Concert for Queenscourt

A Concert for Queenscourt ... a concert staged and performed by members of the Queenscourt Musical Theatre Company at The Civic, Southport Road, Ormskirk on Thursday 11 th September 2025

This was Queenscourt Musical Theatre Companies second year as a NODA member and their second year staging a ‘musical extravaganza’ at The Civic in Ormskirk. Last year’s concert, which was amazing, won them ‘Best Concert’ at the NW District 6 NODA Awards Dinner, an award which they richly deserved! I’ve seen a number of fabulous concerts this years, so the pressure was on for QCMT to ‘hit those same dizzy heights’ in an attempt to retain that trophy! So, with the President of NODA Mr Graham Liverton present ... it was time to ‘sit back’ and enjoy what was to come!

Production Team ... Stephen Hughes-Alty (Director), Steve Cook (Musical Director), Anna Dunnett (Choreographer) and Hayley Jones (Producer) where the ones chosen to lead ‘Queenscourt’ through this musical extravaganza and what a wonderfully professional job they made of it all! I’ve said on many occasions, when you see Stephen Hughes-Alty’s name at the ‘helm’ of anything ... you always know you’re in safe hands and ‘detail’ will always be to the fore. The team set about taking us on a journey through the
magical world of movie musicals starting way back in 1927 and bringing us up to modern day. We had an array of classic songs, some wonderful harmonies and some well thought out and varied choreography... did it work... Oh Yes!
Congrats to the ‘team’ for their vision and ability to get things just right!

Cast... Jacqui Lewis and Colin Dryden, two well-known and respected actors from District 6 compered this year’s concert, with Jacqui also ‘showing off’ her vocal prowess with renditions of ‘He’s My Boy’ and duetting with Mike Fay with their rendition of ‘Be Our Guest’, from Beauty and The Beast. A cast of thirty-seven took to the stage including a group of ten amazingly talented young actors /singers/dancers from the ‘So Talented Academy of Theatre Arts’ based in Southport, the cast included...
Amelia Moran, Charlotte Littler, Chloe Judd, Chloe Morris, Colin Dryden, Danielle Clark, Emilie Alty, Hayley Jones, Heather Gomersall, Jacqui Lewis, Jeanette Healy, Jessica Wall, John Coates, John Delahunty, Kelly Andersen, Kelly Bond, Laura Adams, Lisa Tatler, Mike Fay, Megan Price Mawdsley, Pippa Morris, Sophie Horne, Sophie Watkinson, Stephanie Brittain, Steven Wright, Tom Johnson and Toni Spofforth and young members from the So Talented Academy of Theatre Arts ...
Bryony Jones, Cassidy Ackers, Sienna Shawcroft, Isabelle Brittain, Lucy Manchester, Imogen Povey, Lily Grace Faulkner, Grace Hudson, Niamh Tolson and Thea Shawcroft.

The concert was performed in two Acts...
ACT ONE....
i) Movies Were Movies (Mack and Mabel) sung by the full company
ii) My Mammy (Jazz Singer) sung by John Delahunty
iii) Let’s Face the Music and Dance (Top Hat) sung by Steven Wright
iv) Can’t Help Lovin’ Dat Man’ (Show Boat) sung by Laura Abrams
v) Anything Goes (Anything Goes) sung by Kelly Bond
vi) Adeliade’s Lament (Guys & Dolls) sung by Kelly Andersen
vii) Oklahoma (Oklahoma!) sung by the full company
vii) Secret Love (Calamity Jane) sung by Hayley Jones and Stephanie Brittain
viii) Singin’ in the Rain (Singing in the Rain) sung by John Delahunty accompanied by dancers
ix) Consider Yourself (Oliver!) sung, danced and acted by members of the So Talented Academy
x) How Do You Solve a Problem Like Maria (The Sound of Music) sung by Lisa Tatler, Stephanie Brittain, Jessica Wall and Laura Adams
xi) Climb Every Mountain (The Sound of Music) sung by Lisa Tatler
xii) Cabaret (Cabaret) sung by Toni Spofforth
xiii) Brand New Day (The Wiz) sung by the full company
xiv) Quintet (West Side Story) sung by the full company

ACT TWO
i) Be Our Guest (Beauty and the Beast) led by Mike Fay and Jacqui Lewis supported by full company
ii) Easy Street (Annie) sung by Hayley Jones, Tom Johnson and Heather Gomersall
iii) I Just Can’t Wait to be King (Lion King) sung by the Members of the So Talented Academy
iv) Suddenly Seymour (Little Shop of Horrors) sung by John Delahunty and Charlotte Littler
v) Come What May (Moulin Rouge) sung by Kelly Bond and Steven Wright
vi) He’s My Boy (Everybody’s Talking About Jamie) sung by Jacqui Lewis
vii) Stars (Les Misérables) sung by Mike Fay
viii) Master of the House (Les Misérables)sung by John Coates and Jeanette Healy & full company
ix) Pure Imagination (Wonka) sung by Jeanette Healy
x) What is this Feeling (Wicked) sung by Charlotte Healy and Megan Price Mawdsley & full company
ix) For Good (Wicked) sung by Hayley Jones, Heather Gomersall and full company
iix) Mamma Mia Medley (Mama Mia) sung by full company

If I may, and as is the ‘norm’... I’m going to stick ‘the old neck out’ and select MY favourite songs... you’ll have your own, but these are mine and I’m going to select two from each Act, starting with....
i) Kelly Andersen’s rendition of ‘Adelaide’s Lament’ from Guys and Dolls. Kelly not only sang this really well, she acted it out with great storytelling ability, facial expressions, mannerisms and comedy!
ii) Loved, loved Oklahoma! .... favourite song from one of my favourite musicals, sung to perfection by the entire cast, led in parts by John Coates. Terrific choreo, wonderful harmonies and so much energy!
iii) ‘Suddenly Seymour’ sung to perfection by John Delahunty and Charlotte Littler. Great duet, two voices that just blended and which were supported ever so well by the ensemble.
iv) Mike Fay’s - ‘Stars’... ‘Stole the Show’ for me and many others with his epic rendition of this ‘Les Mis’ classic. The Civic went silent, song sung to perfection, the audience reaction just re-enforced those facts!

Staging/Tech … as I said last year, I’m not the ‘biggest fan’ of backing tracks, but as last year, the tracks used were of excellent quality, supporting the singers throughout, whilst enhancing the production totally. Lighting/Sound ... the lighting plot was ever so effective and again enhanced the entire evening.  Loved the lighting for Laura Abrams’s rendition of ‘Can’t Help Lovin’ Dat Man’ ... amazing! Again, I’m not the biggest fan of ‘haze’, but I know it’s used to enhance the lights and create atmosphere, but on occasions I’m not sure it did what ‘it said on the tin’ ... the results didn’t affect the overall enjoyment or the scene or the song being sung, but I just felt it was slightly over zealous! As ever… congrats to Scott Makin and his team from Moonlight Events.

As I said last year, this concert attracts some of this areas very best singers who all want to support the fabulous and worthwhile cause that is Queenscourt Hospice. This a local charity that provides specialist palliative care across West Lancashire, Southport and Formby which many locals have benefited from. Queenscourt is all about ‘caring staff’, ‘nothing being too much trouble’, ‘a calm relaxed environment’ and ‘care that is second to none’… so can I take this opportunity to once again thank Queenscourt Musical Theatre Company and Queenscourt Hospice for all they are doing!

I’d also like to say thanks for inviting Susan and I to this concert, thanks for allowing me back stage after the concert to congratulate all involved and thanks to Liz Hartley and all the Fundraising Staff for making us so welcome and for looking after us throughout, really appreciated. We thoroughly enjoyed the evening and can’t wait for QMTC’s next adventure!

Stay safe, keep well…
‘Stronger Together’
Jim Briscoe
NODA NW... District 6 Rep

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