Moana Jr

Over the last few years it has been a pleasure to follow the success of Tracy Anne Wright and Georgie Pearce, as they have taken Top Box Studios from a single group performing in a Redditch shopping centre, to encompass four centres across Worcestershire and Warwickshire.  This was my first visit to their Kidderminster centre, who were performing at Baxter College for the first time with Disney’s Moana Jr.  And I’m happy to say that the Kidderminster team kept up the high standards of their Top Box counterparts across the Region.

The show began with the Chief Ancestors of Motunui (Amelia M, Clara P and Zara H), a sort of Greek Chorus, telling us the tale of how the trickster Maui stole the heart of the Goddess Te Fiti (Milan R), but then lost it during an encounter with the demon Te Ka (Niamh F), after which Maui disappeared.  This tale was nicely told with some good singing by the Ancestors and the youthful ensemble joining in enthusiastically.  We learned that afterwards, rather than provoke Te Ka further, the villagers of Motonui decided to stay home, with the lost heart of Te Fiti guarded by the ocean.

Fast forward in time, and we met Moana, desperate to explore the ocean but prohibited from doing so by her parents, Chief Tui (Emily P) and Sina (Annabelle K).  Ivy E did a great job as Moana, showing off a good singing voice and a real ear for the story in her songs.  Confident, with a good stage presence, she anchored the show very well.  When the crops failed and fish became in short supply, it wasn’t long before the daring Moana was setting sail in search of fishing grounds and in defiance of her father, with friends Hei Hei (Eliza S) and Pua (Nell W) along for the ride.  Moana’s boat was a really nicely designed and built prop, well done to Mark Hull and the team for creating it. 

Following the failure of that trip, Gramma Tala (Holly B) told Moana of the ancestor’s tale and she was soon off again in search of the heart of Te Fiti.  This quest soon brought her into the company of Maui, played in irrepressible, quirky style by Danny D.  His introductory song, ‘You’re Welcome’ was great fun, and featured a great contribution from the whole company, full of movement and energy.  He formed a great partnership with Ivy, as the pair bickered their way through their journeys in entertaining style. 

Moana resolved to help Maui retrieve his magical hook from the giant crab Tamatoa, who was portrayed by Milan R in another stand out performance. Her song, ‘Shiny’, was delivered with huge confidence and pizazz – Milan is clearly a natural performer and surely one to watch for the future.  Well done also to Jensen J and Lily C, who brought Tamatoa’s left and right claws amusingly to life. 

The story concluded with Moana – following some encouragement from the spirit of her grandmother, in a touching scene – facing off against Te Ka and, by returning her heart, transforming her back to Te Fiti.  There was a great finale as the whole cast sang ‘We Know the Way’ with great enthusiasm, to bring the show to a joyous end. 

As well as the lead performers already mentioned, I would like to congratulate every member of the chorus, who were well rehearsed and delivered some tricky choreography, showing great concentration throughout the show.  There were plenty of young performers who caught the eye – the lead actors of the future, no doubt! 

Top Box leaders Tracy Wright and Georgie Pearce were helped by a quartet of ‘rehearsal assistants’ for this show, and the efforts of Callum Wright, Lauren Wright, Mark Hull and Paula Hull really shone through.  There was a particularly good gymnastic-style dance sequence as Maui summoned help in ‘Warrior Face’ – well done to the featured dancers, and their fellows in the chorus who also played their part.  Perhaps something to work on for the future would be to make the scenes between the songs a bit more dynamic, for example in the scene where Maui’s hook was cracked, where it was a little difficult to tell what was happening. 

There were some great lighting effects in the show – especially when Maui’s hook kept malfunctioning – although there were also one or two dark spots, particularly at the side of the stage where, for example, it was tricky to see the Ancestors at the climax.  Possibly this was down to the limitations of the venue, but it might be something to think about for next time if Top Box return here.  There were some very nice costumes on show right the way through the cast, and this worked well to give the chorus in particular an authentic look. 

Well done to everyone involved in Moana Jr, a show that absolutely maintained the standards that Top Box have set themselves.  What a delight to see so many young performers enjoying themselves on stage, and the audience reciprocating so enthusiastically!  I look forward to next time!

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