noun; alter ego - a person's secondary or
alternative personality
Look back through history and very best super heroes all had
alter egos - Clark Kent was Superman, Peter Parker was Spiderman, Diana Prince
was Wonder Woman and Eric Wimp was Bananaman. In Strictly Musicals we are
treated to performances from some of the society's young superheroes and get to
glimpse both sides of their performing personae.
Mark Lamb, in his first DarlingtonOS performance
provides the gritty and menacing opening to "Tonight" from West
Side Story - explaining that "the Jets are gonna have their day,
tonight" he is totally believable as a gang leader ready to tear up the
town. Coping admirably with the difficulty of this piece (this song is
notable for its prominent perfect fourth intervals and pentatonic scale) Mark
gives a stirring demonstration of the concentration needed to maintain his
piece in a 5 way ensemble. Flip that to his duet with the delightful and
perfectly cast Hannah Lambell in Disney's "Can you
feel the love tonight" and we see Mark's alter ego - soft & smooth
harmonies and a vulnerability which draws on the audience heartstrings.
Another couple who too have "split personalities"
are Chloe Dargue and Jason Slater.
Chloe might be a little bundle of energy and fun, but she fills the stage with
presence and draws eyes towards her regardless of the part she is
playing. In Matilda she is the epitome of a 5 year old girl;
pouting, sassy, stroppy and desperate to be older than she is (and with two daughters
of my own boy do I remember what 5 year old girls are like).
Likewise in the Disney medley Chloe bounces round the stage with youthful
exuberance which has only gotten more with each show. Exit stage left
innocent Chloe and enter stage right sexy, sultry and slightly dangerous
Chloe. As a dancer she has moves that are hypnotic and hips that could
give you whiplash.
Jason has the unique position in the show of becoming just
what he is looking for - in the Rogers & Hammerstein medley
he bemoans the lack of 'dames' in his deep rich baritone voice (which
is like molten chocolate) as the guys collectively extol their virtues 'South
Pacific' style. In the Disney montage he takes a step further
and is encouraged by the gang to "Kiss the Girl".
By the time the Hairspray finale comes alive he has obviously decided the best
way to get a girl is to become one - as Edna Turnblad he gives a hilarious
glimpse into his Christmas ham loving, "I don't give a damn" mama.
Continuing with the 'second selfs', Zoe Kent proves
that strong acting is required just as much as singing for musical
theatre. In the Cell Block Tango she has all the sinister woman-scorned
anger you'd expect from a murderess but keeps it bubbling just under the
surface, making it all the more threatening. Then, mid way through the
second act she joins with Debbie Barrigan and Samantha
Morrison as Alex, Jane & Sukie in the soul-searching,
childhood reminiscing "I Wish I May" with some of the most moving
harmonies in musical theatre.
Our final pair of dichotomic duals are Ben Connor
and Zoe Birkbeck. Ben has a wonderful comedic
quality which he delivers perfectly as Will Parker, explaining that
'Everything's up to date in Kansas City' in a real Mid-American
twang (especially when praising the new fangled ray-dee-ay-tors).
Zoe is a true Gemini, twins in one person - in Matilda she sings
with a childlike voice (reminiscent of Bonnie Langford as Violet
Elizabeth Bott-sorry, that's showing my age) full of attitude and
stubbornness , but when she and Ben join together for 'Solo
Saxophone' from Miss Saigon the hairs stand up, the goose pimples rise and the
heart beats faster - the chemistry is almost palpable and you can hear the
audience holding their collective breath. She is a brilliant example
of everything that is great about DarlingtonOS - an obvious enjoyment of
performing, a genuine love for the audience and a smile that lights
up the stage wherever she stands.
So, whilst there are almost 50 stars on stage through
each performance of Strictly Musicals, there are really over 100 star
performances. How lucky we are !
Strictly Musicals comes to a close tomorrow
night - Saturday 2nd November - but there are still a few tickets left - call
the ticket hotline on 01325 486555.
ALSO - For One Night Only - Darlington Operatic Society will
perform Strictly Musicals for the Mayor's Gala - Saturday January 18th 2014 at
the wonderful Darlington Civic Theatre. Tickets available from the Box
Office or via 01325 486555.
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