Broadway and Back

Even when the title of a concert gives you a clue to the programme for the evening, one such as “Broadway and Back” is still general enough to encompass an evening’s-worth of hits from the well-known shows and several others from shows that have never excelled in popularity – but really should have!

LADAMA have managed to create a programme of song and dance numbers to please every taste and suit their company of forty-one singers and dancers, which, dare I say it, appear to be getting, on average, younger every year – or am I getting older? Numbers appeared from “Sister Act”, “Mack and Mabel”, “Showboat”, “Phantom of the Opera”, “Rent” and “White Christmas”, while the first act ended with a rousing medley of songs from “Oklahoma” – causing a number of the audience around us to give an impromptu audition for places in the chorus!

Act 2 proved to be no less exciting in terms of choice of songs and dance numbers, including a medley from “The Jersey Boys” and two personal favourites of mine from Miss Saigon “Sun and Moon” and Bui Doi.

Director, Margaret Paul, ensured that the show moved with pace on a simple set which allowed plenty space for movement for this reasonably sized company. I must make mention of “Tap Your Troubles Away” from Mack and Mabel, which included an extended dance routine presented as a UV sequence with the cast’s white gloves offering clever hand-choreography. In general, the choreography was well-drilled and well executed, thanks to the guidance of choreographers Yvonne Tait and Donna Ewing.

Unlike a musical show, a concert offers no rest for the persons in the pit. Here, the four piece band under the direction of Suzanne Stewart acquitted themselves well, giving the “icing on the cake” to a very enjoyable evening. Well done LADAMA!

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