IF you’re old enough to remember frothy coffee, stiff petticoats, DA hairstyles and bobby socks, you’d have felt right at home at this musical, which was devised, produced and directed for the society by Glinys Luff.

The scene was set during the late 50s/early 60s, alternating mainly between a local college and a popular café which a local developer wanted to close down, with a liberal sprinkling of romance and surprise along the way. Although not demanding in content, it was an ideal peg on which to hang a wide range of songs from the period such as Venus In Blue Jeans, Happy Days, True Love Ways and a West Side Story Medley - and if the overall effect was more akin to a concert than a musical, that was not to the company’s detriment.

Everyone sang and danced with gusto, if not always with precision, and chorus numbers came over particularly well. Dougie Gubbins, Kimberley Cullum, Paul Barrington and Georgina Luff stood out among the large cast of principals, with the latter proving that she has certainly inherited the stage presence of her mother, Glinys, who took on a major role at the last minute and brought the show to life from the moment she appeared.

Linda Kirkman
Courtesy of the Bournemouth Daily Echo