A Night at the Musicals

This show was put together to celebrate the 15th anniversary of the society and featured members of Aurora Productions supplemented by members of their associated Choir. Martin Bell and the full company got proceedings started with a lively invite to “Be Our Guest” and they went on to deliver up a smorgasbord of delights from shows and pantomimes performed over the years. As in this type of production there are too many highlights to list them all being 28 to choose from - solos, duets, ensembles and full company numbers each perfectly delivered and presented. However for me some of them were “Make Him Mine” (Witches of Eastwick) delivered impeccably by Mallory Black, June Cranna and Elizabeth Ingram; “And That’s the Way It Is” (& Juliet) sensitively delivered by Emela Branston and Louisa Morrison; a powerful and heartfelt “As Long as He Needs Me” (Oliver!) by Bekkah Davidson as, in a different way, was Lauren MacAskill and Sarah Tassell’s rendition of “Diva’s Lament” (Spamalot) – a feeling many of us in the AmDram world will have experienced! It was good too to see some of the young members of the group get the opportunity to shine in the ensemble rendition of “No Matter What” (Whistle Down the Wind). The Act One closing “Joseph Megamix” (Joseph and the Amazing Technicolour Dreamcoat) and the Act Two opening “Sunday Morning Fever” (Sister Act) were enthusiastically delivered with great choreography and certainly had me and many of the audience tapping their feet. When speaking of choreography I have to mention “Swine Lake” – a parody on the ballet Swan Lake – delivered by the six beautiful and impeccable ballerinas and their not so impeccable (but equally beautiful) ugly duckling-ish “sister” Michael Kempton whose antics had the audience in stitches. The closing number “Raise Your Voice” (Sister Act) delivered by the full company certainly raised the spirits if not the voices of the full house audience as they clapped along to this rousing number. The costuming for the ladies was black and/or purple and the gents in black T-shirts and trousers with purple braces. The simple set, with the 9 piece onstage band at the rear, worked really well allowing plenty of room for movement even in the full company numbers. As they were working on a nearly bare stage the lighting was important and it delivered well with lots of colour washes and good spotting. Congratulations to everyone involved for delivering an excellent and varied evening’s entertainment and here’s to the next 15 years!

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