Nippers Musical Showcase

The Nippers were back on stage with their Showcase of talents, directed by the sisterly duo of Beth and Neeve Dilworth. The evening promised a night of entertainment and fun, and the audience certainly weren’t disappointed. The concert allowed the cast to display their talents, from playing instruments to dance to singing; this concert had something for everyone. It was great to see that some of the Nippers alumni were given the opportunity to direct/musically direct/choreograph different moments of the show. What a fantastic opportunity for both the younger members and alumni. The set was kept simple with an open stage and a star backcloth, which was used throughout during different numbers. Other set pieces were brought on by a well-drilled crew quickly and efficiently. The cast wore their Nippers t-shirts, giving them a sense of uniformity. Other costume pieces were added for different sections of the show.

Beth Dilworth was musical director for the concert. The cast did well with the variety of songs performed, and performed well to the backing tracks. The highlights were when Beth conducted the cast on stage. The focus of the cast on Beth was spot on, and the sound from them was great. ‘Risk it All’ was particularly well performed by the cast.

Neeve Dilworth provided choreography, ably supported by some of the alumni. The routines were performed well by the cast, and added tremendously to the numbers. The storytelling through the choreography was very good, especially in ‘Oceans’, which was choreographed by Grace Fisher and Scarlet Livesey.

Technical elements were integrated well into the production. The sound balance between the backing tracks and the microphones of the cast, when used, was good. There were a few moments where there was some interference with the microphones. The lighting could have been simply done, but this was not the case here. Each section had a different lighting state, which helped differentiate them and added to each individual performance.

There were many highlights during the concert, including the ones already mentioned. The concert started with ‘Heaven on their Minds’ from ‘Jesus Christ Superstar’. There were a few sound issues with microphones during this number, but it was performed well by the cast. Oscar Rowley had his moment to shine playing the electric guitar during it. It takes a great deal of confidence to have the spotlight on you, especially when telling jokes. Karina Corless showed no sign of nerves delivering her jokes throughout the evening. If anything, take your time delivering the punchline. Lily Jaundrill is proving to be a very good character performer, here taking on Miss Hannigan and performing ‘Little Girls’. Lily gave a good characterisation and performed the song well. The cast treated us to a full on song and dance routine with ‘And You Don’t Even Know It’ from ‘Everybody’s Talking About Jamie’. This was performed enthusiastically by the entire company. Sam Shackleton would make an excellent Jamie if he ever gets the chance! The first half ended with the Seniors performing a routine to ‘Confident’ from ‘& Juliet’.

Act Two opened with two songs from ‘Waitress’. The first, ‘Opening Up’, was choreographed and musically directed by Sophie Butterworth and Harry Thompson. The staging for this was good and it was performed well by the company. We were treated to two short sketches from the Juniors and Seniors. Both were written by the Nippers themselves, and both sketches were performed with confidence. ‘Raise Your Voice’ from ‘Sister Act’ was an enjoyable number, full of joy. Zahra Bhatti stood out here with her commitment to character. Megan Williams took centre stage, playing ‘Golden Hour’ on the keyboard. Megan performed this challenging piece very well. The two numbers from ‘Shrek the Musical’ were performed well, with ‘Freak Flag’ being an upbeat number to finish on, performed with lots of gusto and fun.

A special mention should go to Sam Shackleton and Lily Jaundrill, as this concert marks their last performance with the Nippers. Hope to see you both again in future NADOS productions.

Overall, this was an enjoyable evening. The Nippers looked like they were having the time of their lives up on stage, full of confidence. In her programme notes, NADOS Chair Vicky Dilworth says, ‘Huge thank you to Beth and Neeve and the hours that they put into Nippers, not just from a creative aspect, but also giving the children the safe space where they know they will be heard, have someone to talk to, and can be unapologetically themselves.’ Youth theatre is so important for young people, so congratulations, and thank you, to Beth, Neeve and the whole NADOS team for giving young people the opportunity to perform and express themselves.

Thank you to NADOS for their kind invite and warm welcome. All the best for your next production, ‘9-5 the Musical’.

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