Going Platinum

It is always a pleasure to visit Northallerton Musical Theatre Society (NMTS), especially when they’re celebrating their 75th Year. ‘Going Platinum’ was a concert that celebrated to mark this historic moment. NMTC sang medleys dedicated to the shows throughout this time, included medleys from ‘Oklahoma’, ‘Carousel’, ‘Oliver’, and more contemporary musical theatre with ‘Sister Act’, ‘Calander Girls; and ‘Spamalot’.

Before I go into specifics, I want to applaud the vocal capabilities of this company. Throughout the production, the ensemble to maintained a blended, balanced vocal harmony in the chorus numbers. Specifically, the ‘The War Years Medley’ was charming, and brought a sense of unity to the start of Act two. Further to this the ‘Les Misérables selection’ packed a powerful vocal punch that ended act one beautifully.

I appreciated that throughout the evening, information was presented that linked the forthcoming song choices to the story of the society at that time. This gave the concert a personal touch and informed the audience about NMTC’s history.

I particularly enjoyed any number with the junior ensemble. The future of any society is within its junior cast, and it was encouraging to see the zest of your junior membership. This was especially noted in, ‘Do Re Mi’ and the ‘Annie Medley’. Here, the junior ensemble managed complex melody lines whilst synthesising energy to these numbers – well done.

Specifically, I appreciated Paul Phillips and Lauren Brady in their rendition of ‘Almost Like Being in Love’ from the musical, ‘Brigadoon’. Paul and Lauren were able to uphold the Hollywood glamour in their presentation of this golden age musical. Their tone, presentation, and characterisation were confidently presented.

Both Joseph Arnott, and Heidi Bradley get my vocal of the night.  Joseph, your tone throughout the ‘Any Dream Will Do’ medley had a rich timbre and tone. Heidi managed to drive a vocal forward by adding energy and fullness to her vocal tone in ‘Anything Goes’ – well done.

Throughout, the simple yet effective staging didn’t distract the audience. Rather, it enhanced the evening by giving a gentle yet professional aesthetic. This was complimented by the effective use of colour and allure in the costuming within this show. Further to this the lighting was effective and bold in presentation.

The company were musically led under the direction of Maeve Hird. It is evident how you have had a detailed ear to this show, that ensured that it sounded as beautifully as it did. Your work was complimented by the sublime 7-piece orchestra, I particularly enjoyed the overture, and entr’acte which added a warmness to the production – well done.

Often, some may misrepresent the work that is required to produce a cohesive and entertaining evening in the concert style. Whilst it gives opportunity to select songs that are not usually readily available it requires huge amount of work to join and marry different styles of musical theatre together. This was the work of both Laurence and Jasmine Lorriman that made this happen – well done.

Overall, a great evening of entertainment, that had something for everyone to enjoy. I wish the society the best in their forthcoming production of, ‘Beauty and the Beast’.

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