Dont Stop Believing

This concert performed by some of the most talented youths in the North East of England was aptly named “Don’t Stop Believing” and I still can’t believe the quality of the performance and the talent of the youths who put their heart and soul into this spectacular night of pure enthusiasm and entertainment. The groups Director Louise Defty by the end of the performance was beaming with pride and rightly so, her commitment to this group goes without question; she puts her heart and soul into every production that I have had the privilege to review and her tireless energy and direction was evident in this superb performance which was certainly appreciated by the audience who showed their delight with not one but two standing ovations. Louise would be the first to acknowledge that she alone could not solely be responsible for this stand out production and that it relies on a committed team to pull off such a production. Supporting Louise was technical director Bob Harbisher who works diligently to support Louise as does Liam Etherington who did a sterling role as stage manager and set designer supported by Eve Angstmann and I must comment on the staging; the back cloths looked fabulous and created a professionally ambiance for the production. Well done to Holly Wilkinson as choreographer supported by Megs Defty as assistant choreographer the dance routines and movement supporting the musical numbers were well performed for such a large cast. The technical team did a sterling job with the sound and lighting and I know the sound team managed by Craig Stobbs supported by Maurice Aspey and Sarah Maxfield with Tracy Cowan and Michelle Carling on mics and props breathed a sigh of relief that they did not encounter a similar situation with the technical equipment as they did the previous year. Congratulation to wardrobe the costumes looked fantastic and certainly added to the overall quality of the production; and big congratulations to the chaperones who had the work cut out supporting the cast of fifty-one excited youngsters and finally to the fantastic front of house team, who always work hard raising funds and making sure that the audience are well taking care of.

The show started with a truly fantastic opening number; choreography set by Holly Wilkinson the number showcased the whole cast with soloists from Jack Cole, Ben Colledge, Natasha Witton and Megs Defty; well appreciated by the audience and the start to what was to be an action filled performance, Darcy Gallone delivered the beautiful number “Quiet” from the musical Matilda beautiful delivered with exquisite diction and a confident stage presence. The senior troup delivered a fantastic rendition of “We Are The Champions” by the iconic group Queen and I loved the red and black costumes and the harmonies were beautiful delivered. The juniors followed with a great production set again by Holly to the musical number “You’re Never Fully Dressed Without A Smile” from Annie; great performance and some exceptional talent and characterisation from these young stars.  Megs Defty and James Butcher performed a beautiful polished modern contemporary dance routine to the number “Promises” by the talented Sam Smith and Calvin Harris; this was followed by the full cast singing another musical number from Matilda “When I Grow Up” with soloists from Alfie Stephenson, Charlie Barker, Evie Stephenson and Naiomi Richie, lovely performance and some excellent vocals and movement. For the next number I had to have a re take as I thought Bucks Fizz had entered the building from their musical catalogue “Making Your Mind Up” Liam Etherington, Stacy Thompson and Jayne Etherington delivered an action-packed musical extravaganza from this popular 1981 Eurovision winning musical number. Following on was the seniors delivered a Jackson 5 song “I Want You Back” with soloists from Freya Graham and Charlotte Robinson; choreographed by Megs Defty and I loved the orange costumes overall a polished performance. Amy Gatland, and the juniors sang their hearts out to the beautiful number “I Wont Grow Up” from Peter Pan, I loved this number which was well choreographed and lovely vocals the whole staging was beautifully delivered. Megs Defty delivered a stand out performance to the musical number “With You” from the musical Ghost this number was beautifully delivered lovely stage presence and a confident performance from this talented performer. To conclude act 1 the whole cast enthusiastically delivered a perfect performance to “Don’t Stop Believing” by the American rock band journey.

Act two opened with Faith McDermott, Freya Graham and the senior team delivering the musical “One Short Day” from my favourite musical Wicked; beautifully staged and choreographed with some outstanding vocals; a perfect  opening number setting the bar for Act 2. Millie Cowan, Sophie Priestly, Oliver Best and Rachel Clayton delivered a beautiful number “Be Kind To Your Parents”, again lovely vocals from this group of performance who were well coordinated and performed well together. A trio of talent followed with Meg Defty, Bethany Wanless and Brandon Sherrington singing Bohemian Rhapsody (with Dylan Stobbs as guitar soloist); I loved this number as did the audience. The juniors invited the audience to be their guests with soloist Scott Anderson, Amy Gatland, Jessica Markwell and Millie Copeland lovely lively number choreographed by Holly Wilkinson; lots of energy and characterisation. I loved the musical number  “You Don’t Own Me” from, the movie The First Wives Club was confidently delivered and beautifully danced by the formidable trio Charlie Jackson, Gini Stephenson, and Natasha Witton, An outstanding performance from Jack Cole who delivered an exceptional performance to “I Am What I am” from the musical La Cage aux Folles this young man has gone from strength to strength; lovely vocals and a confident performance. Their followed a beautiful choreographed dance routine to the musical number “Last Dance” by Donna Summer loved the purple and silver costumes and the guys were fantastic they certainly gave the girls a run for their money; great routine. The whole cast took to the stage to sing and dance to the number Mama Mia lovely routine and well staged. Chloe Armstrong touched the hearts of the audience with her solo number, beautiful vocals and outstanding stage presence. Lovely energetic musical number which Tina Turner covered  “Proud Mary” with lead vocalists Faith McDermott and Brandon Sherrington supported by the senior dance team; excellent performance, great costumes and a lovely choreographed routine. Brandon Sherrington took to the stage to deliver a confident and polished Frank Sinatra iconic number “Fly Me To the Moon” a solid performance from this young man, great stage presence and confident vocals. To conclude this showcase of musical and dance; the whole cast delivering the beautiful number  “This is Me” with soloists Bethany Wanless, Charlie Best and Megs Defty what a perfect ending to a well delivered and professional show.

As always I must mention those who were part of the ensemble all of whom contributed and worthy of a mention for their professional delivery and contribution well done to Neve Anderson, Olivia Atkinson, Faith Bell, Olivia Bowman, Ellie-Mai Carling, Elizabeth Chaney, Charlie Best, Tbitha Daley, Molly Dunn, Lucy Edwards, Robyn English, Louis Fordham, Max Francis, Charlie Gilloway, Megan Jones, Atlanta Lowery, Amy Lowes, Phobe Mason, Ella Rose McKenna, Skye Monahan, Ava Norris, Lola Punshon, Skye Russell, Brooke Sowerby,and Hailie Warren. It is always a pleasure to support Spennymoor Youth Theatre Group, their talent and enthusiasm is exceptional, and they certainly put on a spectacular performance. Congratulation to everyone on another great performance can’t wait to see you all in your next production and remember Don’t Stop Believing.

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