O Little Town

Can Music and community spirit heal broken hearts?

Are they enough to bring people together during the Season of Goodwill?

Once upon a Christmas time over 60 years ago, young choirboy Daniel stood in a packed church and sang "Once in Royal David's City."  But Daniel is an old man now, and times have changed.

It's December.  Andy is a widower, a small-town vicar with a heart of gold and a lot on his plate.  His congregation is a dwindling bunch of pensioners, his teenage daughter Georgia is moody and he has 6 Nativity plays to attend.

When old Daniel has a stroke and loses his golden voice, his devoted wife Sylvia is determined to help him to recover.  Their daughter Holly is struggling to be a good Mum to tearaway Nick, whose only interest is his band Maggie's Bees, and sad young Dan who has the voice of an angel but can't bear to sing when his Grandad cannot.

The heart of this community is the church hall - much used, much loved and in desperate need of repair.  Here is the home of bingo, zumba, the art club and the soup kitchen run by the indomitable Muriel whose kindness to a homeless stranger has unexpected consequences. Maggie's Bees rehearse here, with Andy as their mentor.  They may be young but they have ambition and talent - but will that be enough to win them a major competition?

The challenges mount for Andy and he questions his role in life when his relationship with Georgia hits an all-time low, the church hall's future is threatened Maggie's Bees' dreams are shattered by an accident.  The people of the Little Town community suffer setbacks and heartaches, but as Christmas Eve approaches lives will change because their faith in each other is what really matters.

Now in final script revision for pre-production in 2024.  Cast: Jack Davenport, Sue Johnston, Sandi Toksvig, Don Warrington, Frances Barber and Philip Jackson attached.  Written by Danny Morgan and Andrea Mann.