MUSICAL SHOWS - A-G
9 TO 5
Performed 2018
Pushed to the boiling point, three female co-workers concoct a plan to get even with the sexist, egotistical, lying, hypocritical bigot they call their boss. In a hilarious turn of events, Violet, Judy and Doralee live out their wildest fantasy - giving their boss the boot! While Hart remains "otherwise engaged," the women give their workplace a dream makeover, taking control of the company that had always kept them down. Hey, a girl can scheme, can't she?
A COUNTRY GIRL
Performed in 1960
Geoffrey has left the little village of Devonshire and set off to sea to seek his fortune. Around the same time his lover, Marjorie, also left the village for London. When the show begins, Geoffrey returns to his village after a five year absence. Since it is the homecoming season in Devonshire, Marjorie has also come back from London where, unbeknown to all at home, she has become a singing star under an assumed name. She is longing to see Geoffrey again. Although she is now a fine lady, she wants him to find her as he left her and dons her country girl clothes. Trouble ensues when the Princess Mehelaneh decides that she wants Geoffrey as her husband. Marjorie mistakenly thinks that Geoffrey is also interested in the Princess. However, in the end, it is clear that Geoffrey still only has love for his country girl, Majorie.
ANNIE
Performed in 1997 & 2011
In the depths of the 1930's, Annie is a fiery young orphan girl who must live in a miserable orphanage run by the tyrannical Miss Hannigan. Her seemingly hopeless situation changes dramatically when she is selected to spend a short time at the residence of the wealthy munitions industrialist, Oliver Warbucks. Quickly, she charms the hearts of the household staff and even the seemingly cold-hearted Warbucks cannot help but learn to love this wonderful girl. He decides to help Annie find her long lost parents by offering a reward if they would come to him and prove their identity. However, Miss Hannigan, her evil brother, Rooster, and a female accomplice, plan to impersonate those people to get the reward for themselves which put Annie in great danger.
ANYTHING GOES
Performed in 1996
The age-old tale of Boy-Meets-Girl and the complications which ensue intrigue every audience, and no musical puts it on stage better than Anything Goes. This show is an amusing story wrapped around one of Cole Porter's magical scores. Two versions of it are available for presentation. The 1962 and the 1987 Beaumont versions are based on the same story. Both may be accompanied by a piano, a small instrumental combo or a full orchestra. The 1987 Beaumont version has twice as much dance music as the 1962 version, and the orchestration features a shipboard sound derived from the utility band and less-than-ideal acoustics on board. Terrific Cole Porter songs in both versions. It's a wonder that all the romances are sorted out and disaster is averted aboard the magical ship where Anything Goes!
BARNUM
Performed by the Youth Group in 2006
n the middle of the 19th century, Phineas Taylor (PT) Barnum introduces his circus acts as he stands in front of a tent, proclaiming "There Is a Sucker Born Ev'ry Minute". He then introduces the oldest woman alive, Joice Heth ("Thank God I'm Old"). His wife Charity ("Chairy") urges him to get a job in a factory, but Barnum refuses ("The Colors of My Life"). He enlists clowns to help in building a museum to house his circus collection ("One Brick at a Time"). His star attraction, Tom Thumb, appears to advise that "Bigger Isn't Better". However, when the famous Swedish opera singer Jenny Lind is hired, Barnum becomes enamoured of her ("Love Makes Such Fools of Us All"). He accompanies Jenny on tour, leaving Charity behind, as a marching band greets them ("Come Follow the Band"). Barnum finally returns home to Charity, and promises to live in "Black and White." As he presents his circus acts around the world, Barnum resists joining with another circus owner, James Anthony Bailey. Finally, after his beloved wife Charity dies, he relents and joins Bailey, and they form the famous circus Barnum and Bailey.
BLOSSOM TIME
Performed in 1948
Based on the life and music of Franz Schubert, Blossom Time is a tangled web of romantic intrigue in which Schubert loses his inspiration and his girl, Mitzi Krantz, after his best friend, Baron von Schober has serenaded her with Schubert's own songs.
CALAMITY JANE
Performed in 1983 & 2008
We are in the wild, lusty, warm and humorous Old West of Deadwood city, Dakota Territory, 1876. Our story tells of famed Calamity Jane who dresses, rides and shoots like a man, but given the propper chance can be a beautiful girl who hankers for the love of a man. That man may be dashing Lt. Danny Gilmartin or the justly famed Wild Bill Hickok. Fussy Henry Miller, owner of Deadwood’s hotel-bar-theatre, nervously awaits the arrival of the lovely eastern actress, Frances Fryer, to embellish his show. His niece, Susan, assures him that Calamity will bring the stagecoach to town on time. Frances arrives and Miller discovers that he is not a femal actress, but in fact a man! The show must go on, and “Millie” contrives to dress Fryer as a woman, but when his wig falls off during the show, the locals rise in noisy anger. Only Calam’s trusty pistol restores order; also her promise that “Mille” will import to Deadwood the east’s most glamorous star, Adelaid Adams. The men are overjoyed, but some of them know that Adelaid would not be caught dead in Deadwood. Calam heads to Chicargo and mistakes Adelaid’s maid, Katie Brown, for the great actress herself. Before she is aware of it, she is stage-coaching Katie back to Deadwood where Katie is greeted in high exitement as the famed Adelaid Adams. But when the Men hear her sign, they begin to realise otherwise and bucked up by Calam, Susan and Fryer, Katie gives a show-stopping performance. All of Deadwood’s hearts are won, especially those of Danny and Wild Bill.
CAROUSEL
Performed in 1969, 1985 & 2000
From the magical evocation of the carousel in the overture to the majestic and moving strains of the immortal "You'll Never Walk Alone", this giant of the musical stage remains timeless and starbright. The poignant story of the faithful Julie and her brutish husband Billy is one of the most powerful books of the musical theatre and perfectly matches its extraordinary score.
THE DESERT SONG
Performed in 1938 & 1955
French General Birabeau has been sent to Morocco to root out and destroy the Riffs, a band of Arab rebels, who threaten the safety of the French outpost in the Moroccan desert. Their dashing, daredevil leader is the mysterious "Red Shadow", a Frenchman. The Red Shadow, his Arab lieutenant, Sid El Kar, and their wealthy host, Ali Ben Ali, discuss the relative merits of the Eastern tradition of love for a harem of women (like having a garden full of fragrant flowers), and the Western ideal of loving one woman for life. Margot Bonvalet, a lovely, sassy French girl, is soon to be married at the French fort to Birabeau's right-hand man, Captain Fontaine. Birabeau's son Pierre, in reality the Red Shadow, loves Margot, but pretends to be a milksop to preserve his secret identity. Meanwhile Benny, a reporter, and the girl who loves him, Susan, provide comic relief.
FAWLTY TOWERS
Performed in 2015
"Spend an evening at Fawlty Towers with the snobbish, manic Basil; his over-coiffeured, domineering wife Sybil; the hopeless but ever-hopeful waiter Manuel; the calm and capable Polly- and of course the steady stream of abused guests in the notorious Torquay hostelry."
FIFTY OF THE BEST
Performed in 1969
FOLLIES
Performed in 1996
It is 1970 and on the stage of the Weismann Theatre, New York, the eponymous Dimitri Weismann has gathered together the surviving players of his lavish pre-war Follies, from the silver screen goddess Carlotta Campion to the most nondescript chorine, for a first and last reunion: an invitation "to glamorize the old days, stumble through a song or two and lie about ourselves" -before the theatre is demolished to make way for a parking lot. As Roscoe serenades those Beautiful Girls, the now-elderly ing6nues and matronly starlets, veterans of a more innocent age of entertainment, descend the famous Follies staircase one last time. For Sally and Phyllis, both now married to their respective stage-door Johnnies, Buddy and Ben, the theatre seems haunted by their younger selves, the giddy hopefuls of 1940. Don't Look At Me, Sally babbles to Ben as they meet for the first time in years. But they're both glad they came.
GUYS & DOLLS
Performed in 1987 & 2007
Amidst the hurly-burly of Broadway, Sarah Brown and her gallant band from the Save-A-Soul Mission endeavour to recruit sinners. Nathan Detroit and the gambling fraternity are more concerned with finding a place for their illegal floating crap game and Adelaide, Nathan's long-time fiancée, is preoccupied with trying to get him to the altar.
Sky Masterson saunters into town and gets suckered into a bet with Nathan that he can take any doll he likes to Havana. Nathan names Sarah Brown, and, undaunted, Sky presents himself at the Mission as a sinner. When this doesn't work, he guarantees her a dozen sinners in return for having dinner with him - in Havana. Sarah's response is he's not her type of guy ("I'll Know").
A NIGHT AT THE MUSICALS
Performed in 2006
AN EVENING WITH G&S
Performed in 1981 & 2010
William S Gilbert and Sir Arthur Sullivan created fanciful topsy-turvy worlds, where each absurdity is taken to its logical conclusion - fairies rub elbows with English lords, flirting is a capital offense, gondoliers ascend to the monarchy, and pirates turn out to be noblemen who have gone wrong. Enjoy an evening full of satirical laughs and wonderful music.
ANNIE GET YOUR GUN
Performed in 1965 & 1991
Annie Oakley is a poor, but spirited and happy, country girl who lives by her native sharp-shooting quickly makes her the star of Buffalo Bill's Wild West Show where she meets and falls in love with expert rifleman Frank Butler. Unfortunately, the tough, outspoken Annie is not Frank's idea of what a wife should be and the two remain at competitive odds. Then Annie is initiated into an Indian tribe whose Chief, Sitting Bull, gives her some good advice: only by deliberately, but discreetly, losing a shooting contest can she win Frank. Annie does so and the show ends with the exuberant climax "There's No Business Like Show Business".
BAR THE SHOUTING
Performed in 1967
BILLY
Performed in 2005
Billy, a lower middle-class lad from the North East has big ideas of fame and fortune but has neither the intellect nor the courage to make anything of himself. His family and employer, an undertaker, have to suffer the consequences of his fantasies and habitual lying, things coming to a head when he becomes engaged to two girls at the same time. Barbara, his `official' fiancée, whom he tries unsuccessfully to seduce, comes to tea with the family and announces wedding plans, but unfortunately her visit coincides with both the death of Billy's grandmother and a visit from his other `fiancée' Rita. A fight ensues. Arthur, a friend, tells Billy that Rita's brother is after him, and Billy plans his escape to London to be a TV scriptwriter with Liz - yet another girlfriend. Mum and Dad have strong ideas about all this. Throughout the play, Billy finds refuge from his problems in vivid daydreams in which among others he becomes a doctor, a politician and a general.
BRIGADOON
Performed in 1981 & 1993
Brigadoon is a Scottish fantasy about a town that disappears into the Highland mist and returns for only one day every one hundred years. It includes Waitin' for My Dearie, I'll Go Home with Bonnie Jean, Come to Me, Bend to Me, Almost Like Being in Love, There But for You Go I, The Heather on the Hill and My Mother's Weddin' Day. This is a tribute to simplicity, true love and goodness, which is hidden from the ordinary traveler.
BUGSY MALONE
Performed by the Youth Group in 2012
A slapstick musical comedy, BUGSY MALONE follows the rivalry between two half-witted street gangs and the washed up, well-intentioned, one-time boxer who steps in to take control of Fat Sam’s gang and give Dandy Dan and his boys what they’ve got coming. In this film noir spoof, the message is one of good, clean fun; the characters are wonderful 1920′s cartoon cutouts; and the weapons of choice are “splurge” whip cream guns, flour bombs, and custard pies.
CALENDAR GIRLS
Performed in 2013
When Annie Clarke's husband John dies from leukaemia at an early age, her close friend Chris Harper, anxious to purchase a comfortable sofa for the visitors' lounge in the hospital where he was treated, hits upon the idea of printing a calendar featuring some of the members of the Knapely branch of the Women's Institute discreetly posing nude while engaged in everyday activities, such as baking and knitting, in order to raise funds. Her proposal initially is met with great scepticism, but she eventually convinces ten women to participate in the project with her. They enlist one of the hospital workers, an amateur photographer named Lawrence, to help them with the concept.
The head of the local Women's Institute branch refuses to sanction the calendar, and Chris and Annie go to a national congress of the Women's Institute in London to plead their case. They are told the final decision rests with the local leader, who grudgingly agrees to the calendar's sale. The initial printing quickly sells out, and before long the tiny village is bombarded with members of the international media anxious to report the feel-good story.
The women are invited to appear in a commercial. While there, tensions arise between Chris and Annie. All the publicity surrounding the calendar has taken a toll on their personal lives, and they lash out at each other in angry frustration. Annie accuses Chris of ignoring her husband and son and the demands of the family business in favour of her newfound celebrity, while Chris believes Annie welcomes the Mother Teresa-like status to which she's been elevated that allows her to cater to the ill and bereaved who have bombarded her with fan mail. All is resolved eventually, and the women return home to resume life as it was before they removed their clothing.
CHARLIE GIRL
Performed in 1983
Lady Hadwell, the widow of an aristocrat, is struggling to make ends meet by opening her home to the public. The youngest of her three daughters, Charlotte, known as "Charlie", is a tomboy. Their loyal assistant, Joe, is in love with Charlie. When he learns he has won a fortune on the football pools, he conceals the fact from his employers. In the meantime, her mother is hoping for an engagement between Charlie and an American millionaire. The most memorable moment of the show is when Charlie has to return her hired evening gown, and the rest of the guests at the ball also decide to cavort in their underwear.
ENCORE! A GALA PERFORMANCE
Performed in 2009
Formed in 1919 by Sir Malcolm Sargent, TMMTC celebrates its 90th birthday this year and in March produced a very successful and highly acclaimed performance of Les Miserables (school edition) performed entirely by young people from Melton and the wider community.
The Melton Musical Theatre Company are very proud to be celebrating our tradition as Melton’s longest running amateur musical theatre group and one of the oldest community groups in the area by staging our own 90th Anniversary Gala Performances Encore! at Brooksby Melton Theatre on the 2nd and 3rd October.
Celebrating the memories of musicals past to the magic of modern productions, this promises to be a non stop spectacular musical tribute showcasing many of the best loved shows!
Featuring the talents of our full company, join us to help keep musical theatre alive in Melton by supporting our 90th Anniversary Gala celebration for an unforgettable evening of musical memories you will treasure for a long time!
FIDDLER ON THE ROOF
Performed in 1974, 1991, 2002 & 2013
In the little village of Anatevka, Tevye, a poor dairyman, tries to pass on to his five daughters the traditions of his tight-knit Jewish community in the face of changing social mores and the growing anti-Semitism of Czarist Russia.
Rich in historical and cultural detail, fiddler on the roof has touched audiences around the world with its humor, warmth and honesty. The universal theme of tradition cuts across barriers of race, class, nationality and religion, leaving audiences crying tears of laughter, joy and sadness.
GOODNIGHT VIENNA
Performed in 1995
Max is an Austrian officer in the army and son of a highly placed general. His father wants him to marry a Countess but he has fallen in love with Vicki. Attending a party given in his honour, they are informed that war has broken out. Max writes a note to Vicki and goes off to war. Unfortunately the note is lost. Some time after the war, Max is just a shoe shop assistant while Vicki is now a famous singer. They meet and at first she snubs him but then falls in love with him again.