Harpenden & Wheathampstead District Gang Show 2020

Congratulations once again to the entire cast and crew for a joyful, energetic and well-rehearsed production, giving the audience diversity and enjoyment.

All the costumes were well-thought out, and looked good on the cast, no mean feat with so many cast members.

Sound was very good throughout, always difficult to get right in the Halls, but very good this year.

Choreography was imaginative, fairly simple for the full ensemble, a little more intricate for the older cast members, and once again a superb tap routine from the boys, who in the main are non-dancers, which makes it all the more impressive, and has become a feature of the Gang Show. 

A good choice of music, delivered with assurance.  An excellent band under the baton of Ewan Murray, a good accompaniment to the cast, but able to let rip when required.

The opening was good, all credit to Chloe Symons who opened the show, delivering the piece with aplomb, which then morphed into the wonderful sound of the full cast.

The Choir showed us a set of very good singers, with a solemn piece, and then relaxing into a very well-written and amusing piece, very well-delivered.

Invention Rocks worked really well, the opening three youngsters spoke/sang with conviction, and the sabre tooth tigers were also striking both visually and vocally, with all the other characters lending their weight to this insightful set – also loved the dinosaurs. 

All of Your Toys opened with an energetic Barbie number, which was well-performed, and the band were able to play in full volume for Chattanooga Choo Choo, a good contrast.  Millie Martin in the rocking chair performed well, and there was a good dance break, with the teddy bear section another good dimension. Bright and lively set and performances to match.

For Sale worked well and was very amusing.

The Ayes Have It featured a very imposing House of Commons set –  Jay Colston Patel as the Speaker showed an excellent voice, very expressive, he also finished the set with a rap, which I enjoyed.  The numbers in between were well-performed, I thoroughly enjoyed this set, and thought it was a good upbeat finale to Act 1.

Act 2 opened with the Eyes Have It – a very diverse set. Theo Hilton as the patient and Joe Eagles who played the Optician in the first scene were very good.  True Colours soloist Elodie Cowan kept up the high standard.  We then went into the guys’ tap number, they have come on in leaps and bounds and were accomplishing some definitely more challenging tap steps, with good syncopation too. Always a highlight!  Good partnering in the final number.

Ode to Joy, sung by Ruben Mahendra was very well and tunefully delivered but also hilarious, another feature of the Gang Show which I love.

Photographs and Memories again had diversity and was a good concept, with nice projections leading into each reality section.  The dance about the baby growing up was danced well by all concerned and accompanied by Lauren Darby who has an unusual voice and sang beautifully.  A lively final number to this set.

A Better Memory featuring four goldfish was great fun, and nicely delivered.

Happy had good choreography, quite intricate, but nicely delivered, and I was particularly impressed by the tallest young man Fred Todd who has a very bright and expressive face!

Stretch, featuring the hands, was very well done by the three young ladies involved, very well-rehearsed and delivered.

The finale was opened first by Amelie Pym, then by two solo singers Toby Martin and Maddie Metcalfe, and again the entire cast giving a great musical sound to the familiar numbers.  I am told the soloist Katie Frost performing the verse to On the Crest of a Wave is a great-great niece of Ralph Reader, which was a lovely personal touch.  Make Your Own Kind of Music featured Isobel Woodford who has a nice deep voice. I like the way the bows are managed, which gives the audience a chance to see everyone involved.  The energy and confidence from the cast was great.

Always a great start to the year, I appreciate the extreme dedication needed from the cast, crew, directors and technical team to a) make this happen and b) maintain such a high standard on all levels.  Very well done, an excellent and uplifting evening.

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