CLOGS Musical Theatre gave an enthusiastic and entertaining performance of this musical, the story of New Yorkers Sky Masterson, a rich gambler, and Sarah Brown, a young missionary, who fall in love despite their obvious differences.

Sky pursues Sarah as a result of a bet with fellow gambler Nathan Detroit, who organises illegal ‘crap’ games, but they find common ground during an evening spent in Havana.

Russell Syrett played Sky and 17-year-old Elly Fortune Sarah, and between them they gave a convincing portrayal of a young couple in love for the first time. Miss Fortune, who has a fantastic voice and a natural stage presence, should be commended on her success in her first principal role with CLOGS.

Sandra Mayo plays Nathan Detroit’s long-suffering fiancée Miss Adelaide, a singer at the Hot Box nightclub, and was brilliantly melodramatic throughout. Lively performances from the Hotbox dancers and Nathan Detroit’s pack of gamblers helped to give the production pace and energy.

I particularly enjoyed the Havana scene, when most of the cast took to the stage to show off their Cuban dance moves and create a party atmosphere.

The performance contained all the much loved songs from the original musical and the group numbers, including Sit Down You’re Rockin’ The Boat, were especially good. Peter French did a terrific job as musical director.

CLOGS is a theatre group with a solid reputation. Once again many hours spent rehearsing have paid off and its members should be proud of themselves.