FOR mankind the second half of the 1960s was a rollercoaster of wonderful highs and tragic lows.

We saw The Beatles at their peak, Woodstock, and a man on the moon but we also saw the murder of Martin Luther King, the death of yet another Kennedy and the long war in Vietnam.

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Last Sunday, at the Bowraville Theatre, a capacity audience was able to relive those years via an incredible musical time capsule as the Bowraville Theatre Singers performed a show called ‘1965-1969 Five Years That Shook The World’.

The Singers, under the musical direction of Lissa Argue, set an impeccable standard for themselves a long time ago so the vocal quality of the choir, the soloists, the complex harmonies and Judith Herivel’s faultless piano for this show were what we have come to expect.

Where this show differed so dramatically from their previous productions was in the captivating journey they took their audience on thanks to a superbly-written and delivered narration by world-renowned songwriter John Vallins who also created the concept for the performance.

In a show that delivered so many goosebump moments everyone in the audience would no doubt, have their favorite.

For this reviewer it could have been when John Vallins turned to the piano to play and sing the global smash hit that he penned, ‘Too Much Too Little Too Late’, an experience none of us saw coming, or possibly when a segment of the choir delivered David Bowie’s classic ‘Space Oddity’.

The performance was also full of many ‘gasp-worthy’ surprises, such as five of the singers breaking into ‘Stop in the Name of Love’ complete with the Supremes hand gestures and soloist Ruth Stuart channeling Nancy Sinatra, resplendent in silver boots and all.

To take the immersive experience even further the audience was invited, and eagerly accepted the invitation, to join in on ‘Hey Jude’ and ‘Yellow Submarine’.

To hear the Bowraville Theatre Singers in full flight with ‘California Dreaming’, a nostalgic Seekers Melody and Simon and Garfunkel’s ‘59th Bridge Street Song (Feeling Groovy) was unforgettable as were the solos by Peta Coe, Jeremy Nash and Gary Rumble.

Perhaps the most indelible element of this performance was that we were reminded of the significance of those five years in history and how the music of that era would shape the world to come.

John Vallins was delivering a dialogue with the full credibility of someone who was there and made some of that history himself.

The Bowraville Theatre Singers and the volunteers that run the iconic Bowraville Theatre can be justifiably proud of the fact that when the show was over on Sunday a delighted crowd was left ‘Feeling Groovy’ for the first time in a long while.

By Mick BIRTLES