Disney Magic

To quote Walt Disney himself: "All our dreams can come true, if we have the courage to pursue them." Well, the lovely Members of NMTC dreamt of a Disney celebration concept and thankfully they had the courage to bring it to stage through the creative direction of Nicole Kavanagh and backed up with the expert musical direction of Maeve Hird.

Disney Magic gave us an evening of 2 hours of Disney hits from about 12 of the best films from the classics through to more modern shows, Encanto, and the cast of over 30 put on a fabulous showing.

Opening with medleys from Mary Poppins, the choice of Step In Time was a perfect choice instantly showing how much effort had gone into the harmony work and setting out some clear and tight dance routines. The use of members in the audience for both the openings of Acts 1 and 2 was a good idea as at times the stage did get a little crowded.

The choreography from Nicole Kavanagh was simple yet very effective throughout making the most of the members on stage and the limited space but every now and then we got burst of what the members are capable of. Jasmine and Laurence Lorriman, Phil Bargewell and Adele McNally took the lead on a lot of the solo dance work and showed off some very impressive lifts and routines which would not have looked out of place on Strictly.

In my 1st ever review I was slightly critical of NMTC for not making the most of it’s Juniors however this was certainly not the case in this show. They had loads to do and seized the opportunity with the 8 girls wowing us with Little Mermaid, Lion King and Toy Story medleys. For just 8 on stage I was gobsmacked with how clear and concise their harmonies were – very impressive for a small Junior section. They were all superstars in their performances however I must give special praise to Eilidh McMilan who not only performed with the Juniors but with the adults too in almost every number, a huge effort and often leading the line in some huge numbers. A definite star in the making with a cheeky grin and lovely voice.

The Male section was lighter than normal and up against a very strong female contingent did at times get a little lost however when confident in the numbers they came up trumps with some lovely vocals. Paul Phillips and Will Jackson in particular were very impressive with the choral work and taking on a number of solos in the show. Paul’s lovely tone really shone through in Step In Time with Will teaming up with Adele McNally for a great rendition of Love is an Open Door matching lovely voices to a fun and lively routine.

One of the best things about concerts is it gives so many people a chance to step into the limelight and it was great to see the talent within the group shine through. Tracie Birdsall gave us an sinister and cheeky Trust in Me from the Lion King, Phil Bargewell was as entertaining as always in his Alladin section and Kim Boagey again matching excellent characterisations with splendid vocals in a number of short sections. Jess Stamper was simply sensational with the solo performance of the evening – When Somebody Loved Me from Toy Story. Effortless vocal perfection with a clever staging of the Juniors performing silhouettes behind a lit gauze – a perfect backdrop for a lovely performance.

The theme of the show was very much around the ensemble work and a couple really stood out – the African Medley from The Lion King was beautiful whilst the harmony work in Beauty and The Beast was fantastic.

The section that blew me away on the evening however was “Songs of a Disney Princess”, 6 of the female section showing that beautiful harmonies can be maintained without huge numbers on stage. The vocals were absolute perfection from this small medley by Kim Boagey, Lauren Brady, Emma Browne, Zoe Hide, Eilidh McMilan and Lucille Skinner. Take a bow ladies

It was clear how much work had gone into this large section of hit songs and Nicole and Maeve must be very proud of how their cast pulled off their vision – a lot of numbers but hugely appreciated by a packed Forum audience.

Concerts can sometimes be very static but each section rolled seamlessly into the next with ease. but The staging was very clever and lots of clever costume changes gave bursts of colour to the stage wonderfully lit from the lighting team and designed by Paul Philips.

The evening finished off with A Disney Spectacular, a fun medley and a very apt title as this is what we had all just seen on stage before our eyes. Thank you NMTC for a really warming production and a cheeky chance for us all to relive a bit of our youth

© NODA CIO. All rights reserved.