1990a – Sweet Charity

The Festival Players’ first show of the nineties was this tale of a Times Square working girl, with music by Cy Coleman, lyrics by Dorothy Fields and book by Neil Simon. Chris Wong took over musical direction duties from Brian “Tommy” Thomas for the first of three shows.
Director Clive Young

Associate Director Ann Buckingham

Musical Director Chris Wong

Choreographer Sara Brown

Lighting Design Paul Curtis

Set Design Stephen Buckingham & Clive Young

Costume Design & Wardrobe Diana Lloyd

1990b – Kismet

Tom Farrell directed this show, set in the Baghdad of the Arabian Nights. Written by Robert Wright and George Forrest, the musical tells the story of a wily poet and his beautiful daughter.

Director Tom Farrell

Musical Director Chris Wong

Choreographer Helen Thompson-Garner

Lighting Design Paul Curtis

Set Design Stage Productions Ltd

Costume Design Margaret Thorp and Isabel Munro

 

1990c – Jack the Ripper

The Festival Players returned to the ADC theatre with this musical version of the life and murders of Victorian killer Jack the Ripper.

Director David Morris

Musical Director Chris Wong

Lighting Designer David McRobb

Set Design David Morris

Costumes & Wardrobe Marian Hardy, Diana Lloyd

 

1991a – West Side Story

Sondheim and Bernstein’s transposition of Romeo and Juliet to 1950s New York saw the Sharks and the Jets fight their battles on the Mumford Theatre stage in 1991.

Director Ann Buckingham

Co-Director Stephen Attmore

Musical Director Chris Wong

Choreographer Sara Brown

 

1991b – Hello, Dolly

The Festival Players stayed in New York for their second show of 1991, as Cornelius and Barnaby steal away from their jobs in a Yonkers store for an adventure in the city, meeting matchmaking Dolly Levi on their way.

Director Jeremy Webb

Musical Director Brian Thomas

Choreographer Helen Thompson-Garner

Lighting Designer Paul Curtis

Set Design Roy Braybrooke

Costume Design & Wardrobe Katherine Free, Margaret Thorp, Sue Thornley, Barbara Edwards, Wallace Wareham

1992a – The Wizard of Oz

The Festival Players journeyed to Oz in 1992 in the musical adaptation of L. Frank Baum’s novel.

Director Steve Attmore

Musical Director Brian Thomas

Choreographer Helen Thompson

Producer Diane Aston

Director’s Assistant Nicky Oakes

1992b – Gigi

Lerner and Loewe’s musical, based on the novel by Colette, came to the Mumford Theatre in 1992, almost twenty years after its Broadway debut.

Director Brian Thomas

Musical Director Brian Thomas

Producer Joe Oakes

Choreographer Helen Thompson

Lighting Design Paul Curtis

Set Design Roy Braybrooke

Costume Design Peggy Warren

1993a – Tonight at 8

Director Michael J Holland

Musical Director Brian Thomas

1993b – Carousel

The Festival Players returned to the work of Rodgers and Hammerstein for their second show of 1993, Carousel. The Mumford Theatre was filled with songs such as ‘You’re a Queer One, Julie Jordan’ and the better-remembered ‘You’ll Never Walk Alone’.

Director Clive Young

Musical Director Brian Thomas

Choreographer June Wallman

Lighting Design Paul Curtis

Set Design Clive Young and Roy Braybrooke

Costume Design Diana Lloyd

 

1994a – Where’s Charley?

Based on the play Charley’s Aunt, the musical Where’s Charley opened on Broadway in 1948. Set in the Oxford University of the 1890s, Loesser and Abbott’s show takes George Abbott’s farce  of Victorian social mores and adds musical numbers including ‘Better Get Out of Here’ and ‘The Woman in his Room’.

Director Margaret Thorp

Musical Director Brian Thomas

Choreographer Margaret Jacobs

Lighting Design David McRobb

Set Design Roy Braybrooke

Costume Design Margaret Thorp and Isabel Munro

1994b – Oklahoma

It was back to Oklahoma after seventeen years for the Festival Players in their second show of 1994. Brian ‘Tommy’ Thomas was once again musical director, as he had been in 1977.

Director Clive Young

Musical Director Brian Thomas

Choreographer Teresa Wallman
assisted by June Wallman

Lighting Design Paul Curtis

Set Design Clive Young

Costume Design Diana Lloyd

1995- Oh, What a Lovely War

Joan Littlewood’s 1963 musical about the Great War was barred from the West End by the Lord Chamberlain until Princess Margaret’s intervention caused a change of heart. By 1995, thankfully, the Festival Players’ production of the show suffered no such problems.

Director Steve Attmore

Musical Director Brian Thomas

Choreographer June Wallman

 

1996 – Cabaret

From one war to the eve of another, the Festival Players returned to a past success with their next show, Cabaret, sixteen years after their first production.Once again, Brian ‘Tommy’ Thomas connected the two versions, having served as musical director for both.

Director Clive Young

Musical Director Brian Thomas

Choreographer Helen Dyson

Lighting Design Paul Curtis

Set Design Roy Braybrooke

Costume Design Diana Lloyd

 

1997 –Half a Sixpence

Returning again to past successes, the Festival Players revisited Half a Sixpence in 1997, with a show described by the Cambridge Evening News as “a beautiful show, beautifully lit, deliciously danced and wonderfully sung. The harmonies in the finale were pure bliss.”

Director Rex Walford

Musical Director Brian Thomas

Choreographer Helen Thompson-Garner

Lighting Design Paul Curtis

Set Design Roy Braybrooke

Costume Design Margaret Thorp

 

1998 – Annie Get Your Gun

1998 saw another return for a popular favourite, as the Festival Players returned Irving Berlin’s show Annie Get Your Gun to the Mumford Theatre stage, with Brian ‘Tommy’ Thomas doubling up as director and musicval director. Combinations, in its review of the year, acclaimed the whole show, and had particular praise for Roy Braybrooke’s set design, and the performances of Linda Thomas (Annie Oakley) and Clive Young (playing Chief Sitting Bull).

Director Brian Thomas

Musical Director Brian Thomas

Choreographer June Wallman

Lighting Design Paul Curtis

Set Design Roy Braybrooke

Costume Design Diana Lloyd

1999 – Anything Goes

The final Festival Players show of the decade, century, and – indeed – millennium saw them set sail with Cole Porter aboard a ship bound for London from New York. Angela Singer, reviewing the show for the Cambridge Evening News, reckoned “The chorus songs were triumphant, … with some lovely harmonies, and the 11-piece band was a joy to hear”.

Director Clive Borrow

Musical Director Brian Thomas

Choreographer Theresa Goddard

Lighting Design Dave McRobb

Set Design Roy Braybrooke

Costume Design Margaret Thorp assisted by Jo Poole