Elf - the Musical

Elf – the Musical  – a very suitable lead in to the festive season with this light-hearted approach to the true meaning of Christmas.  This performance was dynamic throughout moving the story forward with great energy..

The crew are to be congratulated on their precision and efficient changes of scene.  There was a lot of set dressing to move and a lot of equipment to store.  An excellent team managing a delightful set of trucks, drops, cloths and all the other paraphernalia.  The overall impression was glorious.  The lighting was creative and focussed.  It would be preferable if the moving head led stage beams were not aimed straight into the eyes of the audience.  The use of the sound system and mics was excellent.  Occasionally the band slightly overshadowed the singers making the words difficult to hear.  The costumes and makeup were superb and with so many changes life backstage must have been very hectic.

The sound created by the keyboards and drums really did sound like the complete orchestra you would get with a film.  Congratulations to the MD Adam Blosse for his creativity and the ability to develop the singers achieve such a high standard of performance.

The production team led by Louise Travis brought together an extremely polished and dazzling show which thrilled the audience.  The “cast” – well where does one begin. The casting for the show was superb.  Each cast member owned their part and maintained the persona throughout the show in a very professional manner. In particular  Santa Claus, played with gravitas by Anthony Mitchell, truly set the scene and had the audience agog as to what was ging to happen and Craig Saunders playing Elf maintained his character with supreme confidence and what energy!  The dancing and crowd scenes were particularly well crafted with some super moves with excellent execution.

The audience was frequently mesmerised by what was happening on stage and the end showed their appreciation very enthusiastically.

Sincere congratulations to everyone involved in this high-class, star-spangled evening.

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