Lyme Regis Operatic Society 
Lyme Regis Operatic Society  |
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Press report by Phillip Evans from the Lyme Regis News, reproduced with permission.
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Lyme Regis Operatic Society step forward and take another bow. You did the town proud with your 50th jubilee production of "Golden Revenge" at the Northcott Theatre, Exeter, on Friday and Saturday. Golden Revenge was written especially for the Society's 50th anniversary by musical director Brian Manners and producer Roy Deasy. It was presented in Lyme in 1970 and broke all box office records. Mr. Manners and Mr. Deasy tokk a number of isolated events which took place in and around Lyme Regis in the years 1565 to 1590. It was a light-hearted tale of smugglers and their booty, Elizabethan fisherfolk and the conflict of local and national interests. Many thought that moving from the cramped facilities of the Marine Theatre to the spacious surroundings of the Exeters Northcott would be a farr to big a task for the Society to successfully accomplish. They were proved wrong. The theatre has a capacity of over 430, and on Friday night it was about three quarters full. On Saturday night vacant seats were few and far between. Coaches were run from Lyme Regis in both occasions. Pleasant Surprise When I attended on Saturday I had the feeling that the audience was a little sceptical to say the least about what to suspect. They were pleasantly surprised as were the theatre officials with the all-round professionalism of the Lyme singers. Roy Deasy sat in the stalls, and he must have been very proud of the efforts of the Society and the response the cast received. Equally as proud was Brian Manners, submerged in the orchestra pit. Each one of the 13 principals carried off their parts with confidence. Their acting never failed them, and what is more important in a theatre like the Northcott, their voices carried well. John Wallis, as the official Town Crier and official everything else, went down particularly well with the Exeter audience. The other principals were David Coates, Leslie White, Harry Williams, Jessie Emmett, Elaine Kendrick, Carol Tratt, Artur youds, Herbert Birtles, Charles Broom, Peter Gould, Frank Groves and David Wilsden. Special Praise Special praise must go to Roy Brigden and Bob Kendrick and all their helpers who designed a very effective stage set. The ladies of the Society who did much to the costumes also deserve praise. they contributed much to a very colourful show. Members of the chorus were; Betty Bocock, Cleava Brigden, Jane Broom, Winifred Broom, Elizabeth Broome, Beryl Bryant, Anne Douglass, Eileen Douglass, Vera Froom, Marjorie Giles, Joan Green, Monica Hay, Constance Lock, Judith Moffitt, Irma Pearson, Lesley Pedley, Ann Perry, Johanna Perry, Margaret Perry, Patricia Richards, Jennifer Stone, Jean Wellings, Gillian Williams, Jean Williams, Vera Woodruff, Joyce Wybrow, Richard Bland, Gordon Broom, Arthur Fordham, Arthur Geere, Ronald Hercock, Leslie Loveridge, Bert Pearson, Robert Pearson, John Wesker and Donald Whittle. Great credit must also go to choreographers Jane Baxter and Jill Chase and their dancers. Aided by the sophisticated lighting at the Northcott, their fire dance earned warm applause. It must have been a moving experience for many of the Society performing in a theatre dominated by professionals. Especially to such people as Jessie Emmett, who have appeared in the Lyme Society's productions for many years. There will be one weeks rest for the Society, and then they will be back at work again rehearsing for their next production 'La Belle Helene,' which is being staged in May. |
