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Society: Wembley
Operatic Society
Date: 15th November 2002
Production: The Best of Times
Venue: Winston Churchill Theatre, Ruislip
Report by: Harvey Kesselman
Having the band positioned at the back of the stage on a raised dais proved to be a great success. Led by Susana Castellot, their playing throughout the evening was truly excellent and helped with the success of the show. All the numbers were well performed and it was good to hear songs from various shows that have not crossed "the pond" and therefore were new to most of the audience (including me).
With a compilation such as this and, with so many soloists, it is not really possible to name all those taking part, however, two particular numbers have stuck in my mind, "The Man in the Moon" from "Mame", performed deliciously by Maureen Abbs with the assistance of the girls, and Andrew Tompkins wonderfully performed "A Little More Mascara" from "La Cage Aux Folles", also helped by the girls. This in no way detracts from the other performers all of whom performed their songs well. However there was the occasional problem with the sound quality. It was obvious that personal mikes were being used, and whilst I have no objection to these being used, it did appear that not all the soloists were thus miked. As a result some of the performers were not as clear as others. I realise that the hiring of personal mikes is expensive, but is surely worth while by making certain that all the soloists were heard to their best advantage. It's always a problem when soloists have to keep changing mikes. There was also a tendency for the chorus occasionally drowning the soloists was this because those particular soloists were not miked? The staging of the numbers was well thought out, although I would have liked to have seen the stage dressed when a soloist was performing a song where no chorus was required. Winston Churchill Theatre has a large stage, and the soloist looked very much alone, particularly as there was a lack of scenery.
The whole evening went with a swing, one number following another, without a hitch. Tom Rainbow is to be congratulated both as a director, performer and choreographer (his "I Don't Want to Know" from "Dear World", was delightful). The programme acknowledges Trisha Tebbatt who assisted Tom with the choreography, and all the movement worked well. The costumes, supplied by the company, were certainly in keeping, although I would have liked to see the men more consistent with their neck-wear (ties or bow-ties!!). The thirty-seven performers worked very hard, and their efforts paid off. The Stage Manager, Stuart La-Plain and his crew worked very well with no hiccups. Congratulations too to John Jetten, Denis Cater and Ron Laver for lighting and sound (I've already mentioned the slight problem with the personal mikes).
It was a wonderful evening, many, many congratulations to all the performers, all the back stage people, the front of house, and a special thank you to Ethel Fidler for looking after all the 'guests'. Congratulations too on a well produced programme.