Family faces its own wartime battles — with a song or two

FINAL rehearsal . . . the cast at work, from left, Anna Doolan, Katherine Dow Blyton, Laura Norton, Ged McKenna, Simeon Truby and Michael Imerson

THEATRE goers can step back in time at the Oldham Coliseum as the cast of the latest production take to the stage.

And “A Nightingale Sang” is a bittersweet comedy with music about everyday life in the turbulent home front of World War II.

In war-time Newcastle, the Stotts are an eccentric family waging their personal battles against the terrifying backdrop of war.

Amid the air raid sirens and fears of poison gas, mother makes Spam sandwiches, dad makes his own entertainment, grandad mourns his dead whippet, and daughters Joyce and Helen discover the joy and heartbreak of first love. The play opens tonight, until April 3.