FOOTLOOSE

FOOTLOOSE

WOW!

at Witham Public Hall

14.02.12

Grease and Glee, Fame and Footloose. These are the young people's shows, celebrating joie de vivre with a string of energetic routines.

Footloose, though scarcely a masterpiece, was a canny choice for WOW, and from the opening number it was clear that they had mastered the genre. The crisp, snappy choreography, highlighting groups and individuals, and the sheer power of their movements was exhilarating to watch.

The plot – pitting the world of Mark Twain against the world of Kurt Vonnegut – is paper-thin, but it was well served by some fine dramatic performances and excellent enunciation in the lyrics.

Notably from Jake Davis as Ren, with his easy stage presence, fluent movement and pleasant voice. His final scene with Steve Patient's Pastor, where they share their sense of loss, was movingly done.

But plenty of outstanding work right down the cast list: Josh Reid's dim little Willard, ably partnered by Zoe Rogers as his long-suffering girl, Matilda Bourne as Ariel, torn between her father and her friends, Michael Stewart as the bad-ass Chuck.

It was the ensembles, though, large and small, which really made this show – the hats in the air, the cowboy boots, the cheerleaders, the improvised percussion, the roller-skates – all full of inventive fun. "Mama Says", set in the junk yard, especially enjoyable, I thought.

The lighting [Nigel Northfield], the costumes and the minimalist set all played an important part, too.

Like many musical film spin-offs, the show does suffer from frequent changes of scene. Efficient as they were, the pace and the energy were still too often allowed to drain away in silence.

Fortunately, the stamina of these talented young performers survives, and the protracted finale, with its party frocks, tuxes and customised calls, was just as thrilling as the opening two and a half hours before.

Footloose was directed by Nikki Mundell-Poole, with Gemma Gray; Peter Snell was the excellent MD.

ANYTHING GOES

Witham AOS at the Public Hall

09.05.11

A splendid silver fan backdrop stylishly suggested the opulence of the SS American, red white and blue bunting its transatlantic journey.

The silly plot of Anything Goes is eclipsed by Cole Porter's wonderful songs, skilfully handled by this strong cast. Not all the production numbers had the oomph and the energy of Blow Gabriel Blow with its nuns and its scarlet sinners, and the tap-dancing Angels – beautifully dressed – were outweighed by the more statuesque passengers. So it was left to the principals to light up the stage. Particularly successful were David Slater's Lord Evelyn, with his silly-ass accent and his rampant sword, Tom Whelan's Whitney and Stewart Adkin's gravelly Public Enemy #13 – an exemplary musical comedy performance. His “Oima” was an engaging Kath Adkins, who made the most of her Buddie Beware.

Rachel Clapp was a wonderfully watchable Reno; I loved the imaginative mime during You're The Top, just one of her great numbers. Hope Harcourt was played with poise and a nice vocal style by Corrina Wilson; her Billy was Marcus Churchill, who had an easy presence, but a tendency to holler his top notes.

I wasn't alone in finding some of the lighting uncharacteristically gloomy, and the pace and punch the show needs will doubtless pick up as the run goes on. But Cathy Court's production had some lovely touches: the seagulls and the phonograph at the start, the gauze for All Through The Night, the curtain calls which allowed everyone an individual bow, right down to Margot, who played Cheeky with canine aplomb.

The hard-working pit band produced some pleasantly authentic sounds; the Musical Director was Ed Court.

WEST SIDE STORY

WOW at the Public Hall, Witham

23.02.09

A crisp, characterful overture, and we're into New York's Upper West Side – a stylish Futurist backdrop looming behind the concrete stairways and playgrounds.

The stage is filled with two opposing gangs, their interaction no less menacing for being energetically balletic. Both Sharks and Jets looked absolutely right – that awful 50s hair especially, though it might have been helpful to have them more distinctly differentiated, in particular for the powerful moment at the end when they unite around Tony's lifeless body.

WOW boasts some very experienced young performers, and it was good to see them respond so successfully to the challenge of this classic piece of music theatre.

Zoe Rogers was a great Maria – warm singing voice, huge emotional depth. Her Tony was Thomas Holland, whose relaxed style and winning way with the big numbers made for a very impressive performance, even if vocally he was pushing the limits of his instrument. Elliott Elder made a convincing Baby John, while Josh Read, a relative newcomer, had bags of energy, and a promising voice, as Bernardo; Anita was played by Sam Carlyle: her voice and her accent were spot on, and she was an accomplished dancer, too. Her duet with Maria was a vocal highlight of the show for me. As Riff, the feud's first victim, Jake Davis gave a memorable performance. His easy stage presence, his lithe physicality, and his effortless way with the music made for an incredible achievement for a performer of his age.

There were many enjoyable numbers – the I Feel Pretty Trio, and the inventive Krupke sextet – and plenty of eloquent stage pictures: the stylish first meeting of these star-crossed New Yorkers, their long Good Night across no-man's-land.

Sometimes we might have liked a bit more depth in the lighting – in the duel, for instance – and the climactic gunshot went for nothing. I found the curtain calls too stagily traditional – Maria was still clearly feeling the emotion of the tragic ending, as we all were, and I would have liked the calls to reflect that, as the a cappella closing chorus so movingly did.

West Side Story was directed for WOW by Angela Briley, with Natalie Wilson in charge of choreography, and Susannah Edom the Musical Director.

HOT MIKADO

WOW at the Public Hall, Witham

15.02.10

It really shouldn't work. Sullivan's tunes squeezed into swingtime, Gilbert's plot [and wit] left to fend for itself. But the Hot Mikado manages to appeal to the purists and the populists alike, and the talented young people of WOW, for whom the original must be as alien as Arne's Artaxerxes, had great fun with the song and dance numbers.

Against a strikingly simple oriental setting, the chorus routines were inventive and varied, invoking the Jitterbug and the Lindy Hop, as well as featuring a tap routine backing the Mikado's big number. The Act One finale was especially impressive.

WOW fielded a strong team of principals. Jake Davis, all-American boy-next-door, slender in denim, was an appealing Nanki Poo, with Zoe Rogers as his bobby-soxer Yum Yum: her vocal styling was spot on for The Sun Whose Rays. The other great vocalist was Tilda Bourne, as Katisha. She has a remarkable voice, and I especially liked what she did with her Hour of Gladness in Act One. Faith Rogers' Pitti Sing was very watchable, too. The Madrigal Quartet was very slickly done.

Ben Herman was a silly Koko, physically very expressive, with Chris Adair as the pompous Pooh Bah. The eponymous Mikado – the J Edgar Hoover of Japan – was confidently played by Mark Ellis, arriving in Titipu on a Vespa and commanding the stage as a diminutive Elvis.

This is sophisticated stuff. The three little maids – the right age for once – come on like the Andrews Sisters; the singers have to master jazz, blues and Hot Gospel, as well as Gilbert's tricky lyrics. They were brilliantly supported here by some nicely authentic sounds from the band. Even at Monday's public preview, it was clear this was a great success, a worthy follow-up to last year's Les Mis, and an auspicious omen for next year's West Side Story.

The directors were Nicola Mundell-Poole and David Slater, with Susannah Edom looking after the music. Choreography was by Julie Slater; the Dance Captain was Rachel Ellis.

SONDHEIM'S FOLLIES

Witham Amateur Operatic Society

21.04.08

My first taste of Follies was in Portobello, thirty years ago. Its UK première, I believe. An American student company on the Edinburgh Fringe, working in a vast, dusty auditorium.

That kind of atmosphere helps the mood of the piece, of course, as it did at Witham, where the stucco pros. arch and the seen-it-all back wall neatly framed Sondheim's bitter-sweet exploration of nostalgia and relationships grown old and cold.

I knew from the first number that it was going to be a rich experience. Roscoe's glorious voice welcoming those Beautiful Girls as they made their entrance down the grand staircase. Nikki Mundell-Poole's production stressed the contrast of past and present, naivety and cynicism, helped by the age difference of the principal characters and their youthful ghosts. Lighting and costume had an important role here, too, I felt.

Again and again there was a pang as we saw the chasm between now and then – Vincent and Vanessa's Strictly Ballroom moment, with very young shadows in white, Heidi's One More Kiss, a pure kitsch duet with her younger self, and even the curtain calls, where the simple turn for the four principals gave us one last remembrance of things past.

Those four central roles were all excellently cast and played. Buddy, amusing in frantic Groucho/Jolson mode for Buddy's Blues, but also very moving in the beautifully phrased Hey Margie sequence with the dummy. Sally, still and poignant for her exquisitely sung Losing My Mind, Ben, vocally very secure throughout, and nicely relaxed in his cynical character, notably in The Road You Didn't Take. And Phyllis, giving everything in Could I Leave You.

There are hit numbers for others of the Golden Girls, too, as they come together one last time to “stumble through a song or two”, and Hattie made the most of her Broadway Baby, Carlotta of I'm Still Here. How lucky of Witham to have all this showbiz experience to cast ...

The young showgirls looked great, the choral singing was impressive, though I was less sure about the off-stage chorus. There were one or two places where the pace dropped a little on the first night, and the band had the odd rough edge. But MD Jill Parkin worked wonders keeping everyone together: this is a very tricky score. And there were many marvellous musical moments, like the bass clarinet for Still Here, and the production number Mirror Mirror.

The emotional impact of the piece was helped by the intimacy of the the venue, and the relatively subtle amplification – the Royal Festival Hall revival did nothing for me, despite the presence of Henry Goodman.

But, like that Portobello premiere, this polished, passionate production will remain with me, as Witham left us with one last image, a lone phantom showgirl under the working lights in the deserted Weismann Theatre.