An Evening with ACB

Many thanks to Across the Board for inviting me to their Summer Compilation An Evening with ACB, performed at AKS Lytham, on Sunday 16th July 2023. This show was a showcase in nature and included elements of dance, drama, musical theatre, poetry reciting and gymnastics, showcasing the different disciplines the Across the Boards Theatre School offered. The age range of the cast was from 4 up to 16, and the most notable takeaway for me was that most of the cast were given the opportunity to have the limelight within the production.

Costumes were sparkly, sequined dresses and waistcoats for the show dance & musical numbers, theatre blacks for the text work & the branded Across the Boards jogging bottoms & t-shirts for the street dance/ cheer & gymnastics moments, so all very slick and fitting to the numbers. Lighting was generally a white was with embellishments to highlight significant moments. The light didn’t always hit the cast’s eyes, I am not sure if this was due to plotting or staging, but something to note for future performances.

The drama and poetry sections worked well. I was particularly impressed with the expressive nature of the poetry from Lexi MvEvoy & Alex Hitchins. In all honesty, I felt the monologues could have been further internalised, as the acting almost felt choreographed with gestures being performed on certain words, as opposed to the actions stemming from thoughts or feelings. That being said, I did love the investment in characterisation from some of the cast, notably William Hitchins’ ‘What I Didn’t Know About Autism’ & Holly Cross’ ‘The Magician’s Nephew’.

The dance & gymnastics sections demonstrated the group's technical abilities across different disciplines including ballet, tap, street, cheer & modern. I loved the dance ‘The Last Text’ which I would describe as a contemporary dance theatre number performing the aftermath of a road accident. The compilation of various competition entries was a treat as this showcased many elements of the group’s works in one number. The 2 tap numbers ‘I Got Rhythym’ & ‘Better When I’m Dancing’  were highlights for me. My other call out within the dance sections would be of Matilda Hulley who at 4 years old performed a fearless piked bend alle second balanced upon one of the more senior member's extended arms at the button on ‘I Believe’ which concluded the first act.

The musical sections were a mix between solos, solos with dance backing, group numbers and fully staged ensemble pieces. All were performed to backing tracks, am I’m pretty sure some of the backing vocals were prerecorded, which is not to my taste, but did amplify the sound. The staging on the full group numbers was superb & I would like to call out Patience Cosgrave who sang the number ‘Upside Down’ gorgeously & Sophie Grimshaw who performed a stunning version of ‘Waving Through a Window.’

My final point would be a general comment on the professionalism of the entire cast. At all times they held their smiles & delivered with confidence, leading to a slick & polished performance.

Thanks again to Across the Boards for a wonderful evening of performance & I look forward to seeing more from this group in the future.

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