Central Hall Musicals Society opens doors to public (From York Press)

Central Hall Musicals Society opens doors to public

3:10pm Thursday 9th February 2012 in Music news and reviews

THE Central Hall Musicals Society, the University of York’s longest-running performance society, is to open its doors to the citizens of York for the first time.

“We would love to reach as many residents of the city as possible,” says publicity correspondent Katie Lambert, ahead of tonight’s opening night of Into The Woods.

Past productions have included Rent, Jekyll And Hyde and The Full Monty, and this week the society is performing Stephen Sondheim’s musical tale of fairytales gone awry from today until Saturday in Central Hall at 7.30pm nightly.

“In the current climate, when has the statement 'Wishes come true, not free' been more poignant?” asks Katie, noting the topicality of Sondheim’s theme.

Into The Woods has been in the news recently, after Dame Judi Dench visited Giggleswick School for a performance of a shortened version of the first act.

“Now we don't have Dame Judi – more's the pity – but what we do have is an incredibly talented cast of 28 and an equally numerous and committed team behind the show,” says Katie.

“Since October, we’ve been rehearsing, designing and, in my case, plotting to make this show a success. The University of York has dropped down Top University surveys due to the lack of graduate employment, but we believe that a process such as putting on a professional show is a great improvement of employability and so have striven to beat the damning statistics.”

To book tickets online, visit yusu.org/whats-on/event/3428