THIS month sees Studley Operatic Society once again treading the boards at the Palace Theatre.

Meet Me In St Louis is a lively family musical set in America in 1904.

It takes the audience through the trials and tribulations during a year in the life of the Smith family, beginning as the excitement mounts leading up to the St Louis World Fair.

The family consists of grandpa, husband and wife, Alonso and Anna Smith, their four daughters, Rose, Esther, Agnes and Tootie, who is about eight, and son, Alonso, known as 'Lon.'

One of the fragmented stories included in the 12-month picture of Smith family life is when a group of solicitors, who Alonso works for, decide to send him to take up a new post in New York but the rest of the family are very upset about having to move.

Tim Eagleton, who plays Alonso, said: "This is a brand new show with a new director, Kevin Hirons.

"There are probably as many as 50 people within the production but eight principal characters whose lives become entangled with everyone else's."

Meet Me In St Louis was made into a film by MGM which starred Judy Garland.

There are also some well-known songs such as Trolley Song, Banjo and Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas.

Meet Me In St Louis runs from Tuesday, April 24, until Saturday, April 28.

Performances take place at 7.30pm and there is also a Saturday matinee at 2.30pm.

Tickets cost £7 for Tuesday's performance, £8 or £7.50 (concessions) Wednesday to Friday, £7 for the Saturday matinee and £8 for the evening performance from the box office on 65203 or Studley Operatic Society's ticket secretary on 892594.