Into the Spotlight

Together for Theatre Productions were back on stage with their production of ‘Into the Spotlight’. The concept for this concert was interesting, as we watched auditions to rehearsals in the first half through to the production in the second half. There were some storylines throughout the concert that helped keep the audience’s interest. From the relationship explored with Ben Evans-Clarke and Annabelle Nolan, to the nervous Evie James; there were established characters throughout and the audience followed their journeys. The set took the audience straight to the audition room, with chairs and a costume rack on the stage. The set was changed for the second act, with a sparkly backdrop, which indicated to the audience that auditions and rehearsals were over, and it was the performance. Costumes were simple and helped to convey the concept of the concert. The cast were in active wear for the first act, during the audition and rehearsal element, with the cast wearing audition numbers. During the performance element of the concert, the cast were dressed more smartly, which worked well.

The musical director was Ben Evans-Clarke. The song choices were varied covering a number of years. The cast performed to backing tracks, and did well with this, especially as Ben was performing on stage with the rest of the cast. There were some lovely vocal moments throughout, and it was pleasing to see that everyone had the opportunity to be in the spotlight.

Becky Brady was the choreographer for this production. Becky used every space available on the small stage to great avail, producing some exciting choreography. On the whole, the choreography was executed well by the cast.

Technical elements were good throughout. The backing tracks did sound on the quieter side during the opening number, but this was soon rectified. The sound balance for the rest of the production was good. The lighting was varied and worked well throughout the production.

Before entering the auditorium, Joe Moore was greeting the audience as the Producer, which was a nice touch, immersing the audience into the concept straight away. This was further enhanced upon entering the auditorium as the cast entered the audition room. The standout number in the first half was ‘Electricity’ from ‘Billy Elliot’. The staging for this was simple, which allowed the cast to just simply sing, and they did! ‘No Hopers, Jokers and Rogues’ from ‘Fisherman’s Friends’ showcased the vocals of the cast very well. The voices blended together really well and it was a joy to listen to. ‘Something About This Night’ from ‘Finding Neverland’ was a fitting ending for the first half, which was well sung by the cast.

The curtains opened for the second half with a glitzy backdrop and a costume change for the cast, showing that they were show ready. Kieran Picken opened this second half with ‘The Power of Love’ from ‘Back to the Future’, which was performed well. Kieran impressed throughout the concert with his vocals. ‘The Negative’ from ‘Waitress’, performed by Kat Rawling, Clare Hennessey and Anise Lea, was a strong number. The vocals were great and the staging added to the song. Dawn Lloyd’s performance of ‘Diva’s Lament’ from ‘Spamalot’ was very funny, and the lyric changes were clever and added to the humour of the song. Having Dawn appear to clear the stage further added to the comedy, which Dawn did perfectly. The cast performed ‘More More More!’ from ‘Moulin Rouge! The Musical’ as an encore, which was a fitting end to the concert.

Overall, this was a good production. The concept was interesting, the choreography was strong, and there were some very good numbers throughout.

A big thank you to everyone at Together for Theatre Productions for their kind invite.

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