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Life at The Little Theatre column: A tale of friendship

Read the latest updates from Southport's Little Theatre.

Rehearsal photo of Ceri Watkins, Michelle Pappini and Jen Corcoran rehearsing Di and Viv and Rose

By Jennifer Corcoran and Andrew Sloman

This weekend we welcome NODA award winning Crosby Gilbert & Sullivan Society back to the Little Theatre. The Yeoman of the Guard is on from March 16-19 with Wednesday-Friday shows at 7.30pm and a 2.30pm performance on Saturday.

The opera is the eleventh of the fourteen collaborations between WS Gilbert and Arthur Sullivan ad has been described as one of the most emotionally engaging. There is humour and pathos to a critically acclaimed score, which is why it endures.

Next on the bill is Di and Viv and Rose. This ode to female friendship was penned by actor and writer Amelia Bullmore. She is known for her serious on screen roles as Steph Barnes in Coronation Street and DCI Gill Murray in Scott & Bailey as well as comedy roles in Alan Partridge and the sketch show Big Train.

She also wrote for Big Train and Scott & Bailey so it is no surprise that this play is a warm and witty observation piece. Bullmore says she was inspired to write the play in 2009 when she spotted the calves of a woman that were just like the calves of a friend she had not seen in some time. She wanted to capture the ‘lurch of longing’ that she felt with such strength and she has done that with this piece.

We meet our three women as freshers at an unspecified Northern university in 1983. Di is a sporty geography student who shares a flat with free spirited art student Rose. Their neighbour is Viv, a sociology student with a penchant for vintage clothing. They end up sharing a house despite Viv’s initial reservations and their differences round them out.

Life pulls them in different directions, some planned and others borne of circumstance. The blend of comedy and tragedy is woven into their tapestries in such a way that you will feel as though you are on the journey with them, and make you reflect on your own relationships.

Di and Viv and Rose is directed by Adrienne Ledson and runs from April 1-9.

Book your tickets now, click here or call 01704 530521 from 11am to 1pm/two hours before curtain up when there is a performance.

For more information about our season and the club visit our website here. For updates, pictures, trivia and competitions please can also follow us on Facebook or Instagram.

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Life at The Little Theatre column: A tale of friendship

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