Dazzle

This show, written for schools and youth groups by Andrew Bailey, was the perfect vehicle for the 50 or so members of this company with good principal roles, lots of character parts and plenty for the ensemble to take part in. The story is set in the rundown fairground in Dazzle Bay and tells of the struggle by the attraction holders to save it from being sold and redeveloped. Kirsten Munro played Poppy Pringle, who has recently inherited the fairground from her late father Fred. She had a good singing voice and acted well. I particularly liked her wistful solo “I Hear You Calling Me” and her duet with her love interest Skimpy Dinoburger “Bring On The Moon And The Dancing”. Skimpy was played by Ronan Malster who had a wonderfully rich voice shown to its best in his rendition of the ballad “Who Needs Sunshine?” Ryan Green played the villain of the piece (avaricious businessman Murgatroyd Megarich) almost like a pantomime villain - full of bluster and with a sneering laugh. He is won over by the love of Flossie Candour played by the delightful Emily Brown. Emily had a beautiful voice, good stage presence and danced well. Her duet with Murgatroyd “Dizzy and Dangling” was a joy. Another strong performance was given by Sally Brebner as the evil fortune-teller Sarkky Cutter – she had a good singing voice as shown in the “Freeze the Air” number. Strong support was given by Morgan Creighton and Rachael Lawson (Murgatroyd’s PA and Accountant respectively), Sandy Tateson (Fred Pringle), Ben McWilliam (Uncle Waltztein), Peter Third (strongman Monkeychunks) and Kayleigh Trotter, Brodie Creighton and Erin Murphy (the Ghost Train Spooks). Singing and movement by the ensemble was good. The Fairground set, designed and built by the parent members of the group, was bright and bold. The costumes too were bright and appropriate to the characters. The six-piece band, under the control of Rob Fryer, was always supportive to the singers. Graham Wilson is to be congratulated on this his first production with the group. Well done everyone.

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