IT S show time – courtesy of two charity concerts, presented by Sidmouth Lions Club, and featuring the great songs from Rodgers and Hammerstein's hit shows.

IT'S show time - courtesy of two charity concerts, presented by Sidmouth Lions Club, and featuring the great songs from Rodgers and Hammerstein's hit shows.

They are being staged in the Music Room at the Sidholme Hotel on November 19 and 20.

The songs will be performed by Vicky Campbell, Lyn and John Burgoyne and Wally Cotgrave, with accompanying music provided by Dorothy Worthington on keyboard, Ruth James on violin and Helen Organ on flute. All are under the musical direction of Dorothy.

Vicky, who is producing the show, has worked with Sidmouth Musical Comedy Society, Sidmouth Arts Club Operatic Society and performed numerous times at Manor Pavilion Theatre with lead roles in many shows.

Lyn and John are members of Exeter Operatic Society and have performed many times at Exeter's Northcott Theatre. Wally has performed in many shows in Sidmouth and Exeter and for these concerts will be acting as compère as well as singing.

All these talented and busy local performers give freely of their valuable time to raise money for worthy charities. Dorothy was head of music at Exeter College and has directed the music for shows all over the country.

Oscar Hammerstein II, the American lyricist and librettist, was born in 1895, in New York City, and graduated from Colombia University in 1916.

Composer Richard Rodgers was born in New York City in 1902. He wrote his first song at 14 and had his first Broadway show produced when he was just 18. He studied at Columbia University in New York where he first met Hammerstein. However, it was not until 1942 that Rodgers and Hammerstein began their collaboration and their first musical was the tremendously successful Oklahoma!.

Their collaboration proved a great success and their integration of music, drama and dance created a distinctive new form of American musical.

Most of their nine musicals were enormously popular including - Carousel, South Pacific, The Sound of Music, The King and I, Flower Drum Song - and after the stage versions went on to become successes on the silver screen. They produced both their own work and promising works by other artists and at one time had five of the highest grossing shows running at the same time on Broadway.