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La Belle Helene - December 2009
http://www.musicweb-international.com/sandh/2009/Jul-Dec09/La_Belle_Helene_0112.htm
Offenbach, La Belle Hélène : Orchestra, chorus and soloists of the Royal Northern College of Music, Manchester/ Mark Shanahan. Bruntwood Theatre, Manchester 1.12. 2009 (RJF)
Production team:
Directed by Stefan Janski
Set designer, Simon Rostrand
Costumes designer, Elaine Needham
The Royal Northern College of Music in Manchester has a long and honourable lineage in training both singers and orchestral musicians. It has a particular distinguished list of former alumnae in the field of opera performances, many of whom grace the stage at the very best operatic addresses. The nature of the training they receive at RNCM involves many other elements as well as the development of vocal technique and includes languages, acting, movement, all the other appropriate skills of performance on stage and knowledge of the various operatic genres. The best preparation anyone can have for a career in the theatre comes from performing as principal, cover or comprimario, in one of the college’s annual staged performances. Such opportunities are open to undergraduates as well as postgraduate students, some of them having already had stage experience when they enter the college. Last year the December production was Johan Strauss’s Die Fledermaus (see review) complete with all its challenges for singing and acting: operetta’s comedy and subtleties being perhaps even more demanding than the more normal operatic fare of drama and violence, and usually connected with affairs of the heart, or at least the libido. Libidinous urges certainly dominate in Offenbach’s La Belle Hélène, a story about the most beautiful woman in the world. Hélène, wearies of her husband Menelaus, king of Sparta, and fancies a little dalliance, or preferably more with Paris the son of the king of Priam, since this is the era of the licentious Gods of Greek myth.
Rossini called Offenbach ‘The Mozart of the Champs Elysées.’ Born Jacob Eberst in Cologne, the son of a jobbing Jewish fiddler cum music teacher, Offenbach revealed such early talent that his father made many sacrifices to send him to study in Paris. There he scraped a living as a jobbing cellist while composing in his spare time, he opened the miniscule Théâtre des Bouffes Parisiens at the time of the 1855 World Exhibition in Paris,. Visitors to the exhibition flocked to hear his tuneful operettas, which fitted the mood of the country at that time like a glove. Premiered in December 1864,La Belle Hélène, was typical of its frivolous genre reflecting the decadence of France’s Second Empire which was to collapse like a pack of cards with the onset of the Franco-Prussian war, the siege of Paris, and the fall of the Emperor Napoleon 3rd.
Like the story , the music is full of full of froth and verve. Mark Shanahan on the rostrum set an appropriately alert pace with well sprung rhythms that were picked up with consummate professionalism by the student orchestra with sonorous strings well to the fore. The students on stage included a chorus of over forty-five young and vibrant voices and bodies and all of them were up for Offenbach’s fun and frolics. I have seen professional choruses go well over the top in not dissimilar circumstances, but this performance in the magical hands of Stefan Janski, Head of Operatic Studies and the production’s Director, ensured there were no such problems. The college is immensely lucky to have had his sure and expert guidance behind all of its productions over the last twenty three years. He carefully channelled the obvious enjoyment and enthusiasm of all concerned, chorus and soloists alike, to ensure an outstanding performance in all respects.
A classical front gauze of God like statues for the overture, with a little walking on by Manelaus dragging a reluctant Heléne round a gallery, was followed by different sets for each of the three acts. The chorus were moved around skilfully, particularly in Act III, with deliberate but artfully concealed intent, while the soloists were always placed to give of their best in the important numbers; this was operatic direction of the highest order.
In the title role, the Australian mezzo Helen Sherman sang with excellent diction, a warm expressive tone and good range. She was in the cover cast as Orlofsky in last year’s Fledermaus and is already carded for the trousers role of Sesto in the college’s March production of La Clemenza di Tito, Mozart’s last written opera and a very different challenge. To match the quality of her vocal contribution, my major admiration her acting. She was fully involved in the realisation of the role and portrayed Hélène as glorying in her reputation as a beauty and using all of it as the sexy manipulator of all the males around, even though some, like Calchas offered some initial resistance. As an actor, Helen Sherman was matched perfectly by the South African Sipho Fubesi, also a postgraduate with good stage experience, in the role of Paris. He used a splendidly expressive face to excellent effect as he grappled with temptation, lust and apprehension by turns. In his first aria, he cut short the high notes but came into his own with full toned strong expressive singing as the opera progressed and like Helen Sherman’s Hélène, the clarity of his diction was commendable.
Andrew Fellows as Calchas sang and acted very well. At first I was surprised to read that he had sung Sarastro in the past, since his voice sounded more smooth baritone than bass but in the last act he revealed more of his capacity for a strong lower register. Colin Brockie, a true bass and dressed as a sea captain with plenty of braid as befits Agamemnon, the King of Kings, showed much vocal promise whilst Elisabeth Karani, a third year undergraduate, donned white trousers and a hat of lower rank to sing Orestes, Agamemnon’s son. The courtesans Leonie and Leona both acted nicely as did the characterful kings of Salamis and Locrians. Hanna-Lisa Midwod-Kirchin was Hélène’s perfectly acted and sung working class accented maid; she is the cover for Sesto in next year’s Clemenza di Tito.
The pictures show something of the magnificent sets for Acts I and II, the swan bed being a perfect reference for Greek mythology. The set for the Act III frolics on the beach was simpler and dominated by a huge statue of Zeus complete with trident and with all of his physical assets unmistakeably to the fore. I found the 1930s type beachwear rather lacking inspiration in final act: the only slight quibbled in the whole production.
Like the rest of the full house audience I went home well satisfied and secure in the knowledge that the current students at RNCM have all the skills need to carry on its distinguished tradition. Further performances are scheduled for December 3rd, 10th and 12th at 7.15pm with a matinee at 3pm on Sunday 6th. Catch it if you can, you will not find a better show anywhere near Manchester this Christmas.
Robert J Farr
Offenbach, La Belle Hélène : Orchestra, chorus and soloists of the Royal Northern College of Music, Manchester/ Mark Shanahan. Bruntwood Theatre, Manchester 1.12. 2009 (RJF)
Production team:
Directed by Stefan Janski
Set designer, Simon Rostrand
Costumes designer, Elaine Needham
The Royal Northern College of Music in Manchester has a long and honourable lineage in training both singers and orchestral musicians. It has a particular distinguished list of former alumnae in the field of opera performances, many of whom grace the stage at the very best operatic addresses. The nature of the training they receive at RNCM involves many other elements as well as the development of vocal technique and includes languages, acting, movement, all the other appropriate skills of performance on stage and knowledge of the various operatic genres. The best preparation anyone can have for a career in the theatre comes from performing as principal, cover or comprimario, in one of the college’s annual staged performances. Such opportunities are open to undergraduates as well as postgraduate students, some of them having already had stage experience when they enter the college. Last year the December production was Johan Strauss’s Die Fledermaus (see review) complete with all its challenges for singing and acting: operetta’s comedy and subtleties being perhaps even more demanding than the more normal operatic fare of drama and violence, and usually connected with affairs of the heart, or at least the libido. Libidinous urges certainly dominate in Offenbach’s La Belle Hélène, a story about the most beautiful woman in the world. Hélène, wearies of her husband Menelaus, king of Sparta, and fancies a little dalliance, or preferably more with Paris the son of the king of Priam, since this is the era of the licentious Gods of Greek myth.
Rossini called Offenbach ‘The Mozart of the Champs Elysées.’ Born Jacob Eberst in Cologne, the son of a jobbing Jewish fiddler cum music teacher, Offenbach revealed such early talent that his father made many sacrifices to send him to study in Paris. There he scraped a living as a jobbing cellist while composing in his spare time, he opened the miniscule Théâtre des Bouffes Parisiens at the time of the 1855 World Exhibition in Paris,. Visitors to the exhibition flocked to hear his tuneful operettas, which fitted the mood of the country at that time like a glove. Premiered in December 1864,La Belle Hélène, was typical of its frivolous genre reflecting the decadence of France’s Second Empire which was to collapse like a pack of cards with the onset of the Franco-Prussian war, the siege of Paris, and the fall of the Emperor Napoleon 3rd.
Like the story , the music is full of full of froth and verve. Mark Shanahan on the rostrum set an appropriately alert pace with well sprung rhythms that were picked up with consummate professionalism by the student orchestra with sonorous strings well to the fore. The students on stage included a chorus of over forty-five young and vibrant voices and bodies and all of them were up for Offenbach’s fun and frolics. I have seen professional choruses go well over the top in not dissimilar circumstances, but this performance in the magical hands of Stefan Janski, Head of Operatic Studies and the production’s Director, ensured there were no such problems. The college is immensely lucky to have had his sure and expert guidance behind all of its productions over the last twenty three years. He carefully channelled the obvious enjoyment and enthusiasm of all concerned, chorus and soloists alike, to ensure an outstanding performance in all respects.
A classical front gauze of God like statues for the overture, with a little walking on by Manelaus dragging a reluctant Heléne round a gallery, was followed by different sets for each of the three acts. The chorus were moved around skilfully, particularly in Act III, with deliberate but artfully concealed intent, while the soloists were always placed to give of their best in the important numbers; this was operatic direction of the highest order.
In the title role, the Australian mezzo Helen Sherman sang with excellent diction, a warm expressive tone and good range. She was in the cover cast as Orlofsky in last year’s Fledermaus and is already carded for the trousers role of Sesto in the college’s March production of La Clemenza di Tito, Mozart’s last written opera and a very different challenge. To match the quality of her vocal contribution, my major admiration her acting. She was fully involved in the realisation of the role and portrayed Hélène as glorying in her reputation as a beauty and using all of it as the sexy manipulator of all the males around, even though some, like Calchas offered some initial resistance. As an actor, Helen Sherman was matched perfectly by the South African Sipho Fubesi, also a postgraduate with good stage experience, in the role of Paris. He used a splendidly expressive face to excellent effect as he grappled with temptation, lust and apprehension by turns. In his first aria, he cut short the high notes but came into his own with full toned strong expressive singing as the opera progressed and like Helen Sherman’s Hélène, the clarity of his diction was commendable.
Andrew Fellows as Calchas sang and acted very well. At first I was surprised to read that he had sung Sarastro in the past, since his voice sounded more smooth baritone than bass but in the last act he revealed more of his capacity for a strong lower register. Colin Brockie, a true bass and dressed as a sea captain with plenty of braid as befits Agamemnon, the King of Kings, showed much vocal promise whilst Elisabeth Karani, a third year undergraduate, donned white trousers and a hat of lower rank to sing Orestes, Agamemnon’s son. The courtesans Leonie and Leona both acted nicely as did the characterful kings of Salamis and Locrians. Hanna-Lisa Midwod-Kirchin was Hélène’s perfectly acted and sung working class accented maid; she is the cover for Sesto in next year’s Clemenza di Tito.
The pictures show something of the magnificent sets for Acts I and II, the swan bed being a perfect reference for Greek mythology. The set for the Act III frolics on the beach was simpler and dominated by a huge statue of Zeus complete with trident and with all of his physical assets unmistakeably to the fore. I found the 1930s type beachwear rather lacking inspiration in final act: the only slight quibbled in the whole production.
Like the rest of the full house audience I went home well satisfied and secure in the knowledge that the current students at RNCM have all the skills need to carry on its distinguished tradition. Further performances are scheduled for December 3rd, 10th and 12th at 7.15pm with a matinee at 3pm on Sunday 6th. Catch it if you can, you will not find a better show anywhere near Manchester this Christmas.
Robert J Farr
Candide - June 2009
IT’S a pity the Royal Northern College of Music could not have managed a fully staged presentation of Bernstein’s Candide, because the semi-staged one they put on in the concert hall was brimming with energy and imagination.
Director Stefan Janski, and choreographer Bethan Rhys Wiliam, worked wonders with minimal space and props, and they had an enthusiastic chorus (who even provided a ‘Mexican wave’ to represent a storm at sea – well, what else?) and some soloists who took to Broadway style like ducks to water.
Chief among these was Steven Page, bringing his great professional experience to being chief narrator, Martin the pessimist, one of the kings and – unforgettably – Pangloss the fleshly philosopher.
It’s a crazy story, based on Voltaire, and impossible to retell or summarise. A bit like the original Star Trek, a series of unreal worlds project life’s mysteries and dilemmas, one at a time.
Zip and sparkle
But it’s also a musical, and one that needs zip and sparkle. Conductor James Holmes made sure it was not lacking there, and as an exercise in preparing young artists for the challenges of professional life the whole thing has clearly been exemplary.
Some seem to be naturals. Fleur Bray, as Cunegonde, is a marvellous comic actress and can sell a song.
That was evident, above all, in a superb Glitter And Be Gay, but she can even sell a song when she’s not singing it – witness her reactive role to Candide’s final, passionate outpouring in Nothing More Than This – which rightly came over as the emotional peak of the piece.
Helen Sherman (the Old Lady) was on a par with her – I Am Easily Assimilated was a highlight – and the duet in We Are Women showed they could work wonderfully together.
Appealing lyric tenor
Simon Crosby Buttle, in the title role, presented himself as a confident and appealing lyric tenor.
Getting the words across is the absolute requirement in this genre, and he, like those already mentioned, can do it.
Not everyone else was so capable, but I was impressed by Hanna-liisa Midwood-Kirchin (Paquette) and by Richard Belshaw, in his variety of roles. Sipho Fubesi has a great comic gift and performing presence, too.
Also on Friday, July 3.
http://www.citylife.co.uk/news_and_reviews/reviews/10016696_bernstein_s_candide_a_terrific__triumph_at_the_rncm
Die Fledermaus - December 2008
THE opening of Act Two of Johann Strauss’s Die Fledermaus was another magnificent coup from director Stefan Janski and his team at the Royal Northern College of Music.
A spectacular set for the Orlovsky ball (design by Simon Rorstrand, lighting by Philip L Edwards), with a huge chorus in full glamour rig (costume design by Elaine Needham), filling the stage, earned its own round of applause.
But the staging (which also included a sumptuous room for Act One) was matched by the musical qualities of the performance, adroitly conducted by Wyn Davies, an expert in the style, and played and sung by student musicians of enormous talent.
Some of the soloists are graduates moving into professional careers, and the versatility and stagecraft demonstrated here must surely enhance their prospects for the future. Ladies first: Fleur Bray (Adele) has shown what she can do before this, but she made the soubrette style seem her natural idiom and threw off the Laughing Song with panache.
Nadine Livingston (Rosalinde), likewise an established name in these parts, proved she can do comedy as well as deliver a super-charged Czardas.
Ida
And Soraya Mafi revelled in the role of Ida – in addition to having starred in the M.E.N. Theatre Awards entertainment earlier the same day. There are some very professionally minded young people at the RNCM today.
Carolina Krogius was brilliant as Orlovsky – not every girl’s cup of vodka, but she carried it off with style and some very good singing.
Among the men, Jorge Cordero-Bencomo nearly stole the show in the first act with his impersonation of Alfred (an Italian tenor with an uncanny knack of breaking into arias not yet written when Strauss penned his).
Physical shortness
There is a huge comic talent there – his physical shortness was used to great effect against Ian Gifford’s Herr Frank, played as an English hooray Henry, which worked remarkably well.
Mark Duff, sharing some excellent comic moments with him, was a convincing Eisenstein and sang with distinction, and Terence Ayebare revealed one of the best acting gifts of the evening as Dr Falke.
David Douglas (Blind), Bruno Loxton (Ivan) and Howard Hutt (Frosch) contributed effectively. I must admit I had been hoping for a good long Frosch monologue in Act Three, but in this English adaptation that was not to be.
What we did get as bonus was the RNCM chorus in Strictly Come 19th Century Dancing form – Bethan Rhys Wiliam has done wonders with them again – showing off in a fast and thunderous polka as well as the expected waltz. So that’s another little dream come true.
http://www.citylife.co.uk/news_and_reviews/news/11772_die_fledermaus___rncm
Let me Entertain You - BBC2 - June 2007
The finalists - Week 2, Show 2
Thousands of people took part in auditions to get a place on BBC Two's talent show, Let Me Entertain You. The show ran over four weeks from Monday 28th May to Friday 22nd June with five shortlisted acts performing every night in front of a live studio audience. The longer the performers kept the demanding studio audience entertained, the more chance they had to reach the Friday final, and possibly the live grand final!
The Winner
Name: The Adora Gals
From: UK
Act: Rebecca, Anna and Emma are a singing and dancing group with a burlesque twist! They perform all over the UK and write their own songs and music.
Watch the act
The finalists
Name: Jennifer Coleman
From: Berkshire
Act: 17-year-old Jennifer loves singing musical theatre such as Gilbert and Sullivan. She started singing lessons aged 11, and is now at Grade 8 standard. She got to the boot camp stage of X Factor in 2006.
Name: Malcolm Rose
From: Hertfordshire
Act: Stand-up comedian Malcolm has never performed in front of an audience before! He has always loved comedy but only started coming up with act ideas since he retired in November. His inspirations are Morecambe and Wise and Russ Abbott.
Name: Norbi Whitney
From: South West
Act: Professioanl juggler Norbi has been all over the world to take part in competitions, perform in shows and teach at workshops. He practises juggling but also loves diablo.
Name: Oblit-R8
From: Bristol
Act: Felix and Trigga are a Hip-Hop, R&B duo. They perform in different venues all over the country but hold most of their gigs in Bristol. They have been singing together for 3 years, although Felix has been singing and making music for many years.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/newtalent/entertainment/letmeentertain/series2_acts/week2_show2.shtml
Jekyll & Hyde - March 2007
http://www.swmtc.co.uk/shows/jekyllhyde.htm
In the absence of a Regional Representative for Area 14 I was delighted to accept your kind
invitation to review Jekyll and Hyde – a show I had not seen before. Unfortunately, on the night I
came, serious problems were experienced with the new digital sound system which meant that
much of the reproduced sound was inaudible. I do hope you managed to get things right later in
the week, as it was a truly dramatic show.
RYAN STEVENS (Jekyll/Hyde) sailed through this demanding role in style. I recall watching a play version of this show in which the transformation was achieved by the character
falling behind his desk, where he changed wigs. Ryan cleverly achieved the change
before our eyes by distorting his body and shaking out the long hair of his wig (helped,
of course, by the lighting). I have watched Ryan perform on many occasions in a
variety of differing roles, but consider this to be one of his finest interpretations.
ANDREA TUSHINGHAM (Lucy Harris) is another young lady who devotes much of her time to
amateur dramatics and regularly appears in productions throughout the area. Her
characterisation of this role was well-developed and her solo numbers were forcefully
delivered.
MICHAEL EDMONDS (John Utterson) suffered from the faulty sound system, especially in Act 1
when the plot was being developed. This was a shame, as his characterisation and
stage presence suited the role well.
JENNIFER COLEMAN (Emma Carew) gave an assured and competent performance as Jekyll’s
unfortunate fiancé with good verbal and vocal projection. I hope she achieves her
dream of studying for a degree in musical theatre, leading to professional employment
in the art.
TERRY HAWKINS (Sir Danvers Carew) can always be relied on to give a performance wholly in
character, unfortunately disadvantaged the night I came by the dodgy sound system.
GRAHAM HAWKINS (Simon Stride) took full advantage of the opportunities afforded to be
‘unpleasant’ offered by this role thoroughly enjoying himself in the process!
NATHANAEL PAGE (The Bishop of Basingstoke) was yet another performer who suffered
through the sound failure, not only in volume but also with the physical equipment - at
one stage it appeared that his radio microphone was flapping on the side of his head!
However, he manfully carried on, giving us a good interpretation of this rather
duplicitous character.
JEAN JOHNSON (Lady Beaconsfield) is another performer who regularly pops up in a wide
variety of cameo roles. I guess being only a ‘Lady’ this time did not quite rank with
her recent role as a ‘Duchess’, but never-the-less her Lady B was delivered with just
the right touch of upper crust haughtiness. The show afforded several opportunities for members of the chorus to competently portray minor
cameo roles, and, indeed, on the night I came Jeni Money fell sick and her role was played at very
short notice by Joanne Godsmark.
SIMON WOODBRIDGE’s skilled flair as director and choreographer were very much in evidence
throughout the show. I was particularly impressed with the clever groupings achieved in the
ensemble numbers, marred on one or two occasions when those holding the screens did not quite
find themselves in the correct position to be fully lit by ED FAGAN’s competent lighting design.
I’ve probably harped on too much about the sound quality the night I came. It certainly affected
much of the singing, which was frequently overpowered by the orchestra. That was a great shame
as musical director ROGER WITNEY had obviously worked his cast very hard to overcome the
challenges presented by this demanding show.
Costumes supervised by ISABELLE & CAROLINE FOLEY were excellent and were all well in
keeping with the period. I obviously missed something makeup-wise, as the relevance of the white
faces on some of the chorus members went completely over my head. (Dim reviewer!!).
The minimal props plot enabled stage manager ALICIA WRIGHT and her crew to maintain the
momentum of the show – the ‘open frame’ scenery items proving most effective.
The interesting and informative programme compiled by BOB SIMPSON included many rehearsal
‘shots’ in addition to the head-and-shoulders ‘mug shots’ of all the cast.
Thank you for your kind invitation to attend your production and for the welcome and hospitality
given to us by your front of house manager CAROL NICHOLAS. I do hope the sound problem
was sorted out quickly, enabling audiences later in the week to fully enjoy the high class production
you gave.
Barrie Theobald Assistant Regional Representative, Area 13 http://www.swmtc.co.uk/awards/NODA-JekyllHyde.pdf
In the absence of a Regional Representative for Area 14 I was delighted to accept your kind
invitation to review Jekyll and Hyde – a show I had not seen before. Unfortunately, on the night I
came, serious problems were experienced with the new digital sound system which meant that
much of the reproduced sound was inaudible. I do hope you managed to get things right later in
the week, as it was a truly dramatic show.
RYAN STEVENS (Jekyll/Hyde) sailed through this demanding role in style. I recall watching a play version of this show in which the transformation was achieved by the character
falling behind his desk, where he changed wigs. Ryan cleverly achieved the change
before our eyes by distorting his body and shaking out the long hair of his wig (helped,
of course, by the lighting). I have watched Ryan perform on many occasions in a
variety of differing roles, but consider this to be one of his finest interpretations.
ANDREA TUSHINGHAM (Lucy Harris) is another young lady who devotes much of her time to
amateur dramatics and regularly appears in productions throughout the area. Her
characterisation of this role was well-developed and her solo numbers were forcefully
delivered.
MICHAEL EDMONDS (John Utterson) suffered from the faulty sound system, especially in Act 1
when the plot was being developed. This was a shame, as his characterisation and
stage presence suited the role well.
JENNIFER COLEMAN (Emma Carew) gave an assured and competent performance as Jekyll’s
unfortunate fiancé with good verbal and vocal projection. I hope she achieves her
dream of studying for a degree in musical theatre, leading to professional employment
in the art.
TERRY HAWKINS (Sir Danvers Carew) can always be relied on to give a performance wholly in
character, unfortunately disadvantaged the night I came by the dodgy sound system.
GRAHAM HAWKINS (Simon Stride) took full advantage of the opportunities afforded to be
‘unpleasant’ offered by this role thoroughly enjoying himself in the process!
NATHANAEL PAGE (The Bishop of Basingstoke) was yet another performer who suffered
through the sound failure, not only in volume but also with the physical equipment - at
one stage it appeared that his radio microphone was flapping on the side of his head!
However, he manfully carried on, giving us a good interpretation of this rather
duplicitous character.
JEAN JOHNSON (Lady Beaconsfield) is another performer who regularly pops up in a wide
variety of cameo roles. I guess being only a ‘Lady’ this time did not quite rank with
her recent role as a ‘Duchess’, but never-the-less her Lady B was delivered with just
the right touch of upper crust haughtiness. The show afforded several opportunities for members of the chorus to competently portray minor
cameo roles, and, indeed, on the night I came Jeni Money fell sick and her role was played at very
short notice by Joanne Godsmark.
SIMON WOODBRIDGE’s skilled flair as director and choreographer were very much in evidence
throughout the show. I was particularly impressed with the clever groupings achieved in the
ensemble numbers, marred on one or two occasions when those holding the screens did not quite
find themselves in the correct position to be fully lit by ED FAGAN’s competent lighting design.
I’ve probably harped on too much about the sound quality the night I came. It certainly affected
much of the singing, which was frequently overpowered by the orchestra. That was a great shame
as musical director ROGER WITNEY had obviously worked his cast very hard to overcome the
challenges presented by this demanding show.
Costumes supervised by ISABELLE & CAROLINE FOLEY were excellent and were all well in
keeping with the period. I obviously missed something makeup-wise, as the relevance of the white
faces on some of the chorus members went completely over my head. (Dim reviewer!!).
The minimal props plot enabled stage manager ALICIA WRIGHT and her crew to maintain the
momentum of the show – the ‘open frame’ scenery items proving most effective.
The interesting and informative programme compiled by BOB SIMPSON included many rehearsal
‘shots’ in addition to the head-and-shoulders ‘mug shots’ of all the cast.
Thank you for your kind invitation to attend your production and for the welcome and hospitality
given to us by your front of house manager CAROL NICHOLAS. I do hope the sound problem
was sorted out quickly, enabling audiences later in the week to fully enjoy the high class production
you gave.
Barrie Theobald Assistant Regional Representative, Area 13 http://www.swmtc.co.uk/awards/NODA-JekyllHyde.pdf
