show through new eyes. The cast was small and mighty, all of whom took on multiple roles throughout. Leading this cast was a wealth of talent from all around the Rossendale valley and beyond. Terry Banham lead the cast as Curly, singing the well knows songs including number ‘Oh, What a Beautiful Mornin’,’ “Surrey With the Fringe On Top” and The title tune, “Oklahoma!”. My personal favourite of Terry’s songs had to be that of “Poor Jud Is Daid”: the sarcastic tone Terry used throughout the song added comedy to a serious subject matter. It certainly gave the moment the lift it needed. As Curly’s love interest we had the multi-talented Lionie Picarello as Laurie Williams. Laurie interacts with everyone in this cast and every single one of her interactions was a wonder to behold. Leonie showed every emotion, and we, as an audience really rooted for her and Curly, even when Jud was trying his hardest to catch her eye. Leoni has a way of acting through song which is just mesmerising. Ado Annie, Laurie’s best friend, played by Annabel Taylor, was larger than life. Coupled with Ben Vaughan, who took on the role of Will Parker, this double act really gave the piece the comic relief it needed, especially when the action turned more serious in act two. Will entered the stage with an energy that everyone else couldn’t help but match. His performance of “Kansas City” made me want to get up on stage and dance with him myself. And it takes a special kind of actor to make audience members want to join in. The other love interest of Ado Annie, or the Third Wheel, is Ali Hakim. Joe Marsden has an amazing grasp of comedy timing and reading the audience; his delivery was perfectly timed and you could tell why Ado fell for his smooth talking. This trio had great chemistry and they had the audience in fits of laughter. Aunt Eller, played by Angela Mayal, took command of the stage , and really took on that authoritative figure role. She kept the rest of the cast in line whilst helping to move the story along. in the set pieces. For me, the performance of the evening had to go to Paul Ryan. Jud
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