The Magic Story Book

It is always a joy for me to watch young people perform and this production met all my expectations.  The story, written by Director Katherine Foxworthy, makes use of storybook characters and enables the children to perform characters with which they are quite familiar.

I was very impressed with all the children in the cast, they were focussed and the occasional sideways glance to check that their parent was in the audience was, as always with this age group, endearing.  The lead characters were all good, although a few of them need to project more.   Learning that a mic will not do the work and that the performer must make sure the audience can hear them, is a crucial learning curve for young people taking their first steps into performing.

The three girls, left alone in the library, were excellent, each had her own character and, in the main projected well.  Poppy Evans (Hattie) Isabella Howe (Fiona) and Elli Maudsley (Emily) displayed good stage presence although (and this was a recurring theme with other cast members) they need to remember where the audience is and that it is the audience who need to see and hear you.  So don’t allow your back to be the bit of your body that is seen by the audience!  They need to see your faces so that the lovely expressions can be appreciated.  One thing that I would like to mention is that, at the end of one song, they restarted dialogue when it had been drowned out by the audience’s applause.  The sign of good stage awareness and something that adults often fail to do.

The main story book characters were all good, Riley Maynard (Jack) was very enthusiastic, sometimes too much so!   Remember when someone else is singing a song, your character should not be so lively that it distracts the audience.  This happened when Ugly (Toby Sarll) was singing his solo, Lambeth Walk.  I understand that this was Toby’s first performance on stage, and I must congratulate him on a great character.  Vocal projection was a bit weak at first but, as he gained confidence, it got louder and, by the chorus of his song, was perfect.  He also lost his way in the song on one occasion but, impressively, calmly counted and listened and picked it up.  That’s the way to do it!

Elodie Beauchamp (Wolf 1) and Isabella Andrews (Wolf 2) gave strong performances, and I must congratulate them on getting themselves out of a little hitch, well done, that’s how the professionals do it.  I also understand that Elodie took the lead role in the Seniors production of Matilda, later in the week.  I am only sorry that I was not able to attend that performance as, based on what I saw in this show, I am sure she was excellent.

Whilst I am congratulating them on their stagecraft, I must also mention the calm way that the chorus coped with a large bag left centre stage during the opening song, Magic.  Whenever one of them had to stand where the bag had been left, they simply ignored it and stepped over it with their dance routine.  It is rare for young children to have such awareness and they are all a credit to KATSACT for displaying such confidence.   Leo Stewart was excellent as Percy Pig, great vocal projection, and confidence.  I appreciated the way that he stepped in to cover for another member of the cast who was struggling.  I doubt that many in the audience noticed it, but I appreciated the action, this is what teamwork on stage is all about, supporting each other, and there was plenty of that in evidence in this production.

Unfortunately, there is just not enough space in the report to mention everyone but, I promise, the performances were all noted and all very good.

The scenery was very effective and, with the projected backdrops, created a lovely background for the show.  Lighting was well designed and executed.   Unfortunately, the mics were not all up to a standard.  Some seemed not to be working at all and some were brought up late, so we missed the first line of dialogue.  The costumes were well thought out and simple but effective.

Overall, a, really, enjoyable production and the audience really appreciated the children’s performances.  My thanks for the hospitality shown to me and I look forward to seeing more KATSACT productions in the future.

 

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