Something for all tastes at arts venue
Lichfield 's first social enterprise coffee shop-arts centre has a stirring array of entertainment in the pipeline this summer - including a new musical based on the classic novel The Great Gatsby.
The Hub at St Mary 's is hosting Dinner with Gatsby, based around a dinner party for F Scott Fitzgerald 's fictional 1920s character Nick Carraway.
Joshua Clayton from Work in Progress Theatre said: “Dinner with Gatsby is a new adaptation of the classic novel, as you 've never seen it before. Reimagined for the stage, the production explores love, loss and the darker side of American society in the 1920s.
“This is Gatsby, but not as you know it. Bringing this production to life has been a thrilling process and sharing excerpts of it in North Wales and London to date, I 'm incredibly excited to be bringing it to my home turf for its world premiere performances. ” The show is staged on Friday June 30 and Saturday July 1 at 8pm.
Another theatrical treat is in store at the Hub from 7.30pm on June 29 when the 1930s star of musical comedy, Gertrude Lawrence, tells her story for the first time from her perspective in Gertrude Lawrence: A Lovely Way to Spend an Evening.
The show celebrates her talent, on and off stage, and features over 20 songs from London variety and revue through to hits by Noel Coward and Kurt Weill.
The show is directed by cabaret artist Sarah-Louise Young while actor, classical singer and theatre-maker Lucy Stevens has crafted a new script using Gertrude Lawrence 's autobiography and letters to tell her own story.
Hub creative director Anthony Evans said: “Gertrude Lawrence was one of the most popular stars on British and American stages for 25 years in productions often characterised by their sharp wit and sophistication. Expect these aplenty in Lucy 's show - most definitely a Lovely Way to Spend an Evening. ”
On Wednesday June 28 from 8pm, The Perspective Collective, described as a group of classically inclined musicians, are performing their most recent work, Dark Places, conceived during lockdown.
Grant Mech from the Perspective Collective - who are touring the UK for the first time - said: “For us, the most exciting part of any tour is sharing music and interacting with an audience that is experiencing a piece of music or theatre for the first time. ”
Meanwhile, on June 25 from 6pm the Hub will stage Sunday Jazz - Celebrating Jazz Trumpet, featuring Lichfield-born multi-instrumentalist Nick Dewhurst on trumpet, Birmingham-based pianist Toby Boalch and Tom Moore on Double Bass.
Anybody interested in finding out more about The Hub and all Hub events should go to thehubstmarys.co.uk
Pictured: A new musical based on classic novel The Great Gatsby is set to feature