Lights Up

Once again “Lights Up”, an evening of music, comedy, dance and much, much more was a perfect opportunity for members of the society to step into the lime-light and enjoy their moment of fame. 

The evening started off with a lively company number “Swing The Mood”. Here the stage was used to the maximum and the bright, full skirts engaged us with a splash of colour. 

Mike Steele then caused great laughter with his “Lecture On Pigeons” and how he kept a straight face throughout I’ll never know.

John Dunleavy and dancers gave a most enjoyable rendition of “Shotgun” complete with Stetson, I loved it. 

“Journey To The Past” sung by Charlotte Yates was a pleasure to listen to. Vocally strong and tuneful this young lady has much to offer the society I feel. 

“The Audition” was a piece of cleverly scripted work by Tom Beirne. Performing next to the very talented Barry Woolhead, this play on words was centered around a Shakespearian theme and the audience hung on every word. Well done.

“Back To The Noughties” was an imaginative piece of choreography making full use of the limited space. 

“The Amazing Richard” never fails to make me smile with his magic tricks. He has a cheeky connection with his audience especially when things don’t quite go to plan. 

Accompanied by Barry Woolhead on guitar, Di Barton and Mike Steele then gave us their version of “Anything You Can Do” from the musical “Annie Get Your Gun”. This rendition was nicely presented and the pairing was perfect. 

“The Wiseman”, a sketch devised by Georgina Vary, again worked very well. The pace was good and allowed the audience to follow the plot and enjoy the outcome, especially those who had worked out the tag line in advance!

“Taylor The Latte Boy” was sung with feeling and emotion. Vocals were strong and projection extremely good. An accomplished performance.

The first half ended with a murder mystery playlet written by director David Slade. Again, visually and vocally very strong with well-defined characters and a clever use of mistaken predictability. Jokes were very clever and suited the audience.

The second half commenced with A Traditional Swedish Folk Song which livened up the audience after a delicious platter of nibbles and treats. This humorous version of Abba’s “Dancing Queen” encouraged everyone to join in, which they did.

“At Home With The Kardashians” written by French and Saunders was cleverly portrayed by Annette Clynes and Sharon Young. Making the most of this well-known script, the two ladies had their interpretation of this iconic comedy pair just right. 

“I Am Not Crying” trio was most enjoyable. Being able to sign myself I found myself watching rather than listening and I thought you all did very well. Impressive!

Barry Woolhead always enjoys his moment of audience participation and this evening was no exception. His tribute to Sir David Attenborough was unique, poignant and great fun. Barry has the ability to connect with his audience instinctively and one cannot help but join in.

More dance followed and “The House Of The Rising Sun” was a great choice for a piece of contemporary choreography. Musicality was good and the girls all worked as a team. This was a well-controlled interpretation.

“California Dreaming” was a musically strong quartet with excellent harmonies. Not over-stated, it just flowed along and lulled us into a false sense of security before the next act. This was my highlight of the evening.

Back again by popular demand, The Shambles, has now become a well anticipated tradition before the end of the concert. Full of fun, near the mark and every ones favorite, this compellation brings a smile everywhere you look.

Stand Up comedy can be one of the most nerve racking experiences a young comedian can undertake. Stand Up is allowing complete strangers to invade your personal thoughts, feeling and ideas and Corrina did great job once she had found her level. A mic’ might have helped as I am sure some of the audience at the back found it difficult to hear her at times but never-the-less, don’t give up, we have a new comedian in the making. Congratulations.

The finale was a rousing company presentation of “Built This City On Rock and Roll”.

This was a wonderful way to end the concert and everyone left on a high. 

John and I had great evening and with excellent company.

Thank you and congratulations to you all.

© NODA CIO. All rights reserved.