Charlie Chaplin Play - Sussex Express - Sunday 24 July 2016

Charlie Chaplin remembered at historic Selsey venue. A major new community production could be a sign of things to come as the Pavilion in Selsey returns to its entertainment’s role. After success with a show commemorating R C Sheriff’s Selsey connections last year, Arts Dream Selsey return to the Pavilion this summer with a show marking the 100th anniversary of Charlie Chaplin’s Little Tramp character. “Tonight at the Pavilion… Charlie Chaplin” will be at the venue from August 5-11 at 7.30pm (with 4pm matinees on August 8 and 9) – a collaboration between writer Gillian Plowman, scenographer Pamela Howard and producer / choreographer Chris Butler. Between them, they are hoping for a repeat of the sell-out success they enjoyed last year. “It’s an original piece,” says Chris. “We are bringing the Charlie Chaplin story back to the old Pavilion Theatre, Selsey. We wanted to celebrate the centenary of the Little Tramp and also bring the Pavilion back to theatrical life for a second time. “It was an excellent venue last year. It was such a good production. It was a sell-out, and we had a lot of great critical acclaim. It worked because it is the original building. It has a lot of heritage. It has got history so that when people are in there, they remember what it was like years and years ago. It closed as a cinema in the 1960s, but before that there used to be a lot of theatrical productions there, things like the Russian ballet coming to Selsey!”