SWEET Charity may be about a down-on-her-luck dancehall hostess searching for love.

But there was certainly a lot of it coming from the Volunteer Hall audience at the end of Galashiels Operatic Amateur Society’s opening show on Monday night.

Led this year by Carla McColgan, the group put on another faultless performance. The story focusses on protagonist Charity Hope Valentine who is desperate to find her Mr Right.

She works at the seedy Fandango Ballroom but has dreams of moving on to bigger things.

But it may eventually be the performers themselves who reach the top – as their talent shone all evening. In the opening scenes Carla, Jan Baird (who plays Helene) and Ruth Davidson (Nickie) wowed the sell-out crowd with their renditions of classics including You Should See Yourself and Big Spender.

And just when it looked as though Charity may have found the one when she meets Italian film star Vittorio Vidal, played by Jack McAulay, she ends up spending the night in his closet as his partner Ursula (Lynsey Cullen) returns home.

The cast mastered their American accents, while Jack’s Italian twang seemed second nature. And he also impressed with his powerful performance of Too Many Tomorrows.

Charity however gets her second chance when she gets stuck in a lift with Oscar – a claustrophobic accountant hilariously played by Clark Eaton Turner.

Clark is no stranger to the Volunteer Hall stage, and it is clear that the versatile actor can turn his hand to anything. Everything looks well for the dance hall hostess, as Oscar proposes.

But the wedding plans are dropped – and Charity has to find happiness within herself. 

On an evening of such commanding performances, it can be easy to forget the people who also work so hard behind the scenes to create this spectacle.

Producer and musical director Jeff Thomson deserves huge credit as does choreographer Marie McCullough who obviously worked tirelessly.

The sets are brilliantly designed and the scene-changes are swift. The orchestra was also given a deserved ovation at the end. There wasn’t a note out of place.

Sweet Charity is running this week at the Volunteer Hall, Galashiels, until Saturday, March 9. For more information, visit: http://www.galaopera.co.uk

Border Telegraph:

Cast:
Charity Hope Valentine - Carla McColgan
Oscar Lindquist - Clark Eaton Turner
Helene - Jan Baird
Nickie - Ruth Davidson
Herman - Daniel Wilson
Vittorio Vidal - Jack McAulay
Ursula March - Lynsey Cullen
Daddy Brubeck - William Pearson
Carmen - Rebecca Frankland
Rosie - Catriona Moore
Suzanne - Jess Thomson
Frenchy - Robyn Smith
Betsy - Emily Balderston
Elaine - Rosie Fletcher
Milly - Eilidh Nichol
Jeeves - Cory Paterson
Marvin - Mitchell Green
Brubeck assistants - Simon Thomson & Cory Paterson
Fandango hostesses - Katharine Adamson, Caroline Hardie, Lauren Mackay, Eve Sinclair & Lynsey Cullen
Male frug dancers - Mitchell Green, Cory Paterson & Ben Williams
Minor principals - Catharine Fletcher, Lorraine Kemp, Ev Watson, Shelley Foster, Lucy Thomson, Janet McDougall, Andrew Cannon, Ben Williams, Mitchell Green, Cory Paterson, Simon Thomson, Richard Jamieson, David Moffat, Richard Moffat & Peter Noble
Crowd, congregation & customers - Val Little, Irene Hume, Colette Edie, Dawn Lowes, Zahra Ferahi, Kara Doogan, Wendy Murray-John, Barbara Shiel, Cairen McAulay, Alaistar Waddell & Ken Lamb.

Border Telegraph:

Band:
Conductor - Jeff Thomson
Keyboard - Jennifer Montague
Violins - Cath Cormie, Dorothy Cole & Claire Taylor
Cello - Sam Cole
Double bass - Jenny Warren
Reeds - Heidi Goodship, Ian McFadyen, Sam Lord, Avril Brown, Chris Crosby, Paul Cormie & Barbara Crosbie
Trumpets - Graeme Kennedy & Harry Marshall
Horn - Dave Wilson
Trombones - Richard Howden, Rebecca Cove & Amy Thomson
Percussion - Graham Borthwick & Pam Toward
Guitars - Gary Smith, Kath Hume & Catherine Thomson

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