Music and drama tributes for much-loved Tony
Tony Kelsey-Stead onstage. Photo - Andaman Players.
Musicians and amateur actors who played or acted alongside the late Tony Kelsey-Stead are to stage performances in his memory in the coming few days.
On May 2, the Andaman Players will stage a special performance of their latest work, Love is a 4-Letter Word at the Green Man pub on the road from the Chalong Circle to Kata. In this case, the title of the performance will be amended to Love is a 4-Letter Word Called Tony.
The performance will be free, though donations to Tony’s partner Fon will be welcomed.
On May 4, Tony’s musician friends will put on a performance at Friendship Beach, on the Chalong-Rawai road. Among those performing will be the Groove Doctors, Colin Hill, the Orchid Garden Jammers, Karen and Big Dave from the Little Rock Band. Again, the performance will be free, along with the barbecue. Other musicians are invited to come along and join in.
Tony Kelsey-Stead died in a hospital in England on April 19 after a long battle with leukemia.
During his time in Phuket he was a stalwart of the Andaman Players, most recently playing Widow Twanky in the Players’ Christmas pantomime, Mother Goose.
He was also a regular contributor to and editor of the Phuket Post newspaper, and hosted the Sunday Timewarp Show on 91.5 Phuket FM Radio. In what was left of his spare time he would often play drums – he appeared on stage at the Phuket Blues-Rock Festival last year.
Tributes have been pouring in for Tony. Fellow radio DJ Paul Norris described him as “a great guy who will be missed. Always the life and soul of the party, was Tony.”
