When the curtain rose on the first night, the audience burst into spontaneous applause at the spectacular sight of a gala ball at the Pontevedrian embassy in Paris. It is said in theatrical circles that if the audience applauds the scenery, you are in trouble, but this sparkling production by Bury St Edmunds Amateur Opera and Dramatic Society had much more to recommend it than a glittering mis en scène.

The stage was crowded with incident and each member of the large cast, however small their role, created a believable character interacting with the rest.

Minor comic characters like James Barker as St Brioche, Jamie Maguire as Cascada and Fiona Barker as Praskovia created perfectly realised cameos.

Lou Petch was superb as Valencienne, a pocket Venus tempted to stray. Her singing was flawless, (though undermined by problems with microphones on the first night) and she was delightfully amusing, especially when she joined the grisettes in the can-can.

Polly Carnegie was charming as the Merry Widow herself, an heiress whose millions attract suitors by the score. She rose effortlessly to the vocal demands of the role and showed all the contradictions of Madame Glavari’s character; straight talking, worldly wise but not immune to the charms of at least one man - her old flame, Count Danilovitch.

Tom Anderson cut a dashing figure as the womanising Count, engaging in a battle of wits with the woman he wouldn’t admit he loved. The happy ending, as the Count and the heiress gaze into each other’s eyes and dance to the Merry Widow waltz, was enchanting.

The whole production - music, singing and acting - was impressive.

Musical director and conductor Gill Garside has done a sterling job, as always. Director Wallace Wareham, who played Danilovitch himself in a production more than 30 years ago, brought this production to life with tremendous panache. Choreographer Judith Thomas deserves a special mention for creating such wonderfully spirited dance routines, from ballroom scenes to folk dancing and hilarious ensemble numbers like ‘Women! Women! Women!’.

This was a triumph for everyone involved.

Gayle Wade
November 2008

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