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West End Show Stoppers

Author: John E Thomas

Information

Date
9th November 2012
Society
South Downe Musical Society
Venue
Kings Theatre, Southsea
Type of Production
Musical
Director
Company Members
Musical Director
Alan Pring
Choreographer
Company Members

Every show should start and finish on a high and this production did just that. The use of video and slides projected onto a backcloth cleverly set the scene and atmosphere for the opening sequence of songs from “Evita”. Sue Rourke as Evita had that “Little bit of star quality.” She proved that standing still and using both voice expression and body language can be very effective in staging. The final number from “Sister Act” was superb with the whole company bringing the show to a fantastic finale.
The numbers from “Cats” and” Mary Poppins were really enjoyable. Each section had simple well executed choreography. There was a mesmerising rendition of “Memory” from Amy Devine and a haunting solo “Feed the Birds” from Samantha Kelly.
I also enjoyed the humour proved by Brian Sweetman and Megan Carter in their version of “Master of the House. The four part singing in “One More Day” was well balanced with good diction and was a brilliant ending to the first half.
The children from the South Downe School of Dance were a great hit with the audience. In their glittery tops they sang and danced their hearts out. It was obvious they were having a great time both in the excerpts from “Wizard of Oz” and “Chitty Chitty Bang Bang”. It was lovely to see two boys in the group who were not overshadowed by the girls.
The problem of balance and being unable to alter the level when using recorded music was highlighted in the section from “Wicked”. The music was too loud and was in danger of drowning the soloist.
Well done Lee Stoddart and ITP Lighting for their work throughout the show. With simple backdrops the changes in lighting were very effective in setting the scene and tone of the different presentations. The use of pyrotechnics in “We Will Rock You” was superb and added to the atmosphere created by Tony Bryant and Matt Sackman who really “got into the groove.” Praise too for the cast and backstage crew whose prompt movement of props meant that the show flowed beautifully.
Finally we saw a glimpse of the next production planned by the company “Crazy For You”. I loved their version of “Slap That Bass”. If this is a sample of what is to come, I , for one, am really looking forward to it.

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