14.29°C More than 450 people attended the Mayor of Colchester’s Variety Show at the Mercury Theatre on 12th April, with performers from across Colchester coming together for an evening of music, comedy, dance and live entertainment in aid of this year’s chosen charities of Mayor of Colchester Mike Lilley and Mayoress Lyn Barton.
The evening brought together established performers, community groups and younger local artists from across Colchester.
Hosted on stage by Michael J. Fitch, the event featured performances from Colette Van Sertima, The Big Sing Choir, Team Kinetix, the Crunchy Frog Players, the Mercury Theatre Adult Dance Group, cast members from Guys and Dolls, comedian Pat Smith and several emerging local musicians.
Among those performing were Josef Harley and local band Heartlake, both previously involved with Mixed Frequencies events organised by the Colchester Arts Centre Youth Board.
Harriet Cree also performed on the night after recently attracting attention when a video of her singing on a train journey featured on BBC Look East. She later received a £250 prize for a supercar experience sponsored by Rockstar Motors.
Colette Van Sertima returned to perform in her hometown, including her 90s chart hit “Hold That Sucker Down” alongside newer material focused on positivity and wellbeing.
Several performers later spoke positively about the atmosphere surrounding the event, with artists and community groups from different backgrounds sharing the same bill across the evening. Team Kinetix founder Brad Wendes praised both the younger performers involved and the volunteers who helped the show run smoothly backstage.
The event was organised by Rodney Appleyard, who this week also received the Mayor’s Award in recognition of his work supporting the mayor’s charities over the past year.
Rodney said: “I didn’t realise producing the show would turn out to be one of the best experiences of my life. I loved being behind the curtain, encouraging each act before they went on stage, hearing the applause from the audience, and then thanking them as they came back off stage.
“On top of that, we raised thousands for good causes, which will improve people’s lives. At one point, we had more than 100 performers backstage preparing for their acts, but I wouldn’t have been able to manage it without the help of 20 volunteers on the day.
“Finally, to be thanked by the Mayor and Mayoress through the Mayor’s Award made all the work completely worth it.”
The event raised money for local organisations including Colchester Foodbank, Open Road, The Underdog Crew and Level Best Enterprises.
A highlights film from the night, produced by Colin Tofts, has also been released.
Donations to the Mayor’s charities also remain open online.
