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~~What an impressive display of talent there was on show by the younger members of the society in this production.
If Ian Stephenson’s name is in the programme as Musical Director then the audience knows that the music is going to be of high quality. After this production another name can be associated with quality. This was the debut of Alastair Norton as a director/choreographer and the 17 year old grasped the opportunity with both hands to extract the best from this talented group. Lisa Farmer assisted with choreography on the big number “La Vie Boehme” and all three should be justifiably proud of the end result.
Theatre-in-the-Round throws up different challenges from those on a conventional stage. This is true both for the production team and the performers. One aspect performers have to overcome is having an audience within touching distance. Not one performer was fazed by this and they eyeballed, interacted with and involved the audience throughout.
It is impossible to single out any member of the cast as they all had a defined role which they carried through the production and mentioning some 16 people would take forever. They all sang with confidence and conviction both in solos, small ensembles and as a full group. They all danced well and all the acting was of a high standard.
This type of production also challenges the technical crew but the inventiveness of the staging was matched by the inventiveness of the lighting plot. There was also a good balance between the extremely competent band and the singers.
Well done to everyone involved!

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