Aladdin Trouble and Curtain Up

On this occasion, Lollipop presented a double bill; ‘Aladdin Trouble’ staged by the junior section of 40 youngsters aged from 5 years and in Part 2, ‘Curtain up’ staged by 18 of the senior members.

Aladdin Trouble featured all the familiar characters and a few more, as they told the tale of good versus evil, a magic lamp, three wishes and in the end, love conquering all. I applaud the effort of all involved, including the very youngest, and enjoyed those beginning to show real development including ‘Aladdin’ (Niamh Adams- Farnfield)  who spoke up well, ‘Abanazar’ (Lola Harper) who had a good expressive face and ‘Jasmine’ (Arabella Ellis-Evans) who sang ‘I’ve Had Enough’ well.

I also liked the ‘Genie of the Lamp’ (Rameesha Ajmal) who spoke and sang well particularly ‘Just Three Wishes’. ‘Widow Twankey’ (Eadie Fellows) together with ‘Wishy’ and ‘Washy’ (Emilia Lomax & Molly Western-Smith) gave great support with ‘Wantu’ (Maddison Hayes)  speaking in rhyme whilst including the occasional corny joke. Also supporting were, Jennifer Wood as ‘The King’, Zoe Blake (‘Tom’) and Sofia Nendick  (Oracle / Dj). A nice backcloth and impressive costumes set the scene well.

In Part 2, the seniors, well dressed in red and silver sparkly outfits, danced and sang through a selection of 18 musical  numbers. The opening two numbers from Moulin Rouge were well choreographed by Rhiannon Mitchell and Olivia Cawson, and I enjoyed their interpretation of the Cell Block Tango from Cabaret . Well done Anjali Wharam as Hunyak for speaking hungarian! Josh Cawston made a good effort in The Rhythm of Life and Ellen Fearnley did particularly well with the tricky  ‘No Good Deed’ from Wicked.

‘First Burn’ from Hamilton was good, sung by Hollie Williams, Jemima Ricketts & Amelie Reeves, as too was ‘Ex Wives’ from Six, choreographed by Anjali. In fact, quite a few of the other numbers were choregraphed by other seniors; so well done also to Ellen, Jemima, Isla and Jessica, all supported by Carey Allen. Holly also sang ‘Nothing Stops Another Day’ (Ghost) with poise and a medley from Sweeney Todd gave the opportunity for several to show their strength. The programme concluded with an Andrew Lloyd-Webber medley and the Juniors came back on stage for the finale.

Whilst there was some piano accompaniment in Part 2, the majority of music was recorded which meant the soloists in particular needed to know it well, which they did. Of course, there is always plenty to think about, and some late changes will not have helped, but next time the thing I would hope for most, are some more smiles and we will smile with you! Congratulations again to Holly Fields for the continued encouragement for all to be involved and progress in every way they can.

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