A HUGE thank you to everyone who has supported our production of The McAdo this week. It’s been truly wonderful! Many thanks to our fantastic audiences who have given us such amazing feedback and loved our fling in the Highlands. Thanks too, to our dedicated cast, our visionary Director Katharine Crew, our very patient MD Tom Arnold, our wonderful backstage team led by our SM Becky Jamieson, Martin Putman for lighting and much much more, and so many others who have worked hard along the way with dialogue, props, costume, set, and rigging. As always, too many to mention - what you see on stage is the tip of an iceberg of dedicated work. You are all stars 🌟.

PHOTOS: Rosalind White Photography 

Time to buy your McAdo Tickets!

We're very close to our opening night! Time to get booking if you want the best seats for our Highland take on Gilbert & Sullivan's classic 'The Mikado'! All the humour and great music you expect but set amongst a Highland Clan with a wee bit of flinging and bagpipes. It's huge fun and it really works in this different setting.

The quaint Highland town of Tinlochewe has a problem. Not only has the McAdo, the fearsome Clan Chief, made flirting a crime punishable by death, but no executions have been carried out for over a year.  With the McAdo now demanding that a victim must be found, Co-Co, the timorous Lord High Executioner, casts around for a volunteer.  Meanwhile, the McAdo's son, Bonnie Drew, is in hiding in the town, masquerading as a travelling musician, and is in love with Co-Co's fiancée, Wynn-Somme.  Bonnie Drew agrees to volunteer himself for execution if he can be married to
Wynn-Somme for a month first.  

But things go from bad to worse, with the arrival of the McAdo and Katrina, a terrifying English woman who has tracked down Bonnie Drew and is determined to marry him.  How can Bonnie Drew and Wynn-Somme escape Katrina's clutches? How can Co-Co avoid a lingering punishment from the blood-thirsty McAdo? And will the Three Little Maids ever stop giggling?

Click on our Order Tickets button to book!

 

Noda Awards 2025!

The NODA Eastern District 3 Awards took place yesterday at Luton Library Theatre. Many congratulations to Jessica Hallett who won ‘Most Outstanding Performance’ for her wonderful Mad Margaret in our recent production of ‘Ruddigore’. Congratulations also to our other nominees who received certificates: Sue Wookey and David Crew for ‘Best Duo/Trio in a Musical’ for Sir John and Maria Duchess of Dene in our October production of ‘Me and My Girl’, Dave Anstice-Pym who was nominated in the ‘Impressive New Performers to District 3’ category for Richard Dauntless in ‘Ruddigore’ and to Jane Powell, our ‘Ruddigore’ Director, for our nomination for 'Excellent Safety Notice / Good Backdrop and Projections with Storyline’. Many thanks to our NODA rep, Nova Horley, for a wonderful day celebrating all the hard work that goes into local theatre productions, it was really inspiring!

Jess with her winning certificate

David and Sue

Jane our Ruddigore Director

Dave's certificate collected by Jane!

PBGS performance nominations!

The NODA Eastern District 3 Award Nominations have been announced and we are thrilled that our performers have been nominated in three categories!

Many congratulations to Jessica Hallett who has been nominated for ‘Most Outstanding Performance’ as Mad Margaret in our recent production of ‘Ruddigore’, Sue Wookey and David Crew who have been nominated for ‘Best Duo/Trio in a Musical’ for Sir John and Maria Duchess of Dene in our October production of ‘Me and My Girl’ and Dave Anstice-Pym who has been nominated in the ‘Impressive New Performers to District 3’ category for Richard Dauntless in ‘Ruddigore’. Many congratulations to everyone!

We were also nominated as a group for Ruddigore for ‘Excellent Safety Notice / Good Backdrop and Projections with Storyline’.Well done to our Director Jane Powell and all the Stage Team for pulling off such a great looking show!

McCado Box Office Now Open

The Box Office is now open for our Tartan take on Gilbert and Sullivan's 'The Mikado'. Set in an 18th century Scottish town, it's the story and music you love but with kilts and a bit of bagpiping! Order your tickets by scanning the QR code below or click on our Order Tickets button.

 

The McAdo Launch Night!

 

We are thrilled to announce our next show - that perennial G&S favourite The Mikado, but with a Highland twist! Launch Night for The McAdo is next Tuesday. New members, both on stage and behind the scenes (just as vital!), are always welcome. If you've always wanted to have a go, or have always fancied being in a G&S, just come along and introduce yourself. We are a very friendly bunch!

Join us at 8pm at Harlington Methodist Church Hall, Harlington, Beds LU5 6LR, to hear all about the show from our Director Katharine Crew.

Thank you!

A big thank you to all our audiences this week for supporting us and being so appreciative! Feedback from Ruddigore has been wonderful and we've enjoyed every minute presenting this show to you. An equally big thank you to all who've made this show possible - our very hard working teams behind the scenes (there is more going on than you can possibly imagine!), our Director Jane Powell who's kept us inspired along the way, our MD Chris Burrett and, of course our wonderful orchestra! Those of us dancing about on stage are the tip of a big iceberg of talent. It's been a great week in Rederring!

Ruddigore opens next week!

Our production of Ruddigore opens next Wednesday 30th April and rehearsals are nearly over! We can't wait to show off all our hard work when we take the stage at Woodside Hall, Hitchin next week. Here is a little taster of what Gilbert and Sullivan's take on melodrama is all about:

"The Baronets of Ruddigore are cursed. Anyone who succeeds to the title has to commit a crime every day - or perish in inconceivable agony!

What the people of Rederring in Cornwall are unaware of is that the ‘honest’ farmer, Robin Oakapple, is really Sir Ruthven Murgatroyd in disguise. His younger brother, Despard, believing Ruthven to be dead, has assumed the title. However, the sailor Dick Dauntless, Ruthven’s rival for the love of Rose Maybud, tells Despard that his brother is alive. This forces Ruthven to assume his rightful role.

As the Baronet of Ruddigore, Robin is confronted by the ghosts of his ancestors who are most unimpressed by his pathetic attempts at wickedness. How can he win back Rose and return to his life as a good man?"

Tickets are still available for every night and our Saturday Matinee. Scan our QR code below or click here!

Trial by Jury 'Bring & Sing' and World Piano Day

PBGS had a busy day yesterday! In the afternoon we had our Trial by Jury Bring and Sing at Pirton Village Hall, and we had a fantastic time singing this piece together and celebrating its 150th Anniversary. Many thanks to everyone who joined us to sing or to listen, our wonderful cast, our MD Margaret Johnson for getting such a great performance out of us, all the helpers who served yummy tea and cake (not to mention washing up) and all from Pirton who helped us set up! What a wonderful afternoon of music making and reuniting with old friends who came to share the occasion with us.

In the morning we were in Hitchin Market Square celebrating World Piano Day, entertaining passing shoppers and raising money for the Garden House Hospice. Many Thanks to Sue Trost for organising it and playing the Old Joanna for us. We had brilliant sunshine and there was even an eclipse of the sun... 

Trial by Jury Bring and Sing

 

Exciting news! To celebrate the 150th Anniversary of Gilbert & Sullivan's 'Trial by Jury' we are holding a Bring and Sing on Saturday 29th March.

Join us at 2pm at Pirton Village Hall, Pirton Herts SG5 3PS to learn this sparkling comic piece with us (scores provided or bring your own), or come at 3.30 for refreshments and enjoy the performance as a member of the audience. Victorian dress is optional if you want to get into the spirit of the occasion!

Tickets are available from Ticketsource or click on our booking button and select the Bring and Sing!

 

 

Beati/PBGS Concert

PBGS performers with Beati Vocal Ensemble

Fabulous joint concert with Beati Vocal Ensemble in Harlington. This is the second colaboration with Beati and it was great making music together. We had everything from sacred music to comedy, musicals, G&S and jazz! We had a very appreciative audience with lots of lovely comments afterwards including 'when words fail music speaks. Indeed it does! 

Thank you to everyone who came and supported us, to Beati - Vocal Ensemble, and to all the PBGS helpers who beavered away behind the scenes with refreshments and the raffle. What a lovely evening!

We at PBGS are really looking forward to sharing another concert with our friends at Beati, this time at Harlington Village Hall. Book here for a great evening of new pieces by our joint MD, Chris Burrett, familiar favourites and a taste of our next show, Ruddigore. Tickets also available at the door and there will also be refreshments. 

7.30pm Saturday 1 February
Harlington Village Hall

Sundon Road
Harlington
Dunstable
Bedfordshire
LU5 6LS

Ruddigore floor rehearsals have started!

 

Floor rehearsals for our production of Gilbert and Sullivan’s Ruddigore have started and Rederring’s group of Professional Bridesmaids have been practicing their moves! 

 

Ruddigore runs from the 30th April to 3rd May at The Woodside Hall, Hitchin, the same venue where we performed our production of The Sorcerer, and we promise you plenty of melodrama and ghostly goings on. And Bridesmaids.

 

A little taster from the Gilbert and Sullivan Archive:

The Baronets of Ruddigore are cursed. Anyone who succeeds to the title has to commit a crime every day — or perish in inconceivable agony.

Robin Oakapple, a young farmer loves Rose Maybud, but both are too shy to tell the other. But Robin has a secret. He is really Sir Ruthven Murgatroyd, the rightful Baronet of Ruddigore, in disguise. His younger brother, Despard, believing Ruthven to be dead, has assumed the title. Robin's foster brother, Richard, seeking Rose for himself, tells Despard of Robin's deception, and Robin is forced to accept his true position, losing Rose to Richard in the process.

Now the Baronet of Ruddigore, Robin is confronted by the he ghosts of his ancestors who step from their picture frames in the gallery of Ruddigore Castle to confront him for failing to conscientiously commit his daily crime. Robin eventually finds a way of satisfying his ancestors demands whilst continuing to live a blameless life...