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BBLOC History

1970-1979


1979

King's Rhapsody

Producer: Ricky Price
Musical Director: Sam Newgarth

King's Rhapsody

1978

White Horse Inn

Producer: Ricky Price
Musical Director: Sam Newgarth

BBLOC’s 25th anniversary

White Horse Inn

1977

The Card

Producer: Ricky Price
Musical Director: Sam Newgarth

The principal role of Denry Machin, ‘The Card’, was taken by Ricky Price

The Card

1976

Carousel

Producer: Ricky Price
Musical Director: Sam Newgarth

BBLOC celebrated America’s bicentenary year with Rodgers and Hammerstein’s ‘CAROUSEL’.

Ricky Price designed and the company made the sets to fit in with his stylised production which paid off economically and added dimension to the setting.

The revolve was used for the Carousel

Carousel

1975

Mame

Producer: Ricky Price
Musical Director: Sam Newgarth

A great show - 13 performances over 10 days but the audiences were poor and the company lost money

An Alsatian pup played the part of the fox

Mame

1974

Fiddler On The Roof

Producer: Ricky Price
Musical Director: Sam Newgarth

It was a marvellously moving production to take part in. With the exception of the two ghostly apparitions, all members of the cast appeared with no make-up which was completely appropriate – but hard to take for some of the ‘blue eye shadow brigade’!

‘I imagine a lot of their supporters thought, as I did, that they’d met their match when it was announced their 1974 production would be ‘FIDDLER ON THE ROOF’. Well, now it’s word eating time, or hats, if you’re male and Jewish. I don’t think I’m being too presumptuous but I’m sure that members of the local Jewish community who attend the show will approve its authenticity as well as enjoy the music and humour. For Mr Price has worked ‘a miracle of miracles’ in reproducing this moving and amusing story with an amateur cast’. [Echo]

Fiddler On The Roof

1973

Kismet

Producer: Ricky Price
Musical Director: Sam Newgarth

Although applauding the production and performance of the company, the theatre critics were unhappy with the choice of show, calling it ‘amazingly wordy and boring’ and urging the company to choose one of the dozens of better musicals on offer in the future. In spite of this the show was a virtual sell-out… and what about the ‘posse of strong-arm men complete with Mr Universe muscle power’??!

Kismet

1972

Hello, Dolly!

Producer: Ricky Price
Musical Director: Sam Newgarth

This was a landmark year for BBLOC. They hired a professional producer – Ricky Price – for the first time.

Ricky trained as an actor at Liverpool, worked there and for a short spell in repertory in Southport, before going on to train for 2½ years in classical and modern, American jazz and musical comedy, dancing under various teachers in London, including 1 year with Ballet Rambert. He toured in musicals as a dancer/singer and appeared in 5 summer shows as a dancer/singer, also doing sketches and choreography. He spent 12 years with Sadlers Wells (now English National Opera) as dancer, ballet master, choreographer and, finally, as staff producer. He appeared on TV in various operettas and dance spectaculars, and in the film, Moll Flanders. In the amateur world Ricky spent 11 years as senior producer at the NODA Summer School directing extracts from opera. He directed the British premier of Gigi at Norwich and Jesus Christ Superstar in Bermuda. He adjudicated at the Watford International Music Festival in 1984 and 1985, and directed and choreographed all types of musical theatre for societies around the country.

‘HELLO, DOLLY’ was the first of 20 superb shows Ricky was to produce for BBLOC.

It was the first time ‘Dolly’ had been produced in Bournemouth - it was a sell-out and was repeated for a 2nd week in May.

Hello, Dolly!

1971

The Merry Widow

Producer: John Crane
Musical Director: Brian Wiltshire

The Merry Widow

1970

The Desrt Song

Producer: John Crane
Musical Director: Brian Wiltshire

There was even a donkey in the show which, according to the Echo critic, ‘gave no trouble at all and behaved itself perfectly, apart from taking Mr Crane for a short walk round the stage’.

The Desert Song

Macmillan Caring Locally - Golden Partner
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