The Gold Coast Little Theatre, our sponsor, has had a wonderful year with some superb productions but they may well have saved their best till last. Ray Cooney's Twice In a Lifetime is an imaginative musical comedy with a complex plot that requires creative direction. Dorothy Henderson has cleverly adapted the production resulting in a wonderfully entertaining play that captivates the audience from beginning to end.
Matthew Hadgraft (male lead in The 39 Steps) and Louise Harris (star of Showboat) are excellent in their starring roles. They are both fine singers and actors and work extremely well together supported by a cast of more than 30.
Ray Cooney is not usually associated with musicals. The play actually started its life as a comedy without music with the titles "Time's Up" and later "Twice Upon a Time" and with flashbacks to the lead characters' previous life where he was Guy Faulkes attempting to blow up the Houses of Parliament. After a number of adaptations and reworking of the plot that Chris Walker was brought in to add music that added another dimension to the play.
The Gold Coast Little Theatre has made an excellent choice in selecting Twice In a Lifetime and the production is sure to be a great success.
John Reid
Jazz Radio 94.1fm
