Diamond Show Stoppers

To celebrate sixty years since their formation, South Downe Musical Society took a nostalgic look back through all the shows they have performed and picked out some of their favourites to present in this very slick compilation, deftly compered by Chairman Alan Jenkins. It must have been a difficult task deciding what to leave out because not only did they include lots of perennial favourites, but one or two less well-known numbers too.

This proved to be a great vehicle for showcasing the many talented people in the society and also the excellent South Downe Dancers. Each number was set and choreographed by different people, meaning plenty of variety in the way they were presented, but the show still held together well as a single entity.

The stage was virtually empty, with just a promenade along the back to add some height. Costumes, with some notable exceptions, were generally quite simple but still striking, and so it was often left to the lighting to create atmosphere. No expense seemed to have been spared here: it was spectacular and colourful or dark and moody, as required, and really added to the theatricality of each number.

Every singer and dancer on stage deserves praise, but I have space to pick out just a few that particularly caught my eye. Please don’t be offended if you aren’t mentioned.

Ben Horner and Emma Hall gave a really touching rendition of ‘One Hand, One Heart’ from West Side Story – very simply set, but perfect in every way. Jordan Vince and Danielle Cox introduced me to ‘I Love a Piano’ from White Christmas with their beautiful singing, and Caroline Westmorland and Kim Harvey really stunned us with their close harmonies in ‘Baby Dream Your Dreams’ from Sweet Charity. Ending the first act, Anthony Davies sang ‘Jesus Christ Superstar’ with great strength and character. Why have I not noticed him in SDMS shows before?

In Act Two, Rebecca Musgrave’s singing of ‘Another Suitcase, Another Hall’ was beautifully crisp and poignant, followed by Jane Pegler’s touching rendition of ‘Don’t Cry For Me Argentina’, also from Evita - not just sung, but acted. Paul Tully was the ulitimate smooth cabaret singer with ‘At the Copa’ from Copacabana and, from the same show, Helen Stoddart plus dancers gave us the less well-known ‘Dancing Fool’ – spectacularly well sung and so crisply choreographed and executed. Danny Owen and Jane Pegler darkened the mood with an excerpt from Sondheim’s Sweeney Todd – making the tricky music seem like a walk in the park. Paul Tully gave a mighty rendition of ‘Anthem’ from Chess (one of my all-time favourite songs) and, from the same show, Helen Stoddart and Lauren Kempton were delightfully well-matched singing ‘I Know Him So Well’.

It was a little disappointing that a live orchestra was not used, but the backing tracks chosen were of a good quality and the sound system was more than up to the job of ensuring they never drowned out the soloists, although the chorus could have done with a little more volume at times. The show, although quite long, progressed at a good pace and changes of scene, such as they were, were handled smoothly by the efficient stage crew.

With compilation shows, I always look forward to hearing a few songs that are new to me amongst the evergreen favourites, and to seeing new people being given a chance to shine. I was not disappointed on either count. The standards of singing and presentation were high throughout and this show was a fitting tribute to the Society’s founder and sixty years in the business of entertainment.

 

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