Reviews
Barnum, Darlington Operatic Society, Darlington Civic Theatre
YOU can't run off and join
the circus nowadays, but
you could join the audience
of Darlington Operatic Society
instead.
This year's cast has had great
fun learning some very
complicated circus tricks, which
include stilt walking, juggling and
riding a unicycle. Combine that
with Joanne Hand's polished
choreography, sumptuous
costumes and lots of happy faces
and you have the greatest show
on earth', the circus.
Barnum recounts the tale of
Phineas T Barnum and his
fantastic group of characters,
starting with Joice Heth as the
oldest woman on earth. Zoe Kent
shows us just how versatile she is
with a very convincing old woman
and later gives vent to her
wonderful rich voice as the Blues
Singer.
Barnum's long-suffering wife,
Charity, is the fabulous and very
professional Samantha Curry. She
just wants him to settle down and
quit the humbug'. But Barnum is
infatuated, not only with success
but also with singer Jenny Lind (a
great performance from Sue
Limbert). A roller coaster of
emotions ensue until eventually
his dream of running a circus
comes true.
In this year of the Olympics, if
there was a theatrical pentathlon,
Julian Cound's performance of
Barnum would win a gold medal.
He does a fantastic job learning
the ropes (pun intended),
especially his tightrope walk, high
across the stage. He also juggles,
dances, acts and sings, holding
this production together with his
suave, multi-talented portrayal of
the great showman.
There's a fine 13-piece
orchestra, an extravagant set, lots
of energetic song and dance
routines and the whole cast and
the audience seem to enjoy every
minute. The dancers were all great
too. I've picked two who stand
out: Denny Sinkova and Stephen
Curtis, they both never stopped
smiling.
* Until Saturday at 7.15pm.
Tickets: £10-£15. Box Office:
01325-486555
10:53am Monday 28th April 2008
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