Comeback Concert

Trinity Amateur Operatic Society returned to the stage this week at the Daneside Theatre in Congleton with their 2022 Comeback Concert. The show opened to a screen recording of Boris Johnson telling the country about the first lockdown with theatre’s being closed etc. The recording then showed the cast arriving at the theatre which then in turn started the show. This was a great touch and was a great start to the evening. Directed by Alicia Whittaker, this production sadly didn’t maintain this standard the whole way through. There were a lot of peaks and troughs. Unfortunately it was mostly troughs for me. At times, I was uncomfortable, and it felt like a was watching a glorified karaoke session in a bar, rather than a staged concert. Songs were sung, rather than performed. At times it also felt like I was watching a rehearsal rather than a paid performance. There were major issues with sound too. The levels of the mics and the tracks were woeful, and people’s mics were left open which meant that we heard them talking and singing backstage.

There was a lot of good ideas too. As I say, the opening was effective, as was the use of the projections throughout which helped layer numbers and provide a backdrop. I also enjoyed and appreciated the sense of community throughout. The concert compere was used well, and we learned more about the society as a result. I also enjoyed the fact that some members of the Congleton community were used within the concert too, such as the Louise Carter School of Dance, Beckie Morley etc.

The staging itself was generally very good. The choreographer for this concert was Samantha Sherliker-Hewitt. I liked the varying styles used throughout and I have to say that everyone was well drilled in choreographic memory. Sadly, most of the cast didn’t perform the choreography, merely ‘did’ the moves that they were told to. There were two dancers that stood out for being effective in energy and enthusiasm (Whittaker and Sherliker-Hewitt).  A lot of the choreography was repeated over and over too. I will re-iterate however that everyone knew the choreography, and knew it well, so I appreciate the time and effort that has gone into this area.

In terms of musical direction, Alex Williams seemed more of a person that played in the band, rather than conducting anything musically. There was a mixture of backing tracks and live band throughout which was a nice option but there didn’t seem to be a slick grasp on musicality and timing from the cast that they had with choreography.

The song choices were a nice blend between old and new but there was no clear through line in tempo or style, which highlighted the amateur feel of this concert. Some of the staging was effective and choreography was used to showcase talent. This was evident in the Six number at the end of the show. The standout songs in Act one were ‘Only Us’, The Wizard and I, ‘For Good’ and of course, the brilliant ‘The Song That Goes Like This’ which was a standout and brilliantly performed.

Act Two had lots of highlights too. I really enjoyed the Waitress section of songs which were really well performed and sang, as well as the vocals in the Everybody’s Talking About Jaime section and ‘Wishing You Were Somehow Here Again’. For me, the standout song in this act was ‘Maybe This Time’ from Cabaret.

Overall, sadly this concert was a huge miss for me. Trinity AOS have lost a lot of members through lockdown, and it shows. They usually perform shows to a really good standard, notably their last production of The Full Monty was a great success. Sadly this wasn’t up to par for me. The lighting was used well and was mostly effective. At times it was a little bright on the backdrop/projections. The sound really was terrible which meant that the levels were completely wrong for certain cast members. The ‘Six’ number should’ve been a great showcase of harmonies but sadly, some mics were far too loud, with others far too quiet or not on at all, which negatively impacted on the vocal blend.

I realise that I am being a negative nelly in this review. I appreciate the time and effort that has gone into staging this concert, especially after the two-year hiatus from Trinity AOS. The audience were very supportive throughout and loved watching their loved one’s up on stage; with some even ovating at the end of the show. This is what the cast should focus on, rather than my review. Sometimes it’s not about what one person thinks, but more about having fun and entertaining and audience doing the hobby that you love.

I thank Trinity AOS for their hospitality and wish them all the very best for their next production of All Shook Up in March 2023.

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