This Spring Theatre by the Lake has joined forces with Stockroom to present a remount of Kate Wasserberg’s fabulous production of Richard Cameron’s much-celebrated play The Glee Club.

Cameron’s raucous comedy about friendship and divided loyalty in a rough and rugged world, features the romantic songs of the 1950s performed live on stage and is proving a popular choice with audiences.

In the Summer of ’62, five hard-working, hard-drinking Doncaster miners, together with their church organist accompanist, are frantically preparing to wow the audience of a local gala concert with their sweet tones. This is The Glee Club, a group of unlikely singers, who though being established in the working men’s clubs, aren’t exactly known for being at the vanguard of a musical revolution. But both Britain and music are about to change… and so too are the lives of these six men. Will anything ever be the same again?

The Glee Club was first staged at the Bush Theatre in 2002 and became so successful it transferred to the West End shortly after.

Liz Stevenson, Artistic Director of Theatre by the Lake said:  “We are thrilled to be working with Stockroom for the first time to bring this critically-acclaimed production to Cumbrian audiences. A rich and powerful play full of heart, song, laughter and northern spirit, The Glee Club will set off 2022 at TBTL with a bang!

Stockroom’s Executive Producer, Martin Derbyshire said:  “We are thrilled to be working with Theatre by the Lake, to realise a project that has been put on hold for two years. We are proud of everyone involved and look forward to seeing the culmination of their hard work on stage.” 

The show garnered fantastic reviews with The Times referring to it as a “gorgeous play” and The Stage dubbing the comedy “a tender exploration of male friendship and sense of community.”

The show features a strong cast including: Dan Bottomley as Walt, Matt Concannon as Jack, Robert Jackson as Scobie, Linford Johnson as Colin, Jark Lord as Bant, and Eamonn Riley as Phil.

The creative team for The Glee Club includes: Associate Director Kirk Jameson alongside Musical Director and Sound Designer Dyfan Jones with Movement Director Sam Spencer Lane. With design by Mark Bailey, lighting design by Katy Morison and costume supervised by Lucy Howarth.

A host of accessible performances are available, including a captioned and audio described performance, as well as a pot show discussion.

The Glee Club plays in Theatre by the Lake’s Main House and runs from Thu 24 February until Sat 12 March with tickets from £10. The show leaves Keswick for a tour to Oldham Coliseum In March. Find out more and book tickets at theatrebythelake.com or via TBTL’s Box Office on 017687 74411.