Wow! That's What We Call Musicals

“Yes, I’d love to come,” I replied to the email inviting me to “Wow! That’s What We Call Musicals”, inwardly groaning a little at the prospect of another compilation show trotting out the same old musical numbers. But boy, how wrong can you be, and how glad I was that I accepted the kind invitation! So much effort, imagination and sheer hard work had gone into this show that it could be an original show in its own right.

Director Hannah Edwins, with Stuart Frank, MD Louise Helyer and Choreographer Natalie Cleave have brought together an imaginative and thoughtful selection of songs from a huge range of different musicals and presented them with such style and professionalism, that it would not look out of place on a London stage. The selection from each show formed a little scene in its own right, that was acted as well as sung and danced, and was then blended seamlessly into the next sequence without the need for blackouts or narration. The choreography was stylish and adventurous, with no room for the less talented to lurk at the back. It had obviously been very well rehearsed and was executed with great precision and pizzazz.

Despite the large cast, no expense had been spared on the costumes – they all looked spectacular, colourful and completely right for the numbers – take a bow Wardrobe Co-ordinator Clare Plumridge! The set was simple but sophisticated and very effective, with only a few changes required. It was superbly well lit and the sound was pin-sharp – both thanks to Ferneham Hall’s in-house team.

And now to the cast - well, what can I say? You presented each number with such confidence, style, energy and sheer exuberance that it was impossible to choose a favourite song. It was great to see FMS Youth Theatre members taking part, not just in their own numbers but on an equal footing with the adults in combined numbers. Chorus and solo singing was of the highest quality throughout.  There was a good selection of different musical styles and you handled the quieter, more sensitive songs just as well as the big, brash, loud numbers.

The six piece band worked extremely hard (with no dialogue to give them a break), and managed to sound like a much bigger orchestra, rarely overwhelming the singers. MD Louise Helyer had written a lot of bespoke orchestrations (with assistance from Jonathan Mitra and Darren Alderton) and these ensured that each number merged seamlessly into the next.

Compilation shows like this provide a great opportunity for lots of members of a society to take their turn to shine in the spotlight – and shine they most certainly did. This was a great evening’s entertainment and a prime example of what can be achieved when a lot of very talented people are brought together, given strong material and imaginative direction. Wow! That’s what I call a spectacular show!

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