An Evening with ACB

On Saturday 13th July, I found myself in the company of ACross the Boards Theatre School for the second time in as many weeks, and was once again impressed by the standard of work that these talented young performers put on the stage.

I arrived for my first visit to Viva in Blackpool, not at all sure what to expect but I was very pleasantly surprised by what I saw. The director/choreographer/MD, Anna Cross, told me that the venue had double booked the school’s rehearsal time, so whatever I saw on the stage would be the first time the children had performed it in situ. I admit a flicker of trepidation when I heard this but as soon as the ensemble hit the stage, those fears were entirely blown away! The energy and focus of the performers throughout the show was excellent and the audience lapped it up.

‘An Evening with ACB’ was, in essence, a classic variety show, featuring songs, dance routines, short scenes, poetry and musical theatre pieces. There really was something for every taste! Over the course of a couple of hours, the students of ACross the Boards Theatre School presented twenty-eight different performance pieces and the pacing of the show was excellent. Transition between pieces at shows like this can sometimes be sluggish, which is frustrating for audience members, but ACB kept things tight and in a novel touch, the children told the audience jokes from backstage during transitions between numbers, which really did help to keep the whole show moving. Great idea - although some of the jokes were absolute stinkers!

In Act One, there were a number of highlights to report on.The show was opened by the Senior Theatre School, who performed ‘I Will Survive’, which was a fun, lively and happy way to get proceedings off to a start. They were quickly followed by the Junior Theatre School, who gave the seniors a run for their money with a sharp, focused and well-rehearsed medley from ‘Annie’. Particular mention must be made of the wonderful vocal performance of Rose Parry (9), about whom I wrote a one-word review in my notes… ‘WOW’. A future star.

Continuing the energetic start to the show was the Senior Modern Jazz group, who performed ‘Life in Living Color’ from ‘Catch Me If You Can’, featuring magnetic performances from all on stage. Not a song I know but I was a fan by then end of their rendition.

I have to mention six-year-old Arthur Geraghty, with his performance of the song, ‘Do You Know What?’. To my shame, I don’t know what this song is from but his performance of it was energetic, confident and sparkling with life. Well done, Arthur!

‘Fine’ from ‘Ordinary Days’ was performed with endless energy, superb comic timing and a remarkable range of facial expressions by Lola Connor-Emmott and Bethany Harrison. Harmonies were slightly wobbly in places but this was easy to forgive, when counter-balanced with such a confident and highly-entertaining presentation.

Act One of ‘An Evening with ACB’ was brought to a close with a particularly fun and energetic selection of pieces inspired by the recent ‘Barbie’ movie. Whilst I thought that ‘I’m Just Ken’ was quite a challenging and unusual song choice for the Junior Ballet group, they worked hard and performed well. They were closely followed by their senior counterparts, who performed to ‘What I Was Made For’, which featured a good level of content, that will have been challenging for the performers. There was a lovely combination of steps throughout the piece and the young dancers performed with focus and flair. As the interval dawned, I was in a happy place and enjoying myself immensely!

Act Two opened in a more gentle, nuanced manner with a beautiful pointe routine from ‘Giselle’. The piece featured challenging content, which was confidently performed by the dancers on stage. A great start to the second act.

This was followed by a quite charming spoken-word piece, called ‘Brian’s Picnic’, which was performed by Alex Hitchins (9), Lexi McEvoy (9) and Willow Saxelby (10). The three young actors delivered the piece with fabulous expression and inflection, comic timing and excellent accents. It was a joy.

There were some sound issues during the Junior Theatre School’s version of the classic ‘There’s No One Quite Like Grandma’, which was a shame but I mention it because the real triumph was the way in which the performers soldiered on throughout, maintained their focus and delivered the best performance they possibly could have. Well done to all of them.

Following this, we went from a classic piece of nostalgia to something bang up to date and bursting with energy - ‘No Way’ from ‘Six’, which was performed by the Senior Tap group with boundless energy and enthusiasm. There was a good level of tap content in the piece (thankfully I brought my tap dancing teacher of a wife to help me spot this!), with lovely use of time steps and wings. The only issue was that the stage setup and volume of the backing track made it quite tricky to hear the taps, which was a shame.

Patience Cosgrave (14) then performed Amy Winehouse’s classic version of the song, ‘Valerie’ and it was immediately apparent that she is a talented singer with great potential. There were some minor sound issues during the song and I wondered if Patience struggled to hear the backing track at some points but she remained professional and delivered the song well. Going forward, I’d encourage Patience to continue to develop her voice and take some time to really find out who she is as a singer. Once she does that, I have no doubts that she will be a powerhouse performer.

Act Two of ‘An Evening with ACB’ came to a close with a rousing medley from Lionel Bart’s ‘Oliver!’ and once again, as with Act One’s ‘Barbie’ medley, this was a well-crafted and uplifting end to proceedings. This section of the performance began with an outstanding rendition of ‘As Long As He Needs Me’, which was sung by Bethany Harrison (17), whose diction and clarity were pitch perfect. It was immediately clear that Bethany understood the assignment with this song and she gave it every ounce of what she had to give, and by the time she reached the run of huge notes at the end of the song, the audience were in rapture. A highlight of the evening, for sure. In my notes, I wrote the same silly thing that I say whenever I hear a talented singer attacking huge notes with power and accuracy - “She’s got a CANNON!”. My version of high praise!

The evening closed with the Senior Theatre School’s rendition of ‘It’s a Fine Life’, which was a joyful and fitting end to proceedings. This was a strong ensemble performance, which was well-delivered and energetic throughout. A lovely way to end the show and the audience were on their feet!

Well done to everyone at ACross the Boards for what was a fantastic evening at the theatre. The school is packed with talented children who will go far, if they continue to work hard and make the best of the performance opportunities that they are presented with. Congratulations must go to Anna Cross because I know all too well how challenging it can be to orchestrate a show of this type, with so many moving parts, unpredictable young performers and pressure to succeed. She and her talented students more than rose to the occasion, and I look forward to whatever they have in store for us next. Save me a seat!

 

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