Oldbury Rep stage The Vicar of Dibley plus your Midlands and Shropshire am dram round-up

One of the best in the area is the resident group at Oldbury Rep who will be presenting the hilarious play by Ian Gower and Paul Carpenter, The Vicar of Dibley, from July 7-14.

This stage adaptation of the hit BBC comedy takes its lead from the first two series of the show, complete with all the characters who are the bane of Geraldine’s life.

When a wonderfully bubbly female vicar arrives in Dibley at first the villagers are horrified, but she soon wins them over as she cleverly endears herself to them and manoeuvres her way into village life.

The writers of the original TV series, Richard Curtis and Paul Mayhew-Archer, apparently based Geraldine on a real-life female vicar, although I believe she was far more reserved and ladylike than the character Dawn French made famous. Nevertheless, it just goes to prove that we ladies can do any job you throw at us!

Look out for Hugo and Alice, Owen, Frank and Jim, not to mention grumpy David Horton. It will be a hoot.

So, if you enjoy a good laugh, don’t hesitate to buy tickets at www.oldburyrep.org or call 0121 552 2761.

What better way to spend a warm summer’s evening than enjoying a concert? Here’s a few to choose from.

Bridgnorth Musical Theatre Company will present Midsummer Melodies on June 29 at Bridgnorth Baptist Church, starting at 7.30pm.

With compositions by Gilbert and Sullivan, songs from The Wizard of Oz, Phantom of the Opera, The Sound of Music, Jesus Christ Superstar and many more, it promises to be great entertainment.

l Tickets are £10 and available on the door or visit www.bridgnorthmusicaltheatrecompany.co.uk.

Over in Clent, Shropshire, COMIC Theatre Company will be presenting their concert, Around the World in Amazing Musicals on July 6 and 13 at Sunfield Community Centre.

The group invites you to join them on a whistle-stop musical journey around the globe featuring songs from Broadway and West End shows. As well as firm favourites, they tell me there will be some surprises too.

l Tickets are £10 each and are available at www.comictheatrecompany.org.uk

Someone else who will be presenting a concert next week is Star-Struck Theatre Company, a new group based in Wolverhampton.

On June 29-30, they will perform The Greatest Shows, This is Me, a celebration of music from the stage and silver screen, at Newhampton Arts Centre.

Audiences can look forward to tunes from The Greatest Showman, Dear Evan Hansen, (including one of my favourites from that show called Waving Through a Window) and then some old favourites from Fiddler on the Roof, Evita and Annie Get Your Gun.

Be prepared for some comedy too in the form of What Ever Happened to my Part? a hilarious duet from Monty Python’s Spamalot.

l For tickets, visit www.seaty.co.uk/greatestshows

Pantomime is never far away, but before the dames and wicked fairies really start to dust off their fancy frocks and twinkling tiaras, there is just time for a quick concert.

Rainbow Pantomimes who perform at the Mill Theatre in Sedgley, will be presenting Rainbow Rock Academy, a trip through the years showcasing the group’s favourite songs from musicals past and present.

Catch the show at The Royal British Legion Club in Lower Gornal on July 7th at 7.30pm.

l For tickets priced at just £7.50 per person, visit www.seaty.co.uk/rainbowrockacademy/tickets/07Jul2018/1930, or call 01902 475033.Drama lovers are in for a treat as Highbury Theatre in Sutton Coldfield presents Snake in the Grass by Alan Ayckbourn on July 3-6 and 10-14.

This is a completely different script from the usual Ayckbourn material and well worth a look.

l For an eerie, scary evening of thrills and suspense, visit www.highburytheatre.co.uk or call 0121 373 2761. Tickets from £9 each.

J B Priestly offerings are always entertaining and so you may want to see the Shawbury Village Players’ production of When We Are Married, which they will be performing at Acton Reynald Hall from July 4-7.

Three Yorkshire couples, who all married on the same day in the same chapel, gather together to celebrate their Silver wedding anniversaries, only to find that they were never actually legally married after all.

Pandemonium breaks out when these seemingly respectable couples find out that they have been living in sin! The performance is indoors, but audience members are free to bring picnics to have in beautiful Acton Reynald grounds before the play. There is a licensed bar on site too.

l For tickets priced at £12-£10 each, visit www.shawburyvillageplayers.co.uk or call into Craftnutter Supplies or the Village Post Office.

Finally, on June 27-28, at The Old Rep Theatre in Birmingham, BOA Year 12 musical theatre students will present their annual showcase, entitled Chapters, at 7pm.

This is a mixed bill which combines Community Arts work with performances created by students throughout the year.

l For tickets visit www.oldreptheatre.co.uk. For more information on Birmingham Ormiston Academy, visit www.boa-academy.co.uk

l Well that’s all for this week. Please keep sending me all your news and remember to include a good quality colour photo too, to a.norton@expressandstar.co.uk, call me on 01902 319662 or follow me on a Twitter @AlisonNorton