Musical Moments 4

An enjoyable fun show, with moments for everybody to shine.  The central staircase as used before gave room for plenty of movement on and around the stage.

Lighting was good, and sound was admirable, considering that the only time performers were individually mic’d was when they held hand mics – so I was exceptionally pleased to note that aspect.

There were too many unnecessary blackouts – the object of these compilation shows is to have a seamless transition from one number to the next, there is no reason to have a blackout, which breaks the mood, as there are only minimal props to be placed.

Because it was such a big cast I am unable to comment on everybody, but will pick out a few highlights.

It was nice that the younger people in the cast were split into sections – Tots, Tweenies and Teens – they all had their own numbers, and also joined in with the adults as well.  There were some really expressive and lovely performances from them all, but I was particularly impressed with the way Charlotte Lovelock put over her songs, along with Amy Farrar and Evie Wright.

David Thomas had worked well with the cast to get some good sounds and harmonies, and I enjoyed the ensemble numbers too.  Costumes were good overall, just a few that needed attention.

The production opened well, with a good sound from the ensemble, and moved into a charming number from the Tots section, with colourful T-Shirts and visors.

The Tweenies were up next, and again they performed well. 

There was a good lighting effect at the end of Scott Newman’s number, which he delivered well.

It was good the ensemble got a chance to sing lines and the dance numbers were gauged well to be suitable for all abilities.

I loved the fact that parents and kids got the chance to perform together – which made it all the more personal.

I felt the triplets number would have had a more fun element if a different costume had been used – however, Jackie, Bill and Jonika made the most of the comedy element, and we all had a good laugh.

The Teens performed their number well, I made particular note of Evie and Amy during this number as being very expressive, although I thought everyone performed well.

Jackie Hensley and Sarah Meers performed both their duets really well, with good and effective choreography.

I thought Jayda Moyse performed her section really well, and showed a very nice voice with lots of expression – I enjoyed her performance very much.

It was good to see Sarah Farrar on stage, performing solo and with her daughter Lucy, good intonation and expression in the solo, and lovely interaction in the duet.  Lucy also performed with her Dad Stuart, which was a charming duet for the pair of them.

Sarah Albert performed a lovely duet with her daughter Emily – again a super moment with great empathy between the pair.

Amy Farrar really gave her number loads of expression and good phrasing, very well done. 

For me, there were two standout performances in this production, one was Evie Wright – who showed a real understanding of the words and meaning of her song, whilst displaying a very powerful voice, with loads of light and shade.  I absolutely loved her.

The other performance was from Barry Hyde, he showed a great improvement in voice and performance, however I do feel he would have been better to stick to singing the end straight, as it would have had more impact – but that said, very well done overall Barry.

Sarah Albert always delivers a good comedy number well, and this was no exception, I also enjoyed Jonika Kinchin’s comedy number, which was very well put over.

Allanah Rogers is another young lady who has a good voice, and is expressive. 

The men’s ensemble performed their number well, I really enjoyed it, and they all looked really smart. 

Kelly Jones also performed well throughout, showing good dance skills and a lively face.

So, all in all a good show, with music to appeal to all tastes that we enjoyed, and all the performers seemed to enjoy too.

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