Show Reports for District 6  

Attic Players. Newcastle Emlyn.

Not Snow White and the Seven Dwarves

Written and Directed by Elaine Thompson and Suzanne Munn. Music composed and arranged by Branwen Munn.

My first visit as NODA rep to this charming little theatre. The title of the panto intrigued me, but as the plot unfolded I witnessed a colourful, well put together combination of Snow White and Cinderella.

It was quite obvious from the start that the cast both young and not so young were really enjoying themselves,thus ensuring that their audience also enjoyed their performance.

Witches played by Pat Immins and Julie Bezant interacted wwell with each other as well as with the audience, bringing much humour to their roles. Midge who turned out later to be first of all Snow White and later as married Prince Charming was well played by Kitty Masthews.

The other principal players - The Von Clap Trapps played by John Fenna, Heddwen Cadwallader and Deri McCreary combinedc well together as did The Zoffs, Carol Wierzbicki, David Goddard and Erin Doherty.

A good backing of Villagers and children alias the Seven Dwarves.

New musical numbers written for the show were well presented,the compulsory sing along also was well received and was entered into with great feeling by the audience.

A most enjoyable evening of good old fashioned family entertainment. Well Done.

Thanks for the invitation and hospitality.Looking forward to your next production.

Burry Port Opera

La Traviata

Producer Keith J Clarke. Conductor Ryan Lee with Burry Port Opera chorous and orchestra, leader Mansel Hughes.

Once again it was follow the crowds to Burry Port Memorial Hall for their annual production.

This year they chose one of the few popular opera`s, Verdi`s La Traviata,produced by local resident Keith J Clarke.

There was a stunning performances by Adele O`Neil playing Violetta and Richard Allen who played Alfredo, their fine singing voices were a joy to listen to.

Gavin Davies as Alfredo`s father was excellent and held the production together with his rich voice and artistic ability.

All the other minor (although important) roles were well cast and ably played.

The orchestra blended together perfectly producing a rich melodious sound, well controlled by conductor Ryan Lee. The costumes were colourful and the chorous sang with great enthusiasm.

There was a large first night audience and Verdi`s wonderful music was appreciated by all.

Thank you for the warmth of your welcome, I look forward to meeting you all again at some later date.

Carmarthen Amateur Operatic Society

100 Years of Musicals

Producer Keith J Clarke. Conductor Ryan Lee with Burry Port Opera chorous and orchestra, leader Mansel Hughes.

The combined forces of Carmarthen Operatic Society(CAOS) and Nantgaredig Community Band (NCB) entertained a capacity crowd with their presentation 100 years of musicals in St Peter`s Hall on Saturday.

Snazilly attired in black, purple and red the principals and chorous of CAOS and the band sang and played songs from musicals, beginning with Jerome Kern`s 19147 Oh Boy! Through the golden age of Rogers and Hammerstein, Leonard Bernstein and Kander and Ebb, taking in the 1980/1990s blockbusters Phantom of the Opera, Les Miseables and the Lion King finishing with a feisty rendition from the 2002 show Hairspray.

The evening was conceived, researched and realised by Mark Jennings actor/singer and musical director of CAOS and NCB, who introduced the performance with much panache and not a little humour.

CAOS will be presenting the stage version of Summer Holiday in May and thrilled the audience with some of the songs from the show.

Congratulations , thank you for providing your audience with a night to remember.

Just Good Friends perform By Jeeves at Edinburgh Fringe.

Featuring music by Andrew Lloyd Webber and words and lyrics by Alan Ayckbourn By Jeeves was staged at the fringe festival by Carmarten`s Just Good Friends.

AS Bertie Wooster`s banjo disappears just as he is about to give a concert to a packed church hall, the quick witted and unflappable Jeeves saves the show by suggesting Wooster entertains his audience by telling "an anecdote or two" about the adventures of his Drones Club friends, with help of ready willing members of his cronies conveniently seated among the audience.

What entails is a package of nimble wordplay, toe tapping music and farcical situations.

The performance marked the Edinburgh debut for Just Good Friends.

Director Sian Morris Said " We were delighted to perform on an International stage. By Jeeves was the ideal show for our Edinburgh debut. We find the script extremely funny and have been laughing throughout the rehersaals."

Adrian Rowlands played Jeeves while Gareth Kirby starred as Bertie Wooster.

I understand that the show was well received by capacity audiences. Congratulations to all the cast , band and everybody else involved in this production, special mention to Director Sian Morris who worked tirelessly to bring this ambition to fruition.

Thank you for flying the flag for Carmarthen and of course Wales as well.

The Llangain Players

Alice In Wonderland

Director/Choreographer, Anna Yeatman. Musical Director, Laura Dayman.

It was a very cold, snowy, winter`s evening on the outside, but once the curtain opened on this panto the warmth radiated off the stage.

A well balanced cast of some very young and some experienced performers gave both myself and a packed house a marvellous post new year evening of fun and enjoyment.

A very colourful show, scenery made and painted by society members, costumes all designed and made by Jacky Cross,, Congratulations.

All the principal players were well cast and played out their individual characters to perfection.

Rosie Clayton (Alice), John Dayman (King of Hearts), Caitlin Jones (Prince of Diamonds), Hollie Wilson (Princess of Hearts), Joe Martin (White Rabbit), George Martin (Wizard), Lilly Johnson (Cheshire Cat), Jared Samuel (Caterpillar), Lowri Davies (Dormouse), Gwyn Stacey (March Hare).

Comedy was provided in abundance from Jonny Brinson(Wally), William Jones (Milly), Laura Dayman(Tweedle Dee), Becky Cross( Tweedle Dum),and John Herriot (The Sergeant).

The Villain Of the show was Simon Jacobson who played the Knave of Spades.

Georgina Essex (The Queen of Hearts) was a very stern character who was always willing to shout out "off with their heads".

The Llangain youth ballet under the direction of Llinos McCarthy looked delightful and danced very well, adding to the balance of the production.

Al other cast members acted and sang with great gusto, the final chorous with all members on stage was really well done.

Thanks for a terrific evening. Congratulations to everyone involved in the production.I look forward to seeing you all again soon.

Merlin Youth Theatre

Footloose

Director. Victoria Pearce. Artistic Director. Tony Layton. Musical Director. Adam Quill. Choreographer. Llinos McCarthy.

Not having seen the 1984 film or any previous showing of this musical I had no idea what to expect.

Performances were passionate and spirited with the players showing great confidence in their roles. Enthusiasm is the keyword of this society. You could see how they grew into their roles building a bond with the audience as the show went on.

The Footloose pit band did an excellent job of providing the rocking musical score.

Set design was imaginative and well thought out.

There was a high level of choreography evident in many of the numbers, well done Llinos and cast members.

Vocals were exceptional with all the leads sounding amazing, especially Brendan Westhoff (Ren) , Emma Jones (Ariel), Hannah Dazeley (Vi), ad Thomas Young (Rev Moore.Excellent supply of comedy was provided by Daniel Williams (Willard) and Victoria Pearce (Rusty). They were well supported by a very strong chorous who interacted well together. All players should be commended for their excellent heartfelt performances.

Footloose was an excellent production all round with cast and crew showing talent and passion beyond their young years.

Thank you for your invitation and hospitality. Hope to see you again soon.

Opera Teifi

Calamity Jane

Director Helen Hunting-Morris. Musical Director Stephen Pilkington. Choreographer Monica Radley.

Opera Teifi brought pleasure to the full house at Theatr Mwldan. The production team had obviously worked very hard gelling together during the previous couple of months a very talented cast.

The story is well known, this was musical comedy as well as romance. It was a great part for a gal who thought she was a bit of a fella, called Calamity Jane. Played by a rightly over the top Laura Blundall, she gave us a rousing "Deadwood Stage" and later a very sentimental "My Secret Love" and discovered that she really loved Wild Bill Hickcock (Gwyn Morris). Not surprising when you heard the melodious tones of his rich baritone voice.

Francis Fryer (Martin Radley) sang nicely and was rewarded with the hand of the attractive niece Susan (Rachel Lawson) of the nervous and put upon proprietor of the Golden Garter (Brian Hewitt).

Adelaide Adams (Nerys Davies ) departed for Europe after one song leaving her maid Katie Brown gently played by Ilar Rees- Davies who sang the most delight ful duet"Love you Dearly" with her lover Danny Gilmartin(Toby Weatherburn).

The chorus were at their best especially with the big show number "Black Hills Of Dakota"

The dance routines were simple but nevertheless well executed, the periodic outburst of rage by the chorous were well disciplined.

The set built and painted by members of the society was very effective. Well done.

With a number of new faces on stage joining forces with established members the future is looking bright.

Congratulations one and all, this was a great show.

As usual a warm welcome awaited me, thank you for your invitation . I am looking forward to joining you all again for your spring show.

Pater Pantomime Society

Dick Whittington

Script written by Sheila Pratty. Directed by Sheila Pratty. Produced by Michelle Evans. Choreographer Danielle Pratty.

The last pantomime of the winter season. Pater pantomime society`s 38th production.

Not your traditional panto (no baddie to hiss and boo at), however a really good night`s entertainment.

The enthusiasm of a large mainly young or very young cast was evident right from the start with their rendition of "The Lambeth Walk".

The principal characters excelled in their roles, Dick (Emily Kaijaks) and Alice (Billi Galliard) sang and harmonised well together.

Comedy moments (and there were lots of these) were provided by Salmonella Sal (Sheila Pratty) and Pickle the Butler (Marc Styles). I especially liked the backing group The Scrubetts (Michelle Evans and Tracey Mathias.

Supporting roles were well played by Liam Marshall as Sebastian Smythe- Smith, Sam Richards as Captain Nemo, Peter Kingdom as King Kinky Kingdom, Samantha Threlfall as the King`s Mum and Steve Butler as Fitzwarren Asda George.

A special mention of young Cian Threlfall who played Tom the cat. Well done.

The dance numbers were well executed, especially the "Under The Sea" scene.

The set was simple but very effective, made and decorated by members of the society.

The costumes were excellent making the whole production very colourful. The finale with over sixty members on stage singing their hearts out was quite inspiring.

Well done Pater. A happy entertaining production. Thank you for your hospitality. See you next year.

Saundersfoot Footlights

Director . Helen Wright. Musical Director Eileen Thomas. Choreographer Leanne Algeo.

Oh yes it is. It`s that time of year, doesn`t it come around quickly.

Footlights chose Graham Barraclough`s version of Mother Goose.

A highly colourful and entertaining production, well rehearsed singing, movement and dancing.

Right from the start Gertie Goose played expertly by Roger Leese had everybody laughing, his facial expressions and larger than life frame endeared him to the audience.

Susie- Gertie`s daughter and Tommy Gertie`s son were well played by Eleanor Brown and Leanne Algeo.

Peter Piper (no not that one) was played expertly by Emily Tranter.

Sir Seymour (Graham Thomas) assisted by his daft as could be cohorts (Alison Franklin and Andrea Thomas). As Cutt and Run tried many different ways to obtain the golden egg laid by Priscilla a very energetic goose played by Hulda Wright.

The baddie of the show Nasty Nick was again well played (without much makeup) by Steve Butler.

Supporting roles were played by Iris Morris (Fairy Flora), Benjie Thomas (King Gustus) and Jane Hall as (Queen Gussie). There was even an appearance by society chairman Keith Williams, well done Keith.

The parts of Birds/ Spirits and Villagers were enacted by an enthusiastic number of young and some not so young members.

A rousing finale with everyone on stage was a fitting climax to the show. Thanks everyone for making me laugh, I even joined in the singalong!.

Congratulations on a very good show.

Thanks for your hospitality and friendship. Looking forward to Anything Goes in June.

derek@noda-western.org.uk

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