Musical Moments in Time

This was my first visit to Normanton Musical Theatre Society and I knew I was in for an evening of entertainment when I read the synopsis of musical numbers in the programme. It will not be possible to mention everyone by name in this report, otherwise it may resemble a complete works of Shakespeare, there were that many people in the company. What was clear though was the amount of time and effort taken by everyone to produce a programme jam packed with numbers from old and new musicals.

Cleverly titled Musical Moments In Time, the  company had devised a journey through musicals over the millennia. The show was narrated with humour and with by Debbie Kenworthy and Chris Oxley and it was always a surprise as to what Debbie would be wearing as she tried relentlessly to get herself involved in a musical number.

With songs from Jesus Christ Superstar and Spamalot starting the show and swiftly moving into Tudor times with a selection of songs from SIX The Musical the mood was set and the audience eagerly anticipating what was in store.

There was no shortage of talent on stage from the student section of the group and I was particularly impressed with Ruby Gaynor and Jennifer Waring who sang and danced beautifully in A Million Dreams from The Greatest Showman.  Forgive me for skipping a few centuries, but Ruby also took on the title role of Matilda in the excerpts from the Tim Minchin musical and completely embodied the character. Well Done Ruby.

For me, the highlight of Act 1 was In My Dreams from Anastasia which was beautifully and meaningfully sang by Emma Gill. Emma has a natural and pure voice that made it seem effortless in hitting some of the higher notes. This number also featured a wonderful synchronised lyrical dance, perfectly choreographed by Jess Fahey.

Throughout the whole show, it was clear that Jess had put her heart and soul into choreographing this show and took into account the wide range of abilities that she had to work with. Her stylisation worked perfectly for the numbers in the production.  This was evident in particular during the Jersey Boys and Dreamgirls section when the men coped admirably with singing iconic songs whilst dancing at the same time.

It is always difficult to produce a cabaret show and the production team of Louise Whitworth (Director), Rasalie Newton-Van Den Berg (Musical Director) and Jessica Fahey (Choreographer) did a great job. If I was to be a little critical by means of offering development points, it would be that a lot of the action seemed to be set quite far back on the stage and with a flat audience seating plan, this sometimes made it difficult to see some of the details.

Overall, I have been left in no doubt that Normanton Musical Theatre Society are a family friendly group who work very well together and put on excellent productions for the community in which they are based. The depth and breadth of the membership was clear to see but the final word must go to the youngest member of the cast, Jakob Fahey, who at just five years old, stole the show every time he came on stage.

Well Done and Congratulations to all involved.

 

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