Kentish Times www.bexleytimes.co.uk Thursday, 23 September, 2010 33

BOXInG LEGEnD: Clockwise from left: Freddie Mills What’s on overcame all odds to become World Broadway , Light Heavyweight Catford Champion in 1948; 020 8690 0002 Terry Williams Of Mice and Men Times wrote the music for September 29-October 24 Seconds Out! using £6-£13.50 his acoustic guitar; Williams himself was once Kent The Churchill, Bromley Federation of Boys 0844 8717 620 Clubs Champion. Lark Rise to Candleford UT September 20-25 O £21-£28 Shakespeare: The Man from Stratford September 28-October 2 £23-£27 Action man writes knock out Blues Brothers October 4-9 £21.50-£25.50 Edward Alderton Theatre musical about boxing champ 020 8301 5584 Seconds Out! HEnTerry Williamsde- Seconds Out! will be Williams’ October 14-23 cided adecadeago to first musical, and having performed £9 Wwrite amusical about in classics such as My Fair Lady in oneofhis childhood heroes, Drury Lane and Barnum at the Lon- Erith Playhouse he certainlyhad all thebases don Palladium, he knows all about its covered, writes Jules Cooper. fickle fortune. 01322 350 345 He said: “Ithink we’reontosome- Murder in Mind AformerarmyPhysicalTrain- September 27-October 2 inginstructor, an acrobat, singer thing here,but puttingonamusical isn’t and dancer in West End musicals exactlyarecipefor success.Iwas in £7.50 for 12 years, a retailer and one-time one with BarbaraWindsor andRonnie gym owner, not to mention a county Corbett, Clay – it cost millionsand only Fairfield Halls, Croydon champion boxer, there could be no lasted twoweeks.” 020 8688 9291 better man to capture the life of Fred- Songs in Seconds Out! include If I make it Through – Mills’ promise to Tell Me on a Sunday die Mills, 1948 Light Heavyweight love Christine if he survives the war September 24 Champion of the World. – and a number sung by Christine as £25 Williams, whohails from Downe, she witnesses the horrors of the Blitz is currentlydirecting rehearsals of his – It Ain’t Fair. musical, SecondsOut!,anew musical stealing some rollerskates. The judge Both are stirring songs of optimism coming to Bexley’s Edward Alderton said he had to go to a youth centre in the face of adversity, a brave face 020 8858 9256 TheatrethisOctober. which was where he learnt to box. It’s that captures the wartime zeitgeist Mozart’s La Fintas Theall-singing, all-dancingshow a tale of ups and downs all of the way for Williams. Until October 9 tellsofthe highsand lows experienced – a brilliant story, and it’s all true”. He said: “It’s an upbeat, happy £12-£15 by Mills, an indefatigable underdog Admittedly, Mills’ life became story told against the background of legend wholed achequered life to less romantic and more stooped in in- war. But you could say that one is an saythe least. He wonhis firstbout trigue when he retired, bought a club analogy of the other. When Freddie 020 8858 7755 aged 16 andsoonworkedasabooth in Soho, fell in with the Krays and heads off to a bout, his mother warns boxer, gettingpaidcashtoknock out wound up shot dead in his own car him to be careful because it’ll be a greenwichtheatre.org.uk strangersatfairgrounds. (verdict:suicide). But SecondsOut! dirty fight. He replies, ‘I’ve been The Laramie Project He later served in the RAF and af- only follows theboxeronhis happier fighting all my life. I have to do it’. September 21-25 terwards suffered a series of reckless journey to worldchampion. “He reflects atimewhenitwas £17.50 poundings in a boxing career with Williams himself was a county much easier to differentiategood from Lilly Through the Dark only the short-term goal driving it champion boxer in his youth and his bad – theNazis wanted to rule the October 6-9 – to take the world light-heavyweight national service must have made him worldand stopping them wasclearly £10-£15 title at all costs. Mills spent his later a force to be reckoned with. theright thing.Now with wars like years living in Denmark Hill, unable Sincehis career in musicals, Iraq andAfghanistan peoplesay we The Nightmare Room to continue boxing having taken such Williamskepthis fingersinafew pies, shouldn’t be thereatall.Thingswere October 12-16 heavy beatings from larger oppo- helpingrun hisex-wife’s boutique blackand whitebackthenand youjust nents in his quest for success. storeGemma Deroma in Forest Hill, hadtostruggleagainst theodds.” ● Theatre “His whole life was very roman- then later openingClown Alleycircus Seconds Out! will be 020 8670 3474 tic,” enthuses Williams, 75. “He was skills school in Bromleyin1985, then performed at the Edward Alderton Cat on a Hot Tin Roof the son of a rag-and-bone merchant BickleyHealthy Lidoin1987 – sold to Theatre from October 14 to 23. and was almost put into prison for HomesPlace 10 yearsago. Tickets: 020 8301 5584. September 21-25

BEXLEY CHRISTADELPHIANS ST.JOHN’S (SIDCUP) BIBLE TALKS Sunday Evenings 6.30pm AMATEUR OPERATIC SOCIETY Hurst Community Centre presents Hurst Road, Bexley See our website for further details www.bexleychristadelphians.org “CalamAMusicalityWesternJane” BEXLEY KEEP FIT CLUB October 6th to 9th, 2010 OLLYDAYPROMOTIONS (EST 46 YRS) Hold twoclasses aweek in the main hall at St. John’s Hall, Church Road, Sidcup BEXLEY RECORD FAIR Hurst Community Centre, Hurst Road, Bexley. Weeknights at 8pm •MondayEve 7.30 -9• Saturday at 3and 7.30pm THE FREEMANTLE HALL •WednesdayAfternon 2-3pm • All SeatsBookable on 020 84679438 This is afriendly club of all ages and movement is to Bexley High Street, Kent lovely music. (Near BR Station) THE GLENTWORTH £4 per session, incl Tea•Why not come along EX SERVICES CLUB SUNDAY26th SEPTEMBER 2010 S2BIG BOOT SALES VINYL •CD’S •MEMORABILIA Fisher Football Ground, Salter Road, BOOT SALE Entry 10am -3.30pm Admission 50p SE16 5LH (Near Tunnel and Tesco) (dartford) BIG SALE EVERYSATURDAY11AM OAP FREE Cars £8 Vans £12 from 10am Buyers 50p Entry SATURDAY25TH SEPTEMBER STALLS AVAILABLE •ENQUIRES 01322 330631 MASSIVE SALE EVERYSUNDAY11AM Cars £10 Vans £15 from 10am Buyers 9-10 £1. 10am 50p STALL HOLDERS FROM 7AM MASSIVE GRASS SITE PUBLIC FROM 8AM Undercover pitches available if raining CARS &SMALL VANS £5.00 LARGE VANS V.V.Busy.-Attractions -Caterers -Toilets-381 Bus £8.00 ENTRYFREE FOR PUBLIC. No selling fake/copy goods, dvd’s, etc HOT FOOD &REFRESHMENTS. Book ads online DETAILS/INFO TELEPHONE REGRET NO FOOD VENDORS 020 8309 5696