Curtain Up: Jeremy Kemp's stage challenge

As Chief Weasel he rather left his weasel and stoat cohorts in the lurch as he tried to make good his escape from ‘Toad Hall’ as it was retaken by the four friends, Toad, Badger, Mole and Rat.

But, in his own words, Jeremy has shed his roguish garb for a brand new set of threads and emerged as Charles Condomine in BTP’s first production for 2017 – Blithe Spirit.

Jeremy’s previous performances, not just in Willows but also in The Pirates of Penzance and Allo Allo had remained in the memory of Blithe Spirit director Kath Joyce and after a telephone call or two, Jeremy found himself “lured back” to the Playhouse stage to play Charles.

Jeremy believes this will be his most challenging role with BTP. Blithe Spirit, perhaps the best known of Noel Coward’s modern classics, is set in 1930s England, and, says Jeremy, of the difficulties ahead of him, “it wasn’t the accent so much as the amount of lines I had to learn” - a daunting task indeed!

When he’s not holed up in the Playhouse Green Room you might find Jeremy on a different stage with bands “Spicy Fruit Chutney” or “Sacred Cow” but for now he is truly ensconced in the drawing room of a house in the Kentish countryside – a far cry from his birthplace in Elginshire, Scotland.

And, a note for BTP’s youth members: the first workshop for 2017, which will focus on audition skills, will be held at the Sunshine Bay CWA Hall on Saturday, March 18, from 1pm to 5pm and Sunday, March 19 from 10am to 4pm.

The weekend will cover voice/singing, movement and characterisation techniques, and is a great opportunity to get comfortable with the audition process in a relaxed, informal and fun setting.

Auditions are coming up soon for BTP’s two youth productions later in the year, so this is an opportunity not to be missed.

All children from 8-18 years are welcome. Bookings are essential and numbers are limited. So please call Belinda Quick on 0448 830 011 to book your place.