Actor and Bermuda resident Michael Douglas and his superstar wife Catherine Zeta-Jones have again demonstrated their commitment to helping local performers excel on the stage.

Mr. Douglas, a distinguished patron of the Gilbert and Sullivan Society, and Ms Zeta-Jones helped out at rehearsals at City Hall theatre on Wednesday night as the cast were fine tuning their performances in anticipation of next week's opening of GSS' "Dreamgirls'.

As the couple sat in the darkened theatre to watch a run-through of the first act, they were spellbound. But it was when Cindy Smith started into the penultimate number of the first act, 'And I am telling you...' that Ms Zeta-Jones showed her full emotional involvement in the show, by allowing the tears to stream down her face.

After the cast came down off the stage in between acts, the couple congratulated all on a fabulous performance. Then Ms Zeta-Jones got to work, calling 'The Dreams' to the stage to put the final touches on female "showmanship".

All cast members watched with rapt attention to this display of encouragement, while Keith Grant, the artistic director, and Mr. Douglas discussed some of the finer points of the show.

Then, as it is in the theatre, the stage manager, David "Curly" Curl, called "Places for Act Two" and the cast rushed backstage to start the second act.

Tickets for 'Dreamgirls' can be purchased online at www.bermudamuscialtheatre.com or at the City Hall Box office from 12:00 to 2:00 p.m. on weekdays.