Coda at the Woolstore: Romy Wyeth

On 24th August the Woolstore audience were treated to a brilliant performance when the musical duo Coda delivered two hours of Songs from Musical Theatre with a sprinkling of movie magic when the theme from The Godfather was sung in Italian. With duets and solo performances, Marks rich bass baritone and Gemma’s soaring soprano were worthy of the West End Stage, and included favourites such as Phantom of the Opera to Monty Python and The Blues Brothers, and the rendition of four heart rending songs from Les Miserables.

Mark James really was ‘local boy done good’ who had begun his career on the Woolstore Stage with Angus Bramwell, as one of the Ugly Sisters in Cinderella and as an incredibly versatile lead in ‘The King and I’ when he moved me to tears.

He paid a moving tribute to Derek Miles and Brenda Mears - their helping an uncertain youth to fulfill his potential as an entertainer, singer, and actor, leading to Mark teaching, and encouraging other young people. Now performing as CODA, Mark had come home to the theatre that enabled him to fulfill his dreams.