Written by Arthur Lovegrove, the play follows the story of the Fordyces family and the events that unravel after Mrs. Puffin, a complete stranger, walks into their lives with predictions of the future.
Written by Arthur Lovegrove, the play follows the story of the Fordyces family and the events that unravel after Mrs. Puffin, a complete stranger, walks into their lives with predictions of the future. This image is a photograph that was taken of the T.A.O.D.S production of they play at City Hall in March 1966.
The White Horse Inn is a musical comedy by Ralph Benatzky and Robert Stolz who adapted it from Oscar Blumenthal’s original play. It follows the story of the head waiter of the White Horse Inn who is desperately in love with it’s owner. The T.A.O.D.S staged their own production of the musical in 1965 at City Hall Truro.
City Hall is a grade II listed building that was completed in 1846. Built to house the headquarters of the local council, the north end of the complex accommodated the municipal buildings, which included a courtroom and a council chamber, while the south end accommodated a market hall. In the early 20th century, civic leaders decided to make the market hall available for public use. In 1907, it operated as a skating rink and then as a cinema in 1912. In 1925, the market hall was remodelled as a theatre with a stage after a fire had gutted the building in 1914.
West Side Story is a musical by Laurents, Bernstein and Sondheim set in the mid 1950s in New York City’s Upper West Side. Inspired by Shakespear’s Romeo and Juliet, it follows the unfolding rivalry between two teenage street gangs, the Jets and the Sharks. The original 1957 production of the musical was Sondheim’s Broadway debut. Running for 732 performances before touring, the production was nominated for six Tony Awards including Best Musical in 1958. The musical’s London production ran for even longer before it was eventually adapted into film in 1961. This photograph captures a scene from the T.A.O.D.S production of the musical at City Hall in 1992.
First produced in 1927, the Showboat musical follows the lives and loves of the workers aboard the Cotton Blossom travelling showboat. The T.A.O.D.S performance of the musical ran at City Hall Truro between the 2nd and 7th of November 1992, although it had been produced by the society for decades. Joan and John Boreham produced this particular performance, with Joan also directing the choreography.
The Sound of Music first opened on Broadway in 1959 and won 5 Tony awards including best musical. By 1961 it had reached British theatres and first opened at the Palace Theatre, London. This photograph is from the 1990 T.A.O.D.S production of The Sound of Music at City Hall in 1990.
West Side Story is a musical by Laurents, Bernstein and Sondheim set in the mid 1950s in New York City’s Upper West Side. Inspired by Shakespear’s Romeo and Juliet, it follows the unfolding rivalry between two teenage street gangs, the Jets and the Sharks. The original 1957 production of the musical was Sondheim’s Broadway debut. Running for 732 performances before touring, the production was nominated for six Tony Awards including Best Musical in 1958. The musical’s London production ran for even longer before it was eventually adapted into film in 1961. This photograph captures a scene from the T.A.O.D.S production of the musical at City Hall in 1992.
Written by Tim Rice and Stephen Oliver, Blondel is a rock opera musical set in the period of the Third Crusade. It tells the story of the medieval entertainer Blondel who travels across Europe to stop Prince John from taking King Richards throne, although Blondel himself is being pursued by an assassin. Blondel opened in London in 1983 and played across two West End theatres. Although eventually closing less than two years after opening, community amateur dramatic society’s still produced their own performances of the musical at local theatres across the country for decades after. This photograph was taken at the T.A.O.D.S performance of Blondel at Hall for Cornwall in 2000.
Hot Mikado is a musical comedy based on Gilbert and Sullivan’s 1885 comic opera ‘The Mikado’. In the 1980s, Bell and Bowman readapted the musical from its original 1939 incarnation. It was then produced in its new form in 1987 before again being revived in London’s West End in 1995. The story is set in 1940s Japan where flirting is punishable by death. The 2009 T.A.O.D.S production of Hot Mikado ran between the 22nd and 26th of September and was directed by Trevor Hitchens, who is well known for his original twists on well established shows.