John Pinfield as Horace Vandergelder showed us more sides to the character than have been seen before. Thoughtful performances came from Sally Wild (Minnie), Robert Etherington (Cornelius) and Matthew Darsley (Barnaby).
The production was smooth running and well rehearsed. Scenery by James Fredericks of Weston-super-Mare was excellent and worked very well for the venue (which has its difficulties for standard scenery). Likewise Howorth Wrightson props and furniture were also excellent.
A very enjoyable, colourful show.
John Flay
Hello Dolly, Urmston Amateur Operatic Society's epic production presented at Urmston Sports Centre recently was an impressive combination of talent and team spirit.
Ann Chandler was a charming finger-in-every-pie Dolly Levi dallying imperceptively (from his angle at least) with John Pinfield's exciting Horace Vandergelder, the "rich and mean" half a millionaire.
Robert Etherington and Matthew Darsley as poverty stricken, love lorn clerks Cornellius Hackl and Barnaby Tucker induced some hearty laughter and Christines Brookes was in fine voice as the coy Irene Molloy.
But it was the supporting cast who oozed the indefinable quality that is showbusiness. The orchestra, chorus, dancers, silver band and morris troupe combined in a riot of colour and harmony in the final of Act One.
Urmston AOS have an appealing knack of producing musicals with a professional touch while, at the same time, generating a feeling of warmth and happiness in the auditorium.
Julia Taylor