This year’s Singing Kettle Christmas show will be the last by the much-loved children’s music group.
“Big Christmas Party” will tour throughout November and December and the final ever Singing Kettle performance will be in Aberdeen in
February, with their “Big Party Show”.
Announcing the company’s closure this week Managing Director, Artie Trezise said:
“My wife Cilla Fisher and I retired from performing with the company two years ago and we’ve now decided to close up shop. We’ve both enjoyed having a bit more time to ourselves since we stepped out the limelight and now we can enjoy not having the pressure of running the business.”
The current line-up of Gary Coupland, Kevin MacLeod and Anya Scott-Rodgers, although sorry to see the end of the Singing Kettle, are also looking to the future.
Anya said:
“We love working together and are planning a brand new children's show for 2015, featuring songs, silliness and family fun with a distinctive Scottish flavour.
Kevin added;
"It's been a real privilege to be part of The Singing Kettle over the years and though we are sad this chapter is ending, a new one is just around the corner. We hope our amazingly loyal fans will stick with us.”
The modest surroundings of Dalkeith Library in 1982 was where Cilla, Artie & Gary first performed as the Singing Kettle. Thirty two years on and The Singing Kettle has grown from being a small show for children, touring playgroups and schools, to one of the biggest box office draws in the UK and abroad to places such as USA, Oman, Hong Kong and Jordan. The current cast continue to perform around 200 shows per year, now often playing to the children and grandchildren of the show's original audiences.
There have been more than 6500 live shows over the years, playing to audiences in excess of 5 million people. Their signature Singing Kettle rhyme, “Spout handle lid of metal, What’s inside the Singing Kettle” has been heard at least 40 thousand times!Since releasing their self-titled first album in 1982 the group has been singing its way to worldwide fame producing 44 DVDs and 49 CDs, selling hundreds of thousands of copies in the process. Now in the digital age, Singing Kettle audio and video can also be downloaded from iTunes.
Their amazing popularity has led to a host of awards including a BAFTA for Best Children's TV Programme and the Prince Michael of Kent Award for Road Safety for their Busy Road Show production. In 1999 Cilla and Artie along with founder member Gary Coupland were awarded MBE’s for Services to Children’s Theatre.
Cilla acknowledges that:
“It's become a tradition in Scotland and many children and their families will miss the show. We've had so many wonderful times over the years
and met so many lovely people. It's so nice to have created something that's brought such happiness, not just to our audiences, but to us too. We decided to make the announcement now so that as many people as possible will have the chance to make a final visit to The Singing Kettle this Christmas. We’d like to thank all the children, and adults, who have come time and time again to see us over the years. Everyone involved with the company has had a ball.”
The Singing Kettle's music man, Gary, who has been involved from the start, added:
“The show leaves a rich legacy, built on the brilliant idea Cilla and Artie came up with 32 years ago”.
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