Next week, the cornerHOUSE will be alive to the sound of musicals as Spice of Life opens at the Surbiton arts centre.

The show is all about people, aiming to reflecting the “ambitions, passions, flirtations and frustrations” that affect us all, and songs to fit this theme have been selected by musical director Keesha Mclean.

Of the chosen numbers, there are some very well known ones alongside some hidden gems, with all the tunes firmly taken from the humorous and the lighter side of life.

The programme inclues solos and big company numbers, from Empty Chairs and Empty Tables (Les Miserables) and Funny Honey (Chicago), to Aquarius (Hair) and Sit Down, You're Rockin' the Boat (Guys and Dolls).

Comic moments will be provided by renditions of classic numbers from A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum, Hairspray, Annie Get Your Gun, and Spamalot.

Spice of Life director Jon Constant, says: “Something happens when you see our world through music and song. Emotions are exaggerated, and it becomes sadder, funnier or more ridiculous. Stage musicals offer this alternative view of people like us, sometimes dark, but often light, but usually poking fun at our lives, our obsessions and our relationships.

"So we decided to pick some of the best songs from some great musicals with the emphasis more towards light than dark, and to see what happened when you put them all together. The songs are performed by a talented group of performers, with a range of skills and personalities to really bring them to life.

"Some songs you will know, some you probably won't, but the result, we hope, is a really entertaining evening. If nothing else, it should get your toes tapping and you should leave with a smile on your face!"

Spice of Life will run for four nights from September 22 to 25, with curtain up at 8pm on Wednesday, and 7.45pm for the rest of the run. Tickets for the show at the venue in Douglas Road, Surbiton, cost £8 (£6 concessions). Phone the box office on 020 8296 9012 to book.