Virtual Musical Moments

As a country we are getting used to Zoom meetings and productions, and look forward to seeing friends and colleagues via that medium.  So it was lovely to be able to log in to the Phoenix Players “Virtual Musical Moments”, and it was great to be able to cast it to our TV and see everyone full screen.

The idea was to have musical performances from Phoenix members from their conception to present, each person submitting their musical performance filmed at their home.  This was then given technical treatment with photos, including stills from shows and excellent visual effects, creating a delightful medley of accomplished performances and memories.

The Director, Courtney Buttigieg, started the proceedings off with a brief explanation of how the evening would run, and the aim of the production, and we were then treated to an array of excellent submissions.  There were songs from musicals, traditional and current, sad, amusing and thought-provoking, from a variety of performers of varying ages, including youngsters, a comedy ventriloquist, and spoken memories of Phoenix Players and their productions from some older members.  So many lovely reminders of past shows, and also tributes to members who had passed recently and in the intervening years.

There was a rousing finale, edited with finesse by Jaymi Hensley, where all the participants had individually recorded their parts, and Hayley Bordiak fitted the whole together so that it ran seamlessly – technically as well as performance-wise a charming and delightful production, that I really enjoyed.

The event was publicised well on social media, and attracted enough audience members to put the production on for two nights rather than the original one, within the number restrictions of Zoom.

The dedication of the Phoenix Players members shone through, and it was so lovely to be able to see our amdram colleagues on-screen, and to look forward to seeing them all in person before too long.

Well done to everyone involved, a super evening’s entertainment to brighten our currently rather sterile and unexciting lives, with the promise of better times to come.

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