United Kingdom Samadder/Guthrie, Dancing in the Mirror: Actors, Neal Cooper (tenor) and the Lewisham Creative Chorus / Thomas Guthrie (stage director, conductor). Fellowship Inn, Bellingham, 22.5.2026. (AK)
It is often stated that arts should reach people of all ages, genders, ethnicities and classes but how many artists have genuine desire and, crucially, multifaceted abilities to create what others would not even dare to dream of?
Thomas Guthrie read Classics at Cambridge and studied singing at the Royal Northern College of Music. On the way he also learnt the violin (which he still plays), became a composer/arranger/conductor and – last but not least – a stage director.
In 2014 Guthrie founded Music and Theatre for All (MTFA), with the aim to connect social and local issues with artistic storytelling of high quality. In 2021 he launched the Lewisham Creative Chorus, and together they have written, produced and performed a number of shows and songs. They meet weekly at the 1920s purpose-built community pub, The Fellowship Inn, in Bellingham.
The Fellowship Inn has been the heart of the Bellingham community for a hundred years. Many boxers trained there, including Henry Cooper (who knocked down Muhammed Ali, then Cassius Clay). Cooper liked songs, anecdotally his favourite was Schubert’s Ave Maria.
Dancing in the Mirror is a celebration of The Fellowship Inn as well as the emergence of a new play, deeply rooted in Bellingham. Written by Rhik Samadder with music by Guthrie, the play is about boxing as well as about a Romeo/Juliet story. The production was planned and presented by some forty persons or more: all of them locals and of all ages/races/classes. The plot includes the late Sir Henry Cooper…played by his real-life nephew, the esteemed Wagnerian tenor Neal Cooper.
The first part of the event unfolded in the downstairs pub space. Some forty people (or more), including young children and octogenarians, were dressed in their 1920s (and 1950s) best, recalling the earlier days of The Fellowship Inn with a joyous singalong. Led by Lewis Hayler, Jill Palliser and Joan Lindsay (but also including a solo contribution from Mike Parker), this LCC choral feast included songs like Side by Side, Cry me a River, Because I am a Londoner and Ave Maria. Discreetly but firmly assisted by Thomas Guthrie, the singalong provided immense joy within the boundaries of artistic integrity.
Samadder’s play was presented in the upstairs space, which is variously used for boxing, theatrical events and whatever else is required. The play is about love, homelessness, class divide and hope. Performed by LCC regulars with professionals in some of the parts, Guthrie’s Music and Theatre for ALL concept was gloriously realised. Lighting was provided by LCC participants, dressed in black, by moving around (bent down or crawling on the floor) with electric torches shining lights according to the script. Guthrie’s music, interspersed within the play, was as innovative as magical. Composed for cello, double bass and vocal quartet, the excellent musicians (also dressed in black) were placed at different parts of the hall, outside the area where the play unfolded. Guthrie (in black) conducted at one end of the dark space, but all was together and beautifully performed.
Of the many actors in the play, I would like to mention Jessica Eden (playing Jade aka Juliet in Shakespeare) who has just graduated from LAMDA where she studied for three years. This part was Eden’s professional debut – ably supported by Ben Butler (Mica aka Romeo) – and she excelled in every way: a bright future should follow. Another possible future star is child actor Ruby Maudling, playing the part of young Jade (and Kaye). Her confidence and crystal-clear delivery belied her age (which I estimate around 12).
The finale of the play was as deeply moving as uplifting. Led by Wagnerian tenor Neal Cooper (taking the part of his real-life uncle), we all sang Together We’re Stronger. By then the room was lit, and the play transposed into a reality we all wish for. With people like those facilitating this event, the future might bring happiness.
Agnes Kory
Featured Image: Dancing in the Mirror singalong © Evan John
Dancing in the Mirror
Writer – Rhik Samadder
Composer, Conductor, Stage director – Thomas Guthrie
Movement director – Maria da Luz Ghoumrassi
Fight director – Rich Gittins
Designer – Charlina Lucas
Cast of twenty-five: mostly drawn from Lewisham Creative Chorus
Music – The Outcry Ensemble, Vox Next Gen