Waterside Musical Society staged the premier of Act Your Age in November 2006.

 

Press review1                       Press article                          Photos

Press review2                     

Press review3                        Local Radio Interview

 

 

Waterside Musical Society (WMS) is similar to many amateur groups. It has a membership of about 60 and it puts on one major production a year with 30-40 people on stage. WMS performs in a fully equipped local theatre that seats 280. The audience is made up of friends and family together with local people of many generations.

 

 

A brand new show like Act Your Age represents an unknown quantity for any amateur group, so WMS were naturally apprehensive about the box office. Nevertheless, the show was a resounding commercial success with record ticket sales and three out of the four nights sold out.

 

 

It’s difficult to be objective about audience reaction but the indications were very good with some people booking in to see the show a second time and others saying they wish they had.

 

Friends and relatives went out of their way to tell members of the cast how much they enjoyed the music and how funny they found the show (“it built and built, getting funnier and funnier”, “we were wetting ourselves”). One cast-member was stopped by a stranger in the street who wanted to say that she and her elderly friends hadn’t stopped laughing from beginning to end and, at their time of life, that’s just what they needed!

 

Seasoned supporters of the group said it was one of their best shows and the keyboard player said it was one of the most enjoyable shows he’d been involved with in over 30 years.  

 

Those in the business also liked it. Patrick Stamford, Artistic Director of the Nuffield Theatre, Southampton, made very positive comments as did Melissa Curtis (Hangar Farm Arts Centre) and the Chairman of The Maskers in Southampton.

 

. . . and members of a neighbouring amateur group were disappointed they will have to wait a few years before they can perform Act Your Age because they share an audience with WMS !

 

 

Just as importantly, the cast seem to have particularly enjoyed performing and rehearsing. There were a few raised eyebrows at first. Like most singing groups, Waterside Musical Society were not used to the idea of a farce - with people rushing in out of doors, timing entrances and exits. In the end, though, everyone rose to the challenge and many said it was the farce scenes that really made it.

 

Here are some quotes from rehearsals:-