Get ready for Stepping Out to tap into your heart
Book your tickets – Murray Bridge Players and Singers is preparing to present “a comedy musical with two left feet” this September.
This sponsored story is brought to you by Murray Bridge Players and Singers.
If you love music and dance, if you need a date night or an evening out, now’s the time to book your tickets to Murray Bridge Players and Singers’ next show.
The local theatre company will present the musical Stepping Out at Murray Bridge Performing Arts and Function Centre this September.
The name might not be immediately familiar – it’s not as well known as some of the other shows the company has tackled lately, and before you ask, it’s no relation to the Fred Astaire song Steppin’ Out with My Baby, either.
But you’re going to love it, say directors Mari Reu and Peta Davis.
Picture a dance class in a London church hall in the 1980s, high fashions and all.
Drawn together are a disparate group of characters: the wistful ex-dancer, the timid one, the snobbish one, the flirt, the shy guy, the antagonistic piano player and a few more besides.
Through the course of the show, their dancing improves and their relationships change … but anything more than that would be giving things away.
The original version of Stepping Out, a play, was the 1984 Evening Standard Comedy of the Year in London’s West End, and was made into a 1991 film starring Liza Minelli.
It was the Tipsy Tappers, a local dance group run by cabaret lover Louise McCullough, who first got Mari and Peta thinking about the musical version.
“We joined this class as a bit of fun and exercise,” Peta says.
“Neither of us had tapped before, and despite being total amateurs, it brought us a lot of joy,” Mari says.
When Mari first suggested Stepping Out as a Players and Singers project, she meant it as a bit of a joke; but the more they thought about it, the more fun it sounded.
“I had seen the show in Adelaide years ago, and the movie starring Liza Minelli, and thought it would be a fun thing to do,” Mari says.
“I love Stepping Out because it’s something different: it explores the lives of everyday people.”
They handpicked a cast of talented local singers and dancers, including McCullough, Lorelle Barton, Tenille Schulz, Hamish Plummer, Monika Hatcher, Cathy Miegel, Eliza Davis and Kate Miegel; and grabbed some of the top musicians going around to fill out the band.
Eliza Davis, Kate Miegel, Peta Davis and Hamish Plummer get into character during rehearsals. Photos: Peri Strathearn.
Each of the personnel involved brings something different to the stage, the directors say.
“We have carefully curated the members of this cast, and some might say that we are a little too close for comfort to resembling our characters,” Peta says.
“Stepping Out uses all of our skills, and some new ones, and the story is delightful.”
Expect laughs, plucked heartstrings and to wind up with a smile on your face by the end of the night.
“If you enjoy a classic comedy, if you enjoy beautiful singing with amazing harmonies, if you enjoy live theatre, if you need a unique date night idea, if you haven’t seen a Murray Bridge Players and Singers show before, if you have seen a MBP&S show before and want to see something a little different, then this show is for you,” Peta says.
“We can’t wait to bring you Stepping Out in all it’s 80s glory.”
“Don’t stay away because you haven’t heard of it,” Mari says.
“We have a tight-knit cast with some beautiful songs, some classic moves and overall just great entertainment.”
- Performances: 7.30pm on Friday and Saturday nights, and 2pm on Saturdays and Sundays, from September 6-14 at Murray Bridge Performing Arts and Function Centre.
- Tickets: $40, or $35 concession, at www.trybooking.com or Ray White Murray Bridge.
- More information: Visit mbplayersandsingers.com.au or search for Murray Bridge Players and Singers on Facebook or Instagram.
Advertising to more than 20,000 highly engaged locals can do wonders for your business. Call Murray Bridge News’ Jane Intini on 0418 835 768 or email jane@murraybridge.news.
Peri Strathearn
