WC APRIL 15
Back in 1975 Keith Newbery gave me my chance to write two columns in the IW Weekly Post and these continued during the 15 year run of the tabloid. It also gave me the chance to meet many showbiz stars and review professional shows for the Weekly Post and The Stage, the latter being the national showbiz newspaper. I interviewed him on Tuesday and he will soon make an appearance on John Hannam Meets and, as expected, the founding editor of the Weekly Post will be controversial.
It has also been a busy week for Island amateur shows and the awards scheme which takes me to every local amateur show – if they remember to tell me its on. I went to Bembridge on Thursday night to see a well produced thriller called A Prescription For Murder – and there were several excellent performances.
On Friday night I went to see The Black Widow, performed by the Pepperpot Players at Whitwell Village Hall. What a welcome surprise and it was of their best productions ever.
On Saturday night I went to the Trinity Theatre, Cowes, to see the musical Return to the Forbidden Planet, from the Cowes OADS. What a great set for the inside of the rocket but despite their admirable enthusiasm it was not the best production of this I had ever seen on the Island. This was produced by the South Wight Youth Theatre back in the early 90s.
Just for a change on Sunday night I went to another Island amateur production – my fourth in four days. Arsenic and Old Lace was the third highly acclaimed village production I had seen within four days. I am not looking forward to November when I have to decide if one of these three will be named as the Best Village Production of the Year. It’s a great year for village productions.