Christmas Showcase

After a weekend full of Remembrance and a basinful of Brexit in all the media, an evening with a Christmas theme came as something of a shock. But, as Christmas lights are being turned on in various towns and those expensive festive adverts are all over our TV screens, we are reminded that there are only a few more weeks left.

This was rather an eclectic mix of music and comedy, mostly with a Christmas theme, but all of it entertaining.  We heard many seasonal favourites both musical and spoken, including a section relating to Christmas in Wales, an appropriate gesture on the Prince’s 70th birthday.  It’s always difficult to find comedy items for this type of production but there were several amusing pieces, including some elderly members of the von Trapp family and some not-so-young farmers who would have us believe that the shepherds of the Christmas story might have lived on Ilkley Moor.  Perhaps the funniest item was the potted panto in which the story of Cinderella was related in quick time by a cast which, with the possible exception of the Prince, gave a particularly accurate interpretation of my dictionary’s definition of the word “deadpan” – “expressionless, immobile face”. 

Some of the musical items were sung to backing tracks but, traditional that I am, I found those with piano accompaniment more enjoyable.  The harmonies in the ladies’ trio “O Holy Night” were particularly good and clear, as were Emma Kennedy’s solo verses in “In the bleak Midwinter”.  James Gray gave excellent renditions of two songs, including “Blue Christmas”, resisting any temptation to make this simply an impression of the famous Presley version and instead allowing us to enjoy his own fine voice. 

Mince pies at the interval were greatly appreciated as was the idea of providing the simple yet attractive printed programme on every seat. I cannot end, however, without complimenting the cast on their tremendous strength of character for ensuring that their performances were scarcely affected by the sad news earlier that day of the death of one of their members, the holder of a Long Service Medal, who had in fact been expected to be taking part.  In the words of one of Alan Bennett’s books of memoirs, this was a prime example of “Keeping on keeping on”.   Well done.   

© NODA CIO. All rights reserved.