Metamorphosis

The Talbot was a just a minutes walk from the Town Hall, so it wasn’t surprising that I should have my first taste of live theatre there. I saw the Stourbridge Amateur Operatic Societies annual productions for a number of years including, Oliver!, Showboat and Half A Sixpence, as well as several Gilbert and Sullivan operettas and thoroughly enjoyed them all. After five years or so of fun and hard work, in equal measures, there was a change of management at the Talbot, when Ted and Dawn moved onto bigger and better things and a new couple, Mr and Mrs Boothroyd took their place. Theirs was a Dickensian regime, one where for example, they wouldn’t consider mixing with our bar regulars or having a drink with them, when invited. This ‘snootiness’ upset a great many  customers of long standing, who took their patronage elsewhere. You can imagine how the staff felt and more than a handful, some who had been there their entire working lives put on their coats and left.  People found it next to impossible to get along with the new couple, it was not a happy time, even I started to wake up in the mornings and my stomach would knot at the thought of another day. And then I met Mr Derek Simmonds! I was still a smoker in the 70’s and while taking a ‘ciggy’ break out side the kitchen’s back door, I would often see a man parking his car on the Talbot car park and then walk into town*. Owning a Eumig projector, I’d accumulated a number of 8mm sales and hire catalogues, these included rental catalogues from Debonair and Derann Film Services. Like all film nuts I would look through them regularly and one night while just doing that, there inside the Derann hire catalogue was a photo of the very same gent from the car park. Next time I saw him, I introduced myself and so began a friendship that opened doors and the surprise of a completely new career. Nine months later I handed in my notice. It was a very sad moment for me as I knew I would miss The Talbot and it’s many happy memories and I before its closure in 2015 would pop in from time to time, however much of the atmosphere had now gone, as they tried to bring it into the 21st century, a big mistake. Head chef, David, passed away a number of years ago and I understand Carol was in a nursing home, but former commis-chef Dave, was one of the people I discovered again via Facebook. We met, as arranged at the Talbot, where we had a bar meal, swapped tales, and brought each other up to date.

* I discovered that Derek was taking organ lessons, he played quite well, but not as good as his son Adrian who would go on to play a few working men club dates.