'Supertown'

It's a very bold move indeed when an amateur company takes on the presentation of a brand new work, but LIDOS has done just that with it's production of 'Supertown' - not only that, but the musical has been written by two of it's members!

Briefly, the premise of the show involves Superheroes who protect Supertown from Supervillains. The hero of the piece is actually a rather geeky 'normal' resident called 'Ste',  (played by Matt Stirk, suitably geeky) fed up with the Superheroes getting the attention and affections of his 'almost girlfriend' Sally (Sophie Massa, suitably attractive!). He is helped in this by 'Zapper' ( played by Scott Oakley) by trying to prove that 'Thunderman' (played with panache by Daniel Austwick making his musical theatre debut) is not all he seems! A clever plot reveals that all is not as it should be and Ste gets Sally in the end, encountering lots of 'Pow', 'Bash' and 'Wham' sub-plots on the way.

The talented cast made the most of an excellent score (composed by Robert Sanders) with a nine-piece 'Superband' (of course) conducted with great enthusiasm by Lucy Eyre. It was a treat to see so many young (and some not-so-young!) performers with masses of exuberant talent, which this kind of show needs.

James Sidgwick, responsible for the book and lyrics, also made his directorial debut for 'Supertown' and he did not miss a trick, with some hilarious scenes and action moments which kept the audience on it's toes for each twist of the plot. The set was of the usual high standard, with 'cartoon' style effects and the lighting also enhanced that 'bright' feel that we associate with superhero characters.

The remainder of the Production Team, Donna Wells and Emma Tempest as joint choreograghers; Paul Harding as Stage Manager; together with the Costume and Properties Departments, all worked together to present a first-rate production. I only had one tiny criticism - I felt that some editing of Act 2 was needed to tighten up the pace,maybe by ten minutes.

It is so exciting to see new work, especially of this standard - I do wish the talented duo, Sidgwick and Sanders, continued collaboration and much success in the future - also to LIDOS, for taking that step into the unknown - a very successful move - congratulations to everyone involved. I am hoping that other companies will take on this highly commendable musical.

Christine Castle

NODA North East Regional Representative

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