Calamity Jane

What a  great night this turned out to be with this very talented company. I always enjoy coming to this beautiful theatre and this production by The Manx G & S Society was a lovely experience. There are some  well known numbers in this score by Francis Webster and Sammy Fain and the orchestra, under the baton of John Elliott was first class and complemented some splendid performances on stage. The pace never faltered and we were swept along by a lively, animated, enthusiastic and exuberant chorus. The contrast between this and the more static scenes was excellent. This fine cast was headed by two very experienced principals Sarah Elder as Calamity and Matt Quinn as Wild Bill Hickock. Sarah gave a spirited, physical performance, convincingly played, as tomboy Calamity Jane and there was a lovely transformation in Act 2 when she gave a beautiful rendition of “ My Secret Love”.  Matt has an excellent voice, both acting and singing and played the role to perfection. He will be a great asset to the society. There were some convincing cameo roles supporting the main characters, always important when maintaining high standards. I was impressed with Frank Smyth as Henry Miller. A delightful comedy characterisation, beautifully played. Tracey McCann as Katie gave a lovely performance and scenes between Calamity and Katie were sensitively portrayed.  It was encouraging to see that Dandi Dancox was gaining more experience in stagecraft after her recent nomination for “High Society. It was also pleasing to see some new young people on stage. They obviously enjoyed themselves and hopefully will wish to continue with this great hobby of ours. There was a problem with sound and diction early in the evening but this improved as the show progressed. Val Cowley has again directed with her usual expertise and gave the audience an insight of this period in American history. The costume hair and makeup departments, so often the unsung heroes, have again ensured all on stage were in character and the stage crew were slick and efficient with the many scene changes. Yet again a thoroughly enjoyable evening with Manx G & S. Thank you for making my wife and I so welcome.

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