Oklahoma! will send you home singing and smiling

Oklahoma! at the Theatre Royal, Bath this week by our very own Bath Operatic and Dramatic Society (BODS) is a very impressive production.

BODS seem to be getting better and better, the singing, dancing, acting, staging and costumes get more striking with each production, it is hard to believe they are not professional.

An almost full crowd on opening night on Tuesday absolutely loved it, singing along and clapping to well known song after song accompanied by a live orchestra.

READ MORE: Johann van Graan explains why Bath Rugby have signed Gloucester star Santi Carreras

READ MORE: ITV GMB's emotional Susanna Reid rushes to comfort grieving guest

You don't realise how many familiar songs there are in this popular musical by the great Rodgers & Hammerstein, song after song is a household classic and they were sung beautifully by principal and ensemble cast members of this lavish production.

Just think: Oh, What A Beautiful Mornin', I'm Just A Girl Who Can't Say No, People Will Say We're in Love ( my favourite ) a nd of course the title song Oklahoma.

It was a real trip down memory lane for audience members, some of them family and friends of the by now well known cast.

We were singing, thigh clapping and tapping our feet to the familiar songs, not a bad result for a cold, wet night in February.

From the off we were transported from our February lives to the wide open plains of Oklahoma with its rolling hills, hay stacks and men in cowboy outfits.

What's there not to love?

We all love a Western, Oklahoma! is a tribute to a world long past, the sexist lines are actually funny so not offensive, it is of its time and it is actually very funny, I forgot about the comedy.

Sabrina Messer as the wayward, man loving Ado Annie is absolutely hilarious and when she sang I'm Just A Girl Who Can't Say No she had the audience laughing out loud.

I love the sentiment in this song and everything about Ado Annie, the show pre-dates political correctness and what is actually wrong with a girl who can't say no? It is very funny and she is great in the part.

All principal characters are stand out, you cannot believe they have jobs or busy lives outside.

Where on earth do they get the time?

They work so hard on stage and the singing and speaking voices are astounding for non-professional actors.

Matthew Graham is standout as all round good guy Curly, no girl would mind ending up in his lassoo.

He has a beautiful singing voice and you can tell he is having the time of his life up there.

He forms a beautiful partnership with love interest Laurey played by Lydia McCotter whose singing voice is melodic, dramatic and beautiful especially during the high notes, she has great range and pitch and she plays an adorable and versatile Laurey.

(How she manages to look after her toddler son Rex and rehearse and perform this hugely demanding role is astounding.)

Barbara Ingledew as the all seeing Aunt Eller is great in the role, playing the wily ole Hillbilly with great gusto and appeal, her accent is superb. We Know Ed Corbishley well, when he is not on stage he is happily greeting us as we come in to the great Theatre Royal, he works front of house sometimes and is always pleasant and smiling and a joy to meet.

He is great on stage, we love seeing Ed, we saw him in My Fair Lady and he is a natural, giving it all he has.

He is very convincing as the swashbuckling cowboy Will Parker, creating a most enjoyable partnership with Ado Annie, producing some of the best comedy performances in the show.

Andrew Grimes is also strong in the role of malcontent Jud Fry providing the only tension in this lighthearted story, and Tom Burge is hilarious as Persian street pedlar Ali Hakim (what's he doing in Oklahoma?).

All in all it is a great show by Bath's very own BODS, the ensemble cast give a great performance, the singing, the dancing, the stage and beautiful orchestral music with such great classics make this a performance not to be missed.

You will go home singing, smiling and maybe even thinking of a more innocent time, of sun drenched hills far, far away in the land of dreams, with no Donald Trump to spoil them.