastic production and once again ensuring that she got the maximum enthusiasm and effort from the whole cast and Kelly McCormac for the meticulous choreography. A very special mention to Evie Rice who upon finding out the group would be doing Beauty and the Beast jumped at the chance to design and make Belles dresses as part of her finals at BOA, they are superb.

I have always thought that putting one’s trust and faith in children and young people brings out their best. Script Youth Musical Theatre certainly helps in this by promoting positive growth opportunities such as confidence building, creativity, communicating and working with others, as well as enabling the skills of acting, singing and dancing.

Six The Musical – Teen Edition : Lichfield Musical Youth Theatre ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Six The Musical – Teen Edition : Lichfield Musical Youth Theatre

The Hub St Marys

Wednesday 2nd July 2025

By : Nigel Gambles

Photography by : LMYT

What a wonderful, colourful show excellently performed by the young company. I have not seen Six before and I thoroughly enjoyed it. The setting in St Marys Hub was absolutely the perfect place for it and the sound and lighting design by Sam Burkinshaw and Stephen Rainsford complemented it perfectly

The six wives filled the stage with their exuberant singing. The stunning costumes designed and made by Sue Broad were perfect showing the different personalities of the wives beautifully

As with all the shows that I’ve seen from Lichfield Musical Youth Theatre, the standard of performance, choreography, acting and overall sheen is of top priority, and this show has all of the above and an added fistful of sass and attitude.

The six wives of Henry VIII are Catherine of Aragon, Anne Boleyn, Jane Seymour, Anne of Cleves, Katherine Howard, and Catherine Parr. “Six” tells each of their stories in a very atypical fashion: the wives have all come together as part of a pop girl group, and they each sing a song about who has suffered the most as Henry’s wife. The winner will be the new leader of the group.

Evelyn Maymand plays Catherine of Aragon : The first wife of Henry VIII, was known for her strength and determination. She sings “No Way” and stands her ground despite her divorce. Evelyn was absolutely solid through out and set a high bar for the other queens to follow.

Anne Boleyn: The second wife of Henry VIII infamous for her beheading and she likes to remind you, was portrayed with great wit by Jess Horne. “Don’t Lose Ur Head” is such a well known number and Jess brought all the sass and energy this deserved.

Jane Seymour: The third wife of Henry VIII, often seen as the love of his life, was so beautifully played by Molly Bastable. She depicted the gentle and kind mother who died in childbirth with such emotion. Singing “Heart of Stone”, you would have needed one to not be moved.

Anne of Cleves: Maiya Ogden was the fourth wife of Henry VIII, known for her short-lived marriage to the king. This a difficult part as you need to be pragmatic and somewhat aloof especially when singing “Get Down”. Maiya was more than up to the task and totally nailed it.

Katherine Howard: The fifth wife of Henry VIII, was Beth Winspear. Beth was excellent as she took the audience on the journey of a young and naive girl who meets a tragic end. As she sang “All You Wanna Do” she showcased the desire for love and the unsavoury attention that can bring.

Catherine Parr: The sixth and final wife of Henry VIII was Molly Darby. Catherine was known for her intelligence and influence and Molly carried the characterisation with skill beyond her years. “I Don’t Need Your Love” was amazing.

All SIX girls performed to the highest standard and it was easy to forget you were watching a youth production. You could see clearly that each one had lived the part and were having fun.

Jessica Bennett is the Director and Choreographer and Oliver Rowe Musical Director of SIX and what a show they gave us. Technically as close to perfect as you could get. With spectacular lighting and great use of space, they got the very best from her undoubtably talented singers and dancers.

I would have to say that overall “Six” was a total triumph and a credit to all those involved

If you don’t want to lose your head hurry and get those tickets the show runs until Saturday 5th July with 2 performances each night 6.30pm and 9.00pm

Chop Chop..

https://thehubstmarys.co.uk/events/lmyt-six-teen-edition/

Legally Blonde -Script Youth Musical Theatre Company ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Legally Blonde -Script Youth Musical Theatre Company

Highbury Theatre

Monday 30th June 2025

By : Nigel Gambles

Photography by : Studio 55 Photography

As they say OMG where do I start. I attended the dress rehearsal for this show Monday night and I can promise that you are in for an absolute treat. I have seen the show a number of times performed by different theatre groups but I can truthfully say this was one of the best!! The energy and enjoyment just came off the stage in waves.

The show is based on the movie of the same name and follows the star of the show Elle Woods who seems to have it all, but then it all starts to go wrong when her rich boyfriend dumps her in favour of going to Harvard Law School. So determined to win him back she charms her way in to the same university. Whilst there she struggles with all manor of things but eventually with the help of new friends and her dog Bruiser she starts to realise her potential and sets out to prove herself. The story is a triumph over adversity and empowering female friendships.

Peyton Lockley who is making her lead debut plays Elle Woods. She is superb, her vocals are strong and clear and her dancing excellent. Peyton totally embraced the role and will blow you away. She has strong support from her fellow cast members Maddie Howard who plays Paulette the owner of the hair salon and forms a strong bond with Elle. Maddy has a strong stage presence and delivers a commanding performance when teamed up with Elle and Kyle the UPS man. Daniel George who plays Emmett a charming and sensitive law student who supports Elle, captures the sensitive nature of the character and delivers a great performance.

Full credit must be given to the supporting cast who worked hard and delivered fantastic performances, all of which can be attributed to the great direction of Louise Sall and Tim Rice. The choreography is very good all thanks to the hard work of Amelia. Do not miss this show as the strap line goes ” This musical is so much fun it should be illegal”

Everybody’s Talking About Jamie – SCMYT ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Everybody’s Talking About Jamie -Sutton Coldfield Musical Youth Theatre

Sutton Coldfield Town Hall

Monday 23rd June 2025

By : Nigel Gambles

Photography by : Studio 55 Photography

After the success of Footloose last year and previous shows Les Mis and Legally Blonde , SCMYT is definitely the best if not one of the best youth groups in the West Midlands

Their latest show Everybody’s Talking About Jamie, and wow! What an incredible show it is! Bringing this musical sensation to life – including Northern accents, multiple set and costume changes and complex dance numbers – was ambitious. Talented young performers aged just 13 to 18, poured their hearts and souls into a performance that was dynamic, professional, and full of impressive talent. It had heart, humour and heels so high I wouldn’t be able to walk in them, let alone dance!

From the opening scene it was packed with raucous energy and perfectly delivered sass that immediately transported us to a gritty Sheffield comprehensive, where Year 11s contend with the wonderful and frightening possibilities that lie ahead of each of them. Jamie New, an openly gay 16-year-old who dreams of becoming a drag queen was instantly likeable as he and the rest of the cast swept us into his pop-fantastic daydream ‘And You Don’t Even Know It’.

What made this amateur ‘Youth Edition’ so special was the thrill of watching real teenagers bring these teen characters to life. Under Georgia Young’s amazing and expert direction the cast delivered a level of talent that could easily be on the West End Stage. The way she fills the cast with enthusiasm and energy is quite remarkable.

Choreography by Charlotte Jervis assisted by Ethan Bowley, was stunning high energy and superb synchronisation especially in the dance duet. More of that later,

The whole ensemble was brilliantly cast, with every member delivering a believable storyline through genuine and multi-dimensional acting, powerful vocals and sharp choreography.

Toby Foetu-Foster was made to play Jamie he brought the perfect mix of camp charisma and youthful innocence to the role, whilst also capturing Jamie’s wit, cheekiness and vulnerability. His rendition of ‘Wall In My Head’ was captivating, building beautifully into an emotional crescendo that gave me chills!

Meanwhile, Zadie Beschi gave Pritti Jamie’s loyal, studious best friend, a quietly headstrong presence. Her solo ‘Beautiful’ was sung with elegant control, allowing each phrase the space and diction needed to feel both precise and spontaneous. The production honoured the spirit of diversity by respectfully representing the Muslim community, complete with hijabs.

I have to say I was very moved by Neve Mathews’s portrayal of Jamie’s mum Margaret, especially her song ‘He’s My Boy’. It was heartfelt and mature, with excellent vocal range, and had me reflecting on the bittersweet truth that while we strive to shield our children from pain, life will inevitably hurt them, and yet we thrive on seeing them live authentically.

Another standout came from Jamie Wilson as the school bully who’s harsh lines stung, but showed subtle remorse that added depth to his characterisation.

Oscar Ralley was commanding as Hugo and playful as Loco Chanelle, offering a refreshing contrast between the characters.

The set design was simple but effective. Transitions between classroom, kitchen, bus stop and prom seemed to happen as if by magic, enhanced by effective lighting and seamless costume changes, from school uniforms to dazzling prom gowns. The spotlight reveal of Jamie’s red dress was especially powerful, leaving the audience wanting more.

Dynamic choreography and colourful harmonies elevated the production, from coordinated group numbers to breakout moments allowing individual characters to shine. Particularly memorable was the schoolgirls’ clapping routine in ‘Spotlight’, reminding us of the characters’ young age, while a dance duet between Gracie Drain and Euan Barnby during Margaret’s ‘If I Met Myself Again’ added a poignant, dreamlike quality to the song. The choreography was so beautiful. I especially loved the title number ‘Everybody’s Talking About Jamie’, which kicked off Act II, with its excited, gossipy feel, as multiple characters bounced their individual lines off each other before erupting into an energetic and synchronised dance sequence that had the whole room buzzing!

It’s genuinely hard to believe this was an amateur musical theatre. The level of professionalism, emotional authenticity and pure talent displayed by every single cast member absolutely blew me away. These young performers truly brought a little bit of glitter to the grey.

The Sound Of Music – Sutton Arts Theatre ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️

The Sound Of Music – Sutton Arts Theatre.

Sutton Arts Theatre

Thursday 19th June 2025

By : Nigel Gambles

Photography by : Studio 55 Photography

The Sound of Music is a timeless classic, with Julie Andrews playing the iconic Maria in the film. The show follows Maria, a postulant who has trouble conforming to the Abbey life, so she is sent away to be the governess of seven children.

The whole cast worked incredibly as a chorus, with the nuns opening the numbers with what I can only describe as an angelic performance. Although the nuns open the show with saintly songs, we soon meet Maria played by Amy Davies who makes her debut with Sutton Arts. We first meet the character as she sings The Sound of Music entering from the back of the theatre and approaches the stage with projections of hills and mountains on either side giving the effect of walking down the hills. Amy maybe just a wee bit older than the original Maria, but does a splendid job of creating a character that is both gentle and adventurous and has a wonderful singing voice slightly reminiscent of Julie Andrews, but then again how do you describe a character like Maria?

The Von Trapp children are played by 3 teams on the night I went to watch the show. Special mentions to Lois Stokes who plays Brigitta and Ada Hodgson as Gretl, with Liesl being played by Ava Cattell every night of the run. Ava delivers a wonderful performance as the sweet and passionate elder sibling looking for love and becoming a woman. The children do an incredible job on stage both singing Do-Re-Me and create characters that capture the audiences attention. The father of the Von Trapp family is played by Paul Westwood, who at first is cold and uniformed, but as the play goes on we see him open up and fall in love. Although Paul gives a good performance as Von Trapp I felt that the character was missing some of the standards and precision of a military man. Now although the whole cast sang amazingly, I do have to note a few of the supporting roles. The ability of Liz Berriman who played the Mother Abbess, what a spectacular voice. Patrick Rayson who plays Herr Zeller and scares you half to death with his excellent portrayal as the new Nazi governor of Austria, Olly Foster as Rolf Liesel’s love interest and budding Nazi, along with Nick Snowdon as Max Detweiler and Laura Hinton as Elsa Schraeder give good solid performances.

If you have ever visited Sutton Arts Theatre you will know the size of the stage and the fact that it has no wings! The set design by Mark Nattrass is nothing short of amazing, the way the sets change is ingenious and all down to the hard work of the backstage crew and cast.

The costumes were just as you could expect from The Sound of Music, nothing looked out of place or wrong.

Special mention to Emily Armstrong the director on the superb job she has done bringing this classic production to life. Sutton Coldfield will certainly be alive with The Sound Of Music

The Ultimate Eagles

The Ultimate Eagles

Sutton Coldfield Town Hall

Thursday 29th May 2025

By : Nigel Gambles

Photography by : Studio 55 Photography

I remember seeing The Eagles way back in 1977 at the then popular concert venue Stafford Bingley Hall (bet thats a blast from the past), it was the Hotel California tour and was amazing for this then 19 year old.

So it was with a touch of apprehension that I went along to a sell out

Sutton Coldfield Town Hall to see this universally recognised most authentic tribute. I have to say I was not disappointed what a show playing all the classics and including my favourite “Last Resort” a wonderful rendition they also included Don Henley’s Boys of Summer and Glenn Frey’s The Heat Is On. This is a fabulous show no gimmicks just pure beautifully performed music.

I think when the band introduced themselves at the start of the show they summed themselves up in a nutshell, they are professional musicians working in studios etc and when they have time they get together for their shared love of their favourite band The Eagles.

Ill say no more if you this type of music then get yourself a ticket and be prepared to be blown away.

Until next year, thank you

Sweet & Sour Tribute To Sabrina Carpenter & Olivia Rodrigo

Sweet & Sour Tribute To Sabrina Carpenter & Olivia Rodrigo

Sutton Coldfield Town Hall

Thursday 28th May 2025

By : Lee Williams

Photography by : Lee Williams Photography for WOISC

What an amazing show full of pop anthems and hits from these two rising stars. It featured a powerhouse live band with dynamic dancers. The singers were full of sass and swagger and controlled the stage. Olivia sang her big hits such as Vampire and Drivers Licence and Sabrina sang Nonsense and Please Please Please. The crowd loved every minute of this wonderful show and were out of their seats from the very start. Such great singers, they gave an amazing performance.

All Or Nothing

All or Nothing – The Experience

Sutton Coldfield Town Hall

Thursday 22nd May 2025

By : Lee Williams

Photography by : Lee Williams Photography for WOISC

All Or Nothing – Amazing! You can see why they have enjoyed three sell out tours and a successful West End run within this musical. Writer Carol Harrison and the show’s multi-talented cast, performed the new, All Or Nothing Experience Concert Show, celebrating the music of the iconic mod band Small Faces. Commencing with 1965, it documents the new phenomenon which erupted on the streets of London at the time – it was the essence of all that was cool… It was MOD!

Sharp, funny and streetwise, the show encapsulated all that was Mod. Behind this the storyline was colourful, just as their music, is poignant and bittersweet. The show charted and celebrated the band’s roller coaster journey through their unique and electrifying sound. The hits just kept coming, including What’cha Gonna Do About It, Itchycoo Park, Lazy Sunday, Tin Soldier, All or Nothing and more.

In the second half the band performed a sensational selection of groovy and soulful sixties hits showing off their talents even further. What an amazing night!

Kipps Half A Sixpence – Manor Musical Theatre Co. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Kipps : Half A Sixpence – Manor Musical Theatre Co.

Sutton Coldfield Town Hall

Tuesday 6th May 2025

By : Nigel Gambles

Photography by : Studio 55 Photography

To set the scene I have only ever seen the movie of Half A Sixpence with Tommy Steele and Julia Foster and that was quite a time ago so I had no idea what to expect. What I saw was absolutely brilliant and I loved every minute singing along to the well known numbers all be it to myself as I did not want to clear the building.

“Kipps” is a revised version of the musical Half a Sixpence, with a Book written by Julian Fellowes of Downton Abbey fame. The story follows the misadventures of the hapless Arthur Kipps, a working class lad whose happiness at coming into money is quickly eroded at the hands of a bunch of grasping aristocrats. Will Arthur be true to his new love, the well-to-do Helen, or return to childhood sweetheart Ann who suddenly re-enters his life? The answer to that question probably won’t surprise many, but we certainly had a great time getting there! Roughly one third romance, one third fish out of water tale, and one third social commentary, the show is enlivened by a series of toe-tapping musical numbers that will be familiar to anyone who’s seen the famous Tommy Steele musical.

Arthur Kipps is played by Jamie Wilson. This is his first lead role for Manor but a number of you may remember him from previous productions, The Sound of Music and Anything Goes are just a couple. Jamie brings the down to earth feel of Tommy Steels Kipps to the part along with his excellent dancing and strong singing voice, it is not a role for the faint hearted as Kipps is barely off stage. I dont think it will be long before we see this young man in a major national show.

Ann Pornick, Arthur’s childhood sweetheart is played by Eliza Tall. The chemistry between Jamie and Eliza is perfect and matures really nicely when they meet up again several years later. Eliza’s voice is such a gorgeous instrument, especially highlighted in Ann’s solo, “Long Ago”.

Juliet Fisher plays the other corner of the love triangle, Helen Walsingham. Helen is one of those characters who you do feel a little sorry for because if it were not for her mother, maybe Helen and Arthur might have had a good shot at marriage, because Helen and Arthur really do want just a small house to live and be happy in. Helen is educated, classy and beautiful and glides around a room more than merely walks. Juliet is obviously perfectly cast.

Mrs Walsingham is Helen’s domineering mother, fussy, tiresome, full of self importance and a snob. She is however, played wonderfully by Lynette Coffey.

James Walsingham, Helen’s brother, is a somewhat corrupt financial advisor. He is seemingly the more favoured offspring of Mrs Walsingham and is played by Tom Wells. Tom also doubles as the brilliantly camp photographer in the massively fun scene at Arthur’s wedding where we get to experience “Flash, Bang Wallop”

Well as all the principals sang and danced (and they were all superb), for me the heart and soul of this show was in the performance of the ensemble. What a delight they were – exuberant, tuneful and extremely well-rehearsed (what must have been hours and hours of effort shone through on stage.) Choreographer Izzie Larkin produced three or four absolute showstoppers, all delivered with real heart and conviction by the entire cast, it was great to see absolutely everyone giving it both barrels, the dancing extending right to the back of the group. I particularly enjoyed the denizens of the pub reprising ‘Money to Burn’ and espousing ‘The Joy of the Theatre’, whilst the ‘Flash Bang Wallop’ finale was a triumph of timing that would not look out of place on a West End stage.

Finally, credit to Musical Director Chris Arnold for expertly marshalling an eleven-piece Orchestra, and to Directors Pam & James Garrington, who kept the action flowing very effectively.