A Celebration of Musicals

I was delighted to attend the latest show from Across the Boards, A Celebration of Musicals, on Saturday 19th January at Viva, Blackpool.

The afternoon’s entertainment was masterminded by Anna Cross, and the concert was performed in aid of Home Start – a fantastic gesture from these young performers. As with previous shows by ACB, all direction, choreography and musical direction was by a (presumably exhausted!) Anna Cross.

The show began with a fun and dynamic interpretation of I Will Survive by the Senior Theatre School, who got the show underway with a bang. Following them – and not to be outdone by the older students – the Junior Theatre School gave us a spirited and energetic medley from Annie, the highlight of which was a powerhouse vocal performance from Rose P during her rendition of Tomorrow. Astonishing singing.

Later in Act 1, the Junior and Senior Theatre Schools joined forces to perform a section of Les Misérables, delivering an admirable attempt at some tricky source material. The song slightly got away from the performers at times, but they finished strongly to rapturous applause.

Arla T and Willow S performed some poetry for the audience, both delivering calm confidence and lovely vocal inflection throughout – an unexpected highlight of the first half of the show! They were promptly followed by the Senior Modern Jazz group, who gave a lively, energetic and committed performance of Live in Living Colour, with standout performances from Lola C-E and Bethany H. Not to be overshadowed by their senior counterparts, the Junior Gymnastics/Cheer class were up next with a hugely fun and bouncy performance of One Short Day from Wicked. Excellent and energetic from the outset!

Two musical interludes followed – I Know It’s Today (Arla T, Rose P and Bethany H) and Getting to Know You (Bethany H) – and while it was clear that these young performers have great singing ability, it also became apparent that their next area of focus in rehearsals and classes should be breath control. Once each of them masters how best to utilise their breathing, they will become forces to be reckoned with, without a doubt.

Act 1 drew to a close in glittering fashion with a powerhouse performance of I Got Rhythm by the Senior Tap group, who were sharp, well choreographed and tightly rehearsed. Their musicality was lovely to see, and this number was the perfect way to bring the first act to a close. The audience loved it!

Act 2 began with a lovely pointe routine from Lola C-E and Bethany H, who danced to Let It Go. This was a well-performed routine which demonstrated the range and flexibility of these talented young performers. They returned later in the act with the Senior Ballet group, who performed The Last Text, a thought-provoking and beautifully danced piece of work, for which they should be highly commended.

Rose P then returned for her next solo vocal performance and, as with Tomorrow in Act 1, her ability shone for the duration of the song. Rose is an intuitive and engaging performer whose talent was clear for all to see – a standout moment in the show.

Following this, Lola C-E and Bethany H performed Schadenfreude from Avenue Q. I am as far from a prude as I think it’s possible to be, but looking around the auditorium and seeing how many young audience members there were, I couldn’t help but feel that this song was a particularly risky choice for the show. The lyrical content isn’t appropriate for most children and it felt out of step with what was otherwise a very family-friendly and fun programme. The girls performed it very well indeed and, had I seen it as part of a more mature show, I would be shouting from the rooftops about its quality – but I have to temper that with the reality that it was probably not a great choice for this particular production. There was an “age guidance 12+” note in the programme, but by that point the audience were already in the auditorium and could do little about it.

Following this came the Junior and Senior Modern Jazz groups, performing Dance the Night Away together. This was a sharp and fun piece that left me feeling confident that these talented dancers could have handled much tougher choreography than they were given. Kudos to them on their excellent dance ability.

The show was brought to a close with a medley of numbers from Across the Boards’ upcoming production of Frozen the Musical, and while it was clear that this was a work in progress, the cast showed their quality from the outset. Great things ahead for this show, I’m sure!

Thank you to everyone at ACB for the invitation, and good luck with Frozen!

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