A musical journey with Startimers

The themed set design immediately put me at ease, before the show, Continental Drift, started.

With a close-knit cast, many of whom have stellar voices fit for their roles, the audience was entertained by this lively stage play.

Startimers took off with their first show of the year on Friday (May 22), at the All Souls Church, O’Reilly Merry Street, Northmead.

For their autumn show, they opted for a musical, with the theme of world travel and the nine cast members danced and sang their way into the audience’s hearts.

The tour guides, played by Rob Holmes and Damian Milburn, led the rest of the group on a journey to several destinations, spread across the Americas, Australia, Europe and Africa.

The show featured 19 classic songs, each chosen for its reference to famous cities or countries, including “California Dreaming”, “Budapest” and “Walk like an Egyptian”.

Due to time constraints, the society opted to stage six shows, instead of the usual eight.

“We had auditions in February, but it was a tight time frame, so we had to push it,” said Vivian McDonald, director of the show.

“We also had quite a few novices in this production, so we had to rehearse three times a week,” said musical director Alice Davies.

The two said they are always a team, ready to tackle the directing of the shows for Startimers, having been members of the society for more than 20 years each.

“My whole family is involved; my parents have been in Startime from the beginning, now I, my sisters and my daughter were involved in this show,” said McDonald.

Davies has been with the group since 1991 and still enjoys it, saying: “Once the bug gets its claws into you, it doesn’t let go”.

The show, Continental Drift, will continue its run through this weekend, with shows on May 29 at 8pm and May 30 at 8pm.

For more information or tickets, contact Alice Davies (072 120 2479).

Click here to visit the Startime Players website.