A Big Night Out of Musicality

CODYS Productions and Encore Productions joined forces for their musical concert title, ‘A Big Night Out of Musicality’. Directed and conceived by Laura Cupit, this concert covered a variety of different musicals, giving opportunities for CODYS and Encore to perform separately, as well as together. It was lovely to see both groups coming together to perform different numbers. What was great to see was the opportunities given to members in terms of staging different numbers, especially Matty Wright (an older member of CODYS) taking responsibility for the staging of a number of CODYS numbers, as well as working alongside Laura. This concert was a great opportunity to showcase the vocal talents of both groups, and Laura must be applauded for her work in creating the concert.

The musical director was Emily Woodward. The cast performed to backing tracks and did well with this. There was a good mix of musicals on offer and the cast did well performing the different styles of songs. The ensemble numbers were particularly good.

As well as directing, Laura Cupit choreographed the concert as well, with support from Marcus Cameron, Sophie Jones, Julie Lord, Kate McHenry, Abi Narraway, Nickie Walker, Louise Wright, and Matty Wright. Choreography throughout was good and was delivered well by the cast. The choreography was well thought out to fit a large cast in a small space.

There were a few technical issues during the production, with microphones being turned on late during a number of songs. The sound balance between the backing tracks and performers was good – everything could be heard. Lighting was good throughout.

The concert was performed in a black box, with red curtains, which gave the feeling of a traditional theatre. There were raised platforms, which aided with the numbers, giving a variety of staging options.

The cast wore black throughout, with a pop of colour from bowties or hair bobbles. This gave a uniformity to all performers.

Act One opened with ‘Spring’ from ‘The Wind in the Willows’, performed by the performer from Encore. This was a good opening with the cast able to display some very good vocals. CODYS followed with a great performance of ‘Omigod You Guys’ form ‘Legally Blonde’. It was a number full of energy and commitment. Matty Wright impressed with his rendition of ‘You’ll Be Back’ from ‘Hamilton’. He was confident and suitably funny with his performance. ‘All That Jazz’ from ‘Chicago’ was performed well, with Fosse inspired choreography which suited the number and was well performed by the cast. Act One ended with ‘Raise You Up/Just Be’ from ‘Kinky Boots’. This was a great number to end the first half with. An empowering number that was performed with lots of energy.

Act Two opened with CODYS performing ‘Bikini Bottom Day’ from ‘Spongebob the Musical’. This was a great number, performed very well by the young actors. What impressed were the characterisations – they were instantly recognisable to the cartoon. Well done! ‘Since You’ve Been Gone’ from ‘& Juliet’ made you feel like you were at a pop concert – it was loud and in your face! Very well performed. ‘Make Him Mine’ from ‘The Witches of Eastwick’ was a highlight of the concert. The vocals from the six performers were outstanding, with some fantastic harmonies. The simple staging of this number allowed the performers to just sing. ‘Six’ was a great song to display the talent from CODYS. There was great energy and the choreography was well performed. Ending the concert was ‘Out of the Darkness’ from ‘Everybody’s Talking About Jamie’. Similarly to the end of the first half, this was a great number to end on, with both groups coming together. It was performed very well by everyone.

Overall, this was an enjoyable evening, where both CODYS and Encore could display the talent of both groups. There were some very good vocal performances, good staging, and a fantastic integration of both youth and adult performers.

Thank you to both CODYS and Encore Production for their kind invite and hospitality. All the best for your next productions later this year, ‘The Wind in the Willows’ and ‘Jekyll and Hyde the Musical’.

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