16th January thirteen members of the Theatre Goers group went to see Made in Dagenham at the Mast in Southampton, performed by Southampton Operatic Society.

This musical, based on the film of the same name, charts the progress of the Dagenham Ford female machinists' strike in 1968 and the historical detail was interesting for our group as we can all remember the period well! Both costumes and sets accurately reflected the fashions of the late sixties and even a "new" Cortina was unveiled on stage. 

From the beginning there was an energy and vibrancy about the production which continued until the final curtain. All the cast members were clearly relishing their roles and danced and sang with great enthusiasm and skill. In particular, the main part of Rita was convincingly played by Marie Leland . She conveyed beautifully the way Rita struggled with the conflict between family and conviction. Throughout, the singing was excellent; especially moving was the solo performed by Dominic Sly as Rita's husband Eddie.

Altogether this was a thoroughly enjoyable evening's entertainment and we all went home marvelling at the almost professional performance we had seen. We look forward to the next SOS show.

Sheila Charisse