A Gem of an Evening

What a special and stylish evening this turned out to be - I had no idea what to expect from this talented group, but I knew it would be first class.

As St. Gemma's Hospice reaches its 40 years in existence, LIDOS cleverly linked up with this amazing organisation by providing songs from each decade, starting with excerpts from 'Sweeney Todd' from the 70's and then coming bang up to date with songs from 'The Greatest Showman'.

The show was conceived, musically directed and staged most professionally by Gemma Beck, who used the space in the Queens Hall to the fullest effect - tables were placed down each side of the Hall, with a playing area in the middle. The company, dressed mainly in black, with primary colours for some numbers, performed confidently together as soloists and as group in song, movement and dance. I would love to mention everybody's name in this review - all I can say is there wasn't a weak link in the whole performance. Additional choreography was provided by Donna Wells and Emma Tempest in their own technically brilliant way, added zest and energy to the performance. I must also give mention to the sound crew - the balance was spot-on and the lighting excellent, considering the way the show was presented.

Bryan Craven acted as Compere for the LIDOS angle in his own imitable way, guiding the audience through the programme with anecdotes and humour - for St. Gemmas, Mike Saunders gave us a potted history of the Hospice, with many facts we had not realised before.

The whole evening was a great success for both LIDOS and St. Gemma's - I sincerely hope they will be able to repeat this concert in future for other fund-raising events - it doesn't get much better than this!

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