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The Kings Cliffe Players have taken on their most ambitious musical production yet, Lerner and Loewe’s My Fair Lady. Sue Dobson dropped in on rehearsals With a cast of 30, 17 scenes and numerous costume changes, a nine-piece orchestra and some 50 people involved off-stage, the Kings Cliffe Players certainly relish a challenge. Taking on My Fair Lady, one of the best known and best loved of musicals, is pretty brave, but as I saw from some early rehearsals, they are going to do it very well. Now in their 24th year, the Kings Cliffe Players stage two or three productions a year, ranging from pantomime to plays. Their members live or work in Kings Cliffe and surrounding villages. For their first full scale musical and most ambitious project to date, they have “spread the net a little bit wider.” Several of their members also appear in productions by the Stamford Shoestring Theatre and Stamford Shakespeare Company at Tolethorpe Hall. “We have such a mix of skills and interests here and everyone is keen to contribute, on stage or behind the scenes,” says Bill Lindsay, the show’s director. His own roles have included acting, sound, lighting and being the group’s treasurer. “People recycle themselves,” he grins. Co-producer Philippa Lang-Norris joined the Players in 1987 for a small role in Dick Whittington and is currently Chair of the Players Committee. “Whole families get involved,” she says. “Children who enjoyed appearing in the pantomimes are still with us now they’ve grown up.” Suggestions for a new production come from the members. James Major, a property surveyor from Yarwell, had a clear vision of what he wanted to do when he put forward his idea to stage My Fair Lady and offered to be musical director. “The music is a brilliant mix of Cockney ballads and Viennese waltzes,” he enthuses. “I’ve wanted to do the Ascot scene for years. We’re doing the full production. We’re not cutting any corners.” Playing characters from costermongers to lords and ladies, the chorus must change roles and costumes. While many of the costumes will be made locally, the most complicated – the big hats and slender dresses for the Ascot scene, for example – are being hired. Jenny Dixon is designing the sets and costumes. “I’m in charge of getting all the period detail right,” she smiles. She’s built a model for each stage set and has a draughtsman providing working drawings for the builders. A community affair The sets are purpose built for each production. “We tap into local expertise for behind-the-scenes activities such as lighting, sound, set building and front of house,” explains co-producer Ady Serjeant. “It’s a real community affair.” The backstage area in the village hall is minute. Entrances and exits have to be carefully arranged. Quick scene changes become minor miracles. Quite how 30 people manage to squeeze into the changing area is best left to the imagination. Sheila Baile, a teaching assistant at Kings Cliffe Middle School, is playing Eliza. Bubbly and enthusiastic, she has always loved singing and, having studied dance at college, is choreographing some of the scenes in the show. “I learn my lines in the bathroom. My 11-year old twin boys know the words of all the songs,” she laughs. Nigel Rudd plays Professor Higgins. A management consultant who appeared in the Players’ production of Oh! What A Lovely War, in the community opera Tobias and the Angel in Oundle and is often seen in the summer Shakespeare at Tolethorpe, he’s an admirer of the Kings Cliffe concept. “The Players engage local people in a way that other communities don’t,” he says. “The pantomimes are a great way of involving children. You can see them gaining in confidence and the skills they learn in the performing arts will be valuable in later life. “Everyone enjoys the experience, including the audience, who are not seated passively in rows but around tables, with drinks served from the licensed bar. There’s a cabaret atmosphere.” They’re a dedicated lot the Kings Cliffe Players, devoting countless hours to making a success of everything they do. They are also extremely talented. • My Fair Lady plays at the Kings Cliffe Village Hall from 17th to 20th and 24th to 27th March at 7.30pm (doors open 7pm). Tickets cost £8, concessions £6, and are available from the Kings Cliffe Post Office, by phone, tel: 01780 470464 or by emailing This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it 
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