Ukuleles, line dancing and rock come to Sutton (From Epsom Guardian)

Ukuleles, line dancing and rock come to Sutton

12:00pm Thursday 7th June 2012 in Freetime By Sophia Sleigh, Reporter

A theatre company is returning to Carshalton for a jubilee celebration of dance, music and song, writes Sophia Sleigh.

Both young and old will sing and dance their way through decades of the Queen’s reign.

The Attic Theatre Company will bring their It’s the Ritz - Diamond Jubilee to an audience this month.

Jenny Lee the artist director says: "We have been doing this for about five or six years now. Each year it gets bigger.

"We have 70 performers sitting together at the side of the stage and about 70 members of the audience.

"70 per cent of performers are over 60.

"There is no drama as such but we have a rock band called XS Baggage who are going to do God Save the Queen and everybody joins in at the end.

"It’s like a community show where everybody brings their own pieces and I act as compere.

"It’s enormous fun. It is an extremely spirited thing. All of us make a great combination."

The original It’s the Ritz performance showcased at the venue in 2004 and was a culmination of a year’s work by the Merton and Morden Guild Singers, the Goan Elders and Keep Fit.

Since then the project has included an It’s the Ritz goes Rock n Roll and an It’s the Diamond Ritz. The project allows young people to work with professional stage managers, sound and lighting and in professional venues.

With performers from the ages of 10 to 90 expect a mix of ukulele playing, line dancing and rock music.

It’s the Ritz - Diamond Jubilee, Charles Cryer Studio Theatre, 39 High Street, Carshalton, June 23, Eve 4pm, £3.50/£3 concs, 020 8770 6990, visit