Eddie and the Gold Tops – Badapple Theatre Company
Badapple is a small touring theatre company which specialises in bringing music and drama to small venues, such as village halls – often in out of the way places in some of the remoter parts of the countryside.
It’s the brainchild of the multi-talented Kate Bramley who used to be a member of the highly acclaimed Hull Truck Theatre. Kate writes the plays that Badapple put on, and also directs them. You can read a review of one of Badapple’s recent productions, the excellent Back to the Land Girls, here.
Badapple’s latest production is Eddie and the Gold Tops, a heart-warming and humorous story set in the 1960s about a village milkman of Italian descent who has aspirations to become a pop star – just like lots of other young people, then and since.
Eddie, though, is somewhat hamstrung: just before his Dad died, he made a promise to him to maintain the family tradition and never miss a milk delivery to the good people of Bottledale. That’s fine – until Eddie has a hit song that starts climbing the charts and he gets the opportunity to appear on Top of the Pops. At which point he starts sweating over whether he can make it back in time to put the morning pinta on the doorsteps of the village. And it gets yet more complicated when his travel arrangements start to fall apart.
Will Eddie become a star and rise to the top like the cream in the milk he sells? Will the milkman be able to deliver on his promise to his dying Dad? Or will everything turn sour when he gets stuck half way up the A1? To find out, you’ll have to churn up and watch.
Eddie is played by Jonny McPherson, who has appeared in several episodes of ITV’s Emmerdale as Dr Boam. He also starred in Badapple’s James Herriot Story 2011. Eddie’s girlfriend Marion is played by Kaitlin Howard (who, as well as being an actor is also a singer and a fight co-ordinator!), and her father Gerry by Robert Angell (loads of TV appearances including Coronation Street, Waterloo Road, and tons of productions for Hull Truck, as well as previous form with Badapple – see A Yorkshire Christmas Carol).
The songs and music for Eddie and the Gold Tops are written by Jez Lowe – winner of a Sony Radio Academy Award (BBC2 Radio Ballads). Jez is a singer/songwriter who performs solo and with his band the Bad Pennies, which just so happens to include one Kate Bramley on fiddle!
This production of Eddie and the Gold Tops is supported by the National Lottery, and Arts Council England, and the stage design is by Charlie Cridlan.
Find out more by visiting the Badapple Theatre Company’s website.
2012 Yorkshire dates
Sun 20th May – 7.30 pm
Sand Hutton & Claxton Village Hall
Sand Hutton
York
YO41 1LB
Tickets: adult £8.50; under 16 £5.00
T: 01423 339 168 or from Caroline Hall: 01904 468 376
Tue 22nd May – 7.30 pm
Doncaster Civic Theatre
3 Waterdale
Doncaster
DN1 3ET
Tickets: adult £12.00; concessions £10.00
T: 01302 342 349
Wed 23rd May
St Johns Church Hall
Cudworth
Barnsley
S72 8DD
Tickets: £8.00
T: 01226 723 405
24th May – 8.00 pm
Square Chapel Centre for the Arts
10 Square Road
Halifax
HX1 1QG
Tickets: adult £11.00; concessions £9.00
T: 01422 349 422
Fri 25th May – 8.00pm
Junction
Paradise Place
Goole
DN14 5DL
Tickets: adult £10; concessions £8
T: 01405 763 652
Sat 26th May – 7.30 pm
Helmsley Arts Centre
The Old Meeting House
Meeting House Court
Helmsley
YO62 5DW
T: 01439 771 700
Tickets: £12, concessions £11, students & under 25s £6
Sun 27th May
Spotlight Theatre
55a West Street
Bridlington
YO15 3DZ
Tickets: adult £9.00, under 16s £5.00
T: 01262 601 006
Wed 30th May
Green Hammerton Village Hall
Harrogate Road
Green Hammerton
York
YO26 8AE
Tickets: adult £8.50, under 16s £5.00
01423 339 168
Thu 31st May
Newton – on – Ouse Village Hall
Newton On Ouse
York
YO30 2BY
Tickets: £8.50
01347 848 997
Fri 1st Jun – 7.30 pm
Potto Village Hall
14 Cooper Lane
Potto
Northallerton
DL6 3HQ
Tickets: adult £8.50 under 16s £5.00
01642 700 609
Tue 5th Jun – 7.30 pm
The Coliseum Centre Theatre
Victoria Place
Whitby
YO21 1EZ
Tickets: adult £8.50, under 16s £5.00
01947 825 000
Wed 6th Jun
Hutton – le – Hole Village Hall
Main Road
Hutton-le-Hole
York
YO62 6UA
Tickets: adult £8.50, under 16s £5.00
01423 339 168
http://huttonlehole.ryedaleconnect.org.uk/
Thu 7th Jun
North Duffield Village Hall
Back Lane
North Duffield
YO8 5RJ
Tickets: adult £8.50, concessions £7.50, under 16s £5.00
01757 288 458
Fri 8th Jun
Sutton-on-the-Forest Grey Village Hall
Main Street
Sutton-on-the-Forest
York
YO61 1DP
Tickets: adult £9.00, children over ten £4
01347 810 206
Sat 9th Jun
Kirkby Malzeard Mechanics Institute
Main Street
Kirkby Malzeard
Ripon
HG4 3RS
Tickets: adult £8.50, under 16s £5.00
01765 658 438 or 01423 339 168
Tue 12th Jun – 7.30 pm
Thorganby Village Hall
Main Street
Thorganby
York
YO19 6DA
Tickets: adult £8.50, under 16s £5.00
01423 339 168
www.thorganby.co.uk/village%20hall.html
Wed 13th Jun
Staveley & Copgrove Village Hall
Main Street
Staveley
Knaresborough
HG5 9LD
Tickets: adult £8.50, under 16s £5.00
01423 340 676 or 07803 183 255
Thu 14th Jun – 7.30 pm
Weaverthorpe Village Hall
Main Street
Weaverthorpe
Malton
YO17 8ET
Tickets: adult £8.50, under 16s £5.00
01944 738 804 or 01423 339 168
www.luttonsandweaverthorpe.ryedaleconnect.org.uk/
Fri 15th Jun – 7.30 pm
Reeth Memorial Hall
Arkengarthdale Road
Reeth
Richmond
DL11 6QT
Tickets: adult £9.00, under 16s £5.00
01748 884 759
Sat 16th Jun – 7.30 pm
Yarm Fellowship Hall
West Street
Yarm
TS15 9BT
Tickets: adult £8.00
01642 888 786
If you’re planning to head to Yorkshire to see Eddie & The Gold Tops and require accommodation, check out some of the great bed and breakfasts, hotels and cottages on Hello Yorkshire.