Now Thats What I Call BFLOC

Now That's What I Call BFLOC - 3rd October 2019

Tonight's review is covering BFLOC’s concert with a range of musical numbers. The audience were delighted to hear some classic as well as new style shows being sung and performed on stage at Thornton Little Theatre.  I would like to start this review by mentioning that BFLOC decided to have a live band for their music instead of click tracks which, I have to say, makes me very happy as usually this kind of show and other review concerts tend to have backing tracks instead of live music, so this was very welcome. The choice of songs for the show were great with a good selection for every age group in the audience. There were some real show stopping numbers there were choreographed very well, strong solo performances with just a pin spot and some rousing group numbers.  As with most of these concerts there were some high points that really stood out, with one of them being a very strong start with the number All That Jazz from Chicago which was performed fantastically by Rachel Cadley, backed by some lovely dancing by some of the cast.  Slick and effective - well done.  Set and scenery were kept to a minimum, but I feel that this is a good thing in concert and it was partially costumed which is a nice touch and helped in certain scenes.

Technically the show went well with Dave Thomas as musical director with the small three-piece band keeping everything in time.  There were a couple of mixing issues with the live band and the singers as I was sat in the back of the auditorium, but nothing that meant you couldn't enjoy the performance.  Lights were effective and scene changes slick, the concert flowed from number to number with the group numbers exploding with energy, no matter who was on stage.  The age range of this cast is vast with every single member giving in 110% - well done.  I was a little disappointed to see that the cast was much smaller than the previous show I'd visited with BFLOC  and it is a sign of the times that people tend to choose when to be part of a group and when not to be.  It would be nice to see people supporting the companies no matter how big the show is and no matter how big the role is that they may have to have.  My only criticism for the performances was that I didn’t understand why there were so many male songs sung by female performers, which was clearly an issue with range and tuning for those singers.  It made it very difficult as an audience member to hear everything being sung.  The cast did have some strong male performers that where easily capable to sing these parts and it was a shame that they weren't used, however I’m sure there will be a reason unbeknown to the audience.

The show overall was a huge success with a very happy audience that enjoyed the performances very much - well done to BLOC and I look forward to my next visit.

© NODA CIO. All rights reserved.