TV legend Bonnie Langford to bring Broadway to Bridgnorth

‘​Broadway To Bridgnorth’ will be held at the town’s St Leonard’s Church, and will bring together a 21-piece orchestra conducted by renowned musical director Alfonso Casado Trigo, a 40-strong choir, and several leading West End performers, including Bonnie herself, Jeremy Secomb, Chris and Lucy Key, Jessie Hart and Erica Ann Deakin.

The concert follows a unique training programme for aspiring performers aged 11 upwards, which was run this week by Yellow Ticket Productions.

Called One Week More! – The West End Experience, the intensive week offered students the chance to train directly with top-tier directors, performers and vocal coaches from the pending concert.

‘Broadway To Bridgnorth’ itself promises to be a true celebration of music, talent and theatrical magic, and when Weekend caught up with Bonnie, she couldn’t wait to give those in attendance a night they would never forget.

“This concert came around because of a show I was doing until very recently in America,” she said. “I’d been in a show called Sondheim’s Old Friends. It was a show that we did in London and then it went to Los Angeles and to Broadway. 

“The musical director on that show in London and the supervisor in New York was Alfonso, and he is one of the most wonderful conductors I have ever worked with. He is just inspiring, fabulous and a great human being as well.

“He lives near Bridgnorth. He’s Spanish but he met and married his beautiful wife Jessie [Hart – also performing]. Living in Bridgnorth and in that area, he wanted to contribute to the local arts scene, particularly wanting to help young people get into it.

“It is absolutely vital, I think, for young people to be able to discover new avenues, their talents, and their passions. We all need that.

“Alfonso decided that he wanted to do this concert and the training programme to bring some music and artistic joy to young people, and in fact people of all ages in the area.

“And when somebody that you love working with and you admire asks you to do something, and also is a fabulous friend, you don’t say no.”

Famous for a long and glittering career on the West End and Broadway, Bonnie has also done her time in television, with notable stints in Doctor Who and EastEnders among other projects. Despite having always savoured the razzle dazzle of the big stage and the small screen, she believes that the real joy of her profession is in those who also comprise it, and is delighted to be heading to one of Shropshire’s prettiest towns for Saturday’s more intimate show.

“It’s all very well doing this job – and I’ve done it for a long time now – but it’s the people that matter; the people that you’re working with and the audiences. And this felt to me like coming home,” she said. “We’re going to have a fabulous evening in Bridgnorth; I think it’s going to be very, very special. It’s about community. It’s about being in a room with like-minded people – whether they are performing or listening. It’s about embracing the whole atmosphere.”

As well as hosting the concert, Bonnie will be performing alongside a plethora of top talent, and is looking forward to taking to the stage with every single one of her co-stars.

“Alfonso is a top-class musician and he’s asked the best people who work with him to come and every single one of them has said yes,” she said. “It’s going to be this venue that’s full of the most extraordinarily talented musicians, including a local choir. The choir is called Key Change – about 50 people – and they’re going to be there just singing and showing that it’s all about coming together.

“I get to work with Jessie, who I’ve only ever known when she’s been with Alfonso, so that’s going to be great. I’ve never been in shows with the other singers, so that’ll be nice as well. I’ve not met Chris and Lucy, and they’re local as well.”

With songs for ‘Broadway To Bridgnorth’ being plucked from through the ages, the big question, of course, is what numbers can the audience look forward to?

“It’s songs from all different musicals – some of them classic, some of them new,” said Bonnie. “We’ve put together things like Over The Rainbow, and then we’ve got What Is This Feeling? from Wicked. 

“Musicals don’t have to be old fashioned – they’re very current and they’re very exciting. We have a lot of stuff from Stephen Sondheim, because one of the other artists is Jeremy Secomb who was with me in Old Friends on Broadway. We’ve come back and we’re going to do a couple of numbers together. I was asked to host it and now I’m doing about five numbers! That’s how they hook you in!”

Having come to prominence as a child star with 1970s TV show Just William, Bonnie has a particular passion for giving young people access to the arts and opportunities to explore the world of stage and screen.

“The creative arts are often seen as a luxury item,” she said. “But I think they are a necessity. We’re not all designed to sit behind a desk. Being able to crunch your numbers is helpful and we can’t survive without being able to do that, but the world has so many elements that cannot be suppressed.

“It can be difficult for young people to find that path. So often it can be about ‘you’ve got to pass that exam’. But if given the chance, many will find a creative passion, and you can turn your passion into a career if you choose to. 

“The school that they’ve done prior to the concert has given young people the chance to explore that. It’s even involved conducting, and that is something you don’t hear of very often. That’s often a very specialist area.”

Having had a very diverse career since the Just William days, Bonnie has truly embraced variety as the spice of life.

“I love working in both TV and theatre. It’s just a different style and a different way of working,” she said. “I’ve actually been back in Doctor Who more recently than EastEnders and it’s so big now – it’s like the Avengers movies! To be involved in something so big and iconic like that and to come back to it after 38 years was very unexpected – you never know what’s coming up next. 

“In the world we live in you have to be very adaptable. I love live theatre; I love creating something that is in that moment and in that room with people. I love doing TV as well though because it reaches a larger audience overall and you can reach people in their own homes. 

“It’s a whole different way of working – it’s different timings. But it can have more of an impact because it’s there forever. I love both though and I just love telling stories to people through whichever medium. I could do without the early mornings of television though!”

Happily for Bonnie, ‘Broadway To Bridgnorth’ will be a comfy evening concert kicking off at 7.30pm, and one that she hopes everyone in attendance will enjoy.

“It’s going to be a fantastic evening,” she said. “It’s going to make many memories. You will always think of this evening with fun and laughter, but also with a special appreciation of great music, skilled people, and also a feeling that you’re very much an important part of that. And without you being there, it won’t be quite as special.”

For tickets to ‘Broadway To Bridgnorth’, visit www.yellowticketproductions.co.uk/event-details-registration.