Off to our favourite West-End-Theatre-that’s-not in-the-West-End… Kilworth House Theatre!
Well, it is west ofKettering! 😉
Kilworth House Theatre?
I must admit, I’d never heard of Kilworth Theatre before we moved to Northamptonshire. Since our discovery, we’ve been coming here pretty much every year to see their latest production. The Theatre is unique in that it’s privately owned and part of the 38 acres occupied by the nearby Kilworth House Hotel (where we spent our Honeymoon night, back in 2011). Celia Mackay is the brains behind it all and also happens to produce all their err, productions. Opened in 2007, the Theatre seats an audience of 547 and where the raked seating ensures that everyone has a great view of the stage. It’s an outdoor theatre too, but even with the British weather, you’re unlikely to get wet as that part is covered! The performers aren’t quite so lucky though – although the stage is covered, the perimeter/entry/exit routes for the performers is exposed (as we were to witness today!) 😲
It’s still known locally as ‘Kilworth House Theatre’ but was recently re-namedThe Celia Mackay Theatre in honour of its founder.
Together with fellow-Kilworth-lovers, Jo, Janet and Carol, we’d purchased tickets for their 2.30 matinée performance. One of the joys of Kilworth is that it’s always West End quality without the West End prices. Additionally, it’s only a short(ish) drive away, plus they always offer Saturday matinées too! Easy on the wallet and easy to get to, so what’s not to love!? 👍. But wait, there’s more! Free parking, free picnic spaces and a reasonably priced Bar complete the Kilworth experience! Today’s weather forecast was very wet with a chance of even more rain, so the picnic opportunity was dumped, in favour of a late breakfast beforehand at the very local (and ever-reliable) Old Forge Tea Room in Cranford.
We arrived in good time and were soon in our seats. As usual, it was well-supported with pretty-much a capacity crowd! None of us had seen Hairspray before and didn’t really know the plot, but I’d read that the main theme is ‘racial prejudice and freedom of expression’, so it’ll be interesting to see how that translates into a ‘musical comedy’! 🤔🤔. And so, with a firm hold 😉 on the programme, we settled down for Kilworth’s production.
Main Cast
Tracy Turnblad played by Charlotte Hammond-Jones Edna Turndblad played by Michael J Batchelor (the funniest drag act I’ve seen in years!) Wilbur Turnblad played by Steven Serlin Velma von Tussle played by Jenny Gayner Amber von Tussle played by Holly Willock Link Larkin played by Alex Lodge Seaweed J Stubbs played by Nay-Nay Motormouth Maybelle played by Ayesha Maynard (a voice that could knock down walls!) Corny Collins played by Liam Doyle
As usual, we weren’t allowed to snap any photos during the performance, so the obligatory group selfie below was the last before curtain-up!
Wow! What a performance!! 👍👍. We’ve enjoyed all their productions to date, but this one was in a league of its own. The singing was excellent, the choreography, faultless. Considering we hardly knew any of tunes going in (apart from “You Can’t Stop The Beat!”) we were soon tapping our feet to a variety of 50s and 60s style-tunes. It was topical too – body shaming, racial discrimination and a man in drag! And do you know what? They pulled it off as a musical-comedy with ease! (much to my surprise!). Michael Bradley led the orchestra, as usual , who were at the top of their game.
Meanwhile, elsewhere, given the appalling weather, the Stage Crew worked doubly-hard to keep the rain off the Stage – all-in-all a real team effort. Well done everyone! 👍😀
It’s the last performance is tomorrow, so be quick if you fancy a thoroughly entertaining production!
I got into blogging quite late in life, not publishing my first post until 2004 – well into my 40s! My lifelong love of technology and communication (in all its forms), together with a fondness for the art of writing seemed to be the perfect combination to contribute a few words to the online community. But I’m no Samuel Pepys! If you’re looking for deep and meaningful comments on a variety of subjects, then you’ve arrived at the wrong site! I only pen for pleasure! On average, my posts appear about twice per month, covering family & friends, cinema visits, eating out, holiday experiences and techy stuff. Oh, and as this is my hobby, there are no sponsored links nor adverts here – it’s all done with love!
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