Sounds Familiar

From the moment the curtains opened we knew we were in for a polished show.
With Stephanie Brown leading the company in ‘Some of us belong to the Stars’, the marker was set for a very professional performance from every member of the whole ensemble. Visually striking and sounding amazing we were carried through a variety of songs old and new with consummate ease. How fortunate the society is to have so many soloists of such high standard clearly demonstrating the strength in depth within the company. It would be impossible to single out performances as they were all so good , but a few personal favourites stood out.
Firstly it is always difficult to link sections of the show together but this was managed by company stalwart James Hayward as he proved himself to be a strong all-rounder. Then it was off to the Music Hall where we were treated to some old favourites. Remembering the Great War was a moving and respectful section leading to a piece by Paul Stone ‘a Soldier’s Farewell’ including the haunting melody ‘Tell my Father’.
If you are a nervous flyer, I know two stewardesses, Ellie Downes and Sian Naylor, that you would not want on the flight with you. But if you wanted to watch a skilful piece of comic acting and singing that had us rocking in our seats then these are definitely the two to pick.
‘Stars’ is a great solo song from ‘Les Miserables’ but when presented to us as a quintet the sound was breath-taking, with a wide range of voice and superb diction, well done gentlemen.
Act Two opened with a rousing selection of Second World War songs giving good opportunities for solo work within the ensemble.
What a pleasure it is to see the younger members of the company showing their talents in the ‘Miss Saigon’ section both vocally with their close harmony work and dramatic interpretation.
Following some strong tributes to Stars of the Silver Screen, the ensemble gave a rousing rendition of the classic ‘We Belong’ before Marcus House appeared from the ensemble to take centre stage to give us a flawless performance of ‘Anthem’.
The penultimate song was a comedy trio, as three ‘young ladies’ gave us their ‘Big Finish’ from ‘Smash’. An absolute hoot. Then we actually had a big finish as we were asked to ‘Raise your voice’ in a heavenly finale from ‘Sister Act’.
All through this the company was ably supported by a band of extremely competent musicians under the direction of talented Mike Wren.
How fortunate IODS are to have a strong production team who have created such a wonderful concert. An evening you could not fail to enjoy.

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