Year

May 2003 - Region 9 - Sheryl Haydock-Howorth

HOW TO SUCCEED IN BUSINESS WITHOUT REALLY TRYING

Ashton Operatic Society

Director: Howard Carter
Associate Director: Pat Battle
Musical Director: Paul Firth
Choregrapher: Angie Ledwich-Draper
Assistant to Choreographer: Louise Meacham

This show tells the story of window washer J Pierpoint Finch at the World Wide Wicket Company. Not content with washing windows, Finch has discovered a life-changing book which is the title of the show. Following the book's instructions Finch soon lands a job in the mailroom and catches the eye of a pretty young secretary named Rosemary.
With the help of the book, he stages a miraculous climb up the corporate ladder from mailroom to junior executive, to head of Systems and finally to Vice President in charge of advertising, all while outwitting his enemies. The manual seems to predict the back-stabbing plans of Bud Frump (nephew of JB Biggley, President of the company) before they develop. Eventually Finch has to rely on his own wits to salvage his job.

This is one show that is rarely done these days. Having said that, this production was one of the most refreshing and professional shows I have seen in a long time.

David Gill playing Finch was excellent. He had just the right approach to this character without overplaying it and he teamed up well with Sarah Thewlis as Rosemary. Bill Owen as J.B. Biggley showed his wonderful timing and acting abilities along with some fine singing. Playing the back-stabbing nephew Frump was Nigel Griffiths. This was certainly one of Nigel's best performances ever. Never once coming out of character, his body language was superb as was his singing voice. Congratulations, too, to Samantha Bates as Hedy, who managed to strip down to only her panties without a blush. She played a marvellous part and had the audience in stitches. What a pity the press didn't see the dress rehearsal, I am sure the crowds would have flocked in just to see that scene alone.

Every principal played a terrific cameo role and deserve a mention but unfortunately, that would take far to long, but I will say, that there was not one weak link in this show. Everyone sang, acted and had terrific timing throughout. The choreography was superb, slick and well performed by all, especially "The Brotherhood of Man" to name one number. Paul Firth had done a great job with the chorus work and the orchestra was excellent.

The scenery, lighting and sound for this show were very good and many congratulations to Chris Taylor and his stage crew for the smooth running and slick scene changes. The whole production had pace and though it is a long show it held your attention. I am sure the Royalty Holders who attended earlier in the week were delighted with it.

Thank you for your very kind hospitality and well done on a production to be proud of.

A PASSIONATE WOMAN

Brookdale Theatre

Directed and Produced by Bryan and Jean Lingwood

This play is written by the very talented Kay Mellor about a doting mother who finds it hard to accept her son is getting married. The scene is set in the loft of her house and we find her reminiscing and re-living her long gone youth.

Sue McEwen was well cast as Betty giving a good all round performance, and soon had the audience laughing. Ian Taylor as son Mark worked hard and delivered his lines convincingly, whilst Jake Flemberg as Craze teamed up well with Betty. Although we heard Donald (Dennis Cowap) calling up to Betty in the loft for the first half of the play, we didn't actually see him until the second half. He was worth waiting for, his timing was good, he added more humour and there were some touching moments from his character.

Congratulations to all who built this set, it worked well. This was a very enjoyable play, and thank you for you kind hospitality.

BOUNCERS

The Christie Theatre Company

Director: John A Wood
Choreography: Angela Ledwich-Draper

It's Friday night and its disco time for the Bouncers. Here we see the night come alive in the lewd, crude and hilarious parody of the contemporary disco scene.

Four brutish bouncers portraying over twenty different characters invite us to a night on the town. We meet giggly girls, lads on the make, Hooray Henrys, pogo-ing punks and a smooth talking DJ, all set against the tatty, glitzy glamour, the flashing lights and the pulsating beats of the disco floor.

Ian Draper played the sad, lonely, and brutish Lucky Eric. He was absolutely marvellous and had the audience laughing along and then almost in tears with him. A terrific performance by any standards. John Meachen "gave another fabulous performance as the dopey Judd, but also showed us how versatile he could be playing a giggly female. Whilst Chris Lunt showed us a smooth talking DJ, a giggly female and a tough talking bouncer.

As director - this is John Wood's first attempt - he must be extremely pleased with this production. Not only the production but also with his own performance as Les. There were very many special touches to this production which gave the audience both male and female the real perspective of their own disco experiences.

Congratulations to you all. This was a very professional play that was pure entertainment.

ROBINSON CRUSOE AND THE PIRATES

Hyde Little Theatre

Director: Janice C Haughton
Musical Director: Brenda Ellett
Choreographer: Kathryn Shenton

This pantomime had all the charm and fun that a family panto should have; lots of good characters and plenty of enthusiastic children to keep the audience singing and joining in. The production team certainly knew how to get the best from a script and their players and this they did superbly.

There was a very strong line up of principals. Robinson played by Shelley Ridler was self assured and had just the right approach to the part, she was well supported by Kate Westcott as Polly Perkins whose accent never faltered. Jeff Dudley made a great Dame and teamed up well with Chris Williams as Captain Bowspirit. Two other well acted parts were Blackbeard and Patch (Stuart Wilkie and Vince Bowers) two baddies the audience love to hate.

Comedy was supplied by Paul Booth and Vanessa Brooks as Willie and Bessie and more glamour was brought to this production in the form of the Crimson Hawk (Cherry Eagle) who swashbuckled her way around the ship in a wonderful red custume and thigh high boots. Other principals added more fun and humour to this great panto.

No pantomime would be complete without children and these youngsters showed what a talented bunch they were. Good routines, beautiful costumes and in fine voice they performed as though it was second nature.

Congratulation must also go to the set designer, this was colourful and had some wonderful scenes. Written by Paul Reakes this was certainly a great show. Many congratulation to you all for such an entertaining evening and thank you for you kind hospitality.

THE GARDEN PARTY

Hyde Little Theatre

Director: Roger Boardman

This play is set on the day of Richard's 70th birthday and here we see the family gathering, the division and the petty squabbles that can befall families on such occasions.

We opened onto a superb set with a colourful array of plants and the sunshine bursting through the trees. It made you feel relaxed and wanting to enjoy the summer's day ahead.

Janice Houghton as Richard's wife Jan was strong in the part bringing her experience, humour and some great facial expressions alive and teamed up well with John Bloor as Richard. Kath Holmes as the secret drinking Hettie had her own style of humour and had the audience on her side in no time. Paula Waddacor, Paul McAvenue and Sam AI-Hamdani played the siblings, who constantly bickered and squabbled through the all but perfect day. Alison Bowers gave a good all round performance as neighbour Eunice while Jeff Dudley and Kieran Cieslinski completed the line up.

This was a good night's entertainment; I thank you for your kind hospitality and look forward to seeing you all again soon.

BABES IN THE WOOD

Macclesfield Majestic Theatre Group

Producer: Shirley Davies
Musical Director: Heather Hayes-Wilson
Choreographers: Gillian Hulme & Carolyn Farish-Mayer

What a great panto this was, with an excellent line up of principals and chorus. It is so good when the production team are at one with each other, and this team certainly were. With so much humour, good production numbers and a versatile chorus in fine voice one knew that this was going to be a fun night out.

Andrew Venables as the Sheriff made a great 'baddie' and his two rogues played by Jonny Bower and Steven Halliwell were so funny you didn't want them the leave the stage. Their timing was excellent and facial expressions never wavered. Claire Mannion as the Nurse played her part with a good understanding, not to mention a fine voice and teamed up well with funny man Michael Daws as Simon. Rebecca Fryer as Robin Hood could certainly slap a thigh and gave a good performance. Whilst the Merry Men had the audience in stitches with their 'Men in Tights' number.

The Babes, Nic Dobson and Jenny Campbell, are certainly two youngsters to watch out for in the future as is Elizabeth Knutton who played Alfred Acorn. Another talented performance was given by Gemma Moss as Maid Marion. Gemma has a natural acting ability and a beautiful singing voice and I am sure will go far in musical theatre.

Many congratulations to all the chorus and dancers. The routines were slick, well performed and full of enthusiasm.
Sound and lighting were particularly effective and well done the all the stage crew. This was a good script, well performed and a great night's entertainment - thank you one and all.

THIS IS OUR MOMENT

Noreen Dickinson School of Dance

Principals: Noreen Dickinson & Melodie Hudson

Once again this talented dance school gave a spectacular performance in aid of their chosen charity for 36 years MENCAP. This year their performance raised no less than £7870.

Gracing the stage of Tameside theatre we were transported through the imaginative routines and slick precision work of these young people who from the age of 3 could certainly show the audience a thing or two. Opening with the students, teachers and seniors and moving through the grades we could see just how these youngsters progress. Some move on to amateur theatre and some to the professional stage. It was particularly encouraging to see some talented young men showing us their tap and jazz dancing.

All the numbers had style, good patterns and well chosen musical accompaniment. I must also mention the beautiful costumes. The colour and effects were just perfect and not a hair out of place. Well done to the costume designers and wardrobe assistants.

I know only too well, just how much hard work and dedication it takes to put on such a show of this calibre and with 200 young people to keep under control at the same time. No easy feat, but the discipline was there for all to see and I congratulate whole-heartedly everyone involved in this production. Long may you continue to give others pleasure. I look forward to seeing you all again and wish you every success in all that you do. Thank you for such a great night's entertainment and for your very kind hospitality. Good luck with your next show in April, I hope it's a huge success for you all and that the fund raising continues to grow.

GOLDILOCKS AND THE THREE BEARS

Friends of the Art Theatre, New Mills

Director: Sheryl Haydock-Howorth
Choreographer: Beryl Gresty
Musical Director/Organist: Carolyn Hawkins

It is always interesting to venture into a neighbouring region to see how it compares with my own and in this case I am grateful to Sheryl Haydock-Howorth for inviting me to prepare this report which she could not do because she directed the show.

I was very pleased with the overall standard of the show which was well balanced and I suspect that Sheryl, with the assistance of choreographer, Beryl Gresty, had organised this pantomime with a considerable amount of discipline from the performers which can sometimes present considerable difficulties with young pantomime companies interspersed with a few adults. She certainly seemed to make the most of the script and music and the overall effect was neat and tidy and indeed very colourful.

Although one tends to ignore a pantomime plot, this was perhaps better that some I have seen because, being based around a circus, it has a tendancy by the nature of the show to lend itself to colourful costumes and particularly an opportunity for many of the young performers to try out some circus tricks which they did with considerable success. Also the young performers all flitted in and out of the stage with discipline and organisation which meant they all had work to do and an opportunity to perform.

The few adults were well used led by The Reverend Hilary Edgerton (the Vicar of Hayfield, what a qualification that is for a panto clown) but who put on an outrageous and very successful Scottish accent and tried very hard to get the audience going.

I particularly liked Pauline Rowe as the Pantomime Dame (another female to which I am becoming quite accustomed) and indeed, she looked more attractive than bizarre and she was full of fun. All the other principals played their parts in what I suspect was a successful show so far as the audience was concerned and Carolyn Hawkins contributed greatly to this successful panto with her musical contribution.

Sheryl and Beryl must have been very pleased with the overall result. - Tony Adler

CHESS

Romiley Operatic Society

Director: Rod Goddard
Musical Director: Claire Sweeney
Choreographer: Sharp Alexander

This production of Chess could have graced any West End stage. It has to be one of the most professional shows staged by amateurs in a very long time. Not only did it have an exceptional line up of principals, but the choral singing was magnificent and full credit goes to MD Claire Sweeney. Chess in itself is a most complex show to follow, but with the technical input computer graphics and multimedia co-ordination it took the audience through the story with ease.

Lucy Roylance as Florence was superb. Her vocal range left the hairs on your arms standing on end, Lucy is an outstanding amateur who should be professional. Rob Haslam as the Russian, Anatoly gave a most moving, sincere and self assured performance, again proving he has such quality in his singing. Simon Hardisty just gets better each time I see him, and also gave a professional performance as the American Freddie Trumper. Catherine Baddeley played the Russian wife Svetlana. Her duet with Florence 'I know Him So Well' was beautiful, they were so well balanced. Congratulations must also go to Shaun Penton as the Arbiter, Godfrey Roylance as Alexander Molokov and Brian Ganderton as Walter de Courcey who played such supportive roles and again showed what tremendous vocal talents they possess.

Combine all this excellent singing with good acting and as I said, a first class professioal show. Sham Alexander's choreography was just right and again portrayed the storyline well throughout the dance. The effective set, dramatic lighting, excellent sound and props again helped to make this show such a success.

Having said that, all credit must go to Rod Goddard for his vision. The planning, and technicalities were enormous and not to be tackled lightly, first class help was provided here by Paul Moseley and Shaun Penton.

Many, many congratulations to you all, I know just how much hard work went into this production and thank you for your kind hospitality.

OLIVER!

Youth Unlimitd Theatre Group

Co-Directors: Cath Williams & Stella Vincent
Musical Director: James Donnan
Choreographers: Laura Meare, Hannah Buckland, Emily Fleeshman, Kerry Taylor and Paul Turner

After 26 years, the founder members of this society Valerie Brook and her husband Colin had decided to retire and hand over the reins. Not an easy decision to make, especially with such a good track record of some of the youngsters who have been involved with YUTG now working on the professional stage. Never mind you have to move on and give others a chance to find their feet. That is how many new producers, choreographers and MDs start in this game.

Although there were some extremely talented principals who could sing well and had proved themselves in previous productions, I felt that they had not been directed to their full potential in this particular production.

Mr Bumble (Matthew Rigby) had a terrific voice, one that was made for musical theatre, but missed out on much of the humour of this character whilst Widow Corney (Samantha Britton) did manage to get some of the humour across.
Oliver (Barney George) had a pleasant voice but again his personality and believability didn't come across. Richard Fleeshman as the Artful Dodger worked very hard. He looked the part and tried to bring his character to life, but was hampered by the lack of choreography in his two main numbers. Nancy (Lucy Hope) had a good strong voice but we unfortunately we didn't always see the sadness, strength or empathy that is crucial to this part. James McEwen came across well as Bill Sykes and hi character showed cynicism and strength and Fagin (Daniel Wilke) understood the role and gave a good all round performance.

I do feel that this production needed a little more work and more choreography. There was a lack of understanding as to the characters they portrayed, and this was such a shame. One thing that puzzled me was why the crucial scene where Oliver steals from Mr Brownlow was omitted? This scene is the whole reason for the story ending up as it does.

The set was very good with some effective lighting. Unfortunately the sound during the first half of the show was very intermittent and this did not help the principals, one really had to feel for them. I am sure that this show improved as the week went on and I wish you good luck with all your forthcoming productions.

I wish Valerie and Colin a very happy and healthy retirement, you will be greatly missed by the amateur world. Thank you all for your kind hospitality.