GEMCO Players Community Theatre will be performing ‘Canterbury Tales – the Musical’ from now until Saturday, 27 February, at the Gem Community Arts Centre.
The classic musical, which last graced the theatres of London and Melbourne in the 1970s, has finally seen the light again by the good graces of Gemco Players Community Theatre.
Chris O’Neill from Gemco said that long before Shakespeare was even a glimmer in his ancestor’s eyes, there were ‘Canterbury Tales’ by Chaucer.
He said it was the first bestseller in the common English and, like the St James Bible and later Shakespeare, it helped English become the language we speak today.
“Originally written and performed in 1964, a modified version of the musical was performed in the West End in 1968 – and ran for a record breaking (at the time) 2080 performances,” he said.
“It subsequently went to Broadway, before making it to Australia in 1970 where it ran for an unheard of two years.”
So while this musical has laid quiet and dark for 40 years, Gemco has reset it, given it a polish and brought it back life.
The Gem Community Arts Centre is located at 19 Kilvington Drive, Emerald.
Online tickets of $30, or $25 concession, can be purchased via www.gemcoplayers.org or call 0411 723 530 for group discounts.
