The TADLOP team once again pulled out all the stops to recreate the thrill of the voyage in the Shropshire Premiere of Titanic the Musical - the sumptuous splendour of the vessel; the extravagant and contrasting lifestyles of the passengers and the drama of its final hours.

Two hours of pulsating songs and music combine in this musical tribute to all who sailed, dealing with the events of that unforgettable night in April 1912 when hopes, dreams and lives were shattered.

Dramatic exchanges leave the audience challenged by the question of who was to blame for this monumental disaster at the height of Britain’s imperial reign.

This is one of the most difficult and ambitious shows the players have ever undertaken.

The commitment of all the players over the past nine months was obvious to all.

Brilliant scenery, beautiful costumes, an enthusiastic and gifted cast and musicians all made for a memorable evening.

Derek Rous

Shropshire Star

27/04/2007

‘You have to hand it to Tim Rice and Abba’s Benny and Bjorn. There can’t be many people who could take the game of chess as a metaphor for life, love and the Cold War and think, “Hey, there’s a West End musical in that”.

Last night the Telford and District Light Operatic Players (TADLOP) revived the show, a story of two chess grandmasters, East and West relations and that musical chestnut, love.

It’s fair to say that Chess, wordy, complex and at times bordering on ridiculous, isn’t the greatest of musicals, but TADLOP have put on a show of the highest order.

It really is hard to believe that these are amateur performers, such is the quality of the singing, choreography, costumes and musicianship.

The staging is imaginative, especially during the song One Night in Bangkok, which brilliantly evokes a sleazy street in a sleazy city, complete with dancing girls, and there is strong work from Elizabeth Law and also David Griffiths, particularly in a comic Russian dance.

There were some teething problems, however, and a difficulty with the sound meant that sections became impossible to follow.

Also, the heating in the theatre was set far too high – it was so hot that sweaty Bangkok looked cold by comparison, and members of the audience were wilting.

But these are minor complaints that will doubtless be corrected for tonight. TADLOP have taken on a difficult show and produced something that professionals would be pushed to match. Their hard work deserves large audiences.’

Andrew Owen

Shropshire Star

16/03/2005

'TADLOP recently took on the challenge of being the first Operatic society in Shropshire to stage the West End Musical favourite ‘Chess’ with music by Benny Andersson & Bjorn Ulvaeus from Abba and lyrics by Tim Rice.

Set in Merano, Italy, the show opens with a lively prologue where we meet our MC for the evening, the Arbiter, nicely played by Matt Webb. The story then continues at the Palace Hotel introducing the first of two World chess contestants Frederick Trumper, the reigning champion from the USA, energetically played by Roger Ashford, with the rest of the company.

He is accompanied by his Hungarian-American girlfriend, Florence Vassy played by Elizabeth Law who stole the show with her excellent and relaxed singing.

Frederick’s Russian opponent Anatoly Sergievsky appears ready to do battle in the contest and immediately takes an interest in Freddy’s girlfriend. Kevin Sudlow is convincing in his role as the love struck player with confident singing.

The story is played out with Freddy losing his title and his girlfriend to Anatoly before the wayward Russian is brought to his senses by the appearance of his wife, Svetlana, played with professional aplomb by Barbara Devey.

I particularly enjoyed the performance of Anatoly’s scheming manager Alexander Molokov played by David Griffiths who had great stage presence.

Musical highlights included ‘I Know Him So Well’ with Florence and Svetlana and ‘One Night in Bangkok’ with Frederick and an ever hard working company.

I also enjoyed the ‘Embassy Lament’ with the Civil Servants and the ‘Anthem’ sung by Anatoly. Andrew Murray’s delivered a confident cameo role as Walter de Courcey and the audience loved the amusing character role of the TV Presenter by Chris Griffiths.

The only problems seemed to be with the Sound system and the uncomfortable temperature in the Theatre.

A polished production with an innovative set featuring large TV screens, a sub stage for the chess action and a real time TV camera. Congratulations to Director Lynn Hunt Craib, Musical Director Alistair Craib, Choreographic consultant Debbie Ashford and the Company.'

AJR

18/03/2005

'Some weeks ago "Matt Webb" told us on site of a performance of Chess in Telford in Shropshire that his dramatics group was putting on and that he was playing The Arbiter. Well I went to the closing night last night and must tell everyone what a fantastic show it was.

In fact it was by far the most professional amateur show I've ever seen and most aspects of it could have transferred to a West End stage without any difficulty.

The show was at the Oakengates Theatre in Telford, Shropshire UK which seemed a fairly new theatre holding maybe 700 or so. The room was packed and the audience loved the show.

The actors who played Florence, The Russian player and the Russian's manager had fantastic voices and Matt as the Arbiter played his part as well with a very authoritative performance.

The band (around 15-strong) were as good as any I've heard at a professional musical and the settings, costumes and lighting were absolutely first class including on ongoing video recording that was played back on a back-of-stage screen just like at an Arena !

A great experience that well exceeded my expectations and one that made me so envious of people with such talent who can put on a show of such a high standard while still working for a living during the day.

I wonder if any other members went to see the show? I know one did in Matt himself and maybe if he reads this he could add his own thoughts and experiences to the thread.'

Jo

AbbaSite.com

20/03/2005

'Congratulations to Telford and District Light Operatic Light Players. Their production of Fiddler on the Roof, which played to packed houses at Oakengates Theatre from Tuesday to Saturday of last week, lived up to the high standards we now expect them to deliver - we were not disappointed. The professionalism of the whole Company shone through the performance.

The innovative approach of Director/Choreographer Lynn Hunt was apparent from the opening moments of the show until the poignant final curtain. The Dream Sequence and the candlelit Sunrise, Sunset stood out as just two of the many memorable scenes. The chorus singing and involvement were outstanding and the inclusion of small children in the village scenes added an extra dimension of realism to the story. The pivotal role of Tevye was played by Andrew Murray, who captivated the audience with a performance of great sensitivity and humour, his singing voice was perfect for the part. His performance was well matched by Helen Bryant's sensitive portrayal of Golde, his wife, and their duet, Do You Love me? was beautifully executed. Tevye 's three eldest daughters were played by Frances Cruddas, Carmel Bradley and Annika Dixon. They brought a touching sense of vulnerability and hope to their singing and acting roles. Nigel Whyles also stood out with his superb characterisation of Motel the tailor. Rowan Ashe played Perchik: this talented young man has an excellent singing voice and I am sure we will hear a lot more of him in the future.

The strength and depth of the cast was ably supported by the Musical Director Alastair Craib, who conducted the orchestra which was beautifully controlled and contributed much to a magical evening of Theatre.'

H.C.

'‘Unexpected Songs’ at the Centenary Theatre 23^rd, 24^th and 25^th October 2003 performed by TADLOP – Telford and District Light Operatic Players. Any one who did not get to see the above performance missed a superb evening's entertainment.

The programme consisted of many songs from musical shows some of the well-known numbers and some of the more unusual and not so well known songs.

Helen Bryant opened up the show with a very sensitive rendering of ‘Unexpected Song’ from Andrew Lloyd Webbers’s Song and Dance. The stage then erupted into a mass of red and black costumes with the ladies and gents chorus performing ‘Thoroughly Modern Millie’ followed by a song and tap dance routine ‘Tap Your Troubles Away’ from Mack and Mabel. How refreshing to see a number of new young members in this company. Outstanding was Aaron Prior who has a strong stage presence and coped well with the simple but effective tap dancing as did members of the ladies ensemble. Another young man worthy of mention is Rowan Ashe who has a fine voice with much potential.

Many exciting items followed, too numerous to mention individually, but Jo Matkin’s strong performance of ‘What’s The Use of Wondering?’ from Carousel deserves special praise. What a fine voice she has, supported by the excellent ladies’ chorus.

Act 2 opened with ‘Masquerade’ from Lloyd Webber’s Phantom of The Opera. My favourite item in the second half was the ‘Cell Block Tango’ from Chicago: a pity the very able percussionist was a little overpowering during the spoken dialogue. The six ladies gave a convincing performance, giving momentum to the remainder of the show. The production team is to be congratulated together with Pam Vaughan who held everything together with her fine accompaniment on the piano

TADLOP’s next production is Fiddler on the Roof in April 2004 at Oakengates Theatre. Don’t miss it.'

S.G-P.