This is one hell of a show and the audiences are going to love it. In a show of this quality it is very difficult to pick out individuals. The three leading ladies were all superb and had you rooting for them from the start. I can’t think of anyone who could have done these parts better. Christian Slingsby made a great leading man –great voice and stage presence and at times I really wanted to slap him. I particularly enjoyed his lustful rendition of 'Here for You'. I enjoyed seeing Natasha Townsend in her first BOS principal role –she is far too young and pretty to play a frustrated frump so it’s a credit to her acting that she pulled it off. I enjoyed her “Oh Miss Jones” moment in ''Heart to Hart' but the pathos in '5-9' was also very touching.

The minor principals were all excellent - Audrey Young made a worryingly good lush and Rob Callaby let us see what he may have been like when he was young and diffident. I really liked the way that the chorus were not just a homogenous lump, standing still and singing, but were an interesting group of individual characters which informed what they did on stage and made them really great to watch. They all had back stories which we could see.  This show is incredibly difficult for the chorus, who are an integral part of the story, so well done all of you. 

The big numbers like '9 to 5' and 'Change it' were really exciting to watch. I particularly enjoyed 'Backwoods Barbie', which allows us to see the hurt behind Doralee’s façade, and 'Get out and Stay Out', when we could see how Judy had grown and developed as an individual. However I think my favourite was 'One of the Boys', with its Fosse-inspired choreography. Slick and like something from an old Hollywood film.

Big congratulations to Rob Barclay and Helen Graves for having the vision, and the energy, to produce an incredibly complex show. Massive congratulations too to Clare Allen for the choreography - I don’t know how you managed to produce such exciting, watchable and slick choreography as well as taking a principal role but you did. That’s the professional training I suppose! Well done to the band, and Lynn Loose, for great sounding music. Great sound and lighting, as we have come to expect, from Alan Aldous and Megan Rogers. I could hear every word from the stage, including all the single lines from individual chorus members, which was great.  Well done to the stage crew, which appeared to be the whole cast, on slick changes which will only get faster.

Over the years I have seen lots of BOS shows, and have been in a few. Some I have enjoyed, some I only saw once and two I was reluctant to return after the interval. This time, by halfway through the first act, I was checking the calendar on my phone to see how many times I could get to see it. I really enjoyed it and I need to see it again.

Well done and break a leg!

Anne Montgomery

Images Courtesy of Neil Watson Photography