County cast to star in First World War musical

Poppyfields The Musical will come to the Crescent Theatre, in Sheepcote Street, between November 7 and 10 featuring a cast from Shropshire.

Set in 1916, Poppyfields tells the tale of love, loss, sacrifice and brotherhood. It documents the lives of four principal characters and the audience is taken on an emotional journey from a home front rife with class division, conscription and suffrage, to the horror of the Battle of the Somme.

Respect

Tom Scott, producer, said: “At the heart of everything we do is the desire to commemorate and remember the extraordinary men and women that gave their lives for our country over a century ago.

“We believe that we have managed to develop an incredibly exciting and captivating production, whilst maintaining the respect and poignance required to tackle this subject matter. It is a truly wonderful show and one not to be missed.”

Derek Willis, assistant director, added: “The danger, now that the veterans of the First World War have passed, is that the very real, human story of those people involved disappears with them.

“Poppyfields is an attempt to keep that vital story alive. It’s incredibly exciting that a story rooted in Shropshire about those men and women is now transferring to Birmingham, and as someone who trained here, it’s a real homecoming for me – I can’t wait.”

After nearly a decade of writing and development, the production debuted at Theatre Severn, in Shrewsbury, in February 2018, and sold out the same theatre in September.

Poppyfields is in partnership with the Royal British Legion, and will see £1 from every ticket sold under the promotional code “BRL1”.

Tickets for the performances in Birmingham between November 7 and 10 – including a Saturday matinee. To book, call the box office on 0121 643 5858 or visit www.crescenttheatre.co.uk. For more information about Poppyfields The Musical, visit www.poppyfieldsthemusical.co.uk.