An Evening Of Exceptional Youth Talent

One of the best parts of my Noda role is occasionally standing in to cover Societies you might not normally cover and this week I had the privilege of visiting In Your Face Theatre Seaham for their Production of “An Evening of Exceptional Youth Talent”.

After a diverted route taking me along the beautiful coast I received one of the warmest welcomes to date from several members of the committee and long-serving members and I took my place at my table in the Cabaret style seating layout of the Town Hall.

The venue certainly has some restrictions but IYFT worked wonders with staging blocks and blacked out curtains to compliment the colourful lighting scheme.

The title of the show is a bold statement but within the ranks of the group boy do they have some exceptional talent, the individual performances were brilliant but the power within this group is the huge ensemble. Over 35 members came together to produce some beautiful sound wonderfully led by Jenni Watson who directed and MD’d the show. 

The harmonies were clear and concise with a lovely balance between holding back the volume and knowing when to push on with the power - both of which the group managed at ease. 

Numbers that stood out for me on the evening were the Opening Number “Welcome to the Rock” which I have seen adult societies falter with, The IYFT Juniors with a lovely gentle “Tomorrow” from Annie, Radio Gaga which had the audience rocking and clapping along (sometimes in the right place) and a lovely soft and emotional You Will Be Found, one of my favourite numbers in Musical Theatre and you all absolutely nailed it.

I’ll be the first to admit that I would have liked a bit more movement at times however with a huge cast and a slightly flexible stage it simply wasn’t possible for the large numbers however the Choreographers Amelia Barton and Stephanie Peacock should be so proud of the numbers that they did get to produce.

Ex Wives from 6 was perfect with slick movements between the girls matching their lovely vocals and great characterisation, The Boys pulled off a great routine in “Stand By Me” where Orie’s lovely voice was matched by the lads pulling off a slick number to rival any Jersey Boys act, yet the dancing number of the evening had to go to Abigale, Lexi and Amelia who wowed us with their Footloose number. The energy was high, the kicks fierce and the smiles on the girl’s faces was a true reflection of the joy the number brought to us, the audience.

The great thing about a concert like this is it allows everyone to have their moment in the spotlight and whilst it is impossible to mention every solo artist I must say that all of you owned your numbers and truly deserved that spotlight.

Some of the solo work in the evening was at times breathtaking and although it was a group show I have to mention some standout performances. Lily-Anne and Ella brought us a lovely cheeky rendition of “Naughty” with great characterisation and 2 grins to lighten up any room, Ella’s smile and stage presence was outstanding for the whole show - I just wish I could bottle that enthusiasm and sell it - I’d make a fortune!

Leila Liddle gave us a great vocal display in “Heart of Stone” showing some lovely tenderness yet finding the power to give the number some real welly. Abigale Slade gave us  the most amazing storytelling in “Killer Instinct” handling the quick vocals at ease and with true confidence in her vocal ability. 

Romy Wilkinson led a wonderful version of “Let It Be” backed up by the rest of the Company and continuing the Pop Theme, Nathan Johnson wowed us with not only his singing but nailing the guitar with Oasis’s “Masterplan”.

I love seeing these shows because you get introduced to music you have never heard before and a perfect example was Lily Mason performing “What it means to be a friend” from 13 The Musical. Her connection with the song and the character made me feel like I’d seen the show a million times before - a huge well done.

There were two standout solo vocalists of the night for me with William Hare absolutely smashing Sam Ryder’s “Spaceman” out of the park. The vocals shone almost as brightly as the glitter on his face and his beaming smile and cheeky swagger. I have to admit to being a bit nervous when I saw this in the programme but there was no need for nerves at all..

Lucy Stephenson gave us the most wonderful rendition of “I Say No” from Heathers. Her characterisation was outstanding bringing the number to life and even a sneaky little cold could not distract from the sublime tone to this artist’s voice, I was blown away…

The whole evening was brilliantly compered by Aimee Curtis and Nathan Johnson who were like a comedy double act the way they bounced off each other, introducing each act and involving the audience at every possible moment.

It was heart-warming to see the comedy drop for the final numbers as Aimee led an amazing tribute, through a poem written for Derek Sparey, a past member who had recently passed away. The room was brought to silence to show their respect and to quote a line from the poem - “The curtain may fall, but as you always said - the show must go on”. And on it did with a lovely finale of a beautiful and tender rendition of Bring Him Home, one of Derek’s favourites and finally with a great powerful performance of “Once and For All” from Newsies. 

In Your Face Theatre should be so proud of its Youth section because if this is the quality of a Concert version then I can’t wait to drive back along the beautiful coast to see a full scale production. Thank you for a joyful evening and I only hope Helen is unavailable more often :)

 

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