The eagerly awaited production of Bugsy Malone finally hit the stage on Wednesday 5th May for a two night run, after everyone had returned from extended holidays due to the ash cloud hanging over the UK. Set in New York in 1929, the story tells of a war raging between two rival gangsters, Fat Sam and Dandy Dan. Dan is in possession of the new 'Splurge Gun' and with the custard pies flying, Sam turns to Bugsy Malone for help. Unfortunately, Bugsy has problems of his own having fallen for Blousey Brown, a singer at Fat Sam’s bar, while fighting off the seductive songstress Tallulah.

The lead was played wonderfully well by William Jebson who never missed a cue and fully engaged members of the audience in the story. Edward Hodge and Kushal Varma shrugged off their initial inhibitions to play Blousey and Tallulah with great panache and the rest of the cast delivered their lines faultlessly and with a super sense of humour. In the role of Fat Sam, Arya Damavandy was outstanding and a worthy winner of the Drama Tankard.

The standard of the sets and musical interludes were again of the highest quality largely thanks to the efforts of Ms. Jo Gamble and Mrs. Susannah Palmer.