Rotorua Musical Theatre's 50 & Fabulous show to burst with relatable laughs

The show's Fab Five, (from left) Erinne Thompson as Geraldine, Ainslie Howie as Leverne,Kristen Pirie as Christine, Valarie Smith as Dusty, and Rachel Collins as Janice. Photo / Murray

A show bursting with relatable laughs is almost set to take to the stage in Rotorua.

The Rotorua Musical Theatre will be presenting its latest show 50 & Fabulous from July 12 to July 27.

The show is a musical comedy set to the sounds of the 60s.

It follows a group of five friends who met in college and have kept up regular get-togethers, and are just about to turn the dreaded 50 years old - and they are not looking forward to it.

With the help of their families and potential partners, they hatch a plan to put on a dazzling musical spectacular, and show their town they are not past it and that 50 can be fabulous.

Director Shona Clout says it was written by Sharon Butterworth from Matamata, so the show is written in New Zealand about a group of New Zealand women.

"Everyone will know the songs. It is funny and it has been quite cool to work with a small cast.

"This is a nice wintery, happy, feel-good show."

She says it has a 'real life' feeling to it and anyone can relate to it - including husbands, daughters and sons.

There are 13 in the cast - 11 females and two males. The members in the cast are not all 50-years-old.

The <i>50 & Fabulous</i> cast. Photo / Murray Turner

The auditions were held back in April and the cast has been rehearsing for three months.

Shona says it has not been the easiest directing journey for her, as her mother passed away five weeks ago.

"I like watching something from start to finish and seeing it come together. I like putting all the puzzles together.

"It has been a lot harder for me because my mother was an important part of my life and she would have enjoyed the show, but I loved that everyone kept going."

She says community shows like this one gives cast members a chance to escape the real world.

"Helping people to grow - for me that's the enjoyment of it... it gives people the opportunity to do something different."

Shona says she has enjoyed watching some people come from the auditions to now and seeing their confidence grow, which is also what she does as part of her everyday job.

She says the show includes people who have never been onstage before and people have been doing this for years.

The show's vocal director is Sue Morrison, the choreographer is Leah Fitzpatrick and the production manager is Gae Wheeler.

She those that they could not do the show without, including the backstage crew, helpers, the production team, the committee, and sponsors.

The details
- What: Rotorua Musical Theatre's 50 & Fabulous
- When: Season dates July 12 to July 27
- Where: Casablanca Theatre
- Tickets: www.ticketmaster.co.nz