STERLING SILVER the musical by Andy Gardiner with songs by Ben Barker and Andy Gardiner
'Gentlemen don’t go for walks on Sat’day afternoons wi’ buffer girls!’
'Well it’s about time they did!’
Set in the world of the grinders and the buffer girls, Sheffield 1922, it tells the story of Daniel, heir to Thornton's Cutlery in Sterling Works on Arundel Street, and his relationship with Lizzie, a buffer girl. It's a romantic tale set in the world of grinders and buffers girls, with a range of themes worked into the script.
With eight original songs it’s lively, funny, poignant. 'Yes, it’s a love story,’ says author and director Andy Gardiner, ‘but we hope it’s more than that. It’s set in a time when the world was supposed to be changing, but when the workers still had to grind out a living, some of them literally in Sheffield! It’s a celebration of them and their city.’
He’s written the songs with Ben Barker, a musician with Sheffield 70’s band Xero, who has created a vibrant soundtrack for the cast of 30, half of whom are on the Autism spectrum.
The place of women in society, equal pay, the gap between the rich and the poor and how poverty destroys dreams - these were issues in 1922 and they still are in 2018.
And the sell-out audiences said:
" ... absolutely fantastic ... I think it could be on a big stage, it's compelling as a story and so many great songs."
" Absolutely brilliant show. We loved it and didn't want it to finish."
" An extremely professional and enjoyable performance. All our guests were captivated."
" A lovely celebration of Sheffield and its heritage."
" Everything - the staging, the sound, the lighting - was of the high standard I've come to expect from Spectrum."
Performed December 2018 Library Theatre Sheffield
