THERE’S a powerful blend of youth and experience at the heart of next week’s rip-roaring, Broadway-style production of Thoroughly Modern Millie.

If it’s flappers, tap routines, plenty of comedy and bags of Twenties style you’re after then Huddersfield Amateur Operatic Society’s latest production is the one for you.

It has a new director at the helm and a new, young leading lady in the spotlight. Here’s a society keen to showcase talent, whether it’s a teenager playing her first title role in a show at the LBT or a director who has wide experience both as an actor and as a show producer.

Alicia Brady, still only 16, has the all-singing, dancing and acting lead role of Millie and can’t wait to get out there in front of an audience.

The show’s tap routines could have been tailor-made for her. She’s a pupil of the Adele Taylor dancing school, where she has been going since she was three.

The family home at Kirkburton is crammed with her dance silverware. Her mum tots up at least 14 tap championships to Alicia’s name.

Although tap is her speciality, she’s just as keen, and doubtless just as talented, in other dance forms.

This talented teenager also sings. She took up singing when she was nine and these days is coached by singing teacher Patricia Hamilton who is helping her to widen her classical range.

This is a girl with her eyes set firmly on theatre school and a career in the entertainment business.

But first she has the challenge of Thoroughly Modern Millie.

It is not Alicia’s first appearance with an amateur company. She’s played Annie with a company in Barnsley, appeared in shows at Shelley College and enjoyed at least eight panto appearances with Huddersfield Light Opera.

But next week’s show, which opens on Monday, is her first appearance in the spotlight with one of Huddersfield’s biggest amateur operatic companies.

She and the rest of the cast have been under the wing of a new producer with the society, Kevin Moore. And if anyone knows what it feels like out on that stage, it’s Kevin.

He’s from Bradford and though he is self-employed he still finds the time to devote to his passion for theatre.

Fortunately it is a passion shared by his partner, Julia. He said: “It’s a big show and a show that I love because there’s a nice story behind it. And I’ve managed to get quite a lot of humour into it.

“The 1920s is a great period to re-create. It is probably one of the eras when style was very strong in the way that people dressed, in how buildings were built.

“I’m hoping we’ve created some of that style. We’ve got as much colour as we can into the show.”

Simon Ackroyd, who was musical director on last year’s show, is working with Kevin and Adele Taylor, who he describes as the best choreographer he’s ever worked with, will keep all those feet tapping.

That’s pretty much what Kevin thought in the late Eighties when he saw a production of The Merry Widow at the Alhambra in Bradford. It was a show that persuaded him to have a go at amateur operatics.

He joined Buttershaw St Paul’s, played in a Broadway version of the Pirates of Penzance and was hooked.

Kevin worked his way up from chorus parts to principal roles and has played everything from Kipps in Half A Sixpence to Fagin in Oliver.

Kevin began directing drama in Bingley and Keighley and has never looked back.

“Over the last eight years, I’ve produced about 36 plays, mainly comedy and farce. Ayckbourn, Godber, all kinds of things.”

He is still acting, still directing plays as well as musicals.

And he’s still smiling.

Kevin is delighted to have been asked to take on Thoroughly Modern Millie and pleased by the calibre of the cast.

Playing opposite Alicia is Richard Whyte, a new face for Huddersfield but an experienced stage performer. He has been appearing in amateur shows for more than 10 years.

This is a big show, with plenty of good music and lots of laughter. Enjoy!

The box office is on 01484 430528. Performances are nightly all week at 7.15pm, with a Saturday matinee at 2.15pm.