A Time to Shine

After a warm welcome from the efficient and friendly Front of House, we were shown to our table in the assembly Hall, which had been thoughtfully arranged in the style of an evening at the cabaret. The shows opening number We’re Taking Over The Hall from The Musical Wind in The Willows certainly was appropriate, although delivered a little apprehensively from some performers with a few furtive glances for the timing of the choreography. Thankfully this appeared to be simple early beginner nerves, as the show warmed up nicely in the next few numbers. Lauren Brimson, also one of the choreographers, serenaded us with the beautiful and classic song Landslide by Stevie Nicks, which was followed by a very moving and uplifting rendition of Edelweiss, which we agreed at our table stood the hairs up. Simply beautiful; perfect composition and delivery, supported well by the flawless orchestra, which never missed a beat throughout the show, gently guiding a couple of singers back on track in some following numbers.  I particularly enjoyed the fun of ‘You Got it’, sung well by Michael Pearce and his backing singers in dark glasses and style. Kay De Godoy tackled ‘Popular’ from ‘Wicked’ with great success; another intimidating song, but performed confidently and with great flair. Director Hannah Gibbs took to the stage for a solo in ‘Hard to Be The Bard’, a very complex and fast moving song which was delivered with great comedic timing and speed, although sadly a couple of words were lost with the placement of the mike. ‘You Will Be Found’ from the very moving ‘Dear Evan Hansen’ closed the first half to warm applause and appreciation.

Act 2 moved us to The Moulin Rouge with the raunchy number ‘Lady Marmalade’, with fishnets and corsets abound, the ladies clearly revelling in their opportunity to shine. The band had a fab time showcasing their skills with Soul Bossa Nova, with some groovy dancers and well timed moves, and got us all dancing in our seats.  A few cracking numbers included ‘Bad Cinderella’ by Justina Bartley; a change of pace to heavier rock and attitude, and Super Trouper was performed well and gave us all a trip back in time. A surprisingly moving performance amidst all the energy and larks was ‘She Used to Be Mine’, sung by Donna Stevenson. Sung with passion and emotion, it really changed the mood in the hall, which only a strong delivery can achieve. The finale, ‘Shine’ was sung with high energy and gusto and left us all joyful and thankful for a lovely evening of a journey through the joy of musical theatre.

It is difficult to comment on all the performers and songs of the evening, however everyone on stage and in the band was given opportunity to have their moment, some not as confident or as experienced as others, so there was a mix of strong delivery and others that maybe weren’t so refined, but overall a lovely show. The choreographers kept movement simple but effective, and some costumes were very grand – I loved the dresses of the evil witches in ‘Badder’.  The musical Director, David Howell, did a sterling job to keep such a large cast on track, and all cast and musicians had every faith in him as he jumped from conducting to keyboard to brass.  I look forward to the next production to see what else this great group have in store for us.

Katherine Tokley

© NODA CIO. All rights reserved.