It’s Showtime

The annual concert produced by this friendly society proved no less entertaining than in previous times although this year had some additional twists. In a celebration of 75 years of the society, the group gave a selection of songs from various productions they had performed in over that timescale. For me, and it seemed for the appreciative audience, these eight selections were a popular choice, with many  in the audience singing along with the cast.

Malcolm Frank was Master of Ceremonies for the evening’s entertainment, providing a brief introduction to each particular section, setting the scene as well as giving a synopsis of each medley. Conducting the musical combo  was Meg Childs, who not only MD’d but who also played violin in two musical interludes provided by the band either side of half time, proving their versatility in different genres of music.  Meg herself, at one point, in a fit of ‘pique’, stormed from the pit onto the stage to provide us with a humorous rendition of an amateur dramatics-themed poem extolling the worth of that most essential of all society helpers, the ‘tea lady’. Ken Simmons also entertained us with a rendition of the well known classic ‘Moses and Joshua (and his Wellies)’ in typical Tyneside dialect, which was most amusing (not so sure about the ‘dodgy’ football shirt Ken was wearing.)  Stage movement alongside some short ‘tap’ sequences were provided by the chorus ladies (and man).

At times the production could have benefited by a little sound reinforcement to allow the soloist singing to carry further, but this is a minor point in what was an enjoyable evening’s entertainment. Costumes, mainly dinner suits and ‘posh frocks’, were appropriate and looked colourful and bright. The cabaret style seating helped provide the more intimate surroundings more in keeping with the style of the production. Well done to all.

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