Big Night Out

Trinity Amateur Operatic Society were on stage with their production of ‘Big Night Out’, written and directed by Laura Beech, with assistance from Rob Tagell. This was an interesting concept for a concert production, which was reminiscent of ‘The Choir of Man’. Laura had a clear vision for this concert as outlined in her programme notes, and this was fully realised on stage. This was no ordinary concert, as Laura had created different storylines that the audience followed throughout the evening.  The storylines were clear, through the use of songs and the narrative from Ted and The Coven – a group of regular who oversee everything that happens at The Lyric Lounge. It was pleasing to see that individual characters had been developed and how they slotted in to the storylines, from the bar staff (ably played by Andy Hobson, Becky Brady, Michelle Harnett, Harry Gill and Naomi Barnett) to the aptly named Coven (Michelle Hiley-Parr, Mandi Dearing, Sophie Williams, Lindsey Bough and Meredith Small). The set instantly transported the audience to The Lyric Lounge, with a bar area, seating, and a small stage upstage right. It was pleasing to see that everyone had the opportunity to perform a solo during the concert. The costumes suited each character, from the branded t-shirts for the bar staff to the outfits of the stags and hens, which were instantly recognisable. The costumes worked well for the production.

The musical director for this production was Marcus Wesley. The cast performed to backing tracks on the whole throughout the production, and did well with this. There were some strong vocals and some nice harmonies in many of the ensemble numbers. It was nice to hear songs from a range of musicals, both old and new.

Sam Sherliker-Hewitt provided choreography for this production. The choreography throughout was varied and performed well by the cast. Highlights included ‘All That Jazz’, with the Fosse inspired choreography, and the ‘Oliver!’ numbers, which were full of raucous fun and energy.

Technical elements were good throughout. The sound balance between the backing tracks and cast was good and everything could be heard. The lighting design was good, with a good use of colours used throughout.

The concert started with Ted (Andy Hobson) welcoming the audience to The Lyric Lounge and giving a general idea about what to expect. Andy built a relationship with the audience straight away, and did well as the show’s main narrator, interjecting throughout the production. Highlights from this act include ‘All That Jazz’, which was performed by Sam Sherliker-Hewitt. As mentioned already, the choreography in this number was very good, as were Sam’s vocals, ably joined by the ensemble. Sam Morley impressed with ‘The Life I Never Led’, especially in her acting through song. The first act ended with ‘Come On Everybody’, which was led by Rob Tagell. Rob’s vocals were strong, and he led the ensemble well in a great closer to the act.

The opening of the second act was subdued, easing the audience back into the concert, with an acoustic rendition of ‘Save Tonight’ from ‘The Choir of Man’, with Andy Hobson on guitar. This was a nice opener, allowing the cast to sing together, creating a cohesive unit. There were a couple of standout numbers in this half, namely ‘Mr Cellophane’, which was nicely staged and performed by Sam Clements, and ‘Ordinary Fool’, which was performed by Naomi Barnett. Naomi was strong vocally and performed this number extremely well. The final song was ‘Give A Little Love’ from ‘Bugsy Malone’. This was a great closing number, ending with the over-riding message of the production.

Overall, this was an enjoyable production. There were clearly defined storylines, the choreography was exciting, and there were some standout vocal performances.

A big thank you to everyone at Trinity Amateur Operatic Society for their kind invite and hospitality.

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