IF there is one thing that will bring us all together it’s singing right? That’s what Tavistock Musical Theatre Company is hoping when it puts on its first show in two years on Saturday (November 13).

All Together Now is a global event with 38,000 performances taking place in 35 countries in a bid to encourage people back to the stage and audiences back to live theatre following the pandemic.

The Tavistock show will take place in Tavistock Town Hall and feature 15 songs from musicals and popular theatre.

Long-term member of Tavistock Musical Theatre Company (TMTC) and a performer of some 45 years Julian Bennett can’t wait.

‘I am really excited to be back and for us all to be together on stage again after all this time,’ he said. ‘It will be two years and three weeks since we performed our last show — The Sound of Music.

‘We have all missed performing and the company itself really needs to raise some funds so we can put on Elf next year.’

Elf was planned as last year’s show but that of course was cancelled because of Covid-19. Julian said the company had not got back the money it lost.

‘The Sound of Music made a healthy profit of £6,000 — and that was ploughed back into Elf but the money effectively disappeared when the show was cancelled,’ he said.

Julian added it was not cheap to put on a show with costs somewhere in region of £15,000 and bigger shows at venues like the Princess Theatre in Torquay costing £90,000.

He said with no money in the bank TMTC was hoping to fill the seats at the two performances on Saturday — one at 4pm and one at 7.30pm.

‘There is capacity in Tavistock Town Hall, with the social distancing rules, of just over 100 at each performance.

‘For the Strictly Come Dancing fans, they can come to the 4pm show and still be home in time to watch Strictly on the TV,’ he said.

Among the songs TMTC will be singing are I dreamed a Dream from Les Miserables, Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious from Mary Poppins, When I Grow Up from Maltilda, Take a Chance on Me from Mamma Mia and You Can’t Stop the Beat from Hairspreay.

Julian, who was chef at the former Harewood House Residential Home in Tavistock for 25 years, has been performing since the age of 15 and has played hundreds of different roles in amateur theatre from romantic leads and comedy roles to the baddies and dames in panto in productions across the South West.

TMTC has a wealth of talent but nurtures new talent too as it is an all encompassing theatre group always looking for new members.

Go along and see the show on Saturday...you may wish to join up or at the very least you will come out smiling.

‘That’s the wonderful thing about singing,’ said Julian. ‘I go to rehearsals and come back energised, it raises your spirits and and that’s a great thing especially after the last two years.’

See the advert right for more details on Saturday’s show All Together Now.