42nd Street

I have mentioned, in a previous review, that Yeovil Amateur are very competent in many areas but the one thing that they absolutely excel at is in large choreographed dance routines, featuring many dancers.  Therefore, I am always excited to visit Yeovil when they are performing shows that feature large scale dance routines, such as White Christmas, Top Hat and, of course, 42nd Street.

The scenery for the production was of a very high standard and, as usual, worked really well with the production.  Several scene changes were completed in front of the audience, which did a great job of keeping things running smoothly without any untimely scene changes.  However, there was one instance when it looked like something had gone wrong (the train station), when the scene was in full swing before the staircase was in place but it was hard to tell if this was right or wrong as the actors did such a tremendously professional job of keeping going.  Especially impressive, was the effect used to show the backstage action visible through the front curtain.  A very clever technique which not only worked so well but was also crystal clear.

The sound and the lighting was good and, apart from a few crackles towards the end of the show, there were no issues here at all.  In fact, the lighting was especially good and the old fashioned lighting that was used to project shadows onto the backcloth was used well, as was the aforementioned lighting through the curtain.

The orchestra, under the control of Gill Merrifield, did exactly what was required from them and accompanied the singers well, without overpowering them at all.  This may seem like a straight forward thing but you would be amazed how often I see shows where singers are drowned out by a loud orchestra, not here though.

The singing, again presumably under the control of Gill, was of an exceptionally high standard.  All the melodies sounded strong, all vocals sounded spot on – not much else to say really.  Two numbers that really stood out were “There’s a Sunny Side to Ev’ry Situation”, which was not only sung very well but also looked visually stunning by having the singers on a two tiered unit and only visible when their dressing room mirrors lit up, equally impressive was the song “Shuffle off to Buffalo” which utilised a similar effect with sleeping compartments on a train.

The choreography, by Sheila Driver, was immensely good and looked as if it had just stepped out of a 1930’s musical.  All the dancers were completely in sync with each other and when the stage was filled with dancers all doing the same thing at the same time, it was truly a fantastic sight to behold.

The acting on show from YAOS, is always of a high standard and this production was no different.  It’s always good to see Shaun Driver in these older style golden age musicals, his acting style, poise, dancing, everything just fits these shows so well, you can easily imagine him dancing with Ginger Rogers and holding his own against Fred Astaire.  I thought it was a shame that Shaun seemed to have a smaller role in this show, but as the story unfolded that piece of casting made perfect sense.  Luke Whitchurch was mesmerising as Julian and completely owns the stage whenever he is on it.  I have seen Luke in several productions now, not just for YAOS, and he is an incredibly talented actor and this experience shone through whenever he was on stage.  Stevie P is always fun to watch and his portrayal of Bert Barry was another great comic portrayal, especially when he was partnered with Charlotte Wood, who was an audience favourite for her enthusiastic portrayal of Maggie.  Jennifer Holland-Brewer (Annie) and Sterling Wilder-Gay (Billy), were very competent supporting players and were always fun to watch on the stage.  How lovely to see Sterling being able to take on more principle roles, and not just in youth productions, Sterling has a real stage presence and acting ability that outshines his years.  However, the star of the show had to be Leah Driver as Peggy Sawyer, she showed superb star quality and easily carried the show, getting the audience on her side from the second she walked onto the stage.

Overall, this was another fantastic show from YAOS and showcased the quality that I now know I will see when I get invited to a production of theirs.  When everything just works like this, it does make the reviews hard to write for me, as there is nothing I can say other than this was good or that was good!  The only real thing that could be improved on here is that I need to buy a thesaurus.  Congratulations and well done to you all for another transcendent show (I bought the thesaurus!), it’s this level of professionalism that shows why you deserved to win “Best Musical”.

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