More records as playgoers flock to Lytham Hall

Both The Adventures of Dr Dolittle on Friday and Much Ado About Nothing on Sunday, with turnouts of 400 and 425 respectively, drew the best attendances of the summer so far on the nationwide tours so far by the performing theatre company Illyria.

The cast of Dr Dolittle has given 52 performances all over England, Scotland and Wales, while a separate cast for Much Ado about Nothing have so far visited 31 venues.

At Lytham Hall, theatre organiser Julian Wilde was delighted with the response of audiences and actors alike as dry weather and some sunshine on each day enhanced the occasions.

" I think the setting at Lytham Hall inspires the actors and we were treated to two first class performances. It is a wonderful boost to our morale to have achieved the highest attendance in the country twice in just 48 hours”.

Helen Booth, leader of the young Meet and Greet team, felt that the audiences are continuing to celebrate again being able to attend live open air theatre.

“I have never seen so many picnics, especially in the warm sunshine of Friday, and we found that all those attending were just so glad to be there with friends and family,” she said.

Lytham Community Choir, conducted by Graham Warrington, gave its first performance for 21 months prior to the Sunday Shakespeare play and was able to showcase the songs for its appearance with Russell Watson in the Last Night of the Proms concert in the Hall grounds on Sunday, August 29.

The curtain comes down on the summer of open-air plays this coming Sunday, August 22, with Illyria’s production of Gilbert and Sullivan's HMS Pinafore, which has been sold out for three weeks, with the expected attendance of 550 bringing another record to the Hall’s biggest and most popular plays season .

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