With four wonderful plays behind us in our 2024 season, we’re now cooking up a storm in the McGrigor Hall as the fabulously-talented Brenda Longman, who was last seen as Prof Higgins’ mother in My Fair Lady, returns to step into the apron of one of the UK’s first celebrity chefs - the indomitable Fanny Cradock.

Known for her sharp wit and no-nonsense attitude, Fanny dominated TV with her live cooking shows, often alongside her eccentric husband Johnnie and their silent, hard-working assistant.

This world premiere of Fanny’s Burning! promises a delicious mix of culinary chaos and theatrical flair and even the chance to learn how to stuff a turkey the Fanny way.

If you can’t stand the heat – get out of the kitchen and into the theatre.

We’ve also welcomed two new large casts to Frinton, bringing even more energy and excitement inside the gates. The streets are alive with the hum of rehearsals and the promise of spectacular performances to come.

Not only are we staging the comedy classic Noises Off – the play where everything goes wrong front and back stage – but we have started working on this year’s celebrated musical, Annie Get Your Gun.

Frinton Summer Theatre is already known for staging high-quality productions with relatively short rehearsal periods, but we really come into our own when we put up our now iconic circus tent on the Greensward.

Rehearsing a musical is a completely different method to a normal play. Perhaps it’s obvious but it’s crucial that all the song-learning, and in particular the harmonies, are locked into place before anyone speaks a word.

Our multi-talented musical director Neil Somerville hands out all the individual melodies to performers right at the onset and on day one we have a wonderful sing through – rediscovering the delights of classic tunes such as There’s No Business Like Show Business and Anything You Can Do (I Can Do Better).

The minute we finish the sing through, director Tracy Collier gets to work. Tracy knows and loves Frinton well having performed here in several previous plays and she choreographed last year’s much-loved musical My Fair Lady, as well as playing Mrs Pearce.

Tracy has extensive West End credits and brings enormous experience with her – so I asked her to take on both the direction and choreography in Annie.

The casting process for ‘Annie Get Your Gun’ has been both fun and demanding, as we seek exceptional multi-talented artists who can act, sing, and dance with authenticity and flair.

It’s a joy to watch these talented individuals come together to create something truly special.

Rehearsals take place in the spacious ballroom of the local tennis club, providing a perfect stand-in for the wide stage of our tent.

If you’re visiting the club, you might just catch a sneak peek of a rousing rendition of You Can’t Get A Man with a Gun!

We’re also excited to introduce more local talent. Bertie Ketterer a future star who shone as Ronnie in The Winslow Boy, will be followed by two more highly-talented young actors from Frinton, Albert and Betty Miller, who will portray Annie’s younger siblings, Jessie and Little Jake.

For a perfect family outing to top off your summer holidays, join us under the big top tent, which goes up mid-August at the bottom of Connaught Avenue.

We hope to see you there and don’t forget your Stetson! Grab your tickets now at www.frintonsummertheatre.org