THE WINTER may be well on its way but audiences can enjoy a slice of sunshine.
The Sunny Rhyl tour is coming to Rhyl Town Hall this month, and it promises to take its audience back to the swinging 60s.
Writer Paul Kelly said: “The Beatles are playing, Miss Sunny Rhyl will be crowned in the Pavilion and the Pier is about to be sold. This is a comedy drama about Lola, an upper class idealist at a crossroads in her young life, and working class Francis, a dreamer in danger of losing his beloved job, working a deckchair concession.
“A journey of discovery via false accents, big dippers, beauty contests, singing and paddling just might save the day for this unlikely pair brought together by an innocent seaside town that can't help but change.”
Mr Kelly said he was inspired by visit to the town, which he frequently visited as a boy, when he sheltered in Rhyl Library on a wet day. After browsing the local history books, he met with Rhyl historian Colin Jones, who gave him material which eventually gave shape to the play.
Mr Jones said: “A couple of years back, a young man named Paul Kelly got in touch with me. He wanted to write a play set in Rhyl in the 1960s.
“He came to Rhyl, we had coffee, we had a walkabout on the seafront so I could show him where the pier and Rhyl Pavilion were, and he went away armed with my book of essays about the history of Rhyl as a seaside resort.”
Mr Kelly said the play mingles a feel-good story with the heritage of Rhyl. “In his book entitled The Fall of Sunny Rhyl Colin states that at the ‘beginning of the 1960s, Rhyl was a thriving holiday town. It had retained some important landmarks from earlier times. This statement coupled with the smiling faces in the images of past times created the idea for the play.”
nFor tickets call the central box office on 01244 341296 or visit www.dividersproductions.co.uk. Tickets £7, curtain up 7.30pm on October 29.