Optimism of spring embodied in shows
WILLIAM Shakespeare’s sonnet 98 tells us that April ‘hath put a spirit of youth in everything’.
Anton Chekhov wrote that “Three o’clock in the morning. The soft April night is looking at my windows and caressingly winking at me with its stars. I can’t sleep. I’m so happy”
Even the proverb reflecting on the inclemency of the weather is optimistic: “April showers bring May flowers.”
The month is optimistic as we can start to think about seeing one another again and the spirit of youth is certainly something we are hoping to be able to bring to you this year. The Youth Theatre production of Swallows and Amazons was the last show performed before our closure.
Last year we reflected on the imagination, ingenuity and innocent pleasures of a childhood summer. We did not know then that the gratitude for the small things this inspired would be one of the things that carried us through uncertain times.
One thing is certain; we have a renewed appreciation for the different relationships in our lives from romance, to family to our love of theatre! Theatre brings us all manner of relationships. Some are familiar and fond, others more cautionary and some are new to us, but offer a fresh perspective and allow us understanding of things beyond our ken.
A look back at our productions from this week in history illustrates this perfectly.
Forty years ago, we presented The Time of the Cuckoo featuring an illicit affair between an American woman vacationing in Europe and the enigmatic Italian she meets on her travels.
Five years later, this week in 1986, we brought you On Golden Pond. The tale is known to many as the play was adapted for the silver screen in 1981 and starred Katherine Hepburn and Henry Fonda. We meet an aging couple who agree to mind the son of their daughter’s new boyfriend. The play explores established family relationships as
Don’t miss your essential Liverpool ECHO
32-page guide to the 2021 Grand National Special. Packed with interviews, features and all you need for the 173rd running of the world’s greatest steeplechase on April 10.
There are features on some of the leading contenders including Cloth Cap, Potters Corner, Kimberlite Candy, Magic Of Light and
Vieux Lion Rouge as well as Chris Wright’s top 10 horses who may triumph this year. well as new ones.
Thirty years ago, friendships were the focus in Stepping Out, the tale of eight people who attend the same dance class each week. Each has their own worries and cares in their day to day existence that they try to set aside for an hour a week and their teacher is no exception.
The play was so popular, and its themes so universal that we reprieved the play as a closer for our 2009/2010 season and three of the cast from the 1991 production donned their tap shoes once more! We may not be able to tap all of our troubles away, but we can face the music and dance.
To share your memories, keep up to date with news and plans for the Little Theatre in Southport, Merseyside and find out the latest information on when we may be able to open follow on Facebook and Instagram.
You can also see some special lockdown performances and a virtual theatre tour on our new YouTube Channel – search for Southport Little Theatre.
Plus there is a guide to all this year’s Grand National runners and Aintree Racecourse plus all the stats and facts on the big race. Priced at just £2, the Grand National special will be in selected retailers across the UK from March 31 DON’T MISS OUT.