Showtime

With the rousing opening of a couple of well known numbers from HMS Pinafore, LPOS’s Spring Concert proved to be one of the best revues I have attended in a long time. With a blend of familiar and less familiar songs, it was an enjoyable experience with a natural flow, interesting tweaks to the melodies and superb accompaniment.

Next on their programme was a short selection from Iolanthe, where the men’s chorus proved their worth, and completing the Gilbert and Sullivan selection was ‘Three Little Maids from School’ superbly sung by Frances Robins, Topsy Stedman and Clare Wolfe.

The show then moved into the 1900s with Oliver, which consisted of  three great numbers, my favourite being ‘Oom Pah Pah’, followed by a varied selection from My Fair Lady, where Jimmy Lynch led the chorus in a fantastic rendition of ‘I’m Getting Married in the Morning’. Gudrun Lehmann-Shanks enchanted us with her lovely voice singing ‘I Sit in the Sun’ from Salad Days and Lesley Mercer lead the dancers in a great tap routine from Anything Goes. This was followed by a great selection from Me and My Girl, the title song being sung by Glen and Frances Robins, finishing with everyone's favourite ‘The Lamberth Walk’, which delighted the audience as we arrived at the halfway point.

The second half had excerpts from Brigadoon, The Phantom of the Opera, Billy Eliott, Miss Saigon and The Lion King. It is always difficult with concerts, to name particular vocalists and performers as a proficient musical director will select numbers that focus on individuals' strengths. Having said that, Georgina Combes and Sam Shanks gave an outstanding rendition of ‘Last Night of the World’, Alexei Hawkey danced superbly and Trevor Coffey, Simon and Sarah Smith could not be faulted. In fact the entire cast sang, danced and above all smiled and positively lit up the stage with their presence.

The orchestration was excellent, the direction was fast moving, flowing freely and the scenery very clever consisting of a screen at the back of the stage with various scenes both beautiful and appropriate. The most memorable thing about this production was the fantastic costumes all fitting to the various shows and the incredible speed at which the cast changed from one outfit to the next. They must have been exhausted by the end of the evening. Well done to you all.

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