RENT

Congratulations to all involved with the staging of this production, it was evident that the full cast had a close bond and united strongly to bring RENT onto the Blakehay Stage. Thank you to Directors Aaron and Abi for a warm, friendly welcome.

The Blakehay stage is quite a limited performance space, but I felt that the dual level set with the band underneath was the best use of the space and added good dimension to the production. To enhance the performance space I would have continued the platform in a L shape across to stage right as feel this additional space would have helped with larger Company numbers as I did feel during some company numbers the stage was cramped and actors restricted. That said, the staging was effective and complimented the production.

All Principals gave strong performances, offering a mix of strong vocals and confident stage presence. The stand out number of the evening for me was ‘without you’. This was very poignant, offered tight strong vocals and staged effectively. I also thoroughly enjoyed ‘seasons of love’. The first time we heard this I must mention the superb vocals of one of your Company members, it was a shame that this young lady was not used to compliment the Principal leads, maybe something to consider for future productions. I must offer credit to your MD, Natasha for her commitment to your vocal arrangements.

What was disappointing for me and something I did mention to Aaron during the interval was the sound balance. Unfortunately I felt this impacted the flow of the show as it was hard to hear dialogue from certain performers which for me felt like I missed chunks of the story. In particular the volume/clarity from Angel’s mic was unbalanced throughout the evening which was a huge shame as I felt I didn’t get to hear the most from what seemed a talented performer, that said it did improve slightly in the second half but still not as clear or as loud as other performers.

All in all I had an enjoyable evening and always admire the talent we have in our local area, so well done to the Cast and Crew.

P.s well done to your programme coordinators on producing very professional programmes !

See you soon.

Lewis

 

Disclaimer

Any observation made by the reviewer can only be based on what he sees at the performance in question.  The reviewer may have received information in advance of the performance and it is inevitable that his assessment will be affected by that knowledge.

The NODA Representative’s intention is to give an objective critique of the overall production and in particular, the performance.  It should be remembered that any review of this nature can only be objective as far as the techniques used during the performance observed.  Any criticisms expressed may not have been valid at other performances and are only made to encourage higher standards in Amateur Theatre.

It is hoped that the audience’s appreciation of your efforts will have given everyone a lift and encouraged you to greater achievements in the future and that the observations made by the reviewer will prove helpful in improving future productions.

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