Edinburgh Gang Show

It is always a great privilege and pleasure to be invited along to Edinburgh Gang Show. Although I have seen many many Gang Shows over the years, there is always something fresh and new about each production and audiences are treated to an evening of wonderful entertainment.

A stirring ‘Jamboree Overture’ set the scene before the opening ‘Gang Show’s Back’ when the cast of around 250  enthusiastic youngsters gradually filled the stage in their eye catching, colourful red and white costumes singing and dancing with great gusto letting Edinburgh know that they were indeed back to entertain.This lively and exuberant programme was a well balanced combination of song, dance and witty sketches.There were certainly many memorable moments in this production.

‘We’re Fed Up’ touched on some of the annoying happenings in the city including the pot holes but ‘Flying Down To Rio’  seemed to be a way of escaping some of the troubles. ‘That’s The Way We Do It In Brazil’ led by Joey Breeze and Molly Haddow was slick and colourful The use of back projection here and throughout was most impressive and coupled with excellent lighting, the varying scenes and settings certainly came to life.

Choreography throughout the evening was excellent and the youngsters confidently performed some wonderfully varied dance routines including tap, ballet and rock. As well as keeping in step, the synchronised arm movements were also impressive and it appeared that everyone got it right!

The Junior Gang were in splendid form with a most exuberant ‘Hoedown Showdown.’The genuine joy and concentration on the faces of these young cast members was quite inspirational and they gave it their all both vocally and in the American style dancing not at all daunted by the constant moving and routines. Although some may be more confident than others, the team spirit in assisting others was evident.

‘Someone Like Somebody’ was a clever humorous take interacting 3 voices. Ava Smith (Someone Like You - Jekyll &Hyde), Pippa Belfa l(Someone Like You - Adele) and Lliam Foster (Someone You Loved - Lewis Capaldi) all had great voices and worked extremely well as a trio trying to upstage each other.

The Act 1 finale was vibrant as Lewis Boyd in true Elvis rock’roll style smashed ‘C’mon Everybody’ followed by an emotive ‘Can’t Help Falling In Love With You’ led by Beth McGauley and James MacDonald. ‘Burning Love‘ was certainly on fire with the whole cast vocally brilliant and most energetic.

The orchestra was superb throughout and the ‘Entr’acte’ a number from Billy Elliot was, I believe, perhaps a thoughtful tribute to Mike Grainger the grandad of Gang Show who sadly passed away earlier in the year.

It was all glitz and glamour in ’Rhythm’ with excellent dancing very well executed and first class vocals from Sam Skivington (Fascinating Rhythm) and Pippa McNeill (The Rhythm of the NIght). A very eye catching section..

There is usually some kind of slap stick in a Gang Show revue and this years ‘Weather Songs’ were quite ingenious and slickly performed particularly by those who were having fun with water guns.

The programme wouldn’t be complete without a visit to the zoo. ‘The Parade’ of penguins was great fun with Harriet Currie (Zoo keeper) and Lochlyn Aitken (The Reindeer) leading us into the obligatory audience participation sing along.

After a superb programme of song, dance, high energy and sparkling costumes it is wonderful to see all members of the Gang in their uniforms for the traditional ‘Finale - These Are The Good Times’. Young Alfie Woods and Lottie Steel sang with such feeling and innocence. I believe that this is the part of the evening when the genuine pride of being part of Gang Show is apparent to all. After all the exuberance, the stillness and meaningfulness and sincerity is tangible with ‘Highland Cathedral’ stirring and powerful as this vast company make the most amazing sound. And of course ‘Riding Along On the Crest of a Wave’ is an absolute joy.

Being part of Gang Show must be one  the finest example of fun, teamwork and camaraderie in abundance. This was a high energy production  with every cast member absolutely committed to giving it their all in the big production numbers. The logistics of getting such a large cast on and off stage all looking pristine in their many stunning costumes always amazes me. Being part of a team such as this gives young people a real opportunity to develop self confidence and become a real team player. Hopefully they will also be encouraged to pursue an interest in theatre and performing.

Of course this innovative production of fun, colour and humour doesn’t happen without the skills and support of many adults. It isn’t only the cast who have to work really hard remembering songs, dances, lines, moves and which costume to wear. The production team put in a tremendous amount of time and effort in order to get a show to such a professional standard as this is. Directing, choreographing and arranging music and providing  the hundreds of costumes to suit such a large group must be a daunting task but the end product is quite amazing. All those on stage, behind the scenes, technical team and  the many others who have helped in any way making this production so impressive must be congratulated.

Well done once again.

 

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