Spring time to recall ‘closers’
SPRING is definitely in the air. Whilst we are living in unusual times, there are some reminders to keep us on track; the clocks have gone back and we have just celebrated Easter.
In terms of our theatre calendar this usually means we are preparing to present the final show in the current subscriber package.
The final play on the main stage is often presented in late April or early May and regularly features a large cast.
The genre will vary from season to season as we like to appeal to all tastes, but there are common threads.
We had hoped to bring you The Vicar of Dibley this season, but your songs of praise for this delightful piece will have to wait until we are up and running again.
We have found that situation comedies of the small screen often translate very well to the stage.
There is a familiarity that audiences and actors alike find pleasing.
Sometimes the difficulty comes in selecting which snippets of a series to select.
Over the last two decades we have brought you several with much success.
In 2018, we brought you another Richard Curtis-penned classic, Blackadder featuring Adrian Miles-Roberts as the title character, with a super cameo from Mike Yates as General Melchett.
Five years earlier, in Spring 2013, the pair appeared as the much-maligned Manuel and plagued proprietor Basil Fawlty in the hugely popular Fawlty Towers.
The previous decade saw folks flock to enjoy episodes of Dad’s Army closing our season in 2007; one of our subscribers has kindly commented on how much he enjoyed that show on our Facebook page.
Going even further back and you find that we were rooting for Rene in ‘Allo ‘Allo as we completed our 2002-2003 season.
An image of this was recently shared on our social media and we were all surprised at how time has flown.
That said, ‘Allo ‘Allo is not the best benchmark for time as the sitcom notoriously lasted longer than the war it was depicting.
Did you see any of these productions, and if so, are you surprised by the years?
Next week we will take a look at the relationship between some of our closing shows that have also featured on the big screen.
Please keep up with the latest news and announcements by heading to our website littletheatresouthport.co.uk, visit us at facebook.com/SouthportLittleTheatre or follow instagram.com/little_theatre_southport