New era with comic hit musical

Comedy legend Victoria Wood’s iconic 1980s spoof sitcom has become an outrageously-funny hit musical.

Jon Henwood-Wardle, who took over as chairman earlier this year, is delighted with sales so far.

The company’s biggest hit of the past ten years was Bad Girls; and the signs are good that Acorn Antiques will do even better when it plays Worthing’s Pavilion Theatre from Wednesday to Saturday, September 21-24.

With a couple of weeks to go, they were already ahead of Bad Girls “which is our big marking point”, Jon said.

It’s all a question of moving with the times - and surviving in troubled times.

“I am certainly looking at trying to modernise the company a bit more and streamline it more cost-effectively to make it work better for itself.

“I am sure you know how it is. Most local companies are dwindling away and going into obscurity. We have got to make ourselves more viable as a business. What we have got to do is go down the more corporate route, looking at company sponsorship and getting local businesses involved rather than just members’ subs and fund-raising.

“We have tried the corporate route with this, and we have done pretty well. We have funded the costumes and the sets through corporate. We have covered the biggest expenses. It’s definitely the way forward. We have had a really good response from local businesses.”

Also crucial is maintaining a mix of shows. There is no question of abandoning the musical theatre staples; the answer is to mix them up with newer shows.

“When we did Bad Girls, people were thinking ‘What are you doing!’ but it made us more money than any show in ten years.”

It’s a question of getting the approach right as they contemplate next year’s anniversary when they will be increasing their usual number of shows a year from two to three. The third will be a musical celebration for the anniversary; in March they will be staging Oklahoma!; and then in September next year, the show will be Sweeney Todd, for which they will be boasting a choir more than a hundred strong.

Tickets for Acorn Antiques on 01903 206206.