Forth Children's Theatre are celebrating their 30th anniversary this year, but I must confess I had never been to one of their shows before 'Ragtime'.
I have always had a fondness for this musical (which opened on Broadway in 1998, followed by the excellent West End production in 2003, and is now set for a return to Broadway in October 2009) and here we have the Scottish premiere.
The good news is that this production lived up to, and surpassed, my expectations. OK, so the orchestra was a little tentative in places at tonight's opening performance, but I'm sure they will grow in confidence.
What sticks in my memory most (apart from the superb music and lighting design) are the truly wondrous performances - Julia Carstairs (as the alluring Evelyn Nisbet) and Hannah Scott (as Mother) immediately spring to mind (the latter giving a superb rendition of 'Back To Before', one of the show's hit numbers), but there are many more.
I'll definitely be keeping a look-out for what's next for FCT, but, in the meantime, I would unreservedly recommend this highly moving production.
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