In a week bursting with local theatre magic, Ian Cheeseman reviews Hyde Musical Society’s emotional tribute to friendship and fandom in The Band and previews Mossley Amateur Operatic and Dramatic Society’s eagerly anticipated production of Annie – featuring a talented young star with the stage in her DNA.
It’s been a busy week. We’re in the thick of AM/Dram’s busy time and of course there are always professional tours visiting Manchester. A new musical, A Knight’s Tail has an upcoming World Premiere at Manchester’s Opera House, the 39 Steps is at Bolton Octagon and I’m busy watching three Am/Drams in a fortnight.
The first was the Band by Hyde Musical Society, which is the story of five childhood friends who reunited 25 years after one of them passes, because of their mutual love for “the Band”, which is never named but is Take That.
The music of Take That is sung throughout so you’ll love it if you’re a fan. I’ve seen the professional version of the show and the film too. The audience at Hyde Festival Theatre, including the Mayor and her consort laughed and applauded throughout. There was boundless enthusiasm from the cast. There’s nothing like live theatre in my opinion and I know that every performer gave everything they had. Well done!
Everyone knows the song Tomorrow from the Musical Annie, but unlike lots of other people I’ve never seen the show, so I’m really looking forward to MAODS’s version of the classic show, which will be at the George Lawton Hall in Mossley from 29th April until 3rd May.
The last big Musical that this talented society performed was Sister Act, which was as good as any amateur show I’ve ever seen, so I’m expecting big things. The title role of Annie will be played by eleven-year-old Sylvie, who I’ve seen as Summer in School of Rock, and she was perfect in that role. I met her at a recent rehearsal and you’d never guess, from a first meeting, that she is such a natural. Her mother, Laura, is also a very talented performer, played the lead role in the Bridges of Madison County, so I guess it must be in the family genes.
Sylvie fidgeted and giggled a lot when I tried to interview her for my weekly radio show, Break-a-Leg. “I’ve watched the film but I haven’t seen the show”, she told me, “There’s an orphanage with lots of girls in it and this person called Miss Hannigan who runs it and she’s really mean. My character is the good person and Miss Hannigan doesn’t like Annie at all. I sing Tomorrow, Maybe and Hard Knock Life. I don’t look at the faces of the audience because it puts me off.”
Sylvie’s Mum Laura, who’s the Chair of the Society, plays Grace in the show and admits that being on stage with her daughter is a “bucket list” moment. “Mother and daughter being on stage together, especially as we’re quite alike, keeps the company entertained. I feel it’s so important to support local community theatre. It’s a safe space for youngsters and I got involved from a young age and it helped me grow and become the person I am today and find a love for the arts. These are my kind of people.”
George Devlin, who plays a number of parts in Annie and is also the secretary of MAODS. “I followed in my Mum’s footsteps to get into Amateur Dramatics. She died when I was just ten-years-old and this group has been a wonderful part of my life since then and have been a big family for me. My Mum would have been in the shows and she’s always in the back of my mind in everything that I do. My Gran and Grandad always used to have a front row of four and they were there when I first stepped on stage in Joseph. I was the baker and I’ll never forget my Grans face, so it’s always been a family affair.”
Annie will be at the George Lawton Hall in Mossley from 29th April until 3rd May and the Band runs at Hyde Festival Theatre until Saturday and of course you can hear my interviews with Sylvie, Laura and George on my radio show Break-a-Leg.