An evening to treasure with "The Boy Friend" (Belfast Telegraph)
Fortwilliam Musical Society, winners of the inaugural Londonderry Festival in March, put themselves firmly in contention for the Norhern Ireland Festival of Light Opera last night.
Their production of Sandy Wilson's The Boy Friend impressed the adjudicator Jimmy McClatchie.
He told a full house at Bangor's Little Theatre that it had been "an evening to treasure". He added that it set "a lovely standard."
At the outset of his summing up, Mr McClatchie told the audience that he would not be basing his remarks on the fact that most of the performers were in their teens, some taking part in their first show. He would be judging them in exactly the same way as other companies in the festival.
The adjudicator went on to say that the visual impact of the show was very strong. The subtle use of lighting on the black and white sets was excellent. "Everything was always right."
Together with the elegant costumes, complete with jewellery and two-tone shoes for the men, the lighting created an ambience evocative of the era the show was set in.
In fact, what he had witnessed added up to "the cumulative effect of miniscule attention to detail" by director Leonard Anderson.
The five junior female leads - Marie-Therese Grant, Rosemary O'Connor, Marie McNally, Sinead Treacy and Emma McErlean - were stylish and stayed in their parts throughout the show. Their mannerisms and choreographic work conveyed the era perfectly.
Mr. McClatchie also had praise for the younger men who accompanied the girls. He felt they were always part of the action and enjoyed themselves.
Winnie Briggs as Madam Dubonnet gave an elegant performance which included some great moments. Billy Galloway as Percival Browne was a lovely foil for her with his deadpan sense of comedy.
Danny Robinson as Tony was a sincere actor who captured a lot of the warmth of the action. Ernie Huntley as Lord Brockhurst was "an old fox" while Claire McNally as Lady Brockhurst was authoritative. Her reaction when a chair broke accidentally was telling, Mr. McClatchie thought.
He also praised musical director Billy Cairns for catching the mood and setting the right tempo for the songs.