OUR HOUSE

OUR HOUSE

Chelmsford Young Generation at the Civic Theatre

08.11.17

A typically exuberant performance by Young Gen of this iconic Madness morality musical.

Director Sallie Warrington opts for a simple staging – twin triangular trucking towers, an upper level for the juniors,  black and white curtained doorways for the “simple equation” - and fills the stage with boisterous, streetwise, cheeky kids. Excellent ensemble work, not only with the famous dancing desks, but Camden Market, the faceless prison inmates, the Wings of a Dove production number, and much more. Though the opening of the second act feels very static by comparison.

A splendid crop of principals, headed by Charlie Toland as “Golden Boy” Joe Casey, whose Sliding Doors moment triggers the seven-year alternative lives of Good and Bad. His loyal girl Sarah the lawyer is wonderfully sung by Jessie Hadley, with exemplary diction – not the case for everyone on stage, meaning that Our House newbies might struggle with the finer points of the plot.

Great comedy support from Millie Parsons and Livi Khattar as the two girls turning up like bad pennies, and from Matt Wickham and red-shoed, magnetic Reuben Beard as the “gormless prats”.

Dan Hall is determined to shine in a quartet of cameo roles, and Oliver Gardner manages three other characters in addition to the property developer Pressman. The evil Reecey is played with a palpably malign presence by Jack Toland.

The grown-ups are Jill Gordon, a movingly subtle performance as Mrs Casey, and Assistant Director Jimmy Hooper outstanding as the ghost of Joe’s father, desperately trying to help his boy avoid the mistakes he made in his own life.

Those catchy Madness tunes are given great support by Bryan Cass’s punchy pit band, featuring Rob Downing’s soaring saxophone.

production photograph: Barrie White-Miller

OLIVER!

CYGAMS at the Civic Theatre

09.11.16

Lost count of the number of Oliver!s I've seen. From the old New Theatre to countless amateur companies and schools. But Bart's songs and Dickens' story keep us coming back for more.

This is the fourth staging of the piece by Young Gen. Sallie Warrington's production is bold and colourful, set against a nice perspective London décor, misty and evocatively lit, with only a hint of panto.

And of course she has a large cast of talented youngsters to work with – from the tiniest orphan to the chubby hubby Bumble [Edward Bonney]. In the title role [shared on other nights with Gene Gardner] Tommy Edwards is a melancholy Oliver, begging for more from the Beadle on high, and making a fine coffin follower. He handles his songs well, both solo and ensemble. Jack Toland's Fagin has an unusually impressive singing voice too, while Matthew Barnes brings a strong stillness to the evil Sykes.

Hope Davies gives a moving performance as Nancy, building her Act Two solo dramatically, floored by Sykes and rising defiantly as the music swells. Bryan Cass the Musical Director.

A likeable Dodger from Charlie Toland, a lovely Widow Corney from Amy Hollingsworth with a “beguiling smile”, and amongst the supporting roles, a 24-carat cameo from Paul French as the oleaginous Sowerberry.

Some words are lost, some chances missed, and occasionally the vital spark seems lacking. But there were plenty of great moments – the chimney sweeps, Oliver's lesson in light-fingered thieving, with the gang surrounding him, his little bed amidst the Cries of London, the chorus work in Be Back Soon, It's A Fine life, led by Nancy and Izzy Churches' Bet, and the show-girls in Oom Pah Pah, the mood suddenly changing as Sykes is heard off stage.

INTO THE WOODS

INTO THE WOODS

Chelmsford Young Generation at the Cramphorn Theatre

12.04.2016

Not an easy ride, Into the Woods. Dark themes [blindness, child sacrifice, sterility] and a tricky, intricate score. The cleverly interwoven fairy stories are cosily familiar, but Sondheim's twist is often harsh and cruel.

But Chelmsford's Young Gen are always up for a challenge, and their intimate Cramphorn production, directed by Jimmy Hooper, brings freshness and vitality to the show.

A triple challenge, in fact. The actors have to bring audibility, clarity and humanity to their roles, and that's before they tackle the intricate rhythms and tangled tunes. Not all the boxes are ticked all the time. The random proverbs have only mixed success. But the overall effect is polished and exuberant, with some cleverly choreographed production numbers, filling the very limited stage space with dancing princes, aides, ugly sisters, goodies, baddies and in-betweens. The music is very well served; Bryan Cass the MD joined in his tiny sylvan nook by Richard and Phil Langstone.

A big cast, with strength in depth, and many memorable performances. The cut-glass narrator is the excellent Sam Wolstenholme, smoking jacket and quizzical eyebrow. The baker and his wife, around whom the fairy-tale quest revolves, are done with experienced aplomb by Jack Martyn and Eve French. Outstanding work from Jessica Higgins as Red Riding Hood, bringing a cheeky characterization to the role, and enjoying a pas de deux with Jack Toland's lairy Wolf. And from Katie Salter as the Witch; her Last Midnight superbly crafted. Paul French makes a nerdy, nice-but-dim Jack, of beanstalk fame. The Agony brothers, Princes to Phoebe Walsh's tuneful Rapunzel and Lois Chapman's assured Cinderella, are engagingly guyed by Matt Barnes and Jack Harlock. 

Good to have a human Lyre [Virginia Hampson] and a properly characterized Milky White [bovine resignation from Millie Parsons], actors for the birds and the trees, and even the Baker's table [uncredited, as far as I can see, but surely a shoo-in for best supporting role].

The set is impressive, with a useful upper level and a prominent spiral staircase, converted by brollies into a beanstalk for the giant-killer. Well used too: the exemplary Your Fault ensemble followed by the quartet looking aloft at the Witch for her big solo. Another striking ensemble for No One Is Alone, Sondheim's philosophical summing-up: Witches can be right,/ Giants can be good./ You decide what's right,/ You decide what's good.

photograph: Barrie White-Miller

CATS

CATS

Chelmsford Young Generation at the Cramphorn Theatre

20.04.15

No vast arena, no revolve, but, my ears and whiskers, don't Young Gen make up for it with striking designs, perfectly judged performances and a stunning sense of style.

Sallie Warrington's sure-footed production opens with cats' eyes piercing the gloom; the set is a back alley, stars and moon above, soon peopled by a magnificent clowder of cats, every movement, every gesture the embodiment of androgynous felinity.

So much complex choreography, and each moment a visual as well as a musical treat – the company watching Demeter, the first entrance of Grizabella, an ageing Marilyn moppet, the kittens tumbling on through the outlet, the garbage bagpipes and the cardboard box helmets for the Awful Battle.

The naming of cats. Every one has a deep and inscrutable name. For this blog review, I'm giving every actor a credit at the end. It's very much a company show, the ensemble full of characters and charm, with all thirty felines making a uniquely valuable contribution to the magic.

Every member of the audience will take away different memories, their own highlights.

Bustopher Jones, maybe, stoutest of cats with his spats and his fish-bone cravat. The magical Mr Mistoffeles, sequins and spangles, disappearing in a puff of smoke. Rum Tum Tugger, cavorting rock star in a leather flying jacket, the sprightly, high-spirited Skimbleshanks, star of possibly the finest production number of the night, Mungojerrie and Rumpleteazer in their lovely song-and-dance duet, the frail Asparagus in his cardie, nicely contrasted with his caring companion Jellylorum. Jennyanydots in her patchwork coat. The enigmatic Quaxo, inviting everyone to the ball. Storyteller Munkustrap, with just the right voice for Eliot, Jemima, superb songstress, Demeter and Bombalurina on the trail of the missing Macavity.

And two points of stillness amidst the cavorting: Old Deuteronomy, gravitas in a long shaggy coat, and the glorious Grizabella, poignant stage presence and a magical way with Memory, the first notes sung before she turns towards her audience.

The cat costumes, and the wonderful wigs, a huge part of the show's success, were all made in-house for CYGAMS.

Musically there is excellent choral singing, as well as the many superb solos; Musical Director, doing wonders in the tiny pit with a couple of keyboards, bass and a drum kit, is the legendary Bryan Cass.

Asparagus   Alex Bloom

Bombalurina   Eve French

Bustopher Jones   Edward Bonney

Demeter   Katie Salter  / Natasha Newton

Grizabella   Alice Masters

Jellylorum   Abby Murphy

Jemima   Charlotte Broad

Jennyanydots   Maria Caulfield

Mr Mistoffelees   Charlie Toland

Mungojerrie   Harry Gardner

Munkustrap   Samuel Wolstenholme

Old Deuteronomy   Ben Wilton

Quaxo    Wylie Queenan

Rumpleteazer   Jessica Higgins

Rum Tum Tugger   Jack Toland

Skimbleshanks   Paul French

Victoria   Claire Mason

Admetus   Millie Parsons

Cassandra   Monique Crisell

Electra   Libby Escott

Etcetera   Ellie Steel

Exotica   Olivia Herbert

Sillabub   Molly Gardner

Tantomile   Holly Escott

Alexa   Olivia Khattar

Anastasia   Isabel Sidebottom

Athena   Isabel Murphy

Perdita   Virginia Hampson

Plato   Matt Hedges

Tumblebrutus    Noah Miller

production photograph by Barrie White-Miller

SOMETHING TO SING AND DANCE ABOUT

SOMETHING TO SING AND DANCE ABOUT

Young Gen at the Civic Theatre

15.11.2014

A stage packed with young performers, singing, from memory, and dancing too. The confidence and the discipline they showed are a clue to the continuing success of CYGAMS, now celebrating forty-five years entertaining Chelmsford audiences.

This varied concert party began with their first ever show, Oliver: Consider Yourself splendidly done with some great characterizations and a bonus tap routine, and the showcase ended with a rousing One Day More. All directed by Jimmy Hooper, with choreography by Helen Millwood and Bryan Cass in charge of the music.

Opportunities to shine, and to gain invaluable performance experience, for members both seasoned and tyro. Often, as in the lovely arrangement of Over the Rainbow, roles were shared. Too many highlights to list, but standout work in the quartet for Somewhere, the cleverly staged “Loathing” from Wicked, both numbers from Miss Saigon, the massed forces for Seasons of Love.

Many challenges, too – not every number is easy to sell without the context of its show – none greater than the poetry and the complex scoring of Cats. Macavity and Memory both nicely done here, a foretaste of Young Gen's staging of the show in the Cramphorn next April. Already selling fast, I hear …

the image shows some of the cast in rehearsal

GREASE

GREASE

Chelmsford Young Generation at the Civic Theatre

08.04.2014

A retro feel to the styling and the staging: the austere brickwork of the school hall at Rydell High forms the backdrop to the whole story – the sleek Greased Lighting glides in through the double doors.

Costume and hair are also pleasingly redolent of those distant 50s.

Jeremy Tustin's production has some lovely touches: the grease monkey chorus, the baby-doll beauticians. The Prom Night duet is tellingly staged, and Doody [Charlie Toland] is given a backing trio and a gold jacket for his big number. And the huge cast – including some Junior High School kids – fills the wide stage in splendid Todd-AO. Lively dancing, with plenty of those tasteless and vulgar movements, and perhaps not enough of the inventiveness that brings a witty hint of Busby Berkeley to Beauty School Dropout.

Natasha Newton makes a convincingly “wholesome and pure” Sandy, with Henri de Lausun as her devoted Danny. A whole string of excellent performances in support, including audience favourite Jack Toland as goofball Eugene, Alice Catchpole as the omnivorous Jan, Monique Crisell as Frenchy and especially Tamara Anderson as the mature and cynical Rizzo. Her handling of Worse Things I Could Do is exemplary – insightful and crystal clear. Because in this show the words are always important, carrying the satire and the social comment behind the nostalgia and the dancing.

production photograph: Barrie White-Miller

JOSEPH AND THE AMAZING TECHNICOLOR DREAMCOAT

JOSEPH AND THE AMAZING TECHNICOLOR DREAMCOAT

CYGAMS at the Civic Theatre

13.11.13

Young Gen have been dying to do Joseph for years, and now their dream has come true, with a fresh young cast selling out their five-show run at the Civic Theatre.

It's an indestructible show, and over the years [I'm the same age as Lord Lloyd-Webber] I've enjoyed seeing the show grow from a simple cantata to the big bold spectacular it is today, happily discovering each new number as it was added to the score: the cowboys, the café, the calypso.

They're all there in this version of course, together with some impressive extended dance routines.

The cast includes dozens of youngsters, and some of the youngest are the chorus whom we meet first as schoolkids exploring Egypt with their pretty young teacher [Kathryn Peacock], who has a rainbow rucksack, and a dream of her own …

They're there, in nightwear, clutching candles, with Joseph in his cell, they get to reprise Any Dream, and they're back again, in coloured teeshirts, for the happy ending.

Jeremy Tustin's production is full of inventive touches: the coloured banners, Potiphar [James Bantock] and his toffs, plus the predatory Mrs P [Eve French], the Benjamin limbo for the Calypso, the flower-power psychedelic Act One finale, the vast coat of many colours as a final flourish. The French scene, and the cod Calypso, both excellently done; only One More Angel seems lacking in pastiche style, making the energetic hoe-down less effective than it might be.

Very much an ensemble show, with the brothers [and their womenfolk] working well together in the big numbers. But I was particularly impressed with Jack Toland's Simeon in Canaan Days, and with Jayden Booroff's Joseph – a warm stage presence and superbly realised renditions of the two keynote numbers. [MD Bryan Cass.]

A real treat to see Young Gen bring their trademark enthusiasm and discipline to this iconic show at last. Their unflagging Duracell energy is sustained right through the megamix finale, when, on opening night, the packed auditorium rose in tribute to the brothers, wives, dancers, choir, King, camel and ensemble packed onto the monumental ancient Egyptian set.

LES MISERABLES

LES MISERABLES

Chelmsford Young Generation at the Civic Theatre

14.11.12

Every show a sell-out; every show a standing ovation.

No surprise to those who know Young Gen's work, or who saw them man the barricades in 2006.

This new production is every bit the equal of that one – some of the cast lucky enough to be in both. And many of this company are making their final appearance with CYGAMS. Because, though it's easy to forget, this is a youth company, constantly renewing itself.

Ray Jeffery's direction achieves unbelievable professionalism, in a seamless show where music [Bryan Cass in charge] stage management [Dawn Lawton heading the team], costume, sound and light come together in a flawless whole. [The dockside brothel Lovely Ladies just one of many impressive stage pictures.]

And then of course there are the performers. Many of the huge cast are alternating roles, giving them more to learn, but giving more of the youngsters a chance to shine. So Henri de Lausun, for instance, is a student revolutionary some nights, a strongly sung Javert on others. [The boys' voices are commendably mature generally; Tom Tull's Javert is just as spine-tingling in "Stars".]

Most major characters are shared, and it is interesting to see different approaches to these iconic roles. So we enjoy Callum Crisell's dissolute, evil, baby-faced Thenardier, as well as Josh Butcher's priceless gawky, grimacing Master of the House - he is also the kindly Bishop in the Prologue. Two brilliant heroes: Sam Toland's assured, nuanced approach, or Chester Lawrence's more visceral Valjean, emotionally charged especially at the start.

The romantic Marius is shared between two experienced actors: Bart Lambert, passionate and direct, heartbreaking in A Little Fall of Rain, and Luke Higgins, a convincingly cerebral rebel, a touchingly contemplative survivor in the deserted café.

Though this is very much a company show, with the ensembles one of its great strengths, some performances do stand out [though there's not a single weak link in either cast]. Alice Masters makes a vulnerable Fantine, but knows how to sell a show-stopper. Sophie Walker has great presence as the feisty Eponine, one of the most complex characters in the piece. And Kathryn Peacock's Cosette has an attractive vocal style. As the hot-headed leader of the young revolutionaries, Andrew Steel gives an inspiringly impassioned performance, and Gavroche, youngest recruit to the cause, is a cheeky, confident Jackson Buckler, and not only in his spotlight moments.

The trio and quartet towards the end of Act One are both beautifully sung and staged, there's a poignant nobility to the staging of Empty Chairs, and the enormous forces are always thoughtfully deployed. Do You Hear The People Sing is built skilfully, both musically and visually; the conga exit from the Ballroom [the setting effectively suggested by a couple of swags and a lintel] and the whole company entrance for the rousing finale are perfectly timed.

What an achievement! Artistic excellence, full houses, a highlight of the year, I'm sure, for many of the audience, and for these factory girls, nuns, beggars, wedding guests and sewer rats, a memorable milestone in their performing career.

HONK

HONK

Chelmsford Young Generation

at the Cramphorn Theatre

17.04.12

This charming, often witty, Stiles and Drewe musical retells the slight moral tale of The Ugly Duckling.

Jeremy Tustin's economical production, with Bryan Cass as MD, made the most of the intimacy of the Cramphorn, and coaxed fine performances from his actors, right down to the tiny brood of just-hatched ducklings.

We are introduced to the duck pond and its denizens by Drake, well sung by a personable Sam Toland; his missus, a no-nonsense Northern Ida, was superbly characterized by Sophie Walker, the only member of the cast really to bring her role to fully believable life. That's not to say there weren't other very polished performances, from Bart Lambert, say, as Ugly, the Just William victim who turns into a very suave swan indeed, or Luke Higgins' predatory tomcat. I also liked the domesticated duo of Jade Flack and Alice Masters, Harry Brown's Barnacles and James Bantock's Greylag.

Some lovely production numbers – everyone an amphibian in Warts and All, an airborne squadron for Wild Goose Chase – loving design [the ducks on the living room wall] and costumes imaginative and not too literal made for a lively, colourful entertainment, which was also a valuable lesson in living with difference.

THE WIZ

THE WIZ

Chelmsford Young Generation at the Civic Theatre

15.11.11

Production values could hardly have been higher for Young Gen's visit to the land of Oz, this time in Soul Music mode for The Wiz, a Broadway smash of 1975. An impressive set – stairs and scaffolding, with the Big Green Apple at the apex – pyrotechnics galore, thrilling sounds from the pit, and of course the famous vitality of CYGAMS' young performers.

Some of the production numbers were outstanding: the stage filled with green people, the hoofing in “Bad News”, the revivalist “Believe”, the Munchkins on castors. Excellent chorus vocals too, right from the overture, and some big, bold characterizations: Oliver Fox's Tin Man [loved his dance], Luke Higgins' Scarecrow, and Bart Lambert's lovely cowardly Lion, though he had to work to get past the wig and the mask. Dorothy was performed with confidence and charm by Alice Masters, and the kitsch Wicked Witch, Evillene, by Constance Lawton. I also enjoyed Katie Pridige's Addaperle, the witch who couldn't do the magic, and Ben Maple's posh gatekeeper. And proving that there are no small parts, Harry Brown getting every possible ounce of value from the Messenger.

Much to enjoy in this alternative to Over the Rainbow. If there was a weakness, it was that the big numbers which punctuated the action often demanded a style and a spirit that even these talented youngsters found hard to emulate.

The show was directed by Jeremy Tustin, with Bryan Cass the Musical Director.


production photograph by Christopher Yorke-Edwards

WHISTLE DOWN THE WIND

Chelmsford Young Generation at the Cramphorn Theatre

14.04.11

The simple spirituality of Whistle Down The Wind seems closer to the Middle Ages than to our cynical, secular times. CYGAMS' moving production caught the era nicely, with attention to set-dressing detail, and some near-perfect performances.

Chiefly from the children, the “disciples” who trustingly accept a fugitive as their Saviour. Kathryn Peacock as Cathy, Monique Crisell as her sister Nan and Jack Toland as their cheeky little brother, all convinced us that they were raised in 50s Lancashire, and found a focused emotional energy that made their strange story unbelievably poignant. All the village children were well, and individually, characterized – a special mention to Jackson Buckler's wacky David Edwards.

The youngsters playing the grown-ups had a harder task, perhaps. I liked Sophie Walker's unworldly Miss Lodge, Alex Hilton's unchristian vicar and Sam Toland's bluff Dad. The enigmatic Man, who has the near impossible job of suggesting both Murderer and Messiah, was Luke Higgins, whose haunted, hurt look was just right – he shared the role with Bart Lambert.

The music, by Richard Taylor, makes huge demands on the young singers, but significantly enhances the mood of mystery and suspense. Excellently sung here by principals and chorus, with the score reduced to a couple of keyboards.

The ingenious set, though hard to shift, successfully suggested the spartan farm, and the ending – empty tomb rather than ignominious arrest – was effectively managed. I admired the clever programme design, too.

Whistle Down The Wind was directed by Ray Jeffery, with Bryan Cass the Musical Director.

Photograph by Christopher Yorke-Edwards

LITTLE SHOP OF HORRORS
CYGAMS at the Cramphorn Theatre Chelmsford 
24.04.10


“How does it grow, Grandad?”
The stuff of nightmares for some of the tinies in the matinée audience for Young Gen's terrific production of that grisly, twisted musical Little Shop of Horrors.


A great soundscape, a somewhat flat set, with the band at an upper window, took us down Skid Row, to watch a florist's fortunes revived by a strange and interesting plant, thirsty for human blood and world domination.


There's a boy meets girl plot in there too, struggling to get past the weirdness, as geeky, increasingly anaemic Seymour [ a superb characterization from Sam Pridige ] wins the heart
of leggy seedling Audrey, engagingly played in a girlish whisper by Annabel Bond. Her wistful yearning for Somewhere That's Green was a high point of a consistently stylish show.


Sam Toland put everything into the sadistic dentist, and Kevin Jarvis was a gravel-voiced Mushnik. Very watchable star cameos from a quick-changing Callum Crisell in Act Two, and an invisible Bart Lambert provided Audrey II [the man-eating flytrap] with a vivid vocal presence.


There were some lovely moments in Jeremy Tustin's production, - the newspapers, the faces at the window – and I especially admired the use of the urchins, and the talented backing group [Crystal, Ronette and company] whose fancy harmonies and cool dance moves were a constant delight.


production photo by Barrie White-Miller

PETER PAN

CYGAMS Summer School

at their Meteor Way HQ

01.08.09

This was Young Gen's 23rd

Summer School, an almost instant show which gives a large company a taste of the limelight, and two casts a chance to shine.

A week ago none of them knew which part they'd be playing. The lively, entertaining production we saw was achieved, unbelievably, in just five and a half days.

As director Ray Jeffery said, it's not just about learning theatre, it's about camaraderie and supporting each other.

The afternoon show went much more smoothly than anyone had the right to expect. Some of the lost boys [and girls] were only eight years old, for some this was their first proper show – a real baptism of fire.

Guy Sullivan characterised all his roles well, especially perhaps his Indian Chief, and Holly Escott made the most of Tinkerbell's wordless mime. Bart Lambert was a plummy Etonian Hook, swapping roles in the evening with his equally confident sidekick Starkey [Sam Toland]. Charlotte Broad brought poise and understanding to Wendy, and Catherine and Patrick Gray were the most convincing middle-class Edwardians. Henri de Lausun never missed a laugh as the non-conformist Smee.

Callum Crisell made Peter a somewhat troubled teen, but held the stage well and gave 110% to all his numbers.

Bryan Cass was the Musical Director, and this special adaptation of the 1954 classic was conceived and directed by Ray Jeffery.