Kay Birch, who died in Valencia hospital on the 9th November came to Javea with her husband ,Geoff in 1991. No lady has come to Spain with more baggage – talent, experience, dedication, courage and unbounded enthusiasm. Kay loved the stage – it was her life and she brought to it considerable talent and absolute dedication. But she loved her audiences far more. To her they were never “bums on seats “ , to Kay they were flesh and blood individuals that she wanted to know, to communicate with and with whom she wanted to share her emotions. She was never on one side of the footlights and her audience on the other, she embraced them and took them into her world of music, drama, laughter or song. That is what made her such an unusal talent. What endeared her to audiences wherever she performed. Why so very many people on the Costa Blanca will feel a personal loss in her passing. Kay started her stage career at the age of three. Her juvenile successes led to a very successful professional career as a singer and dancer in cabaret and musicals. Later in her career she became an award winning choregrapher and director at the Westcliff Operatic and Dramatic Society. Her awards included Best Direction for “Brigadoon “; Best Director for “The Music Man “ and Best Chorus for “Hooray for Hollywood “ which she compiled and directed. Shortly after arriving in Javea, Kay and Geoff joined the Javea Players and started to make a major contribution to the continuing success of this theatrical society that had already enjoyed some fifteen years as the premier drama group on the Costa Blanca. Kay played Titania , Queen of the Faries in the 1992 Javea Players’ production of “Midsummer Night’s Dream “. In 1995 she directed the Players’ enormously successful production of “Fiddler on the Roof “. Another very successful musical followed in 1997, “Lock Up Your Daughters “ and in the year 2000 she directed and played in “The Sound of Music “, the production that still holds the record for attracting the largest Javea Players audience. Tragically, in the final stages of rehearsals for “The Sound of Music “, Kay’s husband, Geoff, died.Such was her courage and commitment, Kay not only continued with the show but played her part as one of the nuns in every performance. Kay played in many straight plays for the Javea Players but she may well be best remembered for her part as one of the Brewster sisters in the 2000 production of “Arsnic and Old Lace”. Staging a new musical presents any amatuer company with a very real challenge but with Kay it was always the case that those who said it could not be done were interrupted by her doing it . So it was with the brand new musical,”Below Stairs “. Kay directed the musical’s European Premier at the Union Musical ,Gata in 2003 to great acclaim. Sadly, during the run of the show, Kay experienced another personal tragedy with the death of her son. At the time of her death, Kay was rehearsing fror the Javea Players’ next Studio Theatre production and as the fairy in the Players’ pantomime for grown up children, “Brave Robin “, written and directed by her close friend, David Thomas. David and his cast are determined to make certain that their production is one with which Kay would have been pleased. She was a trouper that had time and time again demonstrated her belief that the show must go on She’ll make the angels sing and may well persuade them to dance !
