Day and Night

When the company decided they wanted to put on a “songs from the shows” type show they didn’t just want a procession of people coming on stage performing a number and walking off again. So they put on their thinking caps on and came up with the idea of setting the show in a space that was a café during the day and at night became a nightclub and telling the story of the staff and customers through song, dance and comedy. So “Day and Night” was born – written by club members Helen Barron and Martin Anderson with additional material by Trevor Nicol. The stage was tiered, with the top tier housing the onstage band and the other tiers split into various seating areas allowing the whole cast to be on stage at all times. The “Day” section started with an arrangement of “Who Will Buy?” to bring the cast on. A group of young ladies from a dance class entered and led by Fiona MacDonald gave an energetic demonstration of “Tap Your Troubles Away”. A wedding party also made an appearance and so we had a beautiful rendition of “Sunrise Sunset” delivered by Roger Cope and Fiona Chapman as the happy couple’s parents followed by a rousing “Flash Bank Wallop” from the whole company. This was followed by a wistful rendition of “Hello Young Lovers” by Leah Smith. This section ended on a “June” theme with “June Bride” and “June is bustin’ out all over”. Mention must be made of Louise Munro who had the audience in stitches as the elderly, doddery waitress who could just not get the coffee order correct! The “Night” section started with an excellent “Cabaret” by Morag Barron and the company. Highlights from this section included an Andrew Lloyd Webber love song medley by Leah Smith, Helen Barron and Debbie McDonnell, a swoon inducing performance of “Feeling Good” by Michael Buble sound – alike Pete Bullock Mckie and Amy Atkinson’s “There are Worse Things I Could Do”. The show ended with the full company in a lively “The Rhythm of Life”. The production was slick throughout and showcased the many talents of the company to the full. Well done Inverness Opera Company and I hope we may see a “Day and Night II” in the not too distant future.

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