If Only - The Roles We Could Never Play

Thank you to Bishop Auckland Theatre Society for the invitation to attend, support and compile this report on their concert,  If Only – The Roles we could never play. This was a production that truly demonstrated what amateur theatre can achieve at its very best. From the outset, the concert had a polished, professional feel, with every element appearing carefully considered and confidently delivered. It was a delightful surprise to experience a performance of such assurance, quality and imagination, and the audience were treated to an evening that was both entertaining and impressively crafted.  I attended expecting a “gender switch” type of production, and left thinking I’d attended some sort of masterclass in what amateur theatre can achieve.

Directors Ruth Stapleton and Brenna Finn are to be congratulated on producing a concert that was very well paced and so thoughtfully put together. There was a clear sense of structure throughout the evening, with each section flowing naturally into the next and maintaining the audience’s interest from beginning to end. The programme had variety and balance, and it was evident that a great deal of care had gone into shaping the evening so that it felt cohesive rather than simply a sequence of individual items. That attention to detail gave the whole production a confident and professional quality.

The performances across the company were of a very strong standard and, perhaps most pleasingly, there was a real sense of surprise in the material presented, some of which are very difficult to perform indeed to those not professionally trained. The evening was not content simply to entertain in a straightforward way; it also offered moments of unexpected depth and contrast, which gave the concert its own distinctive identity, with interludes from compare Josh Railton who was the perfect host with comedic timing, great rapport with the audience and of course the “BATS facts” which were really interesting for the audience to hear. In particular, the inclusion of some excellent drama scenes added richness and variety, showcasing the performers’ versatility and allowing them to demonstrate emotional truth as well as performance flair.  In act 1, Emma Westwood, who is such an incredible actress, brought us “Mickey’s Monologue” from Blood Brothers and you could be forgiven for forgetting you weren’t watching a 7 (nearly 8) year old on stage, and in Act 2 Graham Rispin and Phoebe Robinson delivered a scene from “Proof” by David Auburn, that drew the audience in to a sense of anticipation.  Their performances were really remarkably authentic, really quite excellent.  Well done to you both, I absolutely loved it, as did the audience from the fact you couldn’t hear a pin drop.

We opened with “Anyway you want it” from Rock of Ages with the entire ensemble which was lively and bright with a fab addition of John Howard with a guitar solo and some precise choreography from Ruth.  This was followed by “Therapy” from Tick Tick Boom by Jade Carney and John Howard, a really tricky song to sing due to the pace and diction but they smashed it, and the acting through song really made such a difference to delivery.  Megan Domville then performed “Being Alive” from Company which was gorgeous, delivering such a powerful song with control and depth.  “I can do better than that” from The Last Five Years, a personal favourite from the JRB archives, was beautifully performed by Ruth Stapleton, really drawing the audience into Cathy’s world.  George Barnes did lovely work with “Stars” from Les Mis, followed by “As Long as He Needs Me” by Ellie Darvill from Oliver.  “Cell Block Tango” from Chicago was beautifully performed by Natasha, Joanne, Joanne, Emma, Elouise and Ruth, absolutely loved the original choreo and the ladies were invested in a slick sexy powerful delivery.  Charis Holt then brought us the incredibly difficult “Wishing you were somehow here again” from Phantom beautifully with a clear and angelic delivery which was really lovely, followed by Natasha Brown and Joanne Howard with “I know him so well” from Chess which has some difficult harmony to get to grips with, but they did a sterling job.  This was followed by a new one to me, “Dead Mom” from Beetlejuice by Jade Carney which I really enjoyed then a beautiful performance of “For Good” from Wicked by Megan and Ruth, which is incredibly difficult to sing but they absolutely smashed it!  Act 1 concluded with a firm favourite, “Master of the House” from Les Mis, which needs no introduction led by Graham and Joanne which was just fabulous.

Act 2 carried on in the same vein with Emma Westwood making a remarkable brilliant transvestite with “Sweet Transvestite” from Rocky Horror! Completely unexpected and the audience absolutely loved it, with simple well thought out choreography and a fabulous way to set the tone for Act 2! Marvellous.  This carried on with another performance from School of Rock by John on guitar accompanied by Megan, Phoebe and Ellie followed by a stunning rendition of “Maybe this Time” from Cabaret by Natasha.  It was gentle, controlled and built and Natacha has such a lovely tone to her voice.  Really well done.  The lesser known “Le Jazz Hot” from Victor/Victoria by Joanne Healey was excellent, I loved it though would have liked for her to have teletones on her shoes just to hear the taps better, but a strong performance was enjoyed by us all. “My Friends” from Sweeney Todd by Graham and Charis is very difficult to perform but they did a wonderful job with the darker Sondheim piece which again emphasised their skill in acting through song.  I wasn’t at all familiar with the piece Phebe performed for us from Epic an original concept musical, but her delivery was excellent especially for one so young.  “If You’ve got it – Flaunt it” from the Producers was a delight from Emma, who’s skills as a character actress never fail to amaze me. “McCavity” from Cats by Joanne was an absolute hoot, sung beautifully but the satirical signs for movement (Meow-ves Like Jagger possibly being my personal favourite) having the audience in stitches.  Elouise’s performance from Hamilton was a masterpiece, even recording her own self harmonies which is a skill in itself, followed by Josh who these days has to be badgered into performing, with a wonderful rendition of “Who I’d be” from Shrek which was extremely fitting and very much enjoyed by us all.  We finished with Six, with original choreography and a lovely bright finale which had everyone dancing int heir seats!

Lighting and sound services provided by DCC technicians was excellent, really enhancing the production throughout.

Overall, If Only was a masterclass in amateur theatre delivery: professional in presentation, imaginative in content and impressively well executed. It is always a pleasure to see a society challenge expectations and produce an evening that feels fresh, surprising and so clearly well thought out. Bishop Auckland Theatre Society should be very proud of what was achieved here, and all involved deserve congratulations on a most successful and enjoyable production.  The only way to improve it it my humble opinion, would be able to watch it all again.

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