On a cold wet November night in Seaham, the Scottish mist parted once more to reveal the titular magical village, and our fleeting visit there proved to be an entertaining one.
As the Americans abroad, Maurice McShane and Gordon Richardson, as Tommy and Jeff, made a good team. Both are well suited to comedic roles and showed off their talents well. Maurice also proved capable of handling the more serious elements of his character and made a good attempt at the difficult songs.
Gordon meanwhile was clearly enjoying himself in a part that suits him very well. Laura Swinburne was a lovely Fiona and her singing was always faultless. I was also impressed to see how far her acting abilities have come on over the past few years. Ruth Southwick made the most of her role as Meg and captured the audiences full attention whenever on stage. Mark Robson and Sinead Linsley gave good performances as Charlie and Jean, and Nathan Wharton played Harry - particularly shining during the dancing sequences. Keith Armitage portrayed Mr.Murdoch with a real twinkle in his eye. Steve White gave a strong performance as Donald, and the rest of the cast were equally impressive. The choral work from the ensemble was good, and everything was bright, colourful and lively in a show that can so easily be dull. I'm a traditionalist and would have preferred the cast to get their own bows at the end but this is a minor qualm - well done to all concerned.
