For the Love of Musicals

I was very much looking forward to this production and as usual I wasn’t disappointed.  It was a splendid showcase for the wide range of talents found in this wonderful group – of all ages from the up and coming younger generation to the veterans who never fail to deliver outstanding performances.  It was rather like watching a live version of “Elaine Page on Sunday” on BBC Radio 2, taking us through a huge variety of musicals in style and era.

The credit for this must go in large measure to Keith Thomas, the Director.  Apart from the production being his brainchild, he was the mastermind behind the planning, research, choice of songs, editing the backing tracks, movements for the ensemble, as well as coaching the solo singers, and much else besides.  He and Choreographer Alison Chapman, who set all the dance numbers, worked as a strong team, supported by Liam Forrester as Musical Director. 

There was a well chosen mixture of songs from the shows, from the less well known to time-honoured favourites.  They smoothly followed on, one from the other, some performers holding microphones, some with headsets, every number delivered with enthusiasm and confidence.  The huge cast (46!) moved effortlessly around the stage in well rehearsed routines, never losing a high level of animation, enthusiasm and discipline.  The opening number, Something About This Night from Finding Neverland, set the scene from the start and the pace was maintained right to the end of the closing song.

Because of the restricted space backstage at the Baptist Church, good use was made of entrances and exits through the auditorium for the ensemble.

It seems unfair to single out any one number because they were all flawless.  There were one or two which particularly stuck in my mind - lots more were worthy of mention but I have to stop somewhere!

• Young Hermione Trenberth was impressive, standing alone on stage and delivering a confident solo from Matilda, When I Grow Up.
• Eddison Matthews gave us If I Can’t Love Her from Beauty and the Beast.  This young 14-year old has a wonderfully rich voice which was a joy to listen to.  I would like to think he is contemplating a career in the performing world. 
• Matt Perren sang You’ll Be Back from Hamilton.  The standard of his performance (as with many others) was high-class.  Give him a crown and sceptre, and he could step on to the Hamilton stage in the West End.  It was particularly enjoyable for the audience to be invited to join in with the “da da da da da” chorus as I imagine many musical fans were itching to sing along to their favourite numbers during the evening. 
• I particularly enjoyed Ali McClure’s Adelaide’s Lament from Guys and Dolls, with her mix of spoken and sung lyrics, impressively acting out a congested nose and hitting some powerful notes. 
• Emma Culley’s Diva’s Lament (Whatever Happened to My Part) from Spamalot was perfectly placed half way through Act Two, cleverly mirroring the words of the song. 
• And for sheer humour and gusto, a stand-out for me was Sit Down You’re Rockin’ the Boat from one of my favourite shows, Guys and Dolls.  The ageless David Dray skilfully led the adult company in a rollicking routine which had the audience tapping and swaying with them.

All in all, I couldn’t find fault with any of it.  It was another triumph for this enormously talented group and congratulations to Keith Thomas for managing such a large cast and delivering an exceptional evening’s entertainment.  It was truly a veritable feast of music, laughter, skill - light entertainment at its best.

The long, narrow foyer to Godalming Baptist Church is not ideal for a theatre but the bar, the raffle, the front desk and ice creams in the interval were all easily handled.  The Front of House team are always welcoming and helpful, making the GTG ‘family’ feel at home.  The church layout for the auditorium is very comfortable with plenty of room in the pews.  The opening night, which I attended, was a sell-out.

Another excellent, good quality, colourful A5 programme.  Plenty of photos of the cast in rehearsal, information about forthcoming productions, minimum advertisements all from local business who faithfully support the group.  While the next couple of productions will be at Priors Field School, it was pleasing to see that Sister Act in July 2026 will be back on home ground at the newly refurbished Ben Travers Theatre at Charterhouse.

There was no need for scenery for this type of production, which must have been something of a relief, given the size of the cast!  The lighting was subtle and varied.  The recorded tracks for the songs were very well co-ordinated, moving seamlessly from one number to the next.  The whole company was dressed in black so no-one stood out but the simple addition of bright neon-coloured scarves for the ladies and ties for the men was perfect and gave it a flash of sparkle.  The colourful swathes of cloth brought over the heads of the audience from the back to simulate Joseph’s Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat at the end of Act I was very effective and was in fact used in GTG’s production of Joseph in April 2024.  I gather this was necessary to overcome copyright regulations which prohibited them from hiring an actual cloak!

 

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