Yaods YEADON AMATEUR OPERATIC AND DRAMATIC SOCIETY Newsletter Spring 2014 Me and My Girl (Tuesday 11 – Saturday 15 March 2014) STEPPING OUT (Wednesday 8 to Saturday 11 October 2014) CHRISTMAS CONCERT (Friday 19 December 2014) Our 2014 musical is the delightful, winter-warming, crowd pleaser – Me and My Girl – at Yeadon Town Hall for the first time since 1997. This version, with a script revised by Stephen Fry in 1984, remains faithful to the music hall tradition from which it emerged, while the language and jokes are comfortably modern. Bill Snibson, a Lambeth costermonger, is revealed to be the new Earl of Hareford and his newly-discovered aristocratic relations are horrified! Bringing him to Hareford Hall, they attempt to educate Bill into the ways of the gentry and to separate him from his cockney girlfriend, Sally. The result? Chaos of the most comical kind! With a host of hilarious characters, witty one-liners and plenty of bubbly songs, this is a sublime and sunny treat for all fans of musical comedy. Popular favourites such as The Lambeth Walk, Leaning on a Lamppost and The Sun Has Got His Hat On will guarantee that you can’t fail to be entranced by the charm and toe-tapping rhythm of the music. Director Jonathan Tate promises a visually sumptuous production that brings out all the underlying themes of the play – family, ancestry, class, fate and love – subtle themes that keep reasserting themselves like a tightly wound thread and set up the delicious silliness of the comedy. So what we have here is a love story with a happy ending, played out against a backdrop of class differences, aspiration and class loyalty. Wardrobe mistress Sandra Landells is planning a treat to the eye, ranging from formal ball gowns to beach and leisure wear, Pearly King and Queen outfits and, stunningly, a historical sweep of ghost costumes from the Elizabethan period onwards! Booking form for ME AND MY GIRL >>> Rob Hastings heads up a terrific cast as Bill Snibson (played in the West End and on Broadway by Robert Lindsay). This will be Rob’s first role for us although he has played many parts for companies in Harrogate to great acclaim at the Harrogate Theatre. He is partnered by the superb Anna Clarke (who last played for Yaods in Mack and Mabel) who has a wealth of experience playing at Bradford Alhambra. Jill Whitehouse and Julian Freeman provide further comedy as the Duchess of Dene and Sir John whilst Paul Chewins camps it up deliciously as the family solicitor. Michael Smith is the foppish Gerald and supporting roles are played by Emma Fearnley, Alan Johnson, Doreen Seaman, Garth Rookes and Malcolm Kleiman. Complemented by a wonderful 12 piece orchestra under the baton of Anthony Martin and punctuated with Ted Oxley’s breathtaking dance routines, Me and My Girl will be the perfect antidote to wintry weather – a cheerful and colourful show; full of wit, fun and imagination! Book now – ring 075 706 10989 or book online at yaods.ticketsource.co.uk EASTER COFFEE MORNING Our annual Easter coffee morning is at YEADON TOWN HALL on SATURDAY 1 MARCH from 10a.m. to 12 noon. There will be the usual array of stalls – delicious cakes and pies; books, CD’s. DVD’s, bric-a- brac and a bonanza raffle. Refreshments served throughout the morning. Make a date and bring your friends. If you haven’t booked your tickets for the wonderful Me and My Girl by then, you can book your tickets and select where you want to sit! AND IN THE SUMMER….. The return of the now famous Strawberry Tea Is already eagerly awaited. Delicious refreshments, sumptuous surroundings and splendid company will make this the social event of the season – all very “Yorkshire Life!!” Definitely the occasion to be “seen chatting”. Watch out for further details – the exact date will be announced shortly. Looking ahead to the autumn…….. Our play for October 2014 is Stepping Out – a hilarious comedy by Richard Harris. The play is set in a church hall and catalogues the complicated lives of seven women, one man, their teacher and pianist at a weekly tap-dancing class. The stakes are raised when the Mavis Turner Tappers are asked to take part in a charity gala, so somehow they have to raise their game to do themselves justice in their first public performance. Most of the dancing most of the time is dire, absolutely terrible. But that’s exactly what the author intended! The result is a funny, slick play which will leave you with a warm glow. Set in the 1980’s, the production is full of legwarmers, lycra and leotards, rekindling memories of an age when people interacted face-to-face at weekly dance lessons rather than through social websites. The characters are achingly funny and so very real. Mavis – constantly trying to keep her class focused on their dancing as well as having to cope with their personal problems; Mrs Fraser – the cantankerous pianist who feels undervalued; Andy – lacking self-esteem because she’s in a violent relationship; pseudo-posh Vera; Sylvia – the common one who opens her mouth before she’s thought about what she’s going to say; excitable yet nervous Dorothy; slightly geeky Geoffrey whose timing is laughably out of step….the list goes on!! We are delighted to welcome back the very talented Kath Williams who will be directing the play, with Ted Oxley providing the final dance routine at the gala! We pride ourselves that we have always been able to attract a dazzling array of talent and we are confident that this production will be no exception. Roles will be cast by auditions to be held in April so, if you would like to be considered for a part, then please contact Linda on 0113 250 3032 or Joan on 0113 250 5587 for an audition piece. Stepping Out is at Yeadon Town Hall from 8 – 11 October 2014. BOOK NOW – RING 0113 250 5587 or 0113 250 3032. DECKING THE HALLS……..AGAIN!! Our 2013 Christmas Concert was a complete sell-out so we are hoping for a repeat success at the next CHRISTMAS CONCERT, to be staged on FRIDAY 19 DECEMBER at YEADON TOWN HALL – 7.30pm. Tradition dictates that there will be the usual menu of traditional carols and festive songs, accompanied by the ever-popular Otley Brass Band. Last year we began a new tradition with the children of Queensway Primary School performing two selections and it is fabulous that the school has once more agreed to participate. Mince pies and mulled wine again went down a treat so they will be back on the menu again!! Christmas just wouldn’t be Christmas without the Yaods Concert – book now (0113 250 5587) ALL ABOARD FOR ANYTHING GOES! It’s not been a great period for the cruise ship industry but going on an ocean liner used to be glamorous stuff, and a trans-Atlantic crossing might find celebrities rubbing shoulders with blue-bloods! Our production for March 2015 - Anything Goes - evokes that golden era of sea travel, capturing the excitement with gorgeous costumes, plenty of tap dancing, and the effervescent songs of the great songwriter Cole Porter. The show features half a dozen songs that have become standards of the American songbook. You just need to listen to a tune like “You’re the Top” to get the full sense of Porter’s genius for crafting memorable melodies and funny, complicated lyrics. The show is a marvel of wit and timing and will be at Yeadon Town Hall in March 2015 courtesy of the same production team behind Me and My Girl. Not to be missed!! STOP PRESS! Our musical for March 2016 will be the Wharfedale and Airedale premiere of the hit musical HAIRSPRAY. More quality entertainment from Yaods

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