Night at the Movies

With every compilation show, the hardest part in the planning stages, once you’ve picked a theme, must be deciding what to leave out. With Night at the Movies, CAOS presented us with a very diverse and eclectic mix of songs from movies, some of which (mainly due to my age) I’d never heard of before! With thirty-four items in the programme and a very talented cast of sixty-four adults and children to perform them, not much had been left out! But what a refreshingly unusual and enjoyable mix of songs you have come up with!

Everything was presented on a black stage with wide steps down into the audience, some of whom were lucky enough to be seated at café-style tables at the front. This lent a very intimate cabaret atmosphere to the evening, and the unencumbered stage allowed the segues to be swift and smooth. Stage Managers Adam Fox and Luke Henley ensured that the few quality props and pieces of furniture that were used were always to hand for the cast to move swiftly into place.

A sumptuous array of sparkly and colourful costumes (Dan Farmiloe) together with Ian Pratt’s equally sumptuous lighting design all added to the quality feel of the evening. Sound (Bryan Mercer) was on the whole good, but there were times when soloists were unclear and slightly overwhelmed by the (excellent quality) backing tracks.

Our genial hosts for the evening were Dan Farmiloe and Anthony Davies, who provided slick and amusing introductions to each block of songs, and occasionally terrified the front row with a little audience participation. MD Ben Horner had brought everyone up to a very high standard: singing by soloists, chorus and children was excellent, with many beautiful harmonies. Bee Anderson’s choreography was just right in every number, some sung straight out to the audience, others full dance spectaculars. It was always interpreted precisely by the cast who made it look so easy. I’m sure it wasn’t.

I can’t possibly mention every number – I enjoyed every single one, especially the songs I’d not encountered before. So, just a few that were highlights for me. Emily’s “For the Gaze” was absolutely magical, Katie’s “I See the Fire” was enchanting and Will’s rendition of “I Was Made for Lovin’ You” was heart-breaking. In act two, “Lava” with Natalie and Drew (on ukulele) was so sweet, as were the children in the volcanos! I loved Nowadays/Hot Honey Rag (Courtney, Jen & adults) and “Maybe This Time” (Jess) – they were beautifully sung and you really emphasised how they came from the same composers. Ant, Dan and Jevan brought back good memories of Morcambe and Wise with “If I Didn’t Have You” – so suavely performed!

I loved the touches of comedy that Director Dan had added to some of the numbers. Old crones throwing chunks of bread and baguettes into the audience during “Feed the Birds” (how did Jenni manage to sing without corpsing!) The three guys doing their “best” James Bond impressions during “Licence to Kill” – big award to Colleen for keeping going so beautifully! Best of all, Ant, Dan, Jevan and Richard were so funny with “Man or Muppet”, and the puppets were incredible too (Hold The Foam – Creative Workshop).

It was great to have such a large number of youngsters taking part. They had their own numbers, which were performed beautifully, and they enhanced every adult number they took part in. Ava, Evangeline and Luna, you really smashed it with “What it Sounds Like”. They are the future of community (and possibly professional) theatre and it’s good to see their talents being nurtured so well.

“We’re All in this Together” was a very pertinent song to end with. It’s not just the people on stage, but the army of helpers, chaperones and technical folk backstage that make a show. And what an army you must have had to achieve such a slick and professional result! To quote Bee and Adam’s introduction in the programme, it was indeed a “remarkable and professional production” from this young and vibrant company.

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