THIS was a rip-roaring show with plenty of popular songs, sung by a magnificent chorus, which you end up humming for the following week.

The title role was played by 17 year old Bernadette Schramm who took ownership of the stage from the minute she leapt onto it from the auditorium until the end when she transformed from a gun-toting tomboy into a beautiful bride.

She is a brilliant actress who really got into the part of Calamity, from her tall stories to her frequent gunshots, and the almost arrogant way she paced the stage as she captivated her audience.

But there were many others from Crickhowell High School who surpassed the expectations their teachers have for them, and these included Henry Galletta, playing Henry Miller, the owner of the Golden Garter in Deadwood who had a certain cocky swagger, and Ty Walker as the lovable rogue Wild Bill Hickock who finally gets his gal - Calamity Jane. His duets with Calamity I Can Do Without You and Secret Love were lovely.

Cinzia Scarpetta was wonderful as Miller's niece Susan and two Year 11 students, Bethany Saddington and Megan Purvis proved a clever and comic double act as the soldiers who save the life of an officer, Lieutenant Danny Gilmartin, well played by Lewis Jevons, when he is attacked by Indians.

He ends up falling in love with Katie Brown, the maid for famous star Adelaide Adams, who comes to perform at the Golden Garter in the guise of her employer. Katie was played by Gabriella Panfili, a seasoned veteran with previous productions such as Les Miserables and their duet Love You More was beautiful.

Dan Gething played the part of Francis Fryer who was supposed to be a blonde, buxom singer, so Miller gets him to dress as a woman, rather than disappoint the locals, and the scene was hilarious.

The dancing girls Jessica Lee, Sian Lewis, Daisy Norton, Lauren O'Loughlin, Talullah Rodwell and Rhiannon Stahl did a pretty impressive version of the can-can at the start of the Golden Garter show.

There were good performances from Ben Evans as Doc Pierce and Sophie Davies as the elegant Adelaide Adams, and the chorus, which included several Year 7 children, put heart and soul into the rousing favourites like Deadwood Stage and the Black Hills of Dakota. Their harmonising in the latter was one of the highlights of this performance.

The school orchestra, plus a few adults added to the show, and their medley of all the favourite songs was a perfect opener to the show.

Director Alison Gerrish Maguire and musical director Vicky Walker must be delighted with the show and the appreciation of the audience who sang and clapped along with the cast. So much hard work went into this show and it paid off.