Love Actually Changes Everything

Little Hadham village hall was atmospherically transformed into an ambient cafe theatre, with the red tablecloths and little vases of flowers turning the stark hall into a cosy venue for an evening of varied cabaret acts.

The first item set the tone perfectly. It was a well-chosen poem defining love in a lighthearted way, getting the audience in the mood for the love-themed evening, and its delivery relaxed the audience with Alex Knibbs being effectively lit by an arc of light in front of the closed curtains. The joy felt by the audience when those curtains opened to a simple but very effective set was lovely. The sparkly backcloth served to create the different moods of each number by the subtle lighting applied to it, changing throughout the evening so gently and creating a wonderful atmosphere. One detail for the directors to be aware of for the future is to ensure that the performers do not stray too far to the sides out of the lit area.

It was an inspired choice to have the musicians on stage at the back, and they adapted their playing to a great variety of musical styles most skillfully. One or two of the gaps between the items were a little protracted, due sometimes to the musicians changing their instruments/positions, and sometimes to the delayed entrances of the performers. Perhaps this could have been overcome by the rescheduling of some of the short items: the one-liners and non-musical interludes to fill those spaces.

It was an admirable effort by the society to include as many of their members as possible, giving the less experienced equal opportunities alongside the more seasoned performers. The venue itself, and the size of the stage presented a difficult challenge for them, and during the ensemble numbers they struggled to all get on to the stage, which resulted in it looking a little overcrowded. A thought going forward would be to possibly have only half of them on for each ensemble piece, giving them more freedom to shine and this might help to lift the overall energy of the chorus numbers.

The costumes were varied, cleverly changing to suit each of the different songs, although because the choice was to have the whole cast in black during the chorus numbers, a little more uniformity in the ensemble’s costume and lipstick would have been preferable, as one or two cast members caught the eye and their variations would have been best reserved for the solo numbers.

While not possible to mention everyone personally in so short a space, and there were indeed many fabulous performances during the evening, three numbers that stood out were Charlotte Crosby’s On My Own: her voice, stance, and the way she grasped her shawl gave the song added poignancy; Charlotte Tarran’s beautiful rendition of At Last with the atmospheric microphone transported us away from the village hall to a sultry jazz club; and the quality of Darrell Williams’ voice and demeanor in Nessun Dorma was spine-tingling. The two personalities who stood out during the evening were Charlotte Pritchard and Amy Neal. Charlotte totally owned the stage during her songs, with her confident performing and interaction with the musicians and audience, leaving us wanting more. Amy’s comic interpretation of Hallo added some spice to the programme, but where she really shone was in her energy and animation during the ensemble numbers. Her enthusiasm was infectious.

Overall this was a well put-together evening, with the delightful added touch of the cast helping to serve the fish and chips in the interval. Congratulations to all involved and many thanks for inviting me.

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