Kings and Queens

The concept for this concert was first floated some years ago, and it has been developed into an appropriate showcase for the Society to perform in Banbury’s twin town, Hennef in Germany.  This strikes me as a wonderful thing to do, and a concert of this nature presents many exciting opportunities – for example, individual songs from productions which are not yet licensed to amateurs can sometimes be performed, talented company members who have missed out on principal roles can be given a chance to shine, and more established performers can step out of their comfort zones and try something new.  However, the format also has its drawbacks, and the practical considerations of exporting a production to Germany present some formidable challenges.

I understand why the Society didn’t choose to take a fully-staged production to Germany: quite apart from transporting the required sets and equipment, even hosts as hospitable as the residents of Hennef might find an English language production relatively inaccessible.  Better to stick to the universal language of music, but even a themed concert can lack the narrative drive implicit in a full show.  Similarly, it was a sensible choice to use backing tracks rather than hire a band and the countless scores they would require (if these are even available), but such tracks lack the energy and excitement of live music.  The perhaps inevitable result was that this first night performance felt a little bit flat, but I am very confident that with a couple more performances under their belts, and with an enthusiastic audience to cheer them on in Germany, this company is capable of delivering a memorable performance.

Even the most oblique references to royalty could qualify a song for inclusion, so we had Kings and Queens in show titles (such as “The King and I”), song titles (“Queen of the Night” from The Bodyguard), characters (King Herod from Jesus Christ Superstar) and even source material (“Don’t stop me now” from We Will Rock You, based on the music of Queen).  The challenge of presenting a concert featuring such a diverse range of songs was stylishly met, with the stage featuring alternate silver and black legs, a star cloth upstage, and draped nets that showed off the colours in the lighting plot.  The narration featured a pleasing blend of information about the source musical, and the context of the song – particularly important when the performers have little opportunity to develop their characterisation.

A lot of effort has clearly gone into this show.  The influence of the Musical Director was obvious in the accurate harmonies and clear direction, and the singers had evidently been drilled sufficiently well to stay in time with the backing track despite the issues with fold-back, and without the support and encouragement of a conductor standing in front of them.  The choreographer had differentiated several of the routines to allow the dancing to be inclusive while also enabling the better dancers to show what they could do.  The wardrobe team had assembled an impressive array of costumes, while the technical team rose admirably to the challenge of presenting such a varied programme.

The director has done a terrific job in coming up with the concept and leading the company through such an exciting project.  It felt to me as if everything was in place for a successful exchange visit to Germany.

© NODA CIO.  All rights reserved.

© NODA CIO. All rights reserved.