Did Somebody Say "Amateur?!"

Here's a piece I generated myself, after hearing on the grapevine of a local amateur dramatics charity. I was invited to go along and watch one of their sell out performances in central London, in order to cover the show for the Wood & Vale, and, just because I wanted to!

Plus, here was a great opportunity for a nice, visual story to brighten up the newspaper, and the blog, and my weekend!

The group, Centre Stage, are performing no less than seven shows, all of which sold out some weeks ago, generating thousands of pounds. No mean feat. And they're doing it purely for the love of it.

I was even aloud to bring a friend. Myself and Annabell had a real nice time. Going to church on a Saturday night hey?!? Who'd have thought it! Check out the videos. Due to considerations of space, the paper could not use the story. Still, a good time was had by all.

Treading the Boards

How often do we hear of Hollywood stars expressing a desire to return to the days of “treading the boards”? Of pining for the flutter of nerves before show time, and the euphoric feeling in the wake of a successful performance?

For the stars of Centre Stage, the St John’s Wood based amateur dramatic society, treading the boards is what it’s all about.

Centre Stage take centre stage!

Centre Stage, a registered charity, has been giving people from all walks of life the opportunity to express themselves on stage for over 40 years.

As Group Director Peter Mills explains: “I have been with Centre Stage for over 15 years. I could not imagine what I would be doing if I was not out there rehearsing two, three times a week. I get so much out of it.”

Past performances include West Side Story and Anything Goes. The group’s current show, “I LOVE Centre Stage”, has been playing to sold out audiences of hundreds for the past two weeks at St Mary’s Church, Old Marylebone Road.

The show is a musical celebration of love in all its forms. When love is good, when love is bad, and when it’s somewhere in between.

Saturday night’s show was opened by Murray Grant, lawyer by day, solo vocalist by night, with Love Changes Everything.

Says Mr Grant: “I’m usually quite calm before hand. It’s only when I walk out there on stage that the nerves start to flutter a little. But it’s great to be the first out.”

23 year old Rachael Holbrook was next up, showing off her strong, touching vocals. Ms Holbrook currently harbours a desire to turn professional, and is in the process of auditioning for a number of rolls.

Racheal Holbrook

The show continued, alternating between group performances, the 30 or so voices easily filling the ample space, and individual acts, displaying the vocal talents of many of the group’s members.

David Walker-Smith gave a series of fantastic performances, rousing the audience with the breadth of his vocal range. Having become engaged the previous week, Mr Walker-Smith displayed an easy familiarity with the theme of the show.

Richard Le Coq continued to entertain the crowd with a well choreographed act, as two beautiful girls fought over the pint sized singer with the barrel sized voice.

The night, however, was stolen by Siobhan McConnan and Paul Cozens, who had the audience in stitches with a classic performance of “I Can’t Do It”, a song reflecting on a fizzled out, passionless marriage.

The passion of Centre Stage, however, was there for all to see. Thankfully, the warning of modest Director Peter Mills- “the more you drink, the better we sound”, was unnecessary. The dramatics may have been amateur; but the ability and passion, were nothing but professional.

Perfect Harmony!

Centre Stage are always on the look out for new members, so, if you belt out show tunes in your bedroom, and have a natural flair for jazz hands, why not put your talents to good use, and tread the boards around St John's Wood? Whether you wish to be on stage, or help out behind the scenes, simply email your details to centrestagelondon@yahoo.co.uk