School of Rock the Musical

Together for Theatre Productions brought their production of ‘School of Rock the Musical’ to Northwich Memorial Court, marking the group’s first time performing at this venue. The production was directed by Ben Evans-Clarke, and he should be congratulated for finding a large cast of adults and young people, with some of the young people expected to play musical instruments at a good standard. The promenade that went round the band worked well, and helped with scene changes, which were mostly done by the cast. There were a lot of scene changes and these were handled well by the cast. Backdrops of the school interior and backstage area were brought in and looked good. Trucks were brought on for other locations, including Dewey’s bedroom and the living room area. School desks were on wheels, which helped getting them on and off stage. The pace of the production was generally good, and the characters were well defined. It was pleasing to see the different relationships between characters and how natural they were. The costumes were good, and helped to establish character well. There were rock t-shirts aplenty, Dewey’s scruffy attire, which contrasted well against the put together Rosalie. The school uniforms looked good.

Ian Sherwood was the musical director for this production. There was a lot of work musically in this production, with Ian working with his band in the pit, working with the band on stage, and ensuring that the vocals were spot on. Ian led his band well, creating a rocky feel. The vocals from the young performers were very good. The adult ensemble seemed unsure at times, meaning that some of the songs lacked the power and energy needed. The on stage band performed well, and were confident with the music that they were playing.

Teagan Bundy was the choreographer for this production. The choreography suited the rock feel of the production. The young performers attacked it and performed it with lots of energy.

Technical elements were good throughout the production. The sound balance between the band and cast was good. If anything, the volume of both could have been increased to create a more rock concert feel. The lighting design was good throughout.

Playing Jack Black’s iconic role of Dewey Finn was David Davenport. There were glimmers of Jack Black in David’s performance, and he displayed good vocals throughout. He was very much a big kid, and worked well with the young performers, creating a believable bond with them. He showed a true, nurturing side to the character in his interactions with the young cast.

Anise Lea put in a good performance as Rosalie Mullins, the principal of Horrace Green. It was pleasing to see how the character changed throughout the production, from the professional, uptight principal to letting her inner rock child out. Anise’s storytelling through song was strong, and her vocals were good, especially in ‘Where Did the Rock Go’.

Greg Billing did well as Ned Schneebly, offering an anxious character, especially in his interactions with Patty. Greg created a believable friendship with David, and their Guitar Hero scene was fun to watch and well executed by the pair.

Molly Quine did well as Patty Di Marco. Molly created a believable relationship with Greg. She was suitably stand-offish in her interactions with Dewey. The change in attitude when Ned finally stood up to Patty was well played by Molly, adding to the comedy.

The band members were played by Zack Alliss (Zack Mooneyham), Alfie Warren (Lawrence), Cali Johanson (Katie) and Isaac Birkett (Freddie Hamilton). These young performers impressed with their acting, singing and instrument playing. Each had clearly defined characters from Alfie as the geeky Lawrence to Isaac’s energetic performance as Freddie.

Chloe Furlong impressed as Summer Hathaway, who was very much a stickler for the rules. It was great to see how the character changed through Chloe’s performance, and her vocals in ‘Time to Play’ were very good.

Sidney Causer was very convincing as the shy Tomika. She was suitably anxious, using her voice and body to show this. Sidney shone when she had the opportunity to sing. Her performance of ‘Amazing Grace’ was spine tingling.

The ensemble of young performers was full of energy and a highlight of the production. Each of them had their moment to shine, but worked extremely well as a group, creating a familiar classroom environment. This was evident at the top of act two, where they were milling about on stage on their phones, teaching each other the routines and so on.

The ensemble of adults played various parts from teachers to parents, with many having cameo roles. Lydia Causer stood out in her role as Ms Sheinkopf, getting plenty of laughs from the audience. If anything, the adult ensemble needed to match the energy of the young performers.

Overall, this was a good production. The young cast stole the show with their performances, especially the young musicians.

A big thank you to everyone at Together for Theatre Productions for their kind invite.

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