ABBEY Musical Society’s opening performance of The Inn of The Eighth Happiness was a colourful affair, reported The Mail in March 1985.
Noreen Steel, in the demanding role of Gladys Aylward, well portrayed the determined missionary, who wins the respect of the Chinese and leads a group of children from the horrors of war to safety.
She came into her own when singing Here at Last at the start and close of the musical.
ACTING: Performers from Abbey Musical Society’s summer concert in 1992 - Sharon Grant, Sandra Watson, Melanie Crouch, Lynsey Platt and Melissa Thompson
But important though her role was, it was Guy Smith, playing Cheng Yung Lu, who won loud applause from the audience for his outstanding performance.
Lu, Gladys’s helper, was particularly impressive when singing the beautiful song Sigh For Me and This Moment in Time, in which Heather Conninge (Sualan) joined him.
Praise also went to Frances Gardner for her powerful portrayal of the fearful Tinker-woman, and Adrian Parkinson in the amusing roles of Yang.
And Marie Allmark played a convincing Jeannie Lawson, whose death brought one or two sniffles from the audience.
The musical was staged at Barrow Civic Hall.
MUSICAL: Some of the cast of Abbey Musical Society’s production of Robert and Elizabeth in 1991
In 1988 it was a case of ‘the show must go on’ for 12-year-old trouper Caroline Long crutches and all.
For in spite of having her leg strapped up to the thigh, the Rampside youngster was determined to join the other members of Abbey Musical Society in their Summer Show.
Caroline had fallen and injured her leg on the day before the society’s dress rehearsal.
But she still insisted on taking part in true showbiz tradition.
"They thought it was broken, but it's a slight fracture," said show director Noreen Steel.
LEG: Caroline Long, who had suffered a fracture, displays ‘the show must go on’ spirit by taking part in 1988
"She's really disappointed because she was the baton twirler and acrobat in the Barnum scenes, but now she's on crutches we've got the girls doing an extra bit.
"But she does look very good in the scene from Les Misérables. In the parade they're all supposed to be wounded, so the crutches look very authentic."
The show included music from the movies My Fair Lady and an Andrew Lloyd Webber selection.
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