Milborne Port Opera Gets Ready for “Spring Fate”

It is spring 1914. The war clouds are gathering, and in the Foreign Office Sir Edward Grey is rehearsing his famous soundbite “The lights are going out all over Europe. We shall not see them lit again in our time.”

Are they bothered in Lancashire? –NO! The Earl of Westhoughton and his wife Lady Blackrod are throwing a lavish garden party and evening ‘do’ at their palatial mansion Anderton Hall. And what a party! Hundreds of glamourous guests, and circus performers and international cabaret acts to entertain them in style.

But there are some tensions. Neither the Earl nor his Uncle William (a famous explorer, newly returned from somewhere or other), are enjoying the best of marriages. And Cousin Eugene has just been shot.

The unfortunate Eugene has placed some highly sensitive documents in the safe and the future of the British Empire depends on their contents remaining secret.

But the party is buzzing with beautiful spies, sinister assassins and intriguers, all hell-bent on getting hold of the papers. Some are disguised as aristocratic German tourists, others as circus performers.
And all of them can sing!

Combine these elements and you have Neil Edwards’ new comedy musical “Spring Fate”, his third work for Milborne Port Opera. The story is original and new. The music has been inspired, re-written or arranged from the work of Ivan Caryll, a largely forgotten theatre composer from the 1900’s. A prolific writer, performed on both sides of the Atlantic, he holds the record of having five simultaneous shows in London’s West End in 1905.

Cast photos by Andrew Lakeman (top left to bottom right): Matt Baker, Tony White, Oscar Shave-Smythies and Stuart Waite play intrepid explorers. The Kiddle sisters - Steph and Gemma - play glamourous party guests. Lloyd Davies and Richard Gaunt play a pair of aristocratic German tourists - or are they? Sarah Fraser and Sukie Read play a couple of gun-toting cowgirls - or are they? Alison Ruddy plays the Femme Fatale.

Neil Edwards, from Milborne Port, is an accomplished writer and musician, as well as no mean performer.

His previous works at Milborne Port are “The Lost Continent of Love”, “The Murder at Shakerley House” and now, “Spring Fate”. All three share outlandish plots, outrageous characters and wonderful humour, topped off with great music.

Milborne Port Opera is a small company which punches above its weight and regularly wins awards. In its 26 years of existence it has performed every single work by Gilbert & Sullivan, as well as other musicals. It is rare among similar groups in that it is prepared to take the risk to encourage and perform original works.

MPO’s performers come from Wincanton, Yarlington, Woolston, Horsington, Templecombe, Yenston, Milborne Port, Mere, Gillingham and Sherborne.

Spring Fate is accompanied by an 11-piece band under the direction of Caroline d’Cruz, recently nominated for the award of Best Musical Director in the Somerset Drama awards. Milborne Port won the “Show Stopper” award, and will no doubt be hoping for another next year.

The show runs at the Milborne Port Village Hall from 8th-10th April, the week after Easter. Tickets from Telephone 07926 983585.

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