Gavin & Stacey star Larry Lamb surprises Oswestry school drama students
Students at Moreton Hall near Oswestry were treated to an unexpected visit this week when acclaimed actor Larry Lamb dropped in on a rehearsal for the school’s forthcoming senior school production of The Witches of Eastwick.
Lamb, celebrated for his roles as Mick Shipman in Gavin & Stacey and Archie Mitchell in EastEnders, dropped into the school's rehearsal to watch students perform musical numbers from the show, ahead of his ‘In Conversation With’ event hosted by local independent bookshop Booka.
Speaking to the cast, Lamb shared a touching personal anecdote about his own connection to musical theatre: “It’s really funny being around a musical getting made. I met my girls’ mum when we were both in a musical together. I fully fell in love, and now I’ve got two daughters who love musical theatre,” he said.
His visit comes at a celebratory moment for the Weston Rhyn school’s drama department, which has recently been shortlisted in the Music and Drama Education Awards for Outstanding Drama Department Award - the only school in Shropshire to achieve this, making the recognition all the more special.
Michael Jenkins, head of drama, said: “The atmosphere in the rehearsal room was electric. It was a joy to watch the seasoned actor soak up the energy of the room and comment on how wonderful it was to see a space buzzing with such creativity and talent.
“During the impromptu performance of I Love This Little Town, one of the musical's comedic numbers, Larry turned to me and said how impressed he was by the standard of performance, which naturally made me feel very proud.”
Tickets are now on sale for The Witches of Eastwick, which is being performed from Tuesday, December 2 to Thursday, December 4 at The Holroyd Community Theatre, the school's onsite professional theatre.
For tickets and further details, visit moretonhall.org/the-witches-of-eastwick.
