Launton Village Players

Family Variety Show 2023: Come Rain or Shine

On July 15 and 16 July the show went on, Come Rain or Shine! Due to unpredictable weather, we moved the show into the big farm shed at Hare Leys, which was transformed into a pop-up theatre, with lights, marquees and a stage. Despite the wind and rain (and at one time, a thunderclap during Act One), the weather didn’t affect us, the sun even came out at a few points! There is a review of the show on pages 14-16 - below.

We sang It’s Raining Men, Cold, Cold Winter, and even had tap dancing in a tray of water for I’m Singing in the Rain. The Lawn Chair Drill made both children and adults chuckle, and we enjoyed Act Two, with songs about rainbows and sunshine as well as “Musicals in a Minute”. Who could not relish seeing Kermit the Frog sing about rainbows? Our soloists gave great performances, from Somewhere over the Rainbow to Rainbow by Kacey Musgraves, and the Carpenters’ Rainy Days and Mondays.

Our Front of House team did a marvellous job and looked after everyone really well. A huge thank you to our audiences who supported us and were so enthusiastic. Thanks to your generosity, we are pleased to announce that we made £1,400 from Come Rain or Shine to be divided equally between UNICEF and Bicester Food Bank. Our last thank you goes to the wonderful LVP team who gave up so much of their time and energies to put on a wonderful show and help us to raise money for such worthwhile causes. It was a great weekend and many thanks to all involved.

Panto 2024: Rapunzel

Work is already under way on our 2024 pantomime Rapunzel, written and directed by Julia West, with original music by Steve Webber.

We are delighted to announce the profits from Rapunzel will be donated to Bicester Autism, a community organisation in Bicester who provide much needed support, learning and opportunities for families and carers of autistic children, and those with, or awaiting a diagnosis of ADHD and Autism. continuedonpages12and13

There will be seven performances of Rapunzel during February half term, from 14 to 17 February 2024, in Cooper School Performance Hall. Tickets will be on sale in November.

Your chance to join LVP!

Do you like singing, dancing or acting? We are looking for energetic performers to join LVP, and this year have a few spaces in our Adult Chorus, which may lead to bigger roles in future performances. We are holding an Open Evening on Sunday 17th September at 7pm in Launton Parish Hall - this is an ideal opportunity to come along and meet some of us, find out a bit more and have a very informal audition to see if LVP is the right fit for you. We will be doing some acting, group singing and learning a dance routine - and of course there will be tea and cake! It’s going to be lots of fun!

Being part of our cast for panto is lots of fun, and a great way to spend Sunday evenings over the winter. If you would like to get involved, including any of the many off stage roles, such as part of our fantastic Front of House team, just drop us a message on Facebook or email to membership@launtonvillageplayers.org.uk

Games in the Garden

Launton Village Players are holding a fund raising event in the garden of 14 Chestnut Close, Launton on Saturday 16 September from 2pm until 4pm. The Players are now in a position where we need to replace some of our equipment and like everything at the moment the amount of money needed is quite substantial. So we are holding an afternoon event for families. There will be a bar to purchase beverages/tea and coffee and garden games to keep you occupied. Please feel free to bring your own picnic or come with friends and have a bring and share picnic. There will be a small entrance fee, keep an eye out for posters and where to buy tickets from. Please come and support us. For more information check our Facebook page.

The LVP Team

And now the Review of the Summer Show: Come Rain or Shine, The Show Will Go On!

Months ago when the concept for this year’s variety show was imagined, the organisers were hoping for another open air experience in the picturesque grounds of Hare Leys Farm, but given the unpredictable weather in the days leading up to 15 and 16 July, it was decided the show would be performed under cover in one of the large sheds to protect audience, cast and LVP crew from the elements. How apt!

Now, I have seen many a cow shed in my time, having spent most of my childhood around my grandparents' farm in the Cotswolds, but I can assure you, I have never seen a shed quite like this before. Pristine white marquees with country pink bunting promised strawberries and cream, cream cakes and buns, teas, coffees and prosecco. More bunting and floral pink artworks led us to the green tent of The LVP Band, housing Giles Conway, John Nelson (more on him later), Simon Turner (more on him too) and Sarah Turner, directed by Steve Webber. To the centre, dramatic black curtains enveloped the square red proscenium that would frame the action ahead, all prettily adorned with fairy lights. And so it was that 80 or so people at the Sunday show set up our own staggered seating arrangement, in our camping chairs, drink in hand, eagerly awaiting our first sight of the full ensemble opening number. The Band announced the start of proceedings with the comforting arrangements recognised by any seasoned LVP fan, accompanied by the energy rousing booming sounds of the bass drums.

Miles Penhallow once again masterfully compèredthe show, designed to show off the vagaries of our British weather delivering some weather relevant tongue twisters and some quick one-liners along the way: “What do weathermen wear under their trousers? …Thunderpants” will give you a sense of the vibe if you were unfortunate enough to miss it, pitching it just right for an audience ranging in age from 1-101, providing sighs, groans and chuckles in equal measure!

The whole show was thoughtfully structured: Act 1 focused mainly on the wind, rain and snow, while Act 2 majored on sunnier, happier climes. Numbers ranged through songs, song and dance routines, comedy sketches, and speeches. One of the most powerful parts was early in Act 2: after The Company roused us with a pretty rendition of What A Wonderful World, we heard an extract from Greta Thunberg’s Our House Is On Fire speech. Made more poignant in the levity of music hall variety, this house was silent as Eileen Penhallow, Edwina Ralston, Sayward Burns and Steph Poulsen stepped forward and eloquently delivered their part. We had only to see recent pictures of displaced holiday makers in Greece to witness that parts of our house are literally already on fire. Unsurprisingly, rain featured quite a lot with songs featuring It’s Raining Men (loved that the male members of the cast walked out with cloud props during that full ensemble piece), Rainy Days and Mondays sweetly sung by Nicky Roberts, Raindrops Keep Falling On My Head sung by husband and wife duo Andy Roberts and Nicky, and Umbrella (fun choreography with umbrellas featuring Beth Heale, Julia West, Sarah Nixey and Steph Poulsen). I particularly was excited to see the LVP Tap Dance Troupe, clad in black with sparkles, led by soloist Beth Heale Singing In The Rain backed up with her tap dancing chorus of Jackie Webber, Liz Hill, Sarah Nixey and Tina Cherry. Beth, showcased her triple threat capability, acting beautifully through song and delighting us with a mini tap solo including, if I’m not mistaken, some rather nice paddles, pick-ups and shuffles!

For me, the diversity of the show was excellent this year on so many levels. New soloists came to the stage: Martin Evans gave a charming performance About the Weather in his rich tenor voice and Charlie Newell gave a thoughtful performance of Rainbow with her more commercial tone, contrasting nicely with the more classical and musical theatre styles. The comedy sketches such as The Four Seasons Sketch (Beth, Eileen, Liz, Miles and Tina), The Forecasters Sketch (Andy, Miles and Tina) and the Lawn Chair Drill (Simon leading the charge, with Beth, Julia, Michael Burns, Nick Cherry and Steph) altered the pace and were confidently acted. A special mention to Simon Turner in the Lawn Chair Drill: here’s a man who knows how to perform. He takes his space to suit the audience and the story he’s telling. He captured the audience from the first moment, and kept us with him throughout. The mini cast performed the choreography (chair opening and folding!) impeccably, and the one he couldn’t quite control, Nick, provided the laughs. The diversity of costume this year was fabulous. It gave the whole show a more modern, more relevant feel. We still saw the white top and vibrant coloured skirt outfits to please the traditionalists, but we also saw jeans and shirts, black trousers and white tops in some of the group turns and full cast numbers. It created a contemporary simplicity that showcased the performers’ talents all the more. Encore to that!

Musicals in a Minute was particularly fun, with brilliant teamwork between Beth, Nicky, Miles and Simon.It was a tad longer than a minute but we got through, at great speed, pieces from White Christmas, My Fair Lady (The Rain in Spain), Frozen, Grease (Summer Lovin’), Dirty Dancing (She’s Like The Wind), The Muppet Show (Rainbow Connection with Simon as Kermit the Frog - just brilliant!), and Mamma Mia (Our Last Summer) amongst others. A terrific feat that we all thoroughly enjoyed.

Bravo again to John Nelson for both his numbers Blowin’ In The Wind and Somewhere Over The Rainbow playing guitar and ukelele respectively. A true musician, he uses contrasting dynamics to enhance his storytelling. He doesn’t need props or gimmicks, his natural musicality shines through. Such a composed performer, the audience genuinely quietens in his presence. It was simply wonderful.

Thanks must go to Julia West (Director) and Celia Evans (Producer) and all who play their part in the LVP for giving us a “lazy, hazy, crazy day of summer” and metaphorical sunshine. As always, the big company numbers are a joy to behold with the evident enjoyment of every cast member. Ending with Bring Me Sunshine, complete with Morecambe and Wise signature exit, followed by Walking On Sunshine assured an uplifting happy finish to a jolly good show. In the traditional spirit of variety, come rain or shine we were going to have a jolly old time. And we jolly well did.

For now though I leave you with another random pearl of wisdom from Miles: “Don’t Trust Umbrellas ….They’re far too shady.” Ba-dum bum CHING from Giles on the drums…

Reviewed by Allison Ford-Langstaff