Amateur theatre

‘We Happy Few’ – new production from The Alexandra Players

Neil Clasper

News of the latest production from SE7’s amateur theatre group:We Happy Few - Alexandra Players

Thursday 30th October to Saturday 1st November
The Alexandra Players present We Happy Few, a comedy about an all-female troupe of strolling players during WWII, at the Alexandra Hall, Bramshot Avenue, Charlton at 7.45pm nightly.

“Inspired by the true wartime history of the Osiris Players, Imogen Stubbs’ comedy follows the adventures of a small group of women who come together to form a ‘girls only’ theatre company to take the plays of Shakespeare around a culture-starved Britain.”

Tickets £9 (£8 Concessions): call 07867 627987 or email alexandraplayers@gmail.com.

http://alexandraplayers.org.uk/

17 hours up a tree: Burglary suspect halts Charlton trains

Darryl Chamberlain4 Comments

Police are playing a waiting game this evening as they try to coax down a burglary suspect holed up in a tree by the railway line at Barney Close.

The man’s been up there since 2am after fleeing from police following an incident at Stone Lake Retail Park.

One passer-by at the scene said the man was 32, from north London, and had tried to rob Currys.

Police have sealed off the back of Barney Close while they wait for him to come down.

All London-bound trains have been diverted, though some Kent-bound services are inching past the scene.

Here are some photos taken at about 6pm. Paramedics were seen walking to the scene at about 6.50pm and the British Transport Police tweeted that it hoped to “have things back to normal as soon as possible”.

8pm update: The suspect has now been taken down and arrested.

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Enchanted April for the Alex Players

16, 17 and 18 February 2012: Doors open at 7.30, curtain up at 8.00

The weather has taken a turn for the Siberian, but you can transport yourself to Tuscany in April with the Alexandra Players’ latest offering. Enchanted April, adapted by Matthew Barber from the book by Elizabeth von Arnim, is a tale of two London housewives in the 1920s who are looking for change and hope to find it in the charm of the wisteria-laden San Salvatore. It’s gentle piece, full of whimsy and wit, but also moments of drama and tension.

The Alexandra Players have been long-established in the Alexandra Church Hall on Bramshot Avenue and present a wide range of plays over the year. Enchanted April is directed by Keith Hartley and the cast and crew are a mixture of familiar faces and newcomers to both the group and SE7. Tickets are £8 (£7 for concessions) and can be booked by emailing alexandraplayers@gmail.com

Local Theatre: The Killing of Sister George

Those of you wishing to patronise the arts in Charlton, in the best possible way of course, may want to make your down to the Alexandra Hall on Bramshot Avenue between 28th and 30th October. There you’ll find one of Charlton’s local theatre groups, The Alexandra Players, putting on a production of Frank Marcus’ comedy, The Killing of Sister George.

The play tells the story of June Buckridge, an actress who stars as the titular (no sniggering at the back, you know what that word means) Sister George in a popular radio serial, who becomes increasingly impossible to live with when she discovers the character is scheduled to be killed off.

At £6 a ticket, this is well worth anybody’s time. I’m a great advocate of amateur theatre for putting on cheap nights of entertainment, often to a surprisingly good standard, and of societies such as The Alexandra Players for being real community hubs.

Performances take place on 28th, 29th and 30th October, all starting at 8pm. To order your tickets just call 020 8858 2769 or email alexandraplayers@gmail.com.

A mild word of warning to you all: the play contains adult themes, and so it is not suitable for young children. That might actually add to the appeal for some of you!

Have you been to any good amateur shows in the area recently? Are you heading to this show? Would you be able to write a review? Do let us know in the comments box…