A credit to Darlington and the North East -
5 stars to everyone.
What promised to be an evening full of show tunes, great music
and stunning choreography most certainly didn't disappoint. Strictly
Musicals is a real mood lifter, guaranteed to banish any Autumn blues, make you
forget about the weather and fill you up with a feel good factor
which will last way past the final curtain.
On the build up to tonight's show I stated that this
would be THE water-cooler moment of the year - well, I apologise to any
employers right now because anyone who goes to see this 2 hour spectacular will
probably spend the whole of the next day at said cold beverage
dispenser. From the opening overture to the finale there isn't a
moment to draw breath with hit following hit following hit.
Huge ensemble numbers like the Les Mis, Rogers &
Hammerstein and Blood Brothers medleys are interspersed with intimate
melodies from Mack & Mable, Phantom and Evita;
new tunes from Matilda and Wicked balance perfectly with timeless classics
from Chicago and Sunset Boulevard; and the dance numbers from Fosse and Dancin'
are just mesmerising - in fact I think I spent the whole show in a state
of goosepimples. Heart warming and heart breaking in equal measure,
there's not a single number that fails to move you.
Solo stand out moments from tonight were; Hannah
Mundy as a hilarious good fairy singing "Popular"
from Wicked, Neil Harland explaining where the money went in
"Rollin' In" from Evita, Glyn Bigham's super
powerful performance of the title song from "Sunset Boulevard" ,
a beautiful "I could have danced all night" by Rebecca
Feary, and Beth Stobbart & Nicholas
Holmes with an emotionally charged "All I Ask of You" from
Phantom. As for the best group number, the Cell Block Tango, from
Chicago was stunningly choreographed and lit in such a deep vibrant red that it
made you feel quite guilty watching and a tad scared of the 6
murderesses. Joanne Mason, Angela Chapman, Selena Blain, Claire
Williams, Tina Davis and Zoe Kent give powerful, confident and
brilliantly acted performances worthy of any full production of the Fosse
penned blockbuster.
Joanne Hand (Director and Choreographer) has brought
together the very best that musical theatre has to offer, but rather than
simply present a selection box of songs she has produced a show with an
energy that flows throughout and a continuity which means it never feels
disjointed - truly a whole that is far greater than the sum of its parts.
Special mention to Michael Trotter as the
Musical Director who has assembled a wonderful orchestra, and to Gillian
Shevels, the DOS chairman, for whom Strictly Musicals is a show
to be very proud of.
Keep watching for more Strictly Musical blogs in the next few
days.
Strictly Musicals runs until the 2nd November with tickets
available from www.darlingtonoperaticsociety.org.uk
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