Time Warp

There was much to like in this cabaret. A good selection of songs were held togetherby a time travelling mother and son, who had short animated scenes between songs to provide a premise for the cabaret. The staging consisted of an upper level across the back of the ‘stage’ with steps down to the main performing area. Appropriate props were used to add interest to the set for some of the songs, including a fabulous Rapunzel castle for ‘Agony’, a clock for Beauty and the Beast and trees for ‘Good Morning Baltimore’. Although the cabaret logo was projected onto the back wall at the start, it did feel like it was a missed opportunity not to have used projections more throughout the cabaret.

Musically, the evening benefitted hugely from having a live band and in the main a good balance with singers was achieved.

There were some excellent performances. ‘Agony’ was well sung by James and Matin, who both understood the characters they were playing. Likewise, Matin sang ‘Empty Chairs at Empty Tables’ with real feeling and lovely vocals. I also very much enjoyed ‘Good morning, Baltimore’ by Anthony. Tim Case showed off his rapping skills in both ‘Wait for me’ and ‘Alexandra Hamilton’, which were both very enjoyable. I should also mention the excellent percussion in Alexandra Hamilton which added real drive to the number.

Standout numbers from the ladies were ‘Beauty and the Beast’ by Amy who had a gorgeous rich voice. However, it was Emily G who elicited the biggest cheers from the audience with both of her solo numbers. ‘There are worse things I could do’ was acted with conviction and ‘The winner takes it all’ was sung with real heart and emotion. Both excellent and very enjoyable performances and Emily had a real connection with the audience in both songs.

Another excellent number was ‘Cell block Tango’. The vocals from all of the ladies were superb, as was the choreography in this striking number. Very well done.

‘Seize the day’ showed off some nice harmonies from the ensemble, as did ‘Cake’ at the end of Act one. The evening finished on a high with an energetic and well danced rendition of the ‘Time Warp’.

There were quite a few occasions when the action was placed too far downstage and was therefore unseen by audience members further back. Perhaps the upper level could have been utilised more or the action placed further upstage to take into account the sight lines once the audience was seated. The cabaret was also a little long and there were a couple of numbers that could perhaps have been cut. However, overall, this was really well put together cabaret with many enjoyable numbers and the whole evening was very much appreciated by the capacity audience. Congratulations to all involved.

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