Copacabana

This was an ambitious project for a cast of young people and they certainly delivered the goods.  From the opening number it was clear that we were in for a treat and the cast kept the pace going well, with slick scenery changes from the back stage crew keeping the momentum going.

When I took my seat I was astonished to see a 16 piece band and it was a real pleasure to learn that many of them were students at the school.  They made a great sound, although there were several occasions when the volume of the band was too much and we could not hear the dialogue or the singing from the performers.  The cast, in the main projected well, but they did struggle to be heard over the band so, perhaps, the volume of the music could be managed a little better next time.

Several of the Principal parts were shared by 2 students so I can only comment on the ones that I saw when I attended the performance on the Wednesday night.  Seeing the exceptionally high standard, I am sure that the alternative performers were good and I would have liked the opportunity to see them.  However this is a very busy time of year for reviews and there simply wasn’t time for me to see two performances.

James Cohen played Stephen/Tony in all performances and he really was very good indeed.  He has great natural stage presence and his singing was strong and well delivered.  Reanne Nash played Samantha/Lola for the performance I watched and she really did light up the stage.  I note, from her biog, that she is an experienced performer and this showed.  Her singing was strong when it needed to be and gentle and lyrical when the plot required it.

Charlie Mayes was an absolute delight as nightclub owner Sam Silver and his performance displayed a good talent for comedy. His only real opportunity to sing was in the group number, Who Am I Kidding, but he displayed a good vocal range and delivery.    Alice Chattaway was the ‘Gladys’ that I saw and she really was terrific in the part.  Her performance of the song Copa Girl was excellent.  She is another natural comedy actor with a range of facial expressions that enhanced her acting.  

Baddie Rick Castelli was played by Jack Tobin with great style and menace. He has excellent stage presence and his characterisation of the part was strong and quite sinister, which is exactly what it should be.  Holly Matthews was Conchita Alvarez and she also proved to be a strong actress, with a range of expressions that defined the part she was playing.

Space, as always, constrains how much I can say in these reviews but I would say that ALL the performers, who had dialogue, delivered it well with good projection and clarity. There were one or two performers who stood out and I am sure we will be seeing them in main parts in the future.

I must mention the dancing in this show; the Principal dancers were all excellent and their choreography was quite technical but they mastered it with ease.  All the dancing was of a very high standard and the movement of the ensemble performers, up in their gallery, was good, well-paced and very ‘together’.

The scenery was excellent, making good use of the simple scaffolding set up, I particularly liked the use of the light boards to indicate the various scenes, the technical department must have had a field day!  Costumes were, generally good, especially given the number of performers that had to be costumed; I liked the showgirl costumes, tasteful and effective.  The lighting was generally well timed, although there were a couple of dance numbers that threatened to start in the dark, but the lights came up just in time.

This was an outstanding performance by a cast of young people who demonstrated that there is a good future in the Performing Arts for many of them.

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