‘Merry DUMT-mas’ review
‘a fantastic first show for the new DUMT troupe’
As a busy first term draws to a close, Durham University’s Musical Theatre Troupe (DUMT) welcomed us to the Music Department for a short concert with their new troupe, in delightfully festive style. With a variety of solos, duets, small groups, and full-troupe numbers, Co-ordinator Hannah Sheppard, with assistants Jacob Vellucci and Misha Joshi, and Musical Director Dan Hicks have compiled a joyful set that continually provides both laugh-out-loud and tender moments.
Four troupe members took to the stage alone. Lucy Atkinson astounded with her performance of ‘Edelweiss’, displaying an astonishing command of tone and beautiful vibrato. When Dan Hicks (from behind the piano) joined in harmony, a tear almost escaped my eye! Damola Amusa had the whole crowd in stitches with his singing of ‘Never Fall in Love with an Elf’ in falsetto - a testament to his comedic timing and stunning alto voice.
Charlie Moscrop and Charlie Holliday also impressed with their respective songs ‘Bring Him Home’ and ‘Once Upon a December’; Moscrop boasted a stunning falsetto and great breath control in his fantastic rendition of the notoriously difficult Les Miserables song, whilst Holliday left the audience moved with her subtle emotion, powerful belt, and lovely tonal shifts.
Amongst the small-group numbers, George Cass and Charlotte Field’s hilarious gender-swapping of ‘Baby It’s Cold Outside’ - with Cass taking on the traditionally female part in head voice and Field taking advantage of her astonishing range by singing down the octave - and Charlotte Dixon and Charlie Moscrop’s rendition of ‘Love is an Open Door’ were comedic highlights. Although they struggled at times to avoid corpsing in the former, it didn’t take away from the hilarity.
In another vein, Michael Bublé’s ‘Jingle Bells’, with George Cass on lead vocals, highlighted the technical skill of the group, with Charlotte Dixon, Charlotte Field, and Connie Richardson delivering a delightfully crunchy three-part harmony. Similarly, Damola Amusa and Isabelle Evans’ ‘Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas’ was supremely heartwarming, and the mutual understanding between the singers was evident.
The largest of the small-group numbers, ‘Silent Night’ - sung by Jo Price, Charlie Moscrop, Harry Allderidge, Talia Tobias, Al Palmer, and Charlie Holliday - was another lovely piece thanks to the harmonious blend of their voices.
The full-troupe numbers injected some great vitality throughout the showcase: Jo Price led ‘Sparkle Jolly Twinkle Jingly’ with great aplomb and the rest of the cast is suitably energised (Michael Nevin, the final troupe member, delivering some great comedic relief here, in particular); the Muppets’ ‘It Feels Like Christmas’ was likewise fantastic with some cute choreography and nice harmonies.
My only criticism would be that, at times, there was some uncertainty on harmonies and lyrics, particularly in the group numbers. Fortunately, given the talent on show, the troupe were able to tackle this sufficiently, and it never detracted from the overall quality of the concert.
In summary, then, ‘Merry DUMT-mas’ was a fantastic first show for the new DUMT troupe, and both an indicator of the quality we have come to expect from such a talented group of individuals, and an aptly festive end to the first term.
By Ollie Cochran.