KATS PRESENT
The Good Old Days? Two Musical Plays
The Way the Gas Jets Sing on the Stairs
by William Emrys
Soapsud Island by Phillip Sheahan
Thurs 14 – Sat 16 May 7.45pm (doors open 7.15pm)
Knebworth Village Hall
Taking note of the current economic downturn, KATS (Knebworth Amateur Theatrical Society) offer two for the price of one for their Spring production. Topically, each play deals with periods of financial depression in words and song. Each is warm, witty and moving. Both started life as One Act Festival entries, so each presents the challenges in imaginative staging which KATS thrive on. But there the similarity ends. The Way the Gas Jets Sing on the Stairs is set in the Empire Music Hall and on the Western Front in 1914 and includes many well-known Music Hall numbers. Soapsud Island looks at life from the point of view of the laundry girls in Action from the 1930s to the 1950s and sets new words to familiar tunes. There's even some dancing - a soft shoe shuffle in Gas Jets and a square dance in Soapsuds. Tickets £6 (£5 concessions) from Frances Farrugia 01438 820136 or Village News, Station Road, Knebworth. Bargain price; quality entertainment.
The Way the Gas Jets Sing on the Stairs is directed by Jo Simson and Soapsud Island is directed by Jeffrey Goodwin. The company are:
Dawn Brown
Frances Farrugia
Lynsey Gammage
Nita Gowans
Lesley Griffiths
Paul Hadden
Colin Macleod
Emma Melton
Jo Simson
Chris Simson
Tim Simson
Margaret Webb
Brian Webb
Debra Wilkins
"All the actors in a large cast made the most of their chances and the piece rattled along at a splendid pace. KATS discovered a gem in this short play, and their production did it full justice" Hertfordshire Mercury
