Honk! Jr,

Honk! is a musical adaptation by George Styles and Anthony Drewe (of Betty Blue Eyes fame) of the well-known Hans Christian Andersen fairy tale The Ugly Duckling. It highlights the issue of being different and incorporates a message of tolerance. Honk! Jr is a slightly reduced version of the show, which is ideal for performance by younger groups, such as FMS's Youth Theatre.

A simple but very effective set greeted us when we arrived. This, along with some good quality props, set the scene for the farmyard. Effective use of colour-coded t-shirts, baseball caps and shoes, to denote the different animals, and some very atmospheric lighting completed the picture.

Right from the start, you could see the excitement and engagement evident in every cast member’s face as they appeared on stage. Everyone picked up cues quickly keeping the show moving at a good pace. The standard of singing by both the chorus and the soloists was excellent – every word audible even though they were not using microphones (a lesson for some adult companies I could name).

In such an ensemble piece, it seems unfair to pick out individuals for praise because the whole cast worked so well together, taking on the characters of the animals they were portraying. Some did however particularly catch my eye. Amongst the older actors, Elliot Swann maintained the character of Ugly very well throughout, with imaginative facial expressions, and singing with great feeling.  Mia Marino portrayed the feline characteristics of The Cat with great style, especially when she performed (not just sang) Play With Your Food, not an easy number by any standard. Among the younger actors, I was most impressed by Harry and Finley Rowsell who demonstrated great confidence and panache as the TV reporters Jay and Bird, and Joseph Townsend-Bilton as the upper-class RAF officer Greylag, got the accent spot-on.

Attention to detail was evident in every aspect of this show – from the direction and choreography, the music, the costumes, the set and props, right down to the beautifully designed tickets. Everything was as simple as it could be, but exactly right. There were some clever directorial touches too. The scene in the duck pond lit by ultraviolet light was extremely effective and the use of a nightclub foam machine to provide the snow for the blizzard ballet (choreographed by Sophie Woodward) was pure genius.

FMS Youth Theatre is only eighteen months old, but what a supremely talented group of youngsters they are, never failing to delight with their performances, and this show was no exception. Obtaining such mature performances from so young a cast has to be due in large part to the talented direction team of Matt Swann, Sophie Woodward and Fiona Morris, but it must also be attributed to the innate talent and enthusiasm of the youngsters in the company. A big “Well done” to everyone involved in making this fine production.

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