Hairspray!

What impresses me most about the schools’ productions is that, as well as all the cast being pupils, almost all the crew and band are also pupils.  There is only a small group of adults involved, and their role is guiding their talented young people to allow them to shine.  Whether that is in performing, running the tech desk, operating the spotlights, moving the scenery or being one of the excellent musicians in the band, every single pupil involved in this production demonstrated total commitment to producing a good show.

And this was a good show!  From the opening production number to the finale, the performance moved at a strong pace and the cast threw their hearts and souls into it.

Marisa Lee was excellent as Tracy Turnblad, her singing was strong and well delivered, her facial expressions were a joy to watch, and we loved her!  Emma Clarke played her BFF Penny Pingleton, and this was another excellent performance.  Initially showing hesitancy as the character required, then developing into the strong and supportive friend.  Emery Howard-Spitzer played Velma Von Tussle with just the right amount of arrogance and some technically brilliant pauses in their dialogue which really emphasised the moment.  Maisie Thorn played Amber Von Tussle with great characterisation and some really excellent displays of tantrum, perfect.  Shirley Che-Mujih played the iconic Motormouth Maybelle, displaying a range of vocal power in her main song, I Know Where I’ve Been.  A mention too for Sefunmipo Adeyemi (Little Inez) and Iris-Lilly Oldham (Prudy Pingleton) for some great characterisations.

It was some of the boys that really stopped the show though.  Oliver Bearman played Edna Turnblad brilliantly, his comedy timing is terrific, his facial expressions and the sense of sharing the joke with the audience, perfect, and he remained in character throughout, even as he exited the stage in a blackout. A true sign of a professional performer.  Michael Aitkin played Link Larkin, and I loved his cheeky winks and significant looks to the audience, not to mention his excellent dancing.  Olly Neal played Corny Collins with great style and confidence and Lendaba Mangena played Seaweed with equal confidence.  Two great performances.

The supporting Principals were all very good, some lovely characters emerging through the show.  Well done to the Dynamites, Srishti, Marietta and Mary-Peace, for some excellent vocals and strong performances as the group.

The ensemble were a delight to watch, with some nice characters being displayed, their well drilled exits and entrances kept the pace of the show high, so important in this one!

I have already mentioned that the technical team were all pupils, and they did an excellent job.  The mics were all turned up in time to get the first word of a character’s dialogue or song.  That’s something that many adult companies fail to do.  The spotlight operators were in the right place at the right time.  My only comment is a personal one, I was sitting in the front row and there was a white blinder at the centre back of the stage that prevented me from seeing some of the performers clearly.  It was intermittent and understandable, but I would recommend that someone checks the position of the lighting, especially when using audience facing lights.

The scenery was simple but effective and moved with a sense of purpose by the backstage team.  Costumes, in the main, were good, although ‘Penny’ did look uncomfortable in her finale green dress.  Perhaps there needed to be a bit more attention to detail with some of the petticoats, although they were meant to be seen, some of them were uneven and dropped in the wrong places.  A backstage costume checker is always a good idea.

But these are really picky comments, overall, the show was outstanding, and the cast were obviously having a great time.  The audience were, as always, very supportive but their applause and the standing ovation were well deserved.

My thanks to the front of house team and others for looking after us so well.

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