Summer Holiday

~~What a pleasure it is to see a young and vibrant cast in a show exactly suited to their talents.   This production of Summer Holiday was at high energy from the opening and didn’t really come down until the final curtain.
The show is somewhat iconic but Director Wezley Sebastian is not afraid to challenge icons and produced a show that was fresh, energetic and entertaining.  I have seen the show before but, in truth, this seemed like a completely new show and was, therefore, most enjoyable.  The show is set in an era that I well remember and captured those memories in the best way.
Gareth Daniel (Don) may not have been Cliff Richard but he was definitely heart throb material.  His three sidekicks, Stuart Frank (Steve), Robbie MacNab (Cyril) and Matthew Swann (Edwin), were excellent.  Each one brought their character to life, with Stuart putting some great comedy touches to his performance. Both Robbie and Matthew produced excellent performances and their singing is to be particularly complimented.
The girls were equally good! Soraya Scrivener (Barbara) has a strong singing voice and Beth Marshall (Mimsie), Hannah Edwins (Angie) and Alessandra Bushnell (Alma) made a very believable girl group and worked well together.
The Piece De Resistance, however, was Sarah Burrell as Stella, the stage mother from hell.  She was well supported by Graeme Clements who played Jerry, the erstwhile theatrical agent. 
The other supporting actors and the ensemble were all strong and the whole production had a cohesion that does not often come from attending the first night of the run. Considering that the cast contained a high proportion of young performers the show was of the very high standard that we have come to expect from Fareham Musical Society
The band, under the direction of Musical Director and Assistant Director Rhys Scrivener, were strong and definitely rocking.  The choreography was led by Natalie and Kerry Cleave with the stage management looked after by Stage Manager, Laurie Kent.
A thoroughly enjoyable show!
 

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