Theatre couple's matrimony perfect preparation for stage roles
Theatre couple Peter and Amanda Howell will play husband and wife in an upcoming production. - Credit: Richard Batson / SLT
They are married in real life - and theatre couple Peter and Amanda Howell are soon to play a wedded couple on stage as well.
Peter plays pompous councillor Albert Parker and Amanda takes the role of his downtrodden wife Annie in the classic comedy When We Are Married, which is coming to Sheringham Little Theatre on March 31.
Peter said performing alongside one's other half had its advantages.
He said: “When you know each other so well and how the other person thinks it helps working together on stage.”
The three couples celebrating their wedding anniversary in the Sheringham Little Theatre play, When We Are Married. - Credit: David Greeves / SLT
Amanda added: "It also helps with learning lines at home and understanding the commitment required to rehearse as well as perform."
The couple, who live in Coltishall, first met in 1989 when Peter played Henry Higgins and Amanda Eliza Doolittle in My Fair Lady.
They have appeared in hundreds of shows over the past three decades, mainly for the Cromer and Sheringham Operatic and Dramatic Society (CSODS) and at the Maddermarket in Norwich.
Most Read
- 1 Norfolk singer's big hopes for her girl band's debut single
- 2 Man died on 50th birthday at Norfolk coastal campsite
- 3 'Beheading' comment sees councillor reported to police
- 4 Mammoth Marathon winner says course was 'one of the hardest'
- 5 'Everything has gone up' - How mum Melanie is dealing with cost of living
- 6 First coastal road marathon in three decades hailed 'magnificent' success
- 7 Council urged to take over ownership of derelict Cromer nightclub
- 8 Man swims for survival after speedboat sinks off Norfolk coast
- 9 'Rainbow of rhodies' puts on stunning display at Sheringham Park
- 10 Prince Harry's ex marries north Norfolk hotelier
Peter and Amanda have played a couple on stage several times before - once as King Arthur and Guinevere in Camelot on Cromer Pier in 2005, and as a widow and her dead husband Gordon in Life and Beth at the Maddermarket in 2014.
Peter and Amanda Howell play Albert and Annie Parker in an upcoming production of When We Are Married at Sheringham Little Theatre. - Credit: David Greeves / SLT
Peter, a lawyer, is soon to retire after a 51-year career at Hansells, and Amanda is a customer services manager at Trend Marine in Catfield where she has worked for 32 years.
Amanda said theatre kept them both busy throughout the year. She said: "The camaraderie is fantastic and I just love the escapism of being someone else with all the wigs and costumes.”
Amanda is also secretary of CSODS, and Peter is treasurer, and he is also secretary to the Maddermarket board.
They are both currently doing backstage help for the upcoming production of the spring musical Shrek at Cromer Pier.
Their latest roles see them as one of three Victorian couples gathering to celebrate their joint 25th wedding anniversaries – until a spanner in the works and sees them questioning their relationships.
The Sheringham Little Theatre Players runs until April 2, with performances starting at 7.30pm. Tickets are £12 from www.sheringhamlittletheatre.com, or the box office on 01263 822347.
