Hairspray

You really couldn’t stop the beat at the Rotherham Civic Theatre this week, as Wickersley Yongstars presented Hairspray.
From the off these talented young performers, acted, sang and danced their hearts out. The future of amateur theatre in Rotherham is in good hands. 
The story revolves around Tracy Turnblad, a big girl with a big heart and a bigger ‘do’. This role was played to full by Bethan Carter. Hardly ever off stage, Bethan took on this huge role like a pro, never letting her character or accent slip for a second. I shall certainly look out for Bethan’s name in the future. 
Tracy’s love interest is of course, Link Larkin. In this production, Link was played by Aaron McClarence. Aaron has a lovely voice which was a pleasure to listen too.
The stand out performance of the night for me however, was Penny Pingleton,  played to absolute perfection by Caitlin Osbourne.  Caitlin managed to get every ounce of comedy out of this role. She obviously has a natural ability for comedy. 
Now, where would any production of Hairspray be without Tracy’s parents? In the iconic roles of Edna and Wilbur Turnblad, we had Jonah Thompson and Joe Wood. These two worked wonderfully together and their ‘Timeless to me’ was a highlight of the evening. 
The major characters were well supported by Kieran Richards (Seaweed Stubbs) Maddie Dyson (Velma) Abi Johnson (Amber) Ben Unsworth (Corny) Daisy Mae Riley (the most adorable Little Inez I’ve ever seen) and Maisie Vera ( an exceptional turn as Motormouth Maybelle). All of these wonderful principals were backed up by a talented ensemble.
If I had some criticism, it would be that at times, I thought there were too much ‘set’ on stage as the civic is not the biggest stage in the world. There were also some sound issues which was not the fault of the performers,  but, at time distracted the audience.
Credit to the production team, especially Jonny White who’s first attempt this was at directing. 
Well done to all involved in this show. I had a very enjoyable evening and was fully entertained. Thanks to all at Wickersley Youngstars for your hospitality. 
Here’s to ‘Footloose’.

© NODA CIO. All rights reserved.