THE Cotswold Players in Stroud are currently preparing for their first ever Andrew Lloyd Webber show, Aspects of Love, on June 17-20 and 24-27.

The Players are one of only a handful of amateur groups in the country to be granted a licence to stage this iconic musical.

The show premiered in London’s West End in 1989, where it ran for over 1000 performances and propelled Michael Ball, and the song ‘Love Changes Everything’, to stardom.

The Players have been rehearsing for the production since February and recently welcomed professional actor Sean Jones, who many will have seen playing Mickey in Blood Brothers, to help them tackle this demanding show.

Regular patrons will recognise several of the cast, which includes Richard Murray, past winner of Bristol Evening Post’s Cameron Macintosh Rosebowl Award for Best Actor in a Musical, along with his brother, James.

Daniel Holden and Sarah Kilmister will also return to the Playhouse stage, as well as Anne Martin who recently featured as Kylie Minogue on Harry Hill’s ‘Stars in their Eyes’.

Several new members are also taking leading parts in the production; local talents Lucy Harrison and Lucy Cole are sure to wow audiences with their stunning performances.

Director, Rob Mauler, said: “Aspects of Love is perhaps one of the most challenging musicals the Cotswold Players have ever staged. The music is a cross between two other power-house musicals of the 1980’s, Les Miserables and Phantom of the Opera, with a few touches of Sunset Boulevard thrown in for good measure.”

The unique story starts in 1947 and spans 17 years, during which time we see the main characters fall in and out of love with each other.

Most people will recognise the show’s power ballad ‘Love Changes Everything’ but some of its less well-known songs, under musical director, Lucas Bailey, are equally impressive.

An even greater challenge will see the Players installing a revolving stage for this production, as well as using for the first time a recently purchased range of new lighting equipment.

*Tickets, priced at £13 on weekdays and £14 on Fridays and Saturdays, are available online at cotswoldplayhouse.co.uk/tickets or by calling 0333 666 3366.