A Christmas Hotchpotch

This collection of performances really showcased the wealth of exciting talent in this company.  With short sketches from each of the YTYT groups it really was an entertaining performance which played to a full-house.

Sapphire Company opened the show with a self-devised piece called ‘Snow Day’.  With the final script written by Sarah Osborne, this was an entertaining story about a group of high school students who find themselves trapped inside school while they are trying to rehearse their pantomime.  With quick delivery of lines and an ability to work really well together this group maintained pace and delivered their lines with excellent timing.  The group also used music during the transitions which they managed sharply and enhanced with movement and stillness.  The important messages within the storyline were encased with humour which no doubt came out of the devising process.

‘Hansel and Gretel’ was performed by Emerald Company and I found this adaptation from the traditional story very engaging.  The movement of the young people around the stage to represent the forest was wonderfully represented and a delight to watch.  The performers also managed great clarity in the delivery of their lines and created characters using their voices which were a pleasure to watch.  Despite having very basic set and costumes the young people used the space and their bodies to dynamically transform the space into a Gingerbread Cottage – this was very impressive and I found the whole story a total joy.

Black Company  ‘Radio’ – this was my second viewing of ‘Radio’ and it’s appeal does not lessen with a repeat visit.  This piece of physical theatre was devised by the company and successfully opens a window into a time when the radio was the only source of information for households on the verge of the second World War.  It is a beautiful and moving performance with stunning movement, expression and reactions given by this creative and talented ensemble who took us through from the outbreak of war to its end with poise and emotion.

I really enjoyed Gold Company and their performance of ‘Maybe This Christmas’ which was devised by the company and written by Sarah Osborne.  The story presents us with scenes from onboard an aeroplane and inside an airport on a Christmas Eve flight from New York and is a play about hope in the face of uncertainty.  There were some great characters and excellent humour along with fabulous movement around the space so that it was clear in which setting the action was taking place.  Even in a short time the performances allowed us to really engage with the characters and I would love to see the sequel!

Yellow Company – ‘A Christmas Carol’ It was just fabulous to have this seasonal favourite featured in the line-up and Yellow Company did not disappoint.   Taking the classic story and bringing some of their own touches it was a great piece by some promising young performers.  Again strong diction and clear delivery with the young people having developed the ability to create characters and to ‘own’ them rather than just ‘play’ them was apparent.

Black Company – a repeat appearance by the most senior group to share their interpretation of ‘Little Red Riding Hood’ and to consider how the story unfolds when ‘Red’ doesn’t heed the advice of her mother.  The performance featured some excellent speeches in unison and again the most wonderfully created forests through which ‘Red’ had to run.   Whilst not deviating from the simple format the cast all wore the same tones with just a splash of red – except the protagonist herself.  Again, excellently created characters, exquisite diction and a very engaging piece.

Sound and light was provided by John Broadhead, Ashton Howick, Megan Sharp and Izzy Lewis Smith who did an excellent job.   All of the groups used the stage  space to their advantage. 

Congratulations to everyone involved –They were all excellent performances and the varied and interesting programme was enhanced at every juncture by the funny, moving and through provoking dialogue which was delivered with brilliant clarity from even the youngest of members.

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