FEBRUARY is Showtime for the Parish Players and rehearsals are reaching a crescendo.

‘Hello Dolly’ is an American comedy by Jerry Herman beginning life as a 19th century Austrian farce, and later becoming Thornton Wilders popular comedy ‘The Matchmaker’. Tom Stoppard’s farce ‘On the Razzle’ has a similar theme of two young men escaping from a curmudgeonly employer to go on the town, where they meet charming romantic attachments.

Dolly Levi, a matchmaker, has the pivotal role and a well earned opportunity for Laura Pritchard, whom joined the company last year as ‘Tuptim’ in the ‘King and I’.

Andy Black whom has once again, designed an exciting 1890’s New York set, plays the acerbic Horace Vandergelder, Dolly’s main challenge of her career to date! His all singing, all dancing shop assistants, Cornelius and Barnaby are cast by Ray Hale and Chris Bentley. Lesley Clarke as Irene Malloy, a romantic widowed hat shop owner and Amy Sunderland as Minnie Fry, her somewhat timid assistant, with Esther Sully as the tearful Ermengarde and Richard Newley a struggling artist, complete the romantic quartet.

Linda Chappell has the fun of playing Ernestina, a totally unsuitable match for Horace, whilst Mike Belsten plays a long suffering Prussian head waiter.

Jill Harris, in charge of choreography, has a challenging role herself including the notorious waiters’ gallop in the famous Harmonia Gardens Restaurant, apart from the waltzes, quicksteps, foxtrots and good old fashioned marches that pepper the show.

Keith Richards as Stage Manager is already burning the midnight oil making all the unusual props with his wife Norma, such as a large roast turkey with all the trimmings, assisted backstage by Rod Williams and Brian Brown. Gill Olewicz is in charge of 1890s costumes.

The multi-roled chorus are busy rehearsing the memorable ensemble numbers such as ‘Before the Parade marches by’, ‘Elegance’, ‘put on your Sunday clothes’ and of course, ‘Hello Dolly’.

Musical Director, Chloe Allsopp-Jones and Linda Evans as Director, look forward to entertaining you the audience, the most important element of the Production which runs from Feb 19th-22nd in the Olveston Parish Hall at 7.30pm.

Box Office: telephone 07855182225.