Star most impressed .sx By Nancy Oatridge-Budd .sx ON THE occasion of their 10th anniversary the Bodmin Players AOS presented , for the second time , the Rodgers and Hammerstein musical 'Carousel' at the Foster Hall , Bodmin .sx The stage producer was Chris Batters , a founder member of the society and the musical director was David Cheetham , a comparative new-comer to Cornwall .sx Both Chris and David are to be congratulated on the results of all their hard work .sx This was a most colourful production , with lovely scenery and costumes .sx The chorus and dancers were excellent and together with the orchestra they carried the show along at a good pace .sx It was a pity that in the spoken sections the pace and timing were allowed to drag .sx The principal characters sang their solos beautifully and fully deserved the applause they received .sx But in one or two instances a little more thought about the characters to be portrayed and the acting involved would have made their performances even better .sx At the end of the evening the president , Mr. Gerald Thomas made a short speech thanking the performers and all the helpers who had done such wonderful work backstage .sx Without them , he said , the show could not have taken place .sx Plans are already being made for the 1992 production which will be Calamity Jane .sx Among the audience at the Friday night performance was singing star Frank Ifield who later drew the raffle and went backstage to meet the cast and sign autographs .sx He told the Players it had been an excellent show and that he did not realise there was such talent in the area .sx Susan taps inner strength .sx WOMEN HAVE been cheering in the aisles in America at the highly controversial movie Thelma And Louise described by one critic as " a post feminist howl " .sx And no-one could be more pleased at the reaction than the film's star , Susan Sarandon .sx Scottish director Ridley Scott is clear about why he picked Sarandon to play the pivotal role of Louise in the story of two women who break out of their smalltown repressive lives and cut a swathe through a landscape of flawed males .sx Scott felt Sarandon was " a ballsy Lady " .sx " She's a very smart woman and always had a selection of material with some kind of a strong subtext to it , " he says .sx In Thelma And Louise , the red-headed actress with the Bette Davis eyes plays a working class woman with a lot of inner rage who provides the drive for her and Geena Davis's Thelma to break out and head for the south western desert in a 1966 Thunderbird convertible .sx It's the kind of buddy movie we've seen before but this time the central characters are two women .sx The film's violent depiction of retribution for molesting males has had a fantastic response from women in America with critics labelling it a feminist version of the Rambo syndrome .sx " What we are seeing is a sort of post-feminist howl , " suggested Peter Rainer of the Los Angeles Times .sx " It's a sisterhood bash-a-thon .sx " .sx To Sarandon , it's about women discovering their own inner strength .sx For an actress who put her reputation on the line by opposing the Gulf War when it was still popular and by staying true to traditional liberal values during the Reagan decade , it's obvious that self-determination is an important aspect in her life .sx Thelma And Louise is likely to give a sizeable boost to Sarandon's career .sx Callie Khouri's screenplay gives more than a hint to the notion that women need a certain separatism in order to be themselves in a very male-dominated world .sx The 44-year-old actress has come close several times to establishing mainstream commercial appeal , and yet her penchant for pursuing a very individual path has just as quickly drawn her back to relative obscurity .sx " I haven't been offered a lot of mainstream parts and I guess Hollywood is going to change its attitude towards middle-aged women only if it makes a profit changing .sx They're not going to change through some sort of enlightenment , " Sarandan asserts .sx Hers has been a rather odd career path , with some notable performances in the likes of The Witches of Eastwick , Atlantic City and Bull Durham .sx Choir welcomes Canadian friends .sx THE County of Cornwall Male Choir was fully engaged during the weekend of the 5th , 6th , and 7th July .sx On Friday evening , members of the Choir and The Ladies Committee , gathered in Plymouth to welcome The Vancouver Welsh Mens sic !sx Choir and their supporters from British Columbia , Canada , who are on a tour of the U.K. During a reception at the Moat House Hotel friendships and acquaintances were renewed because during April 1991 The Vancouver Welsh Mens sic !sx Choir were hosts during the County of Cornwall Male Choir's very successful tour of Canada and North America .sx On Saturday evening both choirs and soloist , Margaret Holden , ( Mezzo ) gave a most entertaining concert to a near capacity audience at the Guildhall , Plymouth , in the presence of the Lord Mayor , Mrs Elizabeth Easton and other civic dignitaries .sx The concert was organised by the Plymouth Music Trust and received a standing ovation .sx On Sunday evening , the two choirs performed at the Cornwall Coliseum to a large audience which included the High Sheriff of Cornwall , Mr David Trefry and other County and local civic dignatories in support of the Hall For Cornwall Appeal .sx Soloist was Peter Julian .sx The first half of each concert afforded the opportunity to hear music new to West Country audiences .sx The Vancouver Welsh Mens sic !sx Choir brought with them songs and choruses from Canada and North America which were sensitively performed under the Musical Directorship of Robin Thomas and accompanied on piano by the very talented Miss Miho Kuroki , from Japan , who is studying at British Columbia University .sx George Roberts a very fine Baritone , sang various solo parts within the Choir's repertoire and Vincent Gogag , a Canadian Indian played the Indian Drum .sx During the second half of each concert , the County of Cornwall Male Choir under the Musical Directorship of Nick Hart , accompanied by Dennis Osborne and Judith Mumby , gave an exciting performance of part of their repertoire which included the Folk song 'Away from the roll of the sea' by Macgillivray which was acquired by the Choir when on their 1990 tour in Canada .sx Both choirs combined the close of each concert for Welsh Hymn favourites , 'Morte Christe and Gwahoddiod' and 'Trelawney' , which the Vancouver Welsh Mens sic !sx Choir had learnt before coming on tour .sx The Vancouver Welsh Mens sic !sx Choir is now continuing its tour in Wales .sx GUARDIAN At the Movies .sx PLAYING the home-loving little woman isn't the normal image associated with a Hollywood movie mogul .sx But when it comes to producing films , actress Sally Field admits :sx " I'd rather being sic !sx making jam .sx " The 44-year-old star has turned in some powerful portraits of defiant women facing up to sizeable odds in films like Norma Rae and Places In The Heart .sx Now she's also making films and proving she has a good eye for what works for others on screen .sx A few years ago , before many people had heard of Julia Roberts , budding producer Field lined the young actress up for Dying Young and told the industry :sx " No-one knows Julia Roberts yet , but you will .sx " And sure enough , they did .sx In fact , Field is becoming something of a behind-the-scenes star in the film world , although she's back in front of the cameras for her latest role in the comedy Soapdish .sx Juggling the demands of being a mother , actress and producer is a tall order by any standards and Field is the first to admit to the strain .sx " I am not a terribly strident or aggressive woman , and being shy I found it very hard to get into the arena of producing films .sx " I would rather go home and make jam and be a girl which is still the honest truth , " she maintains .sx On the other hand , the actress is very clear about why her screen career has proved so durable .sx It boils down to talent .sx " When people say I'm a survivor , I feel it underestimates why I'm here .sx I don't think I've made it to here because I simply have the ability to keep my head above the water .sx I'm here because I have talent .sx " Field says she has turned to producing films simply because that's the only way she can get any control of her career .sx She certainly had a lot to do with getting her latest starring role off the ground .sx The actress had always wanted to appear in a film about the world of actors .sx So when the script for Soapdish , a satire on the lives and absurdities of the cast of a fictitious daytime television soap opera came along , she worked hard to keep the project on track in the face of all the usual Hollywood production melodramas .sx With Kevin Kline ( best known for his role in A Fish Called Wanda ) and Whoopi Goldberg along for the ride , Soapdish features Field as a celebrity soap queen who's frightened of growing older and has to make regular tours of suburban shopping malls to boost her frayed ego .sx Field believes her portrait of a crabby star who chews up those around her because she is really miserable and scared inside highlights the pain and agonies that can go on behind the cameras .sx " It's about actors whose soap opera identities have overwhelmed their private lives .sx My own experience is not quite like this , but there is something of the absolute paranoia and utterly insecure life in Celeste's terror of getting older and being pushed aside by the younger crop .sx " A none-too-subtle dig at soap operas , Soapdish is a rare comic outing for Field .sx In spite of the fact she made her debut acting in lightweight television series like The Flying Nun , she has made her name in tense dramas like Not Without My Daughter .sx " Comedy is not really my territory , I don't feel as comfortable doing it as I do with drama , " she admits .sx It's probably not surprising that Field feels more of an affinity with drama because her own life has certainly been no cakewalk .sx She may talk enthusiastically about how good her second marriage is ( she has a three-year-old son with film producer Alan Greisman and two sons in their late teens by a previous marriage ) , but there have been some difficult times in her past .sx Field is still touched by the decade of eating disorders , confusion and loneliness that once afflicted her .sx New releases by MATT VINYL .sx VAN MORRISON .sx HYMNS TO THE SILENCE ( POLYDOR ) .sx WHAT am I doing reviewing this ?sx Surely you know by now that this man is not so much a musical genius as a veritable god for me .sx Such is my bias that even if Van The Man produced a double album narrating the telephone directory , I'd be the first in the queue to buy it .sx What is it about this man who commands such spiritual power through his songs and compositions ?sx Last year's Enlightenment album was difficult to follow .sx .. but to come back with a CD of such calibre is a mark and measure of the true quality of his experience and expertise .sx No-one can blend or harmonise gospel , soul , Irish country , jazz and folk into one so well or contrast gutsy , growling songs next to the spoken word without sounding pretentious or in conflict .sx Van's music is about faith , love or the search for love in a deep spiritualistic belief firmly embedded in music .sx Hymns To The Silence is a homage to that faith .sx Not with syrupy sentimentality , but with warmth , conviction and a secure glow which emanates from all the songs .sx Outstanding tracks are too many to mention but Take Me Back takes me back to the brilliant repetitive lyrics of Summertime In England and the title track and the spoken , reflective On Hyndford Street must be among the finest - only to be topped by the emotional Carrying A Torch .sx First class production and assistance from Candy Dulfer , The Chieftains and now resident keyboard man Georgie Fame , Hymns To The Silence must rate as a Van Morrison classic .sx