Review by Fran Edwards
December 2010
The annual Christmas show is a time for SALOS members to have fun, and thatis exactly what they do! With a mixture of Christmas songs and old favouites it plays to a sympathetic audience.
Sue Penhale did a sterling job on the piano, playing a variety of music, much of it traditional and well loved. There were several medleys with some wonderful songs. The Rodgers and Hammerstein Medley encompassed some great western favourites from shows like ‘Okalhoma’ and ‘Carousel’, but threw in a couple from ‘the King and I’, ‘South Pacific’ and even ‘The Sound of Music’.
I’m sure some of the younger audience members would not have heard some of the tunes in the Sigmund Romberg Medley before but it was nice to hear pieces from ‘Desert Song’ and others again. In between we heard some Australian folk songs and other selected solos and duos.
The Old Time Music Hall segment after the interval was particularly well received and the orginal bits of comedy, like the spoof of Macbeth kept the evening light. An Aussie BBQ and a fun version of the ‘Timewarp’ from Rocky Horror Picture Show made the evening really one of variety.
There were undoubtedly some highlights, David Roberts singing ‘Floral Dance’ (which I haven’t heard since I was a child)and Jerusalem, Pam Tucker regaling us with her excursion to buy bathers and the crazy antics of the “FIT people” who performed the ‘Timewarp’.
On balance the show was a little long but the audience had a fun night, the performers had a ball and they will do it all again next year!
