Broadford Amateur Theatrical Society (BATS) will once again take the stage this Friday with a play based on the British television sitcom, Are you Being Served?
Are you Being Served? is a British sitcom from the 1970s, following the misadventures of the staff and series of customers at the clothing department store of Grace Brothers.
The hit television show was turned into a play by writers David Croft and Jeremy Lloyd.
With five performances at Broadford Shire Hall, the cast and crew have been rehearsing for six weeks to showcase the play’s typical British humour.
Act one will showcase major highlights across the show’s seasons, while act two will take a spin as the cast will move from the shop to Spain, following the television’s movie version.
Director Shaun Geerlings-Parker, who has directed BATS’s comedy musical Nunsense and their latest production Beehive, said it had been a quick rehearsal period.
“Rehearsals have been going really well … it’s been full on. There’s a lot of lines to learn the characters, but it’s really fun,” he said.
“It’s a pure play, we’re bringing all the characters to life. It’s a hard one because people come with preconceived ideas of exactly what it’s going to look like, so our cast in the show are required to create those television characters.”
Familiar faces will be taking on the play’s shop workers including Maria Page, Paul Tennant, Greg Mills, and Michael Molony as well as other main and supporting characters.
Mr Geerlings-Parker will be making a return to the stage as Mr Humphries after his first engagement with BATS in the production of Mamma Mia in 2022.
Mr Geerlings-Parker said he had previously directed the show in New Zealand many years ago.
“This is the first play I personally directed in the last five years. It’s even for myself been a bit of a change going back from doing musicals for the last few years to going back to a play – which is a different ballgame,” he said.
“It’s been quite an enjoyable process. The ticket sales for the show are doing really well, which is always great for community theatre.
“Any live theatre in the Mitchell Shire, just getting the community support behind our productions or any production in the Mitchell Shire really helps.”
Opening night will be this Friday, May 31 from 8pm to 1pm, with four more shows to follow.
The Review will be drawing two winners for a double-pass for the final show on June 8.