Sir, It seems as though someone has pulled the wool over Mr. Dave John's eyes regarding the 'disappearance' of the musical director and the band from the Footlights production of 'Calamity Jane'. Far from disappearing, the MD, Clive Raymond, had been constantly in touch with Helen Wright, the director, and had attended rehearsals leading up the show. However, to his and Helen's surprise, it had been seen fit to place the band half-way down the hall, up against the wall and in amongst the audience! It seems that owing to the way in which the set had been constructed, there was no where for the band to go near the stage, which of course is the normal location for a band in a musical. How the band and cast were expected to interact at such a distance is beyond me, and I speak from not a little experience. In spite of 'urgent discussions' to try and solve the problem, an impasse arose vis a vis the size of the set. To say that the MD 'disappeared' is to impugn the professional integrity of Mr. Clive Raymond, who happens to be the best musical director in the county, and an excellent and dedicated teacher. He did everything in his power to try and salvage the situation, but to no avail and was forced to 'walk'. As to the band, they weren't 'unavailable', they simply agreed with the MD. How am I privy to all this? My son was due to play percussion for the show and was present with the MD. I am truly sorry that poor Eileen had to carry the show when a simple compromise was all that was needed.
Andrew P. Rees, Rosemarket.