Fantastic line-up of entertainment this summer at the Assembly Hall

MELKSHAM Assembly Hall has released details of its summer schedule, and it’s packed with a quality line-up of music, comedy and entertainment. 

On Saturday 23rd and Sunday 24th, world-famous violinist and conductor André Rieu’s Maastricht concert will be screened at the Assembly Hall alongside cinemas across the world.

Set against the stunning medieval backdrop of the town square in André’s Dutch hometown, the spectacular Maastricht concert features the maestro in his element, along with his world-famous 60-piece Johann Strauss Orchestra, sopranos, tenors and very special guests. The concert is approximately three hours long, including a 15 minute intermission. Spoken parts in English and Dutch (with English subtitles).

The concert, recorded in the weeks prior to the showing, will be shown at 7pm on Saturday 23rd July and again at 3pm on Sunday 24th. Tickets cost £20 and are available from the Assembly Hall in person.

Spend an evening with sixties group, The Dreamers on Friday 29th July, from 7.30pm. The Dreamers appeared  on TV shows such as Cilla’s Surprise Surprise, Noel Edmunds Houseparty as well as Australian TV shows. The Dreamers have toured non-stop and were part of the original Sensational Sixties Experience Show, one of the most successful touring shows in the UK today.

With their blend of vocals and musicianship The Dreamers continue to go from strength to strength and continue to fill the dance floor.

Then on Saturday 30th July, relive the greatest day in English football history minute by minute with a live screening of, ‘World Cup ‘66’live by satellite from Wembley.

Summer 1966, and the eyes of the world are on London.  The music, the fashion and the football as the England team prepare for the World Cup final. Now, exactly 50 years on, music, history and football combine into a once-in-a-lifetime event as  the story of that historic day England football fans will never forget is told in real time, minute by minute.

This ground-breaking experience will be broadcast live to cinemas from The SSE Arena, Wembley, yards from where the original game was played.

Bringing together compelling match footage, fascinating stories, appearances from football heroes, and incredible songs from 1966 – all performed live by the best of today’s artists alongside some of the legends who sang them first time around, this will be a truly unmissable live event. Tickets are £10 each.

The Assembly Hall presents a Comedy Showcase on Friday 5th August with Mark Olver and Angela Barnes.

Mark Olver is back and in very good voice. Since his first appearance in Melksham in May, Mark has continued in his quest to take over the West Country. BBC New Comedy Awards winner Angela Barnes has appeared in BBC Three’s Russell Howard’s Good News, Russell Kane’s Whistle Stop Tour and BBC Radio 4’s The Now Show.

Sarah Millican said she is ‘brilliantly funny’  and The Guardian wrote, ‘she’s just gloriously down-to-earth, straight talking and extremely funny comic.’

Tickets £8 in advance, £10 on the door. Show starts at 8pm.

‘Motown’s Greatest Hits – How Sweet It Is’ celebrating over 50 years of the sweet sound of Motown, comes to Melksham on Friday 16th September.

The ultimate celebration of the sweet sound of Motown is back! Now in its 14th successive year, this stunning 100% live show combine’s first class music together with the slickest choreography, and an amazing band, to deliver truly outstanding performances for the best Motown experience you will ever have.

This show will have you ‘dancing on the ceiling’, with songs from legendary artistes such as Lionel Richie, The Temptations, Stevie Wonder, The Four Tops, Smokey Robinson, Marvin Gaye, The Jackson Five, The Isley Brothers, Edwin Starr and many, many more.

They are the UK’s Number 1 Motown production and are guaranteed to have you dancing all night long. Tickets cost £22.

On Tuesday 11th October, the Assembly Hall welcomes The Lindisfarne Story. Tyneside group Lindisfarne, Alan Hull, Rod Clements, Ray Jackson, Simon Cowe and Ray Laidlaw, exploded onto the UK music scene in 1970 with a string of unforgettable songs.

The likes of Lady Eleanor, Meet Me on the Corner, Fog on the Tyne and Run For Home quickly established the band as the standard-bearers for acoustic-based rock.

Their sparkling songwriting cut through the prevailing pop and glam sounds of the 70s – international success followed, and Lindisfarne’s music continues to be heard on the radio today.

In this entertaining show, former members Billy Mitchell and Ray Laidlaw tell The Lindisfarne Story from the very beginning.

As a duo, hear them perform acoustic versions of the band’s classic songs, and relive moments from the band’s history as they share ‘behind the scenes’ stories illustrated with archive video and stills. Tickets cost £18.

Then on Friday 18th November, The Jersey Boys Tribute, Sherry Babys perform. Discover how four New Jersey boys from the wrong side of the tracks invented their own unique sound, were inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame and sold 100 million records worldwide.

With spectacular performances of all their hits, Jersey Boys Tribute is a  magnificent interpretation of Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons; the mob, the heartaches, the triumphs and the music. Tickets cost £20.

Then on Tuesday 22nd November, don’t miss The Searchers live in concert as their remarkable career continues. With such classic hits as, Sweets For My Sweet; Needles and Pins; Don’t Throw Your Love Away; Sugar and Spice and When You Walk In The Room, they have contributed enormously in establishing the UK as the world’s leading nation in the music industry. There is no doubt that the decade that gave us The Beatles as well as The Searchers and many others was very special and will go down in history as being the most imaginative period of music creativity and expression.

With total record sales well in excess of 50 million, The Searchers still have great appeal to audiences of all ages. They tour the globe as much today as they have done throughout a fantastic career spanning five decades.

Their special ‘solo’ concert is a highly entertaining show and has been enthusiastically and warmly received throughout the world. Combined with anecdotes and reminiscences, this fully self-contained concert includes all their famous hits, plus many album recordings, B-sides and a selection of other collector and well known favourites. Tickets cost £20.

Tickets are available from the Tourist Information Centre and the Assembly Hall itself on 709887 or visit www.melkshamassemblyhall.co.uk