A Merry Musical Christmas

Phoenix Keynsham Youth Theatre’s

Production of

“A Merry Musical Christmas”.
Director – Joanne Meredith,
Musical Director – Steve Drew,
Choreographer – Tracey English,
Costumes & Wardrobe – Pat Clevedon,
Stage Management – Maureen Quilter.

As seen by Bob Allen, NODA SW District 14 Representative
(on behalf of Delia Lee – local NODA Repsentative )
on Saturday, 6th, December, 2025

at St Francis Church, Warwick Road, Keynsham, BS31 2PW.

PLEASE NOTE:

Any observation made by the reviewer can only be based on what he sees at the performance in
question. The reviewer may have received information in advance of the performance, and it is

inevitable that his assessment will be effected by that knowledge.

The N.O.D.A. Representative’s intention is to give an objective critique of the overall production and in
particular the performance viewed. It should be remembered that any review of this nature can only
be objective as far as the techniques used during the performance observed. Any criticisms
expressed may not have been valid at other performances, and are only made to encourage higher
standards in Amateur Theatre.
It is hoped that the audience’s appreciation of your efforts will have given everyone a lift and
encouraged you to greater achievements in the future and that the observations made by the reviewer
will prove helpful in improving future productions.

When I was asked if I could attend this show I jumped at the chance to see another
youth group with an endearing titled show. Just what was needed at this time of year!
The group are lucky enough to perform in the same place as they rehearse- the local
church hall. For this show the musicians were placed on the hall stage and hidden
behind some red slash curtaining. The cast then used an extended thrust stage just
below the formal stage. The show was to be in two parts and was fully musical. I
found the selection of songs to be very eclectic and surprising for the ages and
abilities of the group. I was to realise that some of the titles chosen would be fairly
difficult for the singers to handle. After the first act, and confirmed by the second act,
I felt that the flow of the evening could have been helped by the odd spoken snippet
of text – perhaps a seasonal poem or piece of Christmas reading. This would have
achieved three things. It would have given a break in the singing,adding more
variation, a space to ease the pressure on scene changes and perhaps even a
chance for a non-singing member to star for a few solo moments. I was not attending
this show to approve the choice of songs but did not agreed that the the choice
actually matched the show title. More merriment was needed.
Whilst using the show programme to compose this report I noticed the printed
comments under some of the cast photos. I didn’t see these during my visit so could
not comment then. I have never seen this before on any programme. Did proud
parents pay for the messages to be printed? If so how does this reflect on those
members who could not afford any messages? How can this action support good
morale in the team?

The strength of the group was in the ensemble numbers. They all drew strength from
each other. The nerves were evident in the opening number which had plenty of
moves around the stage. I was impressed by the way the Director moved the cast in
lines from back to front so that they all had time in the front row. A complex tune to
sing and move. Perhaps not the easiest or most powerful opening to the show.
In the second act the singing and staging of Oh Holy Night was superb and shone
out as the best sequence in the evening for me. A set piece where the group united
so well. They were all dressed in black, hints of gold and carried candles. This was
worthy of being a Finale. I must mention at this stage the truly magnificent work done
by the costume team and backstage dressers. Every song needed fresh costumes
which were provided with skill and visual appeal. This was not an easy task with a
cast of nearly thirty. There were only two blips – Arianna’s wig and Mitch’s jacket. But
two hiccups in so many was a great achievement. Congratulations to all involved.
The movement of full cast on and off the acting area was generally well controlled.
Some waves to the audience on the last exit would have gone down well with the
audience I’m sure.
The addition of personal mic’s was welcome but there was some adjustment needed
for each individual singer. There were some good natural performances from Alfie,
Connie and Amolie. Alfie just had loads of energy to cope with an individual song.
Connie was able to shield herself behind a table for support although I wonder how
much she understood about what she was singing. Amolie just had confidence and a
beautiful voice. All others doing solos stood to strict attention – their arms and hands
fixed firmly to their sides, as though clued, with no movement. They all had fixed
faces forward. I have never seen such young performers seem so restricted. Surely
they could have been taught how to relax and use their arms and hands to help sell
a song?
I understand that the next production may be the Addams Family Musical. I may visit
privately just to see how some of these young people cope with musical numbers
when they have to act as well. I’m sure they will rise to the occasion and be more at
ease in front of their audiences when they are part of a scripted play.
Thank you for your kind hospitality and I wish you well in future productions

Kind regards

Bob Allen. NODA SW district 14 Representative

N.B. The comments above are solely the view of the representative attending and

only reflects the performance seen.

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