Robinson Crusoe

The sets worked well in this production with a sea rock scene permanently in place on the apron of stage right for the mermaid scenes.  The props and costumes on this show looked great and were well utilised.

The lighting and mikes worked well. The sound overall was very good but I would have preferred backing tracks to songs so I could hear the cast singing instead of hearing the sung track.

The script worked well, was very funny and allowed the actors to ad lib and add their accents/ and personalities to the proceedings.  The direction was well put together by Carole who also had the major part of Mrs Crusoe (more of that later), The choreography was kept simple by Meera Gohil making it look effective. The songs chosen were a good mix of genres and suited the scenes and personalities of the cast.

The Magic Mermaid played by Rowan Curran opened the show on the rock mentioned earlier. This young man was absolutely brilliant throughout with fantastic diction and a lovely singing voice on the best number in the show Diva’s Lament from Spamalot. Well done Rowan

Tony Mooney did a good job playing Captain Jack the baddie, getting booed every time he was on stage and Natasha Clarke was great as The Major General with nice clear diction.

Robinson was ably played by Clare Oddie with strong vocals and dance moves. Her chemistry with Racheal O’Connor who played Polly Perkins was great. Racheal was very good as Polly but although she had nice vocals they were weaker than Clares so the tracks rather overpowered her voice which was a shame.

Lauren Copp and Nathan Simpson played Jolly and Roger respectively and were absolutely brilliant. Both played off each other and Tony as Captain Jack leading to many funny scenes.

Jack Griffiths was great as Billy Crusoe, interacting well with the audience and delivering his lines and songs with fabulous stage presence. Carole Griffiths was equally brilliant as Mrs Crusoe and the stair/ elevator/lift scene was worth the ticket price alone. Well done Carole on the Direction too as it’s tough doing both and being effective at both but you certainly managed it.

The supporting cast and chorus all put in lovely performances, smiling throughout and entertaining the audience who thoroughly enjoyed the show. Well done to all involved onstage and off.

© NODA CIO. All rights reserved.