10th April 2025
Shrek – The Musical
Glastonbury & Street Musical Comedy Society, Strode Theatre, Street, Somerset
Guys & Dolls
Author: TRUDY DYKE
Information
- Date
- 9th October 2013
- Society
- Yeovil Amateur Operatic Society (YAOS)
- Venue
- OCTAGON THEATRE
- Type of Production
- MUSICAL
- Director
- ALAN SPENCER
- Musical Director
- MATT HOLMES
- Choreographer
- ALAN SPENCER
YAOS production of ‘Guys and Dolls’ sprang into live instantly!
The band set the mood when they struck the first chords of the overture.
Swiftly followed by the fast moving opening on Broadway featuring all the frantic activity of street characters from tourists to pick pockets!
This show really is for the Guys!
And YAOS were fortunate to have a wealth of talented men in large and small roles!
Will Poulton (Nicely-Nicely Johnson) and Shaun Driver (Benny) were a was a gift to the production, a perfect double act, their comic timing and ability to literally through themselves around the stage left the audience spellbound!
Newcomers Ben Scott and Lisa-Marie Reid playing Skye Masterson and Sarah Brown were a little tentative to start! But their confidence soared once they were together; they both have a gentle stage presence and a natural acting style, result Chemistry!
Miss Adelaide (Marie Brolly) with her highly charged Hot Box Dolls hit the stage like a thunderbolt! And A Bushel and A Peck spoke volumes!
Havana was a glorious mix of colour and testosterone!
Both the cat –fight and mayhem that ensued were well choreographed and the speedy scene change kept the momentum going for If I were a Bell which gave Lisa the perfect platform to excel.
In contrast Arvide’s (Ernie Thomas) gentle rendition of More I Cannot Wish You had everyone reaching for the tissues!
Highlights were Nicely- Nicely’s Sit Down You’re Rockin the Boat and Skye Masterson’s Luck be a Lady both had everyone on the edge of their seats!
The most notable strength of this production was the choreography; it challenged and stretched the company.
Company singing was aided by the booth singers which helped strengthen the chorus singing on stage.
Another element that complemented the production was the creative use of lighting, especially The Crap Game in the sewer.
YAOS’s production owed a lot of its success to its back stage crew; they kept the set and the show moving!
Well done
Trudy Dyke
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