Dream Nights

NOMADS’ Summer School is a much looked forward to summer evening’s entertainment: the end product of a solid week of hard work and rehearsals.  Each year forty or so 12 to 21 year olds converge on the King’s Theatre in Newmarket to sign up for the two-week summer school where director Jamie Maguire and his team are waiting to take them through all aspects of putting on a musical show.  The young people rehearse daily during week one and perform before a paying audience throughout week two.

I saw the second performance of this year’s show DREAM NIGHTS, a rock musical based on William Shakespeare's “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” adapted by Derek Killeen and Michael Cross.  Given that this was only their second night the cast looked as if they had been performing for months it was so slick.  It is quite unbelievable the amount of effort which had obviously been put in by everyone to get such a performance from the cast so early in the run.

We were treated to some very strong performances. The pairings worked very well Hippolyta and Theseus (Emily Brighty & Alex Armstrong); Lysander and Hermia (Alex Mathhews & Maddie McIntyre); Demetrius and Helena (Aidan Bayford & Rhiannon McBean) and, of course, Oberon and Titania (Joseph Hall and Zara Minns). All handled their dialogue well and there were some powerful performances vocally.  Dialogue was delivered at a good speed whilst controlling the tendency to talk rapidly.  One comment.  Watch the confrontation.  Going at it full on from the start of an argument leaves you nowhere to go causing you to end up shrieking.

“A Midsummer Night’s Dream” of course has the mischievous Puck and Olivia Stevens certainly imbued this character with great liveliness, popping up all over the place.  Then of course we have The Mechanicals.  A group of pretty incompetent thespians, with their play-within-a-play.

We saw an exceedingly good team effort led by Yanna Stavrakakis as Quince, Lewis Aldwinckle (Flute/Thisbe), Tyler Neish (Snout/Wall), Luke Schulz (Snug/Lion) and Peter Lonsdale (Starveling/Moonshine) and not to forget the very melodramatic and funny offering from Joseph Beach (Bottom/Pyramus).  The ‘rehearsals’ were funny but the ‘performance’ was hilarious.

Joseph Beach was exceptional as Nick Bottom and he did not miss a trick on working with his colleagues in the rehearsal and performance of the play-within-a-play nor when turned to an ass in Titania’s bower.  This was an extremely talented and amazingly confident performance.  

Dream Nights is full of 50s and 60s music and great fun.  Given the songs are probably unknown and out of the comfort zone of these young performers, the singing was impressive (apart from one or two tuning issues) and the dancing had to be seen to be believed.  The energy, athleticism and performance of the entire cast in the dance routines would have done credit to a full scale adult show.  It was obvious the whole cast enjoyed the experience and the energy and commitment throughout was palpable.

Apart from those on stage, many other summer schoolers worked behind the scenes. Helping to bring Alan Gleed’s magical set alive, carrying the theme through the auditorium and out to front of house as well as assisting with operating the follow-spots thus enhancing one of the best lighting designs I have seen at the King’s Theatre (courtesy of Elliott Papworth, Jim Bourne and Jamie Maguire), and helping to crew the show.  All things which stand an actor in good stead.  The costumes were quirky and extremely well thought out. The only fly-in-the-ointment for me was my old hobby horse the radio mics. There was a fair amount of crackling and Demetrius’ solo was lost to us completely.

This review is deservedly full of accolades not least for Jamie Maguire (Director) Jessica Clifford and Andy Thorp (choreographers) and Simon Pearce (Musical Director) and the whole NOMADS technical and support team, all of whom by using their own expertise, recognise and bring out the talent of these young people.  To guide and train them to present a show which is a credit to all concerned is a real achievement. 

This was a really feel-good show. Thanks everyone for a very enjoyable evening.

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