36 M MERCURY June 12, 2009 email: mercury@hertsessexnews.co.uk
P
arenthood ushers in a whole
new world of worries, but
TV star and childcare expert
Professor Tanya Byron
hopes to demystify the art of
raising youngsters when she visits
Hertfordshire next week.
The trained psychologist, best known
as the face of primetime reality show
The House of Tiny Tearaways, will be
chairing a friendly and relaxed
discussion on Thursday about the
trials and tribulations of family life.
The event is in aid of Pelhams Pre-
School in Stocking Pelham, which is
in urgent need of new furniture, toys
and equipment. It will take place at
the Rhodes Arts Complex in Bishop's
Stortford.
The 42-year-old mother-of-two, who
is married to The Bill actor Bruce
Byron, said: "I hold these talks for
various charities all over the country
and they always turn out to be very
enjoyable and often quite funny.
"The evening's also about picking up
some good advice that can cover even
the simple issues. It's not just about
young children either � there'll also be
some tips about living with teenagers
and bringing them up.
"I want to help people realise that a
lot of the things that happen
throughout parenthood aren't a
catastrophe and engender the spirit
that we're all in this together.
"Parenting has become quite
competitive and isolated, so it's nice
for people to realise they're all facing
similar problems.
"I think children have become
something of a commodity, like the
car you drive or the clothes you wear.
People almost expect their kids to
instinctively understand the rules of
society � they forget that children are
supposed to be naughty and that it's
their job to teach them the rules over
time."
Doors open at 7pm and the talk begins
at 8pm. There will also be a chance to
buy signed copies of Professor
Byron's books on the night.
Tickets are �16. To book, call the
box office on (01279) 651746 or visit
www.rhodesbishopsstortford.org.uk.
Ambitious production shows great promise
For the trials of family
life, ask the professorBy James Burton
T
hese two short plays, adapted by
David Wood, open up wild vistas
into the weird worlds of Roald
Dahl. James and the Giant Peach was
performed by the younger group of 8-
to 13-year-olds; The Witches by a
group of 14- to 18-year-olds.
In both stories the boy at the centre
of the yarn has been cruelly
orphaned. James has fallen into the
clutches of two horrific aunts for
whom he is slave and drudge. The
performances of fat Aunt Sponge
(Isabella Moroney) and skinny Aunt
Spicer (Poppy Byrne) stood out, as
did that of James himself (Amy
Clynes) who showed ease, charm and
confidence. There was good support
from all the insects on the voyage of
the Peach and I particularly liked the
performance of Miss Spider (Rosie
Kay) and Old Green Grasshopper
(Ashley Curtis). This was very much
an opportunity for a large number of
first-timers to experience being in
front of an audience. The obvious
enjoyment was infectious. A large
painted peach on flats to the right of
the stage was confusing rather than
helpful as the cast from the outset
mimed towards an imaginary peach
somewhere at the back.
Performed by the older group, The
Witches was a more serious affair.
Boy is the otherwise unnamed hero,
brought back to England from
Norway by his grandmother after his
parents have been killed in a car
crash while visiting her there. Unlike
James's aunts, grandma is a
benevolent figure, but chooses a
hotel for their return where the
witches of England are convening to
plan the slaughter of all children.
Fortunately grandma knows all about
witches and is able to advise the
mouse-grandson on how to deal with
them. The Grand High Witch (Beth
Gladwin) gave a strong performance,
as did Boy (Simon Bagg) and his
friend Bruno (Tom O'Connell), two
large teenagers required to play much
younger boys and be changed into
mice, things they carried off with
conviction. This was a cast that
showed promise for the future of
Lytton Players. The production was
ambitious in style, a little subject to
bumps and fumbles on its first night,
but I'm sure gaining assurance
thereafter as the actors gained
confidence in their decidedly odd
characters and nimbleness in their
sometimes complex stage moves.
Richard Henderson
H
erts teenagers have the chance to star
in a production of classic fairy tales
adapted by the poet laureate Carol
Ann Duffy.
Auditions for the Herts County Youth
Theatre (HCYT) performance of Grimm
Tales will take place at Simon Balle School
in Hertford on June 24 from 4pm to 6pm.
They are open to 13- to 18-year-olds who
currently attend a council-funded school or
college in the county.
The play will be held on October 30 and 31
at Watford Palace Theatre.
For more information about HCYT or to
attend an audition, email
learning@watfordpalacetheatre.co.uk or
call 01923 810307. Places are limited so
early booking is advised.
I
f you want to be part of Bishop's
Stortford's biggest comedy event to date,
you'd better act fast.
Tickets for a special fund-raising
extravaganza at the Rhodes Arts Complex
next Wednesday, featuring Red Dwarf star
Norman Lovett and up to a dozen more top
stand-ups, are being snapped up quicker
than ice-creams in the Sahara.
Performers are giving their talents for free
and proceeds from the evening will be
donated to a campaign to collect �100,000
for Macmillan Cancer Support, run by the
Mercury's sister paper the Observer.
Headliner Norman is best known for
playing eccentric ship's computer Holly in
cult BBC sci-fi sitcom Red Dwarf, but has
also enjoyed a long and successful stand-up
career.
Tickets to the night, which starts at 8pm,
are just �15. For more information, visit
www.rhodesbishopsstortford.org.uk or
call (01279) 651746.
It's not too
late to join
in fun night
Ella's West End joy
WEST END GIRL: Emma Wortley will begin rehearsals tomorrow for her role
in Oliver! (s)
A
10-year-old girl from Hoddesdon
is excited to be starting rehearsals
tomorrow for the West End
production of Oliver!.
Ella Wortley, a pupil at Woodside
Primary School in Goffs Oak, was
thrilled when she won a part in the
chorus of the London show and will
work alongside Rowan Atkinson and
then Omid Djalili in the role of Fagin.
Steve Wortley, the director of Cheshunt's
Vall� Academy of Performing Arts,
which Ella also attends, said: "She's
absolutely over the moon. When you're
10 years old it's not Rowan Atkinson
you're meeting, it's Mr Bean, and she's
really excited about that."
Ella will be in the show from the end of
July until Christmas.
Adults connected with the academy are
also in the public eye.
John Catherall, of Broxbourne, featured
in a T-Mobile advert filmed in London's
Trafalgar Square and starring American
pop-rock star Pink.
The school's vocal coach Mandie Smith,
of Enfield, has snapped up the same role
in Hannah-oke, the British karaoke
game show based on the hit children's
TV series Hannah Montana, which is
screened on the Disney Channel.
Grimm time
for teenagers
Sevendays stage
Review
James and the Giant Peach
and The Witches (double bill),
Stevenage Lytton Youth
Theatre,
Nobel School,
Thu Jun 4-Sat Jun 6
PROFESSOR TANYA BYRON
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Ware Drill Hall7 Cromwell Road, Ware, SG12 7JS
Doors: 7.00pm Bell Time: 7.30pm
Tickets: �15 Ringside, �10 General Admission
�8 Concession
BBOOXX OOFFFFIICCEE:: 0011999922 558844 332222
*Tickets available from the Hertford TIC & on the night*

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