Monday, December 22, 1986

CHELMSFORD BOROUGH COUNCIL SENIOR CITIZENS' SHOW 1986
Civic Theatre

The Civic crammed with senior citizens, the Chelmsford Silver Band on stage - it must be the Chelmsford Borough Council's annual command performance, always one of the friendliest occasions in the theatre.
The entertainment this year was as generous as ever, with some of the finest variety artistes in the area giving up their Sunday to entertain this most appreciative of audiences.
Compering the show was Frank Western, better known in Christmases past as Johnny Pedlar, the Norfolk comedian. Arthur Hull, Chelmsford's Cheeky Chappie, wheeled out some veteran gags, mostly pale blue, and three young musicians from King Edward VI School busked through a sprightly set of Dixieland numbers.
Chelmsford Ballet Company's Company B tapped their way through Happy Feet; one of their new numbers this year had a troupe of Mrs Mopps dancing to Hooked-on Mozart.
Springers transferred their Cabaret Spectacular with considerable success from the Cramphorn to the Civic - big brassy numbers like Rhythm of Life and Follow the Band had added breadth and lost nothing of their attack.
CAODS did a very polished sequence of American numbers from the Black Hills of Dakota to Oklahoma, and Young Gen, not for the first time the hit of the show, included this year two dance routines as well as a [?final] look back at Annie, and the Happy Wanderer from their new production of Hansel and Gretel, now running in the Cramphorn.