The roof of Theatre Severn was well and truly raised on Saturday evening as current and past members of Shrewsbury Musical Theatre Company joined forces to put on a nostalgic concert filled with show tunes from all eras, to celebrate both the talent and the 100 year history of the group.
In a nod to their 1923 origins, where singing teacher Madame Rina Robinson gathered her best pupils to perform The Gondoliers in the tiny County Theatre in Shoplatch, SMTC opened up the concert with a stunning medley of Gilbert and Sullivan favourites.
They continued down memory lane with songs from classic shows such as Oklahoma, My Fair Lady, Carousel, Me and My Girl and Fiddler On The Roof. More modern productions such as Joseph and His Amazing Technicolour Dreamcoat, Hairspray, Billy Elliot and Blood Brothers featured in Act 2, and a disco-style medley from Priscilla Queen of the Desert had the audience clapping and singing along in the finale.
In between song and dance numbers were video clips which also celebrated the rich history of the company.
One portrayed 4 generations of the same family whose involvement dated back to the 1930s. Another had both audience and cast crying with laughter – a slide-show of photos from a naked calendar produced as a charity fundraiser a quarter of a century ago! A 5-star review from Sofia Lewis at ‘Love Shrewsbury’ referred to the performers as ‘West End’ quality in a ‘magically performed show’.
The unforgettable evening was attended by the Mayor of Shrewsbury, Cllr. Becky Wall, who said she thoroughly enjoyed the evening and left some complimentary comments in the guestbook attached to the mini-exhibition in the theatre foyer.
SMTC had been awarded a Community Grant from Shrewsbury Town Council allowing them to coincide the concert with a display sharing their century-old story and showcasing old photos and memorabilia dating back to that very first performance of the Gondaliers in 1923.
This exhibition will be available to see in the foyer of Theatre Severn until Saturday. A bigger version will appear in the Community Gallery of Shrewsbury Museum in the autumn.
Not wishing to rest on their laurels, SMTC have already begun rehearsing for the Shropshire premiere production, School of Rock, which takes place at Theatre Severn in November. Bookings are now being taken by the theatre’s box office.