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Tickets sales justified exciting “first night”

January 24, 1978

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This is a digitised version of an article from The Cayman Compass's print archive. Occasionally, the digitisation process introduces transcription errors, or other problems.

See the article in its original context from January 1978.

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The Cayman Singers and Cayman Drama Society have usually found it rather difficult to fill the Town Hall on the first night of any production, as it seems that the public has always preferred seeing the show after the reputed first night nerves were over. With SOUTH PACIFIC, however, last Thursday's first performance was a virtual sell-out. There was a very exciting "first night" atmosphere, and enthusiastic applause right through the show to the standing ovation at the finale. There's no doubt that the tremendous anticipation evidenced by the unusually high advanced ticket sales was justified as far as last week's audiences were concerned.

Comparative newcomers to the island, Ray and Katy Stack, may have started a fashionable trend by giving a pre-show party for about sixty of the people who attended the opening night. They arranged a very successful luau at the Exotic Apartments poolside, and many of the female guests, like others in the audience, wore gaily-flowered prints with a South Sea Islands flavour.

Reservations for this week's performances on the 25th, 26th, 27th and 28th are going exceedingly well, and those people who haven't yet got their tickets are urged to get them soon. There will be four more performances on February 1,2,3 and 4, but don't be misled into thinking that there's no need to book ahead, as the seating capacity has been reduced by the orchestra pit and the special lighting construction.

Apologies are extended to Nick Press for not naming him among the SOUTH PACIFIC bachelors in a recent article. Contrary to the rumours that immediately began circulating, about a secret marriage, Nick insists he is maintain his single status. In this show he and Michael Austin play American naval officers, and David Byrd a Marine Lieutenant. All three look very impressive in their tropical uniforms which were obtained, by methods undisclosed, by Gale Shaw directly from the U.S. armed forces!

Musical director and pianist Marilyn Smith has put a tremendous amount of work into this show, as have the rest of the orchestra drummer Iain Smith (no relation), David Craven on the saxaphone and Ed Oliver with the "gut-bucket." Apart from some drop-outs in the initial rehearsal stage, everything has gone quite smoothly with this production. Unfortunately young Rosalie Lawrence did sprain her ankle last week and was unable to dance in the dress rehearsal. She was able to perform on opening night, with her ankle bound up.

Wendy Daykin quickly took over one of Rosalie's dances and did a really good job.

With all the hard work of the rehearsals over, and the nervous excitement of opening night past, the rest of the performances should be pure fun. So why not get a ticket and spend an evening in the beautiful, exotic, thrilling SOUTH PACIFIC?