Blitz!

Cast: Mrs Blitztein – Mhairi Summers / Harry Blitztein – Kieran Coyle / Carol Blitztein – IsisHainsworth / Mr Locke – Philip Wootton / Mr Nearmiss - Andrew Williamson / Georgie Locke –Lewis Kennedy / Mr Josephs – Steven Wootton / Mrs Josephs – Tanya Williamson / Elsie – EmilyHarkin / Mrs Murphy – Ellen McNeill / Peg – Alex Duff

When the show started, the first thing I noticed and was delighted about was the vast number of cast on the stage. It was brilliant to see such a large youth company of mixed ages really bringing  the opening number to life. Having never seen ‘Blitz!’ before, but hearing a lot about it, I was veryexcited to see how the story unfolded. With clear dialogue throughout both the acting and musical pieces, the cast really conveyed the depth of the story well to a very receptive audience.

Even in a story about World War 2 with lots of poignant intense moments, there was still a lot of comedy to be found and a personal favourite musical number and scene, which had me swaying in my seat, was ‘We’re Going to the Country’. The mix of emotions in this number from the excited children to the worried mums was charming and very well delivered.

The full principal cast, noted above, passed the baton from scene to scene building the story of the show perfectly. Although the full ensemble worked well as a team, a special mention must go to Mhairi Summers for taking on the very demanding role of Mrs Blitztein, a part which became more apparent as things progressed was key to holding the story together. What was also very encouraging to hear was that the girl who played the part in the club’s last production returned to pass on some guidance.

One of the main themes of the show was highlighting how war changed a very close community and its individual members.That was balanced with some witty moments revealing that the feuding Blitztein and Locke families remained at logger-heads throughout. At the end, after all the characters had faced theirs ups and downs, the message that life just went on as normal was very apt.

Overall, a very enjoyable show boasting a very diverse and talented cast and production team. I also wanted to mention that I thought it was fantastic to see a support network built up of past youth members returning to help after stepping off stage, something I personally would like to commend the club for. Well done to all involved and I look forward to seeing the next production.

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