Operation Beach Hut from Mikron at Bingley Little Theatre

I always find it odd watching the wonderful Mikron theatre company perform at this venue. Not because there is anything strange about either organisation – well, not much – but Mikron is a bunch of travelling performers who set up their stage in various venues, mostly using their trusty narrowboat, Tyseley, to get them around the country. They have performed on allotments, in a lifeboat station, a tunnel and, among many other places, a fish and chip restaurant – obviously my favourite. No offence Bingley, but I have always preferred haddock, chips and mushy peas to BLT (Bingley Little Theatre – geddit?) The thing is that seeing a temporary stage erected on a permanent stage is beyond weird. Possibly why I love it.

They normally have two overlapping productions per year, quite often venue appropriate, hence the RNLI station and the allotment. Operation Beach Hut is the first of this year’s offerings although the canal is the closest Bingley comes to having a nautical connection.

Before the show, Mikron’s Producer, Pete Toon, took to the stage to say that the evenings show was being recorded but not to worry, as the audience would not be featured. I spoke to him later and he said that the recording was for a trailer rather a broadcast. In order for the techies to get their equipment sorted out – behave! – he regaled us with a few amusing stories which, as it turned out, really were very funny.

Pete Toon in warm-up man mode!

The show was ostensibly about two power struggles in the fictitious resort of Fiddling-On-Sea: the first between a property developer and Holly, a young woman gifted a beach hut by her grandmother, who is now in a care home; the second between the town’s seagulls and the tourists. In fact, it is a history of, and tribute to, the Great British seaside.

There has always been a coastline around the British isles, although it is only relatively recently -about half a million years – that it has reached the southern end of the country. Before that we were part of the Continental mainland. This explains why the beaches of Kent, Sussex and the neighbouring counties are pebbles, they haven’t had time to be eroded down to sand.

Following the Mikron modus operandi, the show was a mixture of facts, comedy and music, which not only entertained, but also informed. I didn’t realise that the baths in the rooms of the Grand Hotel in Scarborough had an extra tap to fill the tub with seawater, thus saving the occupant from having to venture onto the beach to take advantage of its remedial properties.

Our travel guides for the evening were: Catherine Warnock, Georgina Liley, James McLean and Rob Took. You never saw Judith Chalmers play the flute! They must have cut that bit out – I’ve told you once, Behave!

The action begins with Holly, who has been gifted a beach hut by her grandmother who is now confined to a care home, being urged to spruce it up for the imminent Best Beach Hut Competition, thus denying the present incumbent and local property developer, from winning it a seventh straight time. It seems that he has plans to acquire the huts and build on the land.

Meanwhile, in-between swooping on unsuspecting tourists and nicking their snacks, the seagulls are keeping watch on proceedings. They also reveal their thoughts on improving the coastal town, one of which involves one of them opening a haute cuisine restaurant!

Various episodes in the story of the seaside are acted out, beginning in 1789 with George III, who was advised by his doctor to visit Weymouth, take the sea air and immerse himself in the water. The King’s modesty would be protected by use of a bathing machine which would be wheeled to the waterline enabling His Majesty to slip straight into the briny. This obviously began a fashion for the upper crust to follow his lead.

The advent of rail travel in the 19th Century enabled the general population to take trips to the coast and, being somewhat less sensitive to being seen in cozzies, the bathing machines were divested of their wheels and became beach huts. There were, and still are, rows of these brightly painted structures in most resorts.

This, more liberal, attitude of the visitors was reflected in the practice of sending post cards to those at home. Many of them were views of the place but there was also the more risqué variety, comprising cartoon drawings and suggestive captions. Disgraceful!

The mods and rockers’ rendezvous for Bank Holiday rumbles in the mid-60s was covered, with a member of each faction engaging in a battle about as convincing as a WWE bout. Hilarious.

In the 1970s cheap package holidays to exotic destinations, usually in Spain, led to a decline in those staying in the British Isles, something to do with the weather and cheap booze apparently. It was soon perceived as being less expensive to head to Benidorm for a fortnight than Bridlington. Domestic resorts became the place for day trips.

From the beginning of this century beach huts have become desirable properties with one reportedly selling for over £2,000,00. Environmental concerns and rising prices abroad have resulted in holiday makers indulging in staycations. The pandemic, which curtailed travel to various other countries also played a part.

Something which was not in the show, as it is too recent, but rounds it off beautifully, is that there is a current dispute over the eviction of a number of beach hut owners in the resort of – guess where – Weymouth – where it all began!

As usual, the acting, singing, musicianship and comedy were superbly performed by the cast, Catherine Warnock, Rob Took, Georgina Liley and James McLean who, although only four in number, play a wide range of parts, including seagulls. The show was written by Harvey Badger with the Composer being Amal El-Sawad and the Musical Director and Arranger, Sanum Batra. The Sets and Costumes, which were as amusing as the rest of the elements, were Designed by Celia Perkins. I must stress that Mr Toon’s get up was not one of hers! Marianne McNamara Directed the show, which was Produced by the aforementioned Pete Toon. The other three members of Mikron concerned with this show are Tom Blakemore – Production Manager, Rachel Root – General Manager and Jo English – Administrator.

If you can get to see this show, please do, it is a wonderfully uplifting way to spend an evening. They are doing more venues than Taylor Swift so should be somewhere near you. Their other show for 2025 is Hush Hush! about the wartime codebreakers at Bletchley Park. I would love to tell you more about it but Loose Lips Sink Ships so I will Be Like Dad And Keep Mum.

To see the aforementioned trailer which was shot on the evening of my visit, please go to https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oDIxrX-iUZU where, at the end, you may notice a familiar phrase in the quotes.

For details of Mikron and this year’s dates and venues, please go to https://mikron.org.uk/#shows

To see what’s on at Bingley Little Theatre it is https://www.bingleyartscentre.co.uk/whats-on

Feature image from Mikron. Photographs by Stan Graham