Showcase 2017

This was certainly a real musical extravaganza. The ‘overture’, a splendid  orchestral arrangement of the Strictly Come Dancing signature tune followed by Craig Young and the company’s ‘Keep Singing’ by Rick Astley made an immediate impact and got the evening off to a rousing start. Indeed the orchestral and vocal arrangements in this most diverse and interesting programme were highly commendable.

The ‘21st Century Divas’ were all in great voice particularly Lynsay Magro with her gutsy rendition of ‘Hurts’ and ‘Roar’ led by Tanya Williamson and the company whose movement was slick and neat.

The second section was a tribute to George Michael and the production team had chosen some cracking numbers. The medley of ‘Freedom’, ‘The Edge of Heaven’ and ‘Wake Me Up Before You Go Go’ were sung with such enthusiasm. The cast really got into the mood with some interesting 80’s costumes which were fun. One of the evening’s showstoppers was Keith Kilgore and the chorus’ ‘Somebody to Love’ which demonstrated the full bodied sound and excellent vocal harmonies and wonderful orchestration. The audience were absolutely carried along and willingly joined in with the clapping.

American Showtunes was the final section of Act 1. Gaynor Boe kicked off this section with a stunning ‘And I’m Telling You I’m Not Going’ from Dreamgirls and this was followed by a most powerful ‘One Night Only’ from the same show and sung with conviction by Arlene Cassidy and the chorus. Cameron Kilgour. Keith Kilgour, Andy McGarry and Ross MacTaggart delivered a fabulous Jersey Boys Medley of well-known foot tapping numbers. This was a visually spectacular section of the programme with glitzy red and silver costumes brought to life by creative lighting which indeed was a real feature of the entire production. Lively numbers were cleverly interspersed with more subdued ensembles or solos. Kym Robertson’s sultry voice perfectly suited ‘It’s Quiet Uptown’ from Hamilton where she absolutely nailed the feeling of grief and trauma in the lyrics of this most moving song. Craig Macbeth’s ‘Make Them Hear You’ from Ragtime was also poignant and emotive.

The orchestra was again in great form opening the second act with the Can Can from Orpheus in the Underworld. The audience were encouraged by the M.D. to clap along reminding me a bit of the last night of the proms!

‘Music From The Movies’ again provided an opportunity for more first class solo and choral singing and varied choreography. ‘Another Day of Sun’ was a real fun number and contrasted well with Arlene and Keith’s ’Falling Slowly’.  Similarly Harry Dozier, Leylah Watban and the chorus’ exuberant ‘Faith’ was a real contrast to Cassie Dougal’s beautifully sung ‘There You’ll Be’. The black and white themed costumes in this section were very fitting. Lighting was used to a spectacular effect on the white dresses worn by Gaynor and Jennifer McIntosh set stage centre to sing ‘When You Believe’ with the backing of the company. The blend of voices in this number was excellent.

‘New York State Of Mind’ was a tribute to Billy Joel with soloists and the chorus obviously enjoying the Motown music. The strength of the choral singing was perhaps at its best in the unaccompanied ‘And So It Goes’ led by Gillian McNeill.

The final section of the evening reminds us what Showcase is all about. To date they have raised more than £26,000 pounds for MacMillan Cancer Support and this year were worthy recipients of the Douglas MacMillan Award for Scotland. The numbers in this section were all very meaningful and thought provoking sending out a real message about the need for Cancer Support.

‘These Are the Days of Our Lives’ sung by Craig and Jennifer subdued the audience and was followed by Joanne Skilling’s haunting and ethereal ‘Don’t Worry About Me’. Her wonderful voice and depth of feeling brought a tear to my eye.

‘Don’t let the Sun Go Down on Me’ and ‘Shang-a-Lang’ lightened the mood until Cameron and the chorus returned to a more sombre ambience in the wonderful ‘Love and Mercy’ giving the audience a chance to contemplate the real reason they were supporting Showcase and their cause. Spirits were then  lifted with the rousing ‘Johnny Be Good’

This production could simply be summed up as wonderful. The high level of performance and incredible energy from all on stage was quite magnificent. So many really talented soloists and chorus sang effortlessly and moved about the stage with ease in this fast moving production. I enjoyed the most varied choreography from individual dancers, small groups and the entire company.

The commitment from this company, production team and all behind the scenes is immense and is to be applauded.

Showcase never fails to please but I do believe this was one of their best shows. Many congratulations.

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