 BB CAPERS- The BB Song and Laughter Show!  The 51st has a huge reputation in the local community for making people laugh. Our famous (or should that be infamous!) BB Capers show has done this on 25 runs so far, with the latest production in December 2004.The first show was produced in 1964, with a mix of song and laughter entertaining the audience. Nobody quite knew that 40 years later the show would still be going strong. Those two men most (ir)responsible for the show were Ross McRae and Jimmy Spence, who would go down in history as two of the 51st's finest officers.  The show was well received by the public, and was a complete sell out all three nights it was on. The review on the rightt was written and printed in the local press. I don't think anyone expected the show to still be produced almost 40 years later ! I don't think they expected the same jokes to be used either ! While a lot of the show was performed by the staff, the boys took part in some of the items, and the company choir performed the finale. This was to become the familiar format of BB Capers, with the only real difference being those who take part in the shows.  The show has gone from strength to strength over the years, with the staff taking more of a back seat as the boys provide more of the items - even the Anchor & Junior Sections getting in on the act. It has - dare I say it - also gotten more professional ! We now use professional lighting , and also even use a PA and a sound engineer !
No mention has yet been made of one other man, yet. He is now responsible for keeping the mayhem that is BB Capers going, along with his accordion playing sidekick. I am of course talking about our very own Tommy Lawson. Without him (and his sidekick Gordon Bennett), I am sure there would be no BB Capers today. Recent Capers....
|
The Brigade Centenary Year, 1983, was perhaps our busiest and most successful. It saw the Company in action for a record four nights. The Wednesday dress rehearsal was dropped (or was it ?) and became the first night of the show. As usual, every night was sold out. The Company Choir, the centre-piece of the show, was also busy giving other performances during the Centenary Year, as they were involved in the Battalion show "Towards 200" which was performed in Meadowbank Stadium.
