For their 84th annual presentation by the Ballinasloe Musical society - the Committee choose to break very new ground and selected a highly ambitious and demanding production "Singing in the Rain, "to aim for.

There is always difficulty of expectation in transferring a well known Film Plot - starring the ever smiling and splashing Gene Kelly; from the big screen to the small stage; particularly for the first time in the history of local audiences but true to their track record the Cast and Crew brought it off in very fine Burlesque fashion in the Town Hall theatre this week.

Set in the early 20's in Hollywood - this tale is about boy meeting girl; against the back drop of a Film Studio moving from silent to talkie motion pictures and how a rather odd collection of vaudevillian talents, chorus girls and the ubiquitous organ grinders all connive to sell the audience a dummy.
For many Live performance and theatre being eclipsed first by the silent Movies and then by the talkies - took on an uncanny flashback when the Set demanded we transfer completely back to the days of the old Aishling Cinema and enjoy scenes from a French Revolution story set in Garbally grounds was deeply moving of more nostalgic times.

AIMS award winning Director / Choreographer May Mc Donagh certainly got the very best out of all the 35 performers in a timely, concise and rhythmically way that coaxed the maximum out off all - principals and choruses.

The Show was slick, well paced and sped along with music, mirth and movement that relayed all the critical events.

Of course Mary was supported critically, with a tremendously strong cast - who true to the best traditions of the society - involved something old, perhaps something borrowed and certainly something new.? Regular Stalwarts mixed effortlessly with some very new and young faces.
Difficult to know whether the Show hinges on a three hand or four hand reel - as it doesn't fully fit the leading lady, leading man plus les autres template, but the constant tempo and relationship between Cosmo Brown, Lina Lemont, Kathy Seldon and Don Lockwood is the spine upon which the whole production hangs.

Even though she may have been involved in Crazy For You last year, the hugely evident natural talent that Scoil Mhuire student Rachel Goode has in playing the flowering Kathy Seldon was a joy to watch and especially hear.? Opposite her in traditional terms was last years leading man and AIMS National Award winner for the same performance; Kenneth Kennedy who gave the audience a fine lesson in just why it was that he has the Irish Musical Society Oscar under his belt. Graceful ease in the role, deft in the feet department and solid splendid singing - left him peerless. .... almost.? The comic chemistry between him and a certain Gaelscoil Muinteoir that was rumbled upon last year; particularly in the drinking scene - proved to be a winning combination for this year's show with Eoin Croffy's sublime interpretation of the scheming "Cosmo Brown" a fun and witty performance. Some of the elements to his interpretation of the role both in the toe shuffling, wall climbing and certainly on patron's night - couch trampolining were a splendid blend of slapstick and restraint.

However among the key foursome one regular to the boards took to her task with admirable honesty in sending up the celebrally and vocally challenged Lin Lamont . A strange type of part of Bernie Dudgeon this year but one which took every conceivable opportunity to milk for fun and self deprecation. True to her style she made it all look effort less but again as an AIMS award winner - she knows more than most how to weave the spell and her vintage performance from the shoehorning of the script and plot was great to watch.

James O' Hagan as RF Simpson and the redoubtable Mike O' Reilly as Roscoe Dexter played out their roles in singularly solid Bristol fashion - giving gravitas, conviction and plausibility to the story unfolding.

Frames Leahy as the 1920's Eurovision's Terry Wogan commentator at the opening and elsewhere was on the button as was her colleague and Dance Captain Jacinta Keane who played Zelda Zanders. Fresh and new faces abounded in the supporting roles- all of which didn't disappoint but noteworthy performances were delivered by Eoin Quinn as Rod, Briege Walsh as Olga Mara and indeed Nicola Ward as the Wardrobe Mistress.

Messer's Patrick Kenirons, Phil Blake, and Mark O' Connell as Ist, 2nd and 3rd Assistant Director cleverly managed to keystone cops the comedy without distracting. Michael Walsh gave a very suave impression of Sid Phillips while the versatile and comic Maria Griffin turned in a great performance in a small but critical part as the Speech Therapist Miss Dinsmore.

Newcomer to the stage in this format but one suspects no stranger to performance, Michael Kelly gave an accomplished rendition of Beautiful Girls and looked as glided between some of the fairest chorus girls ever assembled that he actually believed what he was singing.

In fairness - the lads chorus and parts were very well done but one could disbelieve based on the numbers involved - that potential candidates to You're a Star are actually 45% male ! - why they were shy this year - detracted slightly from some of the bigger set pieces involving the crowd scenes.
The use of the Pit Singers and for once a beautifully toned 10 piece orchestra that was content to accompany the singers not drown them out - allowed all the harmonies, solos, duets and big numbers to resonate very well.

The Choreography - Movement in the whole Show - for each of the 19 scene was deft, animated, assured without at all being over the top or too fussy - which inevitably takes from rather than adds to. Full Marks to Mary and Steffen Jorgens - the Associate Director, who got the best and polished it to the full from all.

Set wise it is a very demanding production and 19 changes would sap a professional troupe never mind an amateur but still BMS managed to rise to all manner of engineering challenges - including horizontal walking, door flying and believe it or believe or not - real rain! Pat Mc Govern, Stage Manager; Declan Finn Stage Director and Asst. stage manager Dave Hardiman should be best pleased. Changes were slick and props were appropriately deployed. Costumes were well chosen and brightly aligned. Lighting with Pascal Gough - was true to his hallmark - exquisite throughout but especially for the theatre scenes.

A different type of show, brilliantly executed after five months of huge effort - worth making the effort to view it.

Running nightly at 8.00 p.m. until Saturday the 24th of February. Box office in the Credit Union.