THE magic of Broadway and the West End made its way to the Victoria Halls on Friday as the Helensburgh Savoy Musical Theatre Group’s members performed some of the most famous songs from stage and screen in front of a sell-out audience.

The ‘Still Mad About Musicals’ cabaret evening featured songs from some of the best-loved hit musicals of the recent and not-quite-so-recent past, from classics such as South Pacific and A Chorus Line to some of the biggest success stories of the past few years, including 9 To 5 – the Savoy’s most recent stage show, performed to great acclaim in November – and The Greatest Showman.

And from the moment Brian Sayer, Lyn Pennycook and the company opened the show with A Million Dreams from the latter, the assembled audience knew they were in for a real musical treat.

Other highlights from the evening’s programme included Jordan Lee Sharkey and Lynsey Rippon’s rendition of For Good from Wicked, two numbers from the Andrew Lloyd Webber classic Phantom Of The Opera, and Shallow from A Star Is Born, which wowed cinema audiences around the world last year, thanks in large part to the performances of Lady Gaga and Bradley Cooper in the two lead roles.

For those with slightly longer memories, the evening also included a medley of classic songs from some of the greatest shows by Rodgers and Hammerstein, the song-writing geniuses behind hit shows such as Carousel, Oklahoma! and The Sound of Music.

And – following several bewilderingly fast costume changes by members of the company – the night ended on a suitably rousing moment with performances of two of the most memorable ensemble numbers from Sunshine On Leith, the Proclaimers’ classics Let’s Get Married and 500 Miles, making sure the audience headed off into the night with no shortage of toe-tapping ‘earworm’ tunes in their heads.

Pauline Forrest, the Savoy’s secretary, said afterwards: “Our Still Mad About Musicals cabaret evening was a huge success and, for the second year running, we were delighted that we had a sell-out audience, despite being in a larger venue this year!

“The audience really enjoyed the setup of the hall in a nightclub style, with the freedom to move around at any time to refresh their drinks at the bar.

“There was a variety of songs from shows past and present, with dancing and costume, and comments included “a very vibrant evening”, “excellent” and “we thoroughly enjoyed it”.

“Helensburgh Savoy would like to thank our audience for coming along to support us.

“We are also extremely grateful to past members who helped with front of house, with technical support and back stage; also, our thanks to Live Argyll and the staff at the Victoria Halls, and everyone who helped us to make it possible to stage the event.”

The group is always keen to welcome new members, and on the back of Friday’s concert they are inviting anyone interested to come along to St Michael’s Church Hall in William Street on Wednesday, May 15 at 7.30pm to find out more about the group’s next production, Legally Blonde: The Musical.

The show will be staged, again at the Victoria Halls, in November, with Gemma McKinnon making a welcome return as director, having previously overseen the group’s productions of Fiddler On The Roof in 2012 and Sunshine On Leith in 2015.

There are no auditions for chorus members, but auditions for principal roles in the new production will take place, also at St Michael’s Church Hall, on Wednesday, May 29 at 7.30pm (rescheduled from May 22 due to unforeseen circumstances).

Registering interest to audition is required in advance and all details regarding auditions are available at rehearsal, on the group’s Facebook page, or by emailing helensburgh savoy@gmail.com.

* All pictures taken by Lovemore Photography