Act Reviews 2024 / 2025 Season

Play 4: On Tour Theme – On Tour Written by Bella Bunting Directed by Leo Husband The idea of this play was that a rock star, in the mould of Taylor Swift, played by Evie Etches is arrogant, demanding and lacks any talent. The talented singer is her wardrobe mistress, played by Erin Kay, who dubs her voice. For those who are unsure that this really happens, I assure you that it does at times. Do look up the talented Marni Nixon who made a career of doing this for the likes of Audrey Hepburn. Eventually, the truth comes out. Again, during the play there was audience participation. I would suggest having a read of the above when similar was used in an earlier play. If you are bringing people onto stage thought needs to go into their role and how do you finish that section without them looking lost and unsure of what they are to do or go. Part of directing is about looking at the staging area and being able to use the space creatively. Leo Husband had done this. While most action was on the main staging area, he did use one of the side stages to place the clothes rail and give a platform for Erin to sing. Erin sang beautifully and Evie did a great job of lip-synching the words, it was quite mesmerising. In this theatre, due to sight lines the smaller staging areas need to be used sparingly and for brief periods. As these plays were 10-15 minutes in length there were some other acts. There was a solo performance by Alexa Mottershead who confidently sang “A Little Bit Naughty” from “Matilda”. This was an impressive performance, at the age of 7 there was so much stage presence and confidence. I look forward to seeing this young performer in future productions. Equally confident was Erin Bradbury, who had been given 5 days to choreograph a dance routine. There was also a lovely duet from Max France and Libby Hall who sang a number from “The Greatest Showman”. Although there was constant adult supervision throughout the week. The adults were strictly informed to not get involved in the writing and creating of the plays. I was pleased to see that these performers did show a level of restraint that is needed so that productions are meaningful and enjoyable. Thank you for the invitation and I will see a lot of you during the pantomime season…. Oh yes I will!

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