T HERE is something about the Parish of St Luke's Brislington that draws people together to present theatrical entertainment, especially musical theatre.

It was there in 1926 that Canon Sydney R Worters formed the Brislington Players, who after several changes of venue became in 1939 the Bristol Musical Comedy club. It is also there that the St Luke's Church Players were formed in 1988 and continue to present a series of original musicals.

While BMCC has wandered around every big theatrical venue in the area - the Victoria Rooms, now long gone Empire Theatre in Old Market, Bristol Hippodrome, Theatre Royal, in King's Street, and this year into the Redgrave Theatre - St Luke's Church Players create their own distinctly local and friendly atmosphere in their own church hall.

It is there between May 11 and 14 that they will be presenting the seventh show especially written for them by the group's secretary and founder member Jonathan Rowe. It was his adaptation of Thomas Hardy's Under the Greenwood Tree which won the club the Coup De Theatre Rose Bowl Award last Season.

Cole Porter, one of the all time greats among writers of popular music in the 20th century, and probably the cleverest, most sophisticated and wittiest of writers of lyrics to his own music of any of that group of composers, is the subject of Jonathan's new show, What a Swell Party. That title comes from the lyric of the Bing Crosby, Frank Sinatra hit from the film High Society.

With no fewer than 14 Broadway shows to his credit, including Anything Goes, Can-Can, Panama Hattie, Silk Stockings and the great Kiss Me Kate, plus more than eighty films in which his music has been featured, the choice of music is mind blowing. The only way in which St Luke's Players could cover Porter's entire output would be to hold a singalong marathon for charity lasting several days.

To find out which of those popular classics Jonathan Rowe has included in his selection ring 0117 971 1339 or 07900 055261 for tickets.

Bringing alive many of the famous people and personal friends of Cole Porter will be club chairman, and co-director Alistair Dawes playing Gerald Murphy who first met Porter at Yale University, Leanne Dorman recreating the biting wit of Dorothy Parker, and Edith Taylor as America's most famous political hostess of the 1930s and 40s Elsa Maxwell.

You have to wait a little longer for BMCC's next show, Sweet Charity which will grace the Redgrave Theatre from June 7-11. More details about what promises to be one of the brightest pieces of musical theatre on offer throughout the summer nearer the date.

Long before that, this week, tonight until Saturday, productions are on view in the Prince's Hall, Clevedon, and Somerset Hall, Portishead. Clevedon Players have been busy turning their stage into a mixture of a house on the Yorkshire moors, a railway station, parts of the line, and a tunnel, for Carole Hockedy's production of Edith Nesbit's The Railway Children. A large cast of excited young players will be lined up with their more experienced partners ready for curtain up each evening at 7.45pm.

At 7.30pm on the same dates Portishead Players will be drawing their season to a close with A Trio of Entertainment. Janet Griffiths and Dave Richardson respectively direct the comedy The Worst Day of My Life and comedy thriller The Offence. Making up the final member of the trio advertised in the show's title will be a loving look in poetry, prose, and music of Love and Marriage.

Both should bring entertainment.