Les Kent isn’t the type of bloke who sees himself in the limelight but 30 years after he fell in love with the stage he’s always the first to line up at the Playhouse Theatre’s doors for ticket sales.
Les, equipped with his own chair, and about 40 other Playhouse Theatre subscribers, waited on the edge of their seats this morning for tickets to Mamma Mia.
Although the ticket booth didn’t open until 10am, 91-year-old Les was eagerly waiting from 6.45am as he said it’s the only way to guarantee he sat in the same seat he had for the past three decades.
“Since 1990 I have been coming here,” Les said.
“I’ve got to be here first to beat the rest of them, so I come here early and wait.
“I sometimes go alone, or with my sister-in-law Dorothy, and I always sit in the same seat, number 7, and there’s no reason for this besides that it was my first seat, so I always just sit there, and I don’t even let Dorothy sit in it for the Sunday matinee.”
Les couldn’t narrow down a favourite Abba song, instead saying he was looking forward to watching and listening to all of Abba classics.
“Too right I like Abba,” he said.
“They are all favourites of mine.”
The retired Bullyard cane farmer said he had never performed on stage himself, but his daughter Robyn Kent was one of the Playhouse Theatre’s choreographers and it was always nice to see her work.
Les proudly said he had only ever missed one Playhouse Theatre production and that was last year’s Les Mis performance.
“I only missed it because I have seen it twice before already,” he said.
Director Rebecca Hutchins said it was nice to have such dedicated theatre supporters in the Bundaberg Region.
“Les is amazing, without fail he is the first to show up for the subscribers’ ticket sales,” she said.
Mamma Mia tickets sell fast
Rebecca said the ticket booth had sold an “insane” 546 Mamma Mia tickets in the first half hour on Saturday morning.
First time Playhouse Theatre member Wayne Wills was one of the many who lined the entrance to the Playhouse Theatre waiting to secure a ticket for himself and wife Judy.
“I joined because I have heard so many good reviews from other members,” Wayne said.
“I have been to a few theatre shows in Victoria and Sydney and I have heard so much about the Playhouse I thought we had better join.”
Wayne said he expected there to be a line-up and was more than happy to wait with the other like-minded patrons who were all passionate about stage shows.
“I didn’t expect to walk in and get my seats without haggling!” he laughed.
Mamma Mia flash mob at Riverfeast
On Friday evening about 25 Mamma Mia cast members perform an impromptu flash mob at Riverfeast, giving the unsuspecting audience a taste of what they could expect to see on stage. at the Playhouse Theatre.
Mamma Mia performer and Shalom College student Kurt Reid said it was his first flash mob and it was a lot of fun and energy to be involved, and he enjoyed dancing and singing his way around the Riverfeast crowd.
“Tonight, I was part of a flash mob for Mamma Mia, I am in the ensemble, the fun bit,” Kurt said.
“I play a nightclub goer and a beach goer in Mamma Mia.
“Even though I was prepared for the flash mob, it was quite surreal and it still kind of shocked me!”
Kurt said he hoped to continue his path in the performing arts when he completed school.
“I have been with Playhouse for two years and done five shows including Legally Blonde, Mary Poppins – phenomenal, and now Mamma Mia.
“Be quick and don’t miss out on your Mamma Mia tickets!”
