School of Rock

There’s always an air of excitement around the annual YOBOS show-in-a-week production, but this year there was a noticeable buzz even outside the theatre, and the atmosphere was cranked up even more by some unusually dramatic auditorium lighting and driving music before the show had even started!

YOBOS has always prided itself on its ability to develop young talent, and this was clearly illustrated by the fact that the creative team for this show had all been members of the group in the past.  The director had a clear vision for the production, with the strong narrative, energetic performances and well developed characters sustaining the show through its almost three hour running time.  He also ensured that the basics were done well: lines were secure, cues were generally hit smartly (although one or two dialogue scenes were a little bit pedestrian), and the onstage groupings had been thought through.  Indeed, it was refreshing to see crowd scenes, such as the one in the bar, which if anything were too noisy and active, as opposed to the repressed gatherings which feature all too often in some senior productions.

I enjoyed the familiar sing-song refrains of a junior school – “Good morning Mr Schneebly!” – and the reactions of Dewey’s class to their new teacher.  And the director wasn’t afraid to explore the tensions between the school pupils and their parents: the children had been sent to Horace Green with the best intentions, but they resented the feeling that they were required to fulfil their parents’ ambitions for them – as expressed in “If only you would listen”.   There were some complex harmonies and interweaving solo lines in this number which the ensemble was more than equal to, and elsewhere there was some strong unison and part singing, with the lower parts clearly audible in the mix despite the inevitable imbalance of numbers in the company.  The musical director ensured that his four piece band provided sufficient drive without overwhelming the company, although the words in some underscored dialogue could be quite hard to hear, and he integrated the onstage musicians very successfully.

The choreographer ensured that the routines were both eye-catching and slickly executed, and they featured some sharp moves, hip flicks and shoulder flexes that were generally well synchronised.  The ambition and inclusiveness characteristic of YOBOS productions was evident throughout, and the policy of nurturing talent in the creative and technical teams clearly continues, with a team of youthful technicians properly credited in the programme.

The fact that YOBOS seems to be capable of staging an exceptional show-in-a-week on an annual basis doesn’t make the achievement any less remarkable.  And the depth of talent is quite extraordinary; the cast may have been led by performers whom we have watched develop over recent years, but the company also included many YOBOS members making their debuts in this production and if there was a weak link amongst them then I didn’t notice.  “School of Rock”, billed as a heart-warming tale about the power of music, friendship and following your dreams, proved to be the perfect choice for the group: and judging by the enthusiastic response from the Friday night audience, the future of musical theatre is in safe hands.

© NODA CIO.  All rights reserved.

© NODA CIO. All rights reserved.