BELOW STAIRS

Below stairs is a musical written for amateur stage the story being written by Trevor Pilling and music created by Alan Lewis.

It could be described as a musical version of Downton Abbey/Upstairs Downstairs as it is set “Below Stairs” in a large London house in 1914 and follows the exploits of Lucy, an ambitious maid, and the impact of the First World War on her life.

This was the first time I have seen Riverside Players perform a musical production and was impressed with the depth of talent within this small group of performers. I thought this production was imaginatively set, superbly cast and wonderfully presented. Excellent singing and top class acting ensured that I thoroughly enjoyed this show.

The main challenge to this production is the constant scene changes (kitchen, park, backstage of the theatre, on stage of the theatre, seaside, trench in the First World War) but the players handled this very well by use of painted drops and tabs.

I was delighted to be invited to watch the last night of the production, which ironically, was exactly 100 years to the day that Archduke Ferdinand was shot, starting a series of events leading the outbreak of the First World War.

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