Obituary: Alice Dunn, lover of musical theatre who entranced audiences

Alice Dunn was what she would have termed herself – an ordinary wife and mother.

She originated from a leafy English village, met her husband Mike and fell in love, and they moved to Uphall, where she worked in the Livingston Development Corporation using her administrative skills to promote the then new town in the late 1960s.

She also became a popular Avon lady because she loved meeting and helping people. Alice made record sales and myriad friends as a result.

But Alice also had another life in which she fulfilled her love of musical theatre when she became one of the original members of the much acclaimed Livingston Players, who staged South Pacific to celebrate the opening of the Mews Theatre in 1971, which was adjacent to Howden House, an original feature of the old Livingston

Alice played a leading role whilst her husband Mike appeared in the chorus and he went on to become a valued member acting as stage manager, scene shifter and in the back row of the chorus when required.

Alice was blessed with a beautiful singing voice and one of the highlights of her stage performances was when she played the wife of Tevvy in Fiddler on the Roof, opposite the late Gerry Dignon. Her rendition of the famous Do You Love Me song was perfection and reckoned to be one of the finest ever seen in an am-dram production.

Always beautifully dressed, and always the elegant lady, she was perfectly cast in My Fair Lady.

Arguably her most treasured experience in West Lothian life was when HM The Queen paid a visit to Livingston and the various groups of performers in Livingston productions were presented to the monarch when she visited the Mews Theatre.

Alice was surprised and delighted when the Queen stopped to have an unscheduled chat with her and so were the invited audience. Naturally, she managed the perfect curtsy.

Alice Dunn will be remembered for her beautiful smile and hearty laugh and a singing voice which could have seen her make a career on the professional stage.

She may have been surprised when people sang her praises but her presence at the reception desk at the theatre, welcoming packed audiences with that smile when she was not actually appearing in a production, ensured they enjoyed the performance even before it began.

Alice Dunn is survived by son Christopher, daughters Trudi and Lisa and grandchildren.

Beryl Beattie