Tag Archive: Brownhills Musical Theatre Company


Sister Act Jr. — The Lamp, Brownhills — 8 March 2025

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March 21, 2025
I had previously seen Sister Act four times by amateur or youth companies, all amazing and this offering by Brownhills Musical Theatre Company Youth was no exception. It was also the first time I had seen the youth section of BMTC, and the future looks bright indeed for this society.

I had previously seen Sister Act four times by amateur or youth companies, all amazing and this offering by Brownhills Musical Theatre Company Youth was no exception. It was also the first time I had seen the youth section of BMTC, and the future looks bright indeed for this society.

Sister Act tells the tale of Deloris, a singer, who witnesses a murder by the hands of her gangster boyfriend and as a result, goes into witness protection in a convent. Unwelcomed by the Mother Superior, but popular with the rest of the nuns, Deloris transforms their singing with the result of drawing attention to her secret hideaway. Lots of fun, finding inner strength and learning who we are, later, a happy end is in store for all … except the gangsters.

Playing Deloris was the wonderful Maggie Bell, who I appeared in panto with over eight years ago. Half a lifetime, for Maggie that is, and it is no surprise now to see her as the lead commanding the stage. Great sass and excellent vocals, particularly in the title song. In equally top form was Amelia Kinsey as Deloris’ reluctant ally in Mother Superior. Here Within These Walls was perfect. Good convincing acting, too.

As Officer (Sweaty) Eddie Souther we had Jake Silvester and I really enjoyed the rendition of I Could Be That Guy, with the three different costumes worn throughout that song. No wonder they called him Sweaty Eddie. In the role of Mary Robert, I was most impressed with Millie Parsons; one of the best renditions of The Life I Never Led I have heard. Such strong vocals, hitting that top note with ease. Completing the leading nuns were strong performances by Grace Hill (Mary Patrick), Poppy Tye (Mary Lazarus) and Ophelia Rooney (Mary Stephen/Newscaster).

Sam Khatri doubled up well as the comical Monsignor and gangster Joey. And that is the only drawback about this junior version, the gangster roles are all but cut. However, there was still time enough for Connor Matthews (Curtis), Nataniel Done (TJ), Carrick Kennerley (Pablo) and Jenson Done (Ernie) to shine. The rest of this fabulous cast were Charlotte Wilkes-Brotherton, Millie Silvester, Darcey Wood, Isobel Southwell, Mia Brotherton, Sophie Brotherton, Ivy Cameron-Prowse, Abbie Crump, Roxie Kennerley, Poppy Martin, Ronnie Gelder, Scarlett Mason and Aria Legister.

The version of Sister Act was directed by Sonia Cameron with musical direction from Ian Windsor. The amazing choreography came courtesy of Elizabeth Hill and Sian Cameron. All on production can be enormously proud of the results on show.

Sister Act features the music of Alan Menken with lyrics by Glenn Slater, plus a book from Chris and Cheri Steinkeller. Having performed this show myself, I was familiar with all the musical numbers and therefore do not have a favourite. I also pre-empted most of the humour with my prior knowledge, but such was the excellence of the cast, I still found it all equally funny.

According to the programme, BMTC Youth was formed in 2019 and strike off a year for Covid, then this is still a very new setup. And one that I approve of. More societies should encourage youth, because one day main societies will need them.

Cheers.

Antony N Britt 

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Little Shop of Horrors — Prince of Wales Theatre Cannock — 4 November 2020 

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November 8, 2022

Look out, here comes Audrey Two. Look out, here I come for you.

Ominous words, summing up events witnessed in Brownhills Musical Theatre Company’s offering of Little Shop of Horrors. With music from Alan Menken and book and lyrics by Howard Ashman, this 1982 musical is loosely based on the 1962 film of the same name.

Little Shop of Horrors — Prince of Wales Theatre Cannock — 4 November 2020

Seymour Krelborn works in a failing flower shop for the cranky Mushnik while harbouring feelings for fellow assistant, Audrey. When Seymour discovers a strange and interesting plant, he puts it in the shop window which attracts customers, boosting sales in the shop. However, this alien plant feeds on blood, leading to Seymour supplying it with humans to protect his secret. Having only ever seen the 1986 musical film adaption, I was surprised about the different conclusion which I won’t spoil here but let’s say with the scenario just described, it’s never going to end well.

Little Shop of Horrors — Prince of Wales Theatre Cannock — 4 November 2020

Little Shop caters for a smaller cast than most shows with less opportunity for chorus, but Brownhills used these well when used. The set was impressive, giving the feel of the shop but the most spectacular was the Audrey Two models themselves with several to show the progression of growth.

Present throughout are the street urchins: Hattie Parry (Crystal), Sarah Taylor (Chiffon) and Charlottle Trigg (Ronnette) who were amazing. They supplied a running soundtrack which allowed scenes to flow. Also on stage for the duration was a wino (Brian Washington) who spent much of the time slumped in the rubbish but then used for good comic foil.

In the role of Seymour, we had Brett Dewsbury who showed a fine voice and good characterisation during Grow for Me before teaming superbly with Charlotte Foulkes (Audrey) in Suddenly Seymour. Foulkes was also excellent in Somewhere That’s Green, a lovely number and my favourite of the night.

Another brilliant song was the team-up of Dewsbury’s Seymour with Peter Brown (Mushnik) for Mushnik and Son. Brown captured the florist’s character perfectly as did Chris Parry with Orin Scrivello, particularly during Be a Dentist. Orin’s death scene was hysterical, inducing infectious laughing from the audience while the ill-fated dentist dies from inhaling nitrous oxide. But I can’t heap praise without Audrey Two itself. It must be surreal to be in a production as vocals only, but Katie Gibson gave stunning deliveries as the monster plant’s voice. But if I’m mentioning the audibles of Audrey Two, I can’t leave out Lauren Knowles’ skills as its puppeteer. This was a sharp professional production directed by Kelly Tye and Richard Tye with Alex Priestley overseeing a sympathetic orchestra as Musical Director.

Little Shop of Horrors — Prince of Wales Theatre Cannock — 4 November 2020

In a time of recession and financial hardship, it was still nice to see a near full auditorium which gave their appreciation with a standing ovation at the end of the show. Brownhills’ next offering is A Chorus Line, February 17 & 18 next year at the same venue. If it’s as good as Little Shop of Horrors, it will be well worth seeing.

Little Shop of Horrors — Prince of Wales Theatre Cannock — 4 November 2020

Cheers.

Antony N Britt 

  • Some photos blatantly stolen from BMTC’s Facebook Page.
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Legally Blonde – Prince of Wales Theatre, Cannock – November 6 2021

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January 6, 2022

Due to a ridiculous schedule with my own production and other commitments these past few months, I’m way behind on publishing reviews, so sorry about that.

*****

Legally Blonde is one of the best musicals to appear in the 21st Century, popular with audiences and critics alike. However, it needs to be done well and fortunately for the people of Cannock, Brownhills Musical Theatre Company did exactly that.

This is a show I have seen a lot but also the smallest venue/stage I’ve witnessed it performed. I’m glad to say, nothing was lost. Much of that was due to the size of the cast. Many amateur societies struggle for members, so it was refreshing to see around forty on stage. The difference this makes to company numbers cannot be ignored. A huge wall of sound combined with great expression and interaction from all.

Legally Blonde tells the tale of Elle Woods (played superbly by Phillippa Mills) who goes to Harvard to pursue love, but instead finds herself, fresh love, and a new direction. It’s a great script by Heather Hack, alongside fantastic music and lyrics from Laurence O’Keefe and Neil Benjamin. And one of the main plusses is that Legally Blonde is filled with strong characters. In these, Adam Gregory excelled as Emmett while Charlotte Simcox shone in the role of Paulette. Her main number, Ireland, is such a good (tongue in cheek) number and always raises a laugh, as it did on this occasion.

Then we had the villain of the piece in Professor Callaghan with Chris Parry delivering a top-drawer performance in stage presence and during Blood on the Water. Also starring was Adam Merrall as Warner who cruelly dumps Elle at the beginning of the show during Serious. Then we had Stacey Ward (Vivienne), Charlottle Trigg (Brooke Wyndham) and Emma Wyatt (Enid Hoops). Supporting too, were Hattie Parry (Pilar), Louise Hewitt (Serena) and Claire Goodwin (Margot) – The Greek Chorus of Delta Nu. As I have said, it was a large cast, so I can’t name everyone. However, as I was needled the last time I reviewed this show for ignoring the dogs, on this occasion they were Humphrey and Stan. They behaved well.

Legally Blonde has terrific numbers: Positive, So Much Better, What You Want, Bend and Snap and the title song, Legally Blonde (of which there are two equally good versions). However, my favourite is still the glorious There! Right There!

All shows need a good production team and Legally Blonde had theirs with Kelly Tye and Richard Tye (Directors), Alex Priestly (Musical Director) and Alex Woolliscroft (Choreography).

The last couple of years have been hard on theatre and local amateur companies. It was, therefore, a joy to see the audience appreciate the challenging work of cast and crew and display as much enjoyment as those on stage.

Theatre is back.

Cheers.

Antony N Britt

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