January 2005 - Region 3 - Catherine Allan
A SLICE OF SATURDAY NIGHT
X-RAYS
PRODUCED BY CATHERINE OATWAY & LIZ WOOD
For my first outing as NODA Representative what a delight it was to attend the musical “A Slice of Saturday Night”. On entering the theatre I was told that this was a production that had been “done on the cheap”. Maybe not much money had been spent but it certainly wasn't evident in the production. The set was excellent and really conjured up a tacky nightclub setting. The black and white theme both in the set and the costumes evoked the 1960's theme.
The musical itself was fast paced and fun with some catchy songs. All the vocalists were excellent as too was the band, Dr Dill and the Herbs.
There were strong performances from the entire cast so it would be unfair to single any individual out. Well executed, well produced, well done.
ACCOMODATIONS
COLNE DRAMATIC SOCIETY
DIRECTED BY JOHN EDWARDS
This was my first outing to The Little Theatre and what a lovely theatre it is! The set, a New York apartment was excellent. The cast of four all played their parts well so I'm not going to single anybody out, they all managed to keep up their American accents throughout the play. The play itself was fast paced and funny. Well done to the cast for not being put off from the incessant ring of a mobile phone at one point of the production. Special mention should go to Adam Horsefield who did an excellent job on lighting and sound despite the fact that he was only drafted in at the last minute to replace people who had given back word. I really enjoyed this play and so did the rest of the audience.
BILLY
ST. JOHN'S GREAT MARSDEN OPERATIC & DRAMATIC SOCIETY
PRODUCED BY MIKE McKEOWN
What a fabulous musical this was! Everything about it was good. The set was excellent as too was the lighting especially to indicate the dream sequences. There were solid performances by all the cast. As the musical is about the life of an individual, the person cast in the role needed to be excellent to carry the show along, enter James McKelvey as Billy. He had excellent stage presence and performed as if the role had been written with him in mind. Also of note where the performances of Vivienne Thornber and Steve Royle as Billy's parents and Stephanie Lincoln as one of Billy's long suffering girlfriends. The choreography was excellent and well executed by the cast. Thank you for a thoroughly entertaining evening.
CRAZY FOR YOU
ACCRINGTON THEATRE GROUP
DIRECTOR – HOWARD RAW
Any production is only as strong as it's weakest link and there were no weak links in this production. Everything about it was slick under the directorship of Howard Raw. The backstage crew coped well with the many scene changes swiftly and seamlessly. The orchestra performed well in the excellent hands of Patricia Gaunt. The chorus numbers were complex, well choreographed and well executed. The costumes were fabulous. All of the actors gave excellent performances so in some ways it is unfair to pick out individuals, but of the supporting actors, I loved Sue Moretta's performance as Patricia Fodor. In the leading parts Gina Cole was excellent in the part of Polly, she has a beautiful singing voice and also danced well in the big chorus number I Got Rhythm which left me feeling exhausted just watching! For me though the star of the show was Mark Robinson who played Bobby, he has wonderful stage presence, he acted, he sang and he danced and he made it all look effortless which to me is the mark of real talent.
Not an easy show to put on with the amount of dancing required by all the cast so well done for producing a fabulous show. If you missed it you missed out!
DON'T DRESS FOR DINNER
THE ROSSENDALE PLAYERS
DIRECTED BY ANDREW HUSBAND
The setting was the main living room of a “stylish” country farmhouse. Although the set worked well, I found it rather sparse and lacking in style and colour and, as the play was set in a house some distance from Paris, I was disappointed that there was no evidence of any French accents.
That being said I particularly liked
the performance of Janet Philbrook as Suzette, she brought out all
the humour in the part. Also worthy of note was David Rhodes
as Robert. The play was fast paced and the audience certainly
appreciated it.
(Reviewed by Lesley Jackson)
A GALA EVENING OF MUSIC
WITH
ROSSENDALE AMATEUR OPERATIC SOCIETY
What an excellent way of displaying the many talented members of the society! The evening covered songs from musicals from The Mikado to Beauty and the Beast.
All of the performances were excellent but I particularly liked 'Three Little Maids' from The Mikado sung by Laura Mackenzie, Rachel Taylor and Gemma Wolstenholme. Rachel Taylor was the youngest person on the stage that night; she also had two solo numbers, which were also excellently performed. Also worthy of note was 'I Know Him So Well' from Chess sung by Laura Mackenzie and Gemma Wolstenholme and 'Wishing You Were Somehow Here Again' from Phantom of the Opera. For me though the best performance in the show was the societies own arrangement of an Andrew Lloyd Weber medley.
A thoroughly enjoyable evening.
KEY FOR TWO
CLITHEROE PARISH CHURCH AMATEUR OPERATIC & DRAMATIC SOCIETY
DIRECTED BY GERRY PURCHASE
This John Chapman comedy was fast paced and funny. The set was cleverly designed to indicate the various rooms of the house. After initial nerves at the start the cast settled down well all delivering good performances. I particularly liked the performance of Lesley Haworth as Harriet and Andrea Cawley as Anne but all the cast performed well. A good night out.
ON GOLDEN POND
BURNLEY GARRICK CLUB
DIRECTED BY ALAN HARGREAVES
Having seen the film many years ago, I was looking forward to this production.
The set was excellent, a log cabin overlooking a beautifully lit view across a lake to the mountains. Things started rather too slowly, but the atmosphere of a quiet backwater did come over.
The play was well cast by first time director Alan Hargreaves. Norman and Ethel, the two main parts were portrayed excellently by Alan Bailey and Dorothy Spencer. Both maintained their accents throughout and the humour of Norman and the warmth of Ethel shone throughout. Charlie played by Andrew Husband was perfectly cast as the rather gormless postman. For me he delivered the funniest line in the play attributing his dizzy spells to delivering the mail the same way round the lake each day. Barry Beckett's performance as Bill Ray came over very well and his son played by Scott Sunderland, brought a freshness to the proceedings.
In relation to the directors note
that “The buck stops here” I would have to say that the rather tuneless
taped rendition of “On Golden Pond” by a local school choir that
opened the proceedings will stay in my mind for many weeks to come.
(Reviewed by Lesley Jackson)
ONE O'CLOCK FROM THE HOUSE
BLACKBURN ARTS CLUB
DIRECTED BY MIKE ASHTON
The setting for this entire play is the front room of a house and was well put together and effective.
The story centres around three sisters each totally different from each other; all were excellently played by Adrienne Lloyd as Miriam, Jean Ratcliffe as Margaret and Andrea Lloyd. Having said this I thought that all the performances were good. Pat Tann as Mavis had the audience in stitches, as too did the unlikely relationship between Hugh played by Michael New and Jean Ratcliffe.
The play was fast paced and funny. A good night out.
PATIENCE
BARNOLDSWICK GILBERT & SULLIVAN MUSICAL SOCIETY
PRODUCED BY JOAN PLUM
The set for this production was basic but worked well. As I have come to expect from G & S Society productions the quality of the singing was excellent and the cast certainly did justice to the score. All of the principles were good but my favourite performance was by Jeanette Riley who played The Lady Jane, she brought out all the humour of the part.
The society decided to set this production in the 1960's. I can understand why a society would decide to do a production in more modern dress as its less expensive but I don't think that it worked for this production. I'm sorry but I just can't equate Gilbert & Sullivan with Woodstock, especially as in one of the songs the woman was singing about being laced in tight to her corset but was standing there in a flowing caftan! The audience seemed to enjoy it though.
PLAYHOUSE CREATURES
BLACKBURN DRAMA CLUB
DIRECTED BY JOAN McCANN
It is good to see a production that challenges both the actors and the audience. This play, set in the 17th Century is about the first actresses to appear on stage and is based on fact. The set for this production was minimal and it worked well with swift changes from scene to scene. The costumes were fabulous and exactly right for the period. All of the performances were excellent under the competent direction of Joan McCann, so in some ways it is unfair to pick out individuals but I particularly liked Janine Swarbrick's portrayal of Nell Gwyn, it was a delight to watch. An enjoyable evening, well done.
SEASONS GREETINGS
BURNLEY GARRICK CLUB
Seasons Greetings as the title suggests is set at Christmas time when various family members and friends get together for the festive season.
The setting was the house of Neville and Belinda and was cleverly put together with lighting effects and floor markings giving the illusion of different rooms.
As expected by the Garrick Group, the play was well executed and quick paced. There were good performances from the whole cast, although I particularly liked Anne E Chadwick as Belinda, the seduction scene between her and Clive played by Kenneth Entwistle was hilarious. Also worthy of note were the performances of Cynthia M Sanderson and Martin Chadwick as Bernard whose puppet show brought back memories for me of similar tests of endurance at my own family Christmases.
The play was well directed by Derek Harmer-Morris.
SINGIN' IN THE RAIN
BACUP AMATEUR OPERATIC & DRAMATIC SOCIETY
DIRECTED BY DAVID NORRIS
This is one of my favourite musicals so I was looking forward to the evening and I wasn't disappointed.
It is always difficult to play parts that have been made famous on the screen but all of the leads performed well. David Hargreaves was suitably charming as Don Lockwood, I loved the 'Singin' In The Rain' number - there was even rain! Kevin Rawcliffe as Cosmo was excellent, I loved his dance routines. Maria Masterman was also good as Kathy. But for me the best role in the musical is that of Lina Lamont and it was well portrayed by Heather Boys who brought out all the humour in the part. The chorus numbers were complex but could have been tighter in places especially at the bows when the principals came through banks of umbrellas held by the chorus.
All in all an excellent production with good costumes, sets and special effects. Just how did you do the rain?
SMIKE
THE HIPPODROME YOUTH THEATRE
PRODUCED BY MARTIN COOK, HELEN CLARKSON, RACHEL ROGERS & EMMA WINSLOW
What an excellent choice of musical for a Youth production, as it combined both modern and Victorian times. The stage set was excellent and allowed smooth transitions from present to past times. The costumes too were excellent. My criticism of this production is that the orchestra was far too loud and drowned out a lot of the solo performances which was unfortunate as a lot of the story line is conveyed through the lyrics of the songs so it made it difficult to keep up with what was going on. Despite this there were some good performances, of particular note was Mike Lawless as Nicholas Nickleby. Also of note was Rachel Morton as Mrs Squeers, she has a lovely singing voice and showed real potential. All the cast seemed to enjoy themselves and so did the audience.
TARANTARA! TARANTARA!
THE BURNLEY & DISTRICT GILBERT & SULLIVAN SOCIETY
PRODUCED BY BRIAN WHITTAKER
Tarantara! Tarantara! Is the story of Gilbert and Sullivan and as such is an interesting history lesson about the background to their musical operas. I found the production slow to start but once it got to the singing it moved along with pace. Both of the leads were excellently played by Jim Ogden and Steven Dixon. All of the cast had excellent singing voices and did justice to the score. The chorus numbers were simple and as such could have been a bit tighter. Overall a solid production that was certainly appreciated by the audience.
THE GHOST TRAIN
ROSSENDALE PLAYERS
DIRECTED BY CAROLE BARDSLEY
I had never been to the millennium theatre before and found it to be a lovely small theatre although I wouldn't recommend sitting upstairs as you had to watch the play through cast iron railings so it felt like being behind bars!!
The set for the play, a train station waiting room in the 1920's, was excellent. I was also impressed with the lighting and sound effects, which together with the set, created an excellent atmosphere.
There were some solid performances, Michael Whewell and Penny Griffin played a married couple going through some difficulties, the chemistry between them worked well. Also worthy of note was the performance of Maureen Jackson. Brian Carter was suitably annoying in the part he played.
That being said I found the play lacked pace and dragged in places. The ending was absurd. The play was billed as a comedy thriller but I'm sorry I didn't find it tense or amusing, I just didn't like the choice of play.
THE PAJAMA GAME
ST. CUTHBERT'S OPERATIC & DRAMATIC SOCIETY
PRODUCED BY BARBARA SIMPSON
I found this production a bit ropey in places with the prompt too much in evidence. Also I didn't think full justice was done to this fabulous score. That being said there were some numbers in the show that I really liked, the 'Hernando's Hideaway' number was excellent and the use of torchlight was really effective. I also liked the 'Steam Heat' number and the 'Jealousy Ballet'. There were some good performances. I particularly liked Christine Chadwick as Gladys and John Normanton as Hines who had the comedy roles in the production. Elaine Morris as Babe was also good. But a special mention should go to Susan Barrett who took the role of Mae at the last minute. literally. when the person who should have taken the role developed a back problem. Given the fact that she only had a couple of hours notice she was excellent, you wouldn't have known that she hadn't been cast in the role all along! An ambitious production to put on given the size of the stage but some creative choreography made the production work. It was also good to see a lot of young people in the production - and also in the audience.
OLIVER!
Rossendale Amateur Youth Society (RAYS)
Having seen many good productions of Oliver! over the last few years, I went along to R.A.Y.S' performance hoping to see something perhaps a little different or special. I was certainly not disappointed. From the outset, this was a strong performance which just got better and better as it progressed.
The lead principals were excellent. Christopher Lawton as Mr Bumble commanded the stage and gave a very humorous performance, evidently understanding the character. He was supported well by Stephanie Driscoll as Widow Corney. Matthew Davis was comfortable in the role of Oliver and was vocally very capable. His innocence and naivety contrasted well with Joel Brown's excellent Dodger.
A perfect comedy duo was performed by John Moorhead and Lucy Moores. John's Mr Sowberry was so sinister and his characterisation gelled well with Lucy's humour. Strong performances from Jamie Critchley as Noah and Jenny May Connolly as Charlotte supported this duo.
Mark Paterson's Fagin was superb. Every aspect of his characterisation was spot-on and in good voice, he commanded the audience's attention. His performance was worthy of any adult society as was Sarah Moorhead's. She understood the character of Nancy and gave a mature performance. Her rendition of `As Long As He Needs Me' brought the house down. What a fantastic voice! Gabby McCoy played a good Bet and Ashley Storey's menacing Bill Sykes was very convincing. All supporting roles were played competently.
The chorus was strong throughout.
The big showstoppers were danced and sung well. `Who Will Buy' was
a credit to the five street sellers and Julia Killick, whose musical
direction was excellent. I was however slightly disappointed that
the show did not climax towards the end as well as it might have
done, due to a large section of the 'chase' scene being cut. Overall
though, an excellent set and good lights, sound and costumes complemented
the talent on stage and Carole Bolton should be congratulated for
producing a good show.
(Alistair Chisholm)
JESUS CHRIST SUPERSTAR
Burnley Light Opera Society
Other than Gilbert & Sullivan's Mikado, this was the second musical to have a big lasting effect on me growing up. I was lucky enough to see it in London at the Palace in 1979 and I was hooked. I laughed and cried and have never forgotten the experience. Sadly I can't say that about this production. Although I DID enjoy it I felt it lacked emotion. It left me quite cold.
The set was super as were the costumes, sound, no problem, lights, good, although I feel I'm seeing a lot of the 'same' effects.
Performances came good and strong. Simon Westwell gave a convincing performance as Judas as did Zoe Tompkins with her portrayal of Mary Magdalene. Guy Loveday, a new comer to Burnley, was good in his role of Jesus but I felt he was stuggling with some of his high notes.
David Gill was a suitable Herod, although not sure the Fosse dance routine worked.
For me three excellent perfomances stood out. David Slater as Annas, Jon Ranwell as Pontius Pilat and Tony Whitehead as Caiaphas. They all had full command of the stage and my complette attention. Excellent and entetaining. Chorus were good and the music and direction thereof was excellent.
Directed by Anthony Williams and Musically Directed by Nick Sanders this was an interesting night at BLOS.
(A.J.W.)