The story of Charlie Chaplin's childhood is told in a new musical, thanks to the playwright's fascinating family connection.

Smile is a musical play set in and around a music hall in the famous Lambeth Walk in London.

Written by Isle of Wight playwright Val Hayward, the play is based on family legend - her grandparents went to school with the young Charlie Chaplin.

Val said: "The stories of my grandparents' childhoods and of living through the late Victorian era and into the Edwardian era and the tragedy that was the First World War caught my imagination.

"My great grandmother was a music hall and silent movie pianist.

"My grandparents went to school in Lambeth with the famous Charlie Chaplin. My grandmother’s experiences of life at this time are the stuff of family legend and it occurred to me that my own granddaughters could, along with their acting, singing, dancing friends, bring their ancestor’s story to life in this production."

Smile, presented by The Niton Playbox, features popular music of the period and more modern songs, both to tell the story and to suit the taste of the young cast.

Among the cast are Ellen and Polly Careless, Val's granddaughters, so all the events portrayed are part of their family legend too.

Ellen, 14, is a keen director so she took the helm for Smile.

The show is on at Niton Village Hall on Friday, April 26, at 7.30pm, and on Saturday, April 27, and Sunday, April 28,  at 2.30pm.

Tickets are available via PayPal: thenitonplaybox@aol.com (Leave your name and date of performance you wish to attend as a booking reference). 

Alternatively, email to reserve tickets, or you can pay cash on the door.

Isle of Wight County Press: Director Ellen Careless, 14Director Ellen Careless, 14 (Image: Contributed)