Christmas Moments. Stories, Songs and Carols.

It is that time of year when we indulge ourselves with the sound of Carols, hot mulled wine, and traditional mince pies. This Concert set the tone for the festive season ahead. Berwick Opera usually perform at The Maltings in Berwick, but it is closed for rebuild work. A rebuild of their venue did not deter Berwick Opera and I know that rehearsals for this concert began in August.

Our visit to the Spittal Community Centre began with a warm welcome and beaming smiling faces. The Centre was full. The concert opened with scene one entitled, The Build up to Christmas and got us in the mood for what was to follow. I particularly liked the Elvis Presley number of Blue Christmas.

Scene two pictured an indoor party and Rocked us Around the Christmas Tree. Lynn Ireland and Bobby Hanlon sang a duet of Baby it is Cold Outside. Both have beautiful voices, and their duet was more than a song. This response duet hit the mark of being a light-hearted, flirtatious Christmas song. Well done to you both.

Scene three was” Meanwhile Upstairs” and I must commend Nicci Jones who has hearing loss and sang with the support of a signer. Nicci, the song Let it Go from Frozen is not the easiest song to sing but you stood as a confident person who thrilled your audience with a song, we are all familiar with. Your fellow singers did a sterling job of backing you and you gave a delightful performance. The scene ended with a chorus of Santa Claus is Coming to Town and right on cue Santa appeared in the audience distributing chocolate miniatures to all.

Before the interval Berwick Amateur Dramatic Acting Society performed a (BADACTS) rehearsal of the well-known Christmas Dickens – Scrooge. There was a bit of everything in this concert and the second part opened with scene five Media Extracts with a take-off of Esther Ranzan’s previous TV show, That’s Life. Well done to Angela Winson who took on the role of Esther. A mention must also go to John Denholm for his bravery in appearing on stage in a tutu. Gill Berzins and Nicola Summers performed a duet to the famous song of Mariah Carey – All I want for Christmas is You and were determined to sit on the knee of our NODA Counsellor Peter Oliver. Peter accepted their attention with delight and commented that it was the first time he had been fought over! The BBC Radio Berwick’s Show also delighted us with a dressed-up reindeer. Scene six was Walking Home in a Winter Wonderland and in this scene a snowman appeared.

Scene seven was the Final Celebration and the audience were sent on their way home with favourites that included O Holy Night and White Christmas. The audience sang along, and your concert was a remarkable success. 

The planning of this concert must recognise Mark Fleeson who is described in the programme as “the show’s creator.” Congratulations Mark you successfully created a lovely evening of entertainment that we all enjoyed.

I must also thank your sound technicians who controlled the sound and music. The volume was perfect, and the music came on cue without a hitch. Well done. And well done to all the backstage team, such an essential part of any production.

I do not see many concerts in the Northern Region, so this was very special for me. Thank you for the invitation and for making me so welcome.

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