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An array of top Dunedin performers will dress up in their finest music hall gear and step into the limelight during this weekend’s Playhouse Theatre 150th anniversary celebrations.
The remarkable milestone is being marked with three performances of "The Grand Old Playhouse Music Hall", a variety concert filled with music and laughter that also doubles as a fundraiser.
Presented by Dunedin Repertory Society, the show will be staged this Friday and Saturday, from 7.30pm, and Sunday, from 2pm, at The Playhouse, Albany St.
The joyful performances will mark the 150th anniversary of the opening of The Playhouse building on May 24, 1876, originally as a lodge of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows.
The Grand Old Playhouse Music Hall will feature an array of local performers, well-known from the city’s theatre and music scenes, including Bridget Telfer Milne, Arlie McCormack, Harriet Moir, James Adams, Darrel Read, Chris Hinch, Clare Lewis, Charlotte McKay and Jack Archibald.
The ensemble will include Caroline Murray, Grant Paris, Sophie Uden, Sam Roadley, Genevieve Scanlan and Leo Douglas.
They will perform everything from cheeky Cockney classics to beautiful ballads, skits and rousing choruses, all inspired by the British music hall tradition.
They will be accompanied live on stage from the piano by "indefatigable maestro" Tobias Devereux.
And holding it all together will be "The Chairman" Brent Caldwell, who is also a member of the Dunedin Repertory Society committee.
Caldwell told The Star that many of the performers who had stepped up to be part of the show had either been through The Playhouse’s children’s theatre programme themselves, or were the parents of children taking part.
"Everyone will be giving their all to make the show great fun for everyone, and the audience will get song sheets so they can join in with their favourites," he said.
"The musical hall show is both a way for us to thank the community for their support for the theatre so far, and to remind them that the job is not quite finished yet."
The Playhouse Theatre community is in the midst of a major fundraising effort towards much-needed upgrades to the fabric of the theatre and to improve accessibility.
The Dunedin City Council has pledged $3 million towards the upgrade, and the society is required raise the remaining $2.5 million.
Caldwell said the fundraising project was going well, with strong contributions from the community and funders.
"Our ultimate goal is to make The Playhouse a warm, safe, accessible space for Dunedin people to enjoy for the next 150 years."
• Tickets for The Grand Old Playhouse Music Hall are available through the website www.playhousetheatre.co.nz