Theatre thrives with sell-out nights

Volunteers at the Alexandra Theatre were delighted to be putting out the '˜House Full' signs on successive nights.

The mixture of entertainment which attracted the capacity audiences made the feat probably unique in the theatre's 27-year history.

Every one of the 364 seats was sold for last Thursday'sappearance by medium Tony Stockwell, arranged by Bognor Regis Spiritualist Church, to start the sequence.

The theatre was again packed for the following night's free Christmas concert staged by the Salvation Army.

Next performers to enjoy playing to the maximum-sized audience possible were the tribute band, Abba Gold, who had concert goers dancing the night away to the Swedish group's popular tunes.

Sunday saw Art of Dance and Fitness students of varying ages perform a selection of songs, including traditional Christmas carols, to an appreciative audience. On stage were an adult choir as well as younger singers aged from six to 17.

The show was compered by Ben Richards, who is appearing in The Bill on ITV following parts in Casualty and Footballers' Wives.

The evening was in aid of the Chestnut Tree Children's Hospice and The Samaritans.

The successes are set to be followed by this year's panto at the theatre.