A Life Through Song

Harrowby Singers – A Life Through Song

Oct 1st 2022

I received a lovely warm welcome at the Masonic Hall Grantham, from Nicci Lloyd and the members of Harrowby Singers. The audience sat at large round tables and in the performance room.  To begin with, all we could see were doors at either end, speakers at one end, and a sound desk at the other. What were we going to see?

Bang, what a welcome, the whole cast sang their opening number ‘Welcome to The Rock’, from Come From Away. The excellent harmonies, the ensemble spread themselves around the room, with no one focus, which meant we were engulfed in the music and what a talented group! Simple black costuming gave the feel of a concert, but with a difference. Then the cast shifted places and the tempo changed and we were off to a tropical island for ‘Where You Are’ from the film Moana. Lots of different voices sang the different parts and the diction was excellent, I could hear every word and note. Then came 30 /90 from Tick, Tick…..Boom! Led by Len Batey with Kevin Read and Danny Taylor. Another shift of pace and mood and we heard ‘You Will Be Found’ from Dear Evan Hansen.  The high light of this number was the signing some of the cast did, which really produced wonderful inclusivity, demonstrating the thought that had gone into the whole show.

Len Batey and Kevin Read then sang the very funny ‘You and Me, but mostly Me’ from Book of Mormon. Hilarious, excellent comic timing and acting put the song across really well.  Charmaine Galtress was wonderful, singing ‘Me and the Sky’ from Come From Away. What a voice, with great control, just amazing. Then in contrast a lovely rendition of ‘Omigod, You Guys!’ from Legally Blonde. Emma Charles, Jessica King, Joanna Morgan, Chloe Pike, Chloe Short, Emily Spencer, Amanda Taylor and Anita Taylor. Lots of choreography, props and a change of outfit, they put a huge effort into this number and voices were blended beautifully. A definite highlight of the evening.

To close the first act the ensemble sang ‘I’m a Believer’ from Shrek.  If you know the number, you know what an uplifting song this is. The choreography was skilled, the cast moving through the tables, around the room and we were encouraged to clap along.  Just wonderful.

Opening Act 2, Nicci Lloyd, Joanna Morgan, and Becca Sale sang ‘Tightrope’ from The Greatest Showman. A tricky number, but artfully sung, with beautiful harmonies, their voices blended pleasingly. Next from Encanto ‘We Don’t Talk About Bruno’, which is a tricky song, with lots of fast lyrics, of which I heard every word. Great harmony and talented vocalists. ‘Therapy’ from Tick , Tick….Boom! is also a wordy, fast-paced number and Len and Charmaine were first-rate. Then ‘Beautiful’ from Carol King the Musical, by the female ensemble, was just that. Clever movement, smart harmonies, and lots of emotion.

Into The Woods was next with the song ‘No One is Alone’. Trevor Galtress’s rich tone blended well with Emma Inglesant and Chloe Short, another excellent number.  Then another highlight ‘I Know I Have a Heart’ from Cinderella sung with passion by Charmaine. To lift us again a witty song from Hamilton, Len, Trevor and Kevin sung ‘You’ll Be Back’. Funny, great timing and really had the audience enthralled and we sang along to the refrain.

Charmaine, Emma I, Joanna, Becca, Chloe S, and Lora sang ‘Six’ from the musical with the same name.  What a brilliant number, everyone was clapping along and we appreciated the excellent choreography and storytelling. Becca Sale then blew us all away with a song from Ghost. ‘With You’, was mesmerising, her voice and mic control enabled her to put so much emotion into the song, it was lovely.  Do you know that moment when a number finishes and the audience is stunned into silence, then applaud like crazy? That happened. Such a shame Becca didn’t acknowledge the audience at the end, perhaps she too was caught up in the emotion.

Finally, the ensemble sang two songs, ‘Journey to the Past’ from Anastasia and ‘Larger than Life’ from & Juliette. Again a great choice of songs, fabulous movement, and blending of voices that left us all feeling lifted. 

Overall a wonderful evening that left me feeling uplifted. Isn’t that what music is supposed to do? Well, Harrowby Singers did just that. My only small criticism would be that I would have liked to see a few more smiles and more confidence on stage from the younger (newer?) members. I also felt it was challenging for the soloists to acknowledge the audience at the end of their numbers. Unless the audience shifted in their seats, sometimes the performer was singing to the backs of some people. Did this mean you felt less connected to the audience? It didn’t seem to affect the ensemble pieces, something to consider for future events.

Sound and Lighting by Kevin Read and Dave Pike.  The challenge of getting the balance right for each number was well managed, a skilled job, and done very well. Your program was simple but effective, lovely to see everyone named within, well done Tim Turner. I especially liked that you told me where the songs come from as I would have sat there all night trying to think which song came from which film or show.

Thank you, Len, for introducing me to all the cast and long-standing members of Harrowby Singers, I really felt you are a supportive group and so pleased you have re-joined NODA. I look forward to meeting you all again in March, 9to5 is surely going to be a huge success, judging by the talent I witnessed tonight.

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