Shows We Wish We'd Done

I can’t quite believe that despite my years with Noda that this was my 1st time watching Crash Bang Wallop Youth Theatre, so it seemed almost fitting to be joining them for “Shows We Wish We’d Done”, their 20th Anniversary Concert. What a celebration it was as past members joined the current cast for a blockbuster night of musical theatre with over 40 huge hits from famous and more obscure Musicals.

The venue was also a new experience for me and CBW as they were performing at the Joan of Arc Theatre in a small community called Botton, a journey itself to get to but well worth the journey.

Despite the Theatre having not been used for a number of years and huge technical issues thrown at Dan and the production team you would not have known it as visually it was so clever and stylishly staged. The use of a gauze created a lovely visual effect for the gentle and poetic Sunday from Sunday in the Park with George opening through to the very cleverly worked and designed projection work in each number, the effects were perfect as a great backdrop for these talented performers. Costumes were simple yet effective for each number and cleverly chosen pieces of stage props and scenery came on and off swiftly between each number to set the stage for each showpiece.

I had heard wonderful things about this company, and I am happy to report that the reputation was well deserved such was the amazing talent on show. With over 40 numbers it is impossible to report on every single song but believe me that there wasn’t a single performer who looked out of place on the stage. 

The show had great structure with large opening numbers by the whole company opening and closing each act and I loved the variety in numbers from the tender and genteel side of Sunday to the raucous and energetic Matilda medley showcasing the younger members of Act One. Act two had the same lovely balance with a hysterical and professional quality to Hello from Book of Mormon opening the Act to a beautiful rendition of You Will Be Found to close the show, the number really capturing the emotion in the piece.

Now there are some real power houses in this group with young performers taking on huge hits and literally blowing the roof off. Lucy Strong and Roisin Dunkley were almost in a Riff Off in Take Me or Leave Me with stunning ranges, spine tingling vibrato and power never once dropping or compromising the quality of their voices. Georgie Goldsbrough was sensational in the lead of Rather Be Me and Roisin Dunkley returned in Act One to blow us away in Someone Gets Hurt, another great number from the Mean Girls Medley. In Act Two Cerys Hughes brought us a impressively strong and suitably wild No Good Deed from Wicked.

One thing I love from concerts is being introduced to new material from shows I’ve never seen and CBW didn’t disappoint on this side. Sophie Diamond delivered one of the vocal performances of the night in Pretty Funny from Dogfight, I was so drawn in to the number despite knowing nothing of the show. Lucy Strong brought a lovey tone to her rendition of They Just Keep Moving The Line adding sass and a stylish charm to the number. 

Despite my current remarks being on female vocalists it is important to stress the strength in depth of the male performers in the group. Toby Davidson wowed us with Corner of The Sky from Pippin, the ease at which he slipped into falsetto almost as impressive as the quality to his voice overall. Joseph Arnott was used in many big numbers and his quality put to full use with an excellent overall showing, Twenty Million People from My Favourite Year really giving him a platform to show off his lovely voice and great acting ability. Despite being in a 1% minority of the country and not being a fan of Hamilton, Sam Thorpe absolutely brought the house down with a hysterical, powerful and genius performance of You’ll Be Back - I may be converted yet!

One aspect of the concert that I loved was the way the performers brought their own style to every song, not just following the song note for note or as a mirror image of the show but bringing their personality to the number. Holly Hilton was a perfect example of this, taking on the huge hit Let It Go yet making it her own with real style and grace, her lovely tone almost drawing the song away from the animated Disney style into a knockout number on its own. She also really impressed in the hit Me and The Sky literally taking us on a vocal journey as well as a flight.

The one danger with a concert is that with no background to each song you can lose the impact of the story and therefore the understanding of the piece. CBW seemed to manage that by the performers understanding and conveying the depth and meaning within each piece. Robyn Lane a great example of this with a beautifully emotional She Used to Be Mine from Waitress, I absolutely loved this number. The performance of the night for me had to go to young Charlotte Bailey with The Life I Never Led from Sister Act. The best version I have ever heard of this beautiful song, not only did she capture the emotion, but she told it with a truly stunning vocal display. The hairs on my arms were standing up for the whole number.

I have absolutely no idea how the company not only nailed 42 songs with musical excellence, but the routines were also choreographed by Emma Greenhalgh superbly. Every routine was tight and slick with everything from tap routines, genius Charleston numbers to knockout pieces from Matilda and Newsies. 

Despite a huge cast the staging and choreography worked so well, the actors moved with purpose and meaning, each blocked movement and re-position giving the songs new dimensions. Dan Brookes and Emma should be so proud of both themselves and their cast for creating a visually great display without compromising on the brilliant harmony and solo work. Alice Carr-Smith as Musical Director did a wonderful job as I barely noticed a single note out of place, the timing and sound balance in each number terrific.

I wish I could mention every member of the cast and go into more detail on every single number because you all deserved the huge praise you received from the raucous cheers and applause at the end of what was an amazing evening of entertainment. 

The links between each number gave us all a lovely insight to the history and journey Crash Bang Wallop has been on and I can’t wait to see what the next 20 Years has in store. A huge thank you to every single member of the cast, production team and front of house. It certainly was a brilliant way to celebrate a huge anniversary.

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