Nativity! The Musical

Centenary Theatre Company were back at the Brindley for their musical offering, ‘Nativity! The Musical’. They say never to work with children or animals, and Dean Callow had both in his directorial debut! The direction was good throughout. The school scenes were lively and energetic, which is exactly how they should be. The curtain call was a great nod to the film, with all the cast displaying a talent as they took their bows. The set was comprised of a static walkway with stairs leading up to it on either side. This was utilised well throughout the production, especially locating Mrs Bevan’s office on the walkway. Having one of the children on the stairs, listening to the conversation between Mr Maddens and Mrs Bevan was good, as it was referenced later in the production. Having the parents situated on the walkway for the Nativity was a great idea also. Other parts of the scenery were flown in or were on trucks. There was good use of oversized Christmas presents to create furniture. This idea could have been used more throughout the production to inject some colour into the set. The added set to create Coventry Cathedral was impressive. The costumes were great throughout with everyone suitably attired.

The musical director for this production was Danny Shaw, with Simon Pickup conducting the performances. The band played well under Simon’s baton, bringing to life the well-known songs. The children really impressed with their singing, so well done to Danny for his work with them.

The choreographer for ‘Nativity! The Musical’ was Rebecca Mainwaring. The choreography was lively and fun, as it should be, and was delivered well by the cast.

The technical elements of the production weren’t the strongest. The sound balance between the band and the cast was off throughout with the band being louder. The lighting also suffered on opening night, with missed lighting cues. Hopefully, this was opening night gremlins and it had been rectified for the rest of the week. The flying sequences were a delight and looked so much fun! Although a slight technical issue with the star, this was covered well by the rest of the cast.

Dan Grimes delivered a standout performance as Mr Poppy. He was lovable and created an excellent bond with the children. Dan was able to address the audience directly as the narrator and slip into scenes with ease. Dan delivered the comedy very well, but also got to show a vulnerable side to Mr Poppy as well. Well done for covering up the technical problem as well.

Andrew Dunn played the Christmas hating Mr Maddens. Andrew has a great vocal and performed his numbers well. Andrew gave full commitment to the role, and his performance was good. He played the emotional moments well and created excellent relationships with Dan and the cast of children.

Danielle Segar gave a good performance as Jennifer Lore. Danielle has lovely vocals, which she was able to show during her musical numbers. There could have been a stronger relationship with Andrew, but Danielle was able to show different parts of the character well.

Peter Brennan was excellent as the rival teacher, Gordon Shakespeare. There was full commitment to this role, with an excellent voice and some great one-liners. The performance of ‘Herod! The Rock Opera’ was suitably over the top.

Clare Grimes gave good support as Mrs Bevan. There was a warmth to Clare’s performance. She delivered the retirement speech very well, and worked well with the rest of the cast.

Georgia Heyes (Patricia Burns) and Clare Littlemore (Lord Mayor) both ably supported the principal cast in their cameo roles. Georgia was suitably imposing as the theatre critic.

Team Sparkle were on stage as St Benadette’s Children and Oakmoor Children. Although some were a bit tentative about the direction and where they were meant to be, you could not help but smile as they performed. They were all confident in their lines, songs and choreography. Jonas Rynn (Ollie), Sophie Grimes (Katelyn), Jasmine Dunn (TJ) and Sam Grimes (Alfie) all did well in the named parts of the children. Well done to Sophie and Jasmine for being brave enough to fly! You both did so well, and continued performing superbly whilst in the air.

The adult ensemble did well, playing a variety of different parts from parents to teachers and everything in between! Everyone was confident and secure in what they were doing. What was lovely to see was the support that the adult ensemble gave to the young performers.

A little mention to Jess, who appeared as Cracker. The audience loved it when Jess made her first appearance! The cast were confident in working with Jess, so well done to you all.

Overall, this was a good production. The comedy was good throughout, the young performers held their own, and there some heart-warming moments throughout the production.

Thank you to Centenary Theatre Company for your kind welcome and hospitality. All the best for your next production ‘The Phantom of the Opera’ next year.

The following was received about Team Shine:

The real stars of the show, Team ‘Shine’ exploded onto the stage with super high energy and barely came up for air. No character was the same and they looked like they were having the time of their lives and delivered some really wonderful musical moments. They really were the very essence and heart of the cast.

Big shout out to Joseph Hampson (TJ) and Elizabeth Usher (Katelyn) who were the brave two who were dangled from the high ropes and performed with ease whilst swinging from side to side. Archie Greenway (Ollie) showed us his versatility as a young performer with some perfect comic timing as well some heartfelt moments. Speaking of pulling on the heartstrings – I have to congratulate Molly Hughes - her short scene with Mr Poppy (just before ‘My Very Last Day at School’) was delivered with heartfelt emotion. Along with Mr P they managed to bring the whole audience from hysterics to tears in a moment – I believed her every word and it sparked a memory from my own childhood, saying goodbye to my year 6 teacher. It’s so special when live theatre can do that and even more special when the performance comes from someone so young!

Well done!

© NODA CIO. All rights reserved.