Cafe owner Louise Bensly Walking Back to Happiness as Helen Shapiro in charity show
Louise Bensly today. - Credit: TMS Media
A seaside café owner is cooking up a treat for a charity show – by reprising her TV moment of fame as a 1960s singing star.
Louise Bensly on the show Stars in Your Eyes - Credit: TMS Media
Twenty years ago Louise Bensly was a school leaver who was seen on a prime time talent show Stars in their Eyes as teenage pop sensation Helen Shapiro.
This month she gives the role an encore at a London Palladium-style variety show at St George’s Theatre in Great Yarmouth theatre raising funds for two cancer charities close to the organiser’s heart.
A mix of music, dance, comedy and drama will be performed by local talent during Saturday Night at St George’s, on Saturday March 24.
Louise, who runs Hemsby Beach Café with husband James, is looking forward to donning the dark beehive wig again, and singing songs including Helen’s biggest hit Walking Back to Happiness.
She said: “I was a young singer so going on TV was a brilliant experience even though I lost out to the eventual overall winner, Neil Diamond, so it is great to be playing Helen again.“
The show is the third organised by the theatre’s chairman Barry Coleman. The first two in 2013 and 14 raised a total of £4000 split between Cancer Research UK and Bloodwise, previously Leukaemia and Lymphoma Research.
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Mr Coleman said: “Most families, including us, have been affected by cancer, which is the reason we chose these worthy causes.”
His wife Mary, who has been diagnosed with mild lymphoma which needs monitoring rather than treatment, is among the performers, with a stand-up comedy routine as a Mrs Mopp cleaning lady character - who has become a familiar and popular figure on the St George’s stage.
Other acts taking part include:
Emma Colleen who won the recent Harbour Radio talent show
Isla Marshall who won last year’s Ormiston Venture Academy’s talent show
Louise Brown and Rachel Wigg as a Dancing Queens Abba tribute
St George’s Youth Theatre performing Lord of the Flies
Gorleston-based The Dancers School
901 Troop Marine Cadet Drummers
Young classical flautist Megan Storer.
Tickets for the show cost £10 (under-16s £6) and are available from the box office by calling 01493 331484 or visit the website www.stgeorgestheatre.com
