Where were you, Tenby?

Sir, Tony Jacobs and his Kings of Swing gave a superb account of themselves last night (Friday) at the De Valence in their show 'The Frank Sinatra Years'. It was a show that would have broad appeal - from those who enjoy light, popular music to the more serious aficionado: songs by Sinatra and many of his contemporaries were performed. The Kings of Swing are great musicians and I would like to single out for special praise, Sue Greenway, on the saxophone. Like Tony Jacobs himself, she had been a former member of the Sid Lawrence Orchestra and has performed with groups in Dubai and Japan. We were so fortunate to have such a professional level of entertainment brought almost to our doors here in Tenby. But as Tony Jacobs himself commented: "Where were you, Tenby?" - the audience numbers were very disappointing. In my opinion, it was a superior show to the Peter Karrie night some time ago, which attracted a large audience, but was far too loud to appreciate. I believe the reason that Peter Karrie may have gained such audience numbers was because he involved local people - children and adults - in his show and families and friends had come along to support those who were on stage. I have seen Tony Jacobs perform before, at the Torch Theatre in Milford Haven, to a full house in 'The Cole Porter Years': if Milford Haven knows when it's on to a good thing and attracts audiences from a wide catchment area for a superb, professional show like this, why is Tenby lagging behind? We could really handle a proper, community theatre in this part of the county, which the De Valence committee is trying so hard to achieve - but they do need the support. Those who missed this show missed a great evening out.

Anne-Ruth Alton, Tenby.