South College Performing Arts showcase review
‘The entirety of South College Performing Arts Showcase should be immensely proud.’
Bombastic, bold, and bloody fantastic! South College Performing Arts Showcase leads the audience “Through the Decades” in song, dance, and smiles. Great credit must be appreciated to the whole cast, crew, and creative team. Given the great range on talent on display, Production Manager Maisie James’s organisation and determination is evident, and cultivated a stellar night of theatre. Compèring the performance, Ben Mitchell introduces each act with audience winning charisma, and fearlessness to become part of the acts themselves!
Oswald’s Players burst back onto the stage once more with theatrical prowess, accompanied by South College Music Society creating glorious atmosphere, with South College Dance Society and Comets Cheer presenting a goliath of skill.
The opening act of ‘Cell Block Tango’ from Chicago started the show as it meant to go on and caused me to grin from ear to ear. The tight choreography and vocals set the bar high, with it continuing to rise throughout the night.
Emily Stewart’s solo song of ‘Maybe This Time’ from Cabaret was especially moving. Great vocals and emotive preforming portrayed the character of Sally Bowles expertly. A moment to note in this act was where an unfortunate incident of a cable catching on a stage curtain caused the microphone to fall to the floor. “Oh no, disaster!”, I hear you cry – Not for this showcase! In a moment of synchronicity between cast and crew, the tech and stage team seamlessly fixed what might haunt some company’s dreams, and Stewart resumed unnerved. In an occurrence which could have caused chaos, South’s team spun into a demonstration of professionalism.
The Showcase’s drama and play excerpts were cleverly chosen, not shying away from scenes of poignant weight, such as A Streetcar Named Desire, and embracing and enhancing performances of natural humour, especially displayed from Dad’s Army. Act 1 also displayed the talents of band members Isaac Organ, Izaak Gilbert, and Omid Kiannejad with an iconic rendition of ‘Take Five’ by Dave Brubeck; a piece which again emphasised the great talent of this showcase with its unique time signature.
Act one finalised with a showstopping number from The Rocky Horror Show: ‘The Time Warp’ – A performance which, with its iconic reputation, received well-earned applause. From the costuming to the lighting, to the fantastic choreography, this piece held nothing back.
Comets Cheer hooked attention in introducing act two with ‘Holding Out For A Hero’. A fun, fast segment, which, with their sparkly pom-poms and masks, quite literally dazzled the audience, raising the bar yet again in this show! Credit to Emily Stewart for choreographing this wonderful piece! Following Comets exciting act, Fred Walmsley’s solo excerpt from the play 1984, based off George Orwell’s book of the same name, grounded the visitors of the Mount Oswald Hub in their seats with a chilling portrayal of O’Brien. The subtle mannerisms in Walmsley’s performance illustrated the antagonist spectacularly and held the audience in the palm of their hand. The gripping calibre of this performance was extended in ‘Candy Store’ from Heathers, with Beth Cameron characterising the merciless ferocity of Heather Chandler, and Elize Collins and Natasha Holding portraying the loyalty and ambitions of Heathers McNamara and Duke.
A standout performance for me was Abbie Wells in their rendition of ‘The Ballad of Jane Doe’ from Ride the Cyclone. Wells was a musical powerhouse, whose vocals quite literally caused me to disassociate in their roof-raising presence. If riding a cyclone wouldn’t make you feel like you were defying gravity, this would! Talking of defying gravity – Yasmin Daniel deserves astounding praise for their incredible pole dance to ‘S&M’ by Rihanna, an act which displayed great precision, strength, and endurance in their routine. Credit also to the stage-hand team for this segment, with their quick and organised assembling work creating a seamless transition from the previous set and preparing the stage for Lulu Dodds’ excerpt of Fleabag; which, speaking as a fan of the source material, I found to be a fantastic execution, nailing the flashes between vulnerability and dark comedy.
Providing the show with a glorious send-off was ‘Backstage Romance’ from Moulin Rouge, an act which tied the skills and talents of the former acts into a wonderful conclusion. With such a high bar to reach given the feats achieved throughout the night, every person in this set, on and off stage gave everything to this, producing amazing results. The entirety of South College Performing Arts Showcase should be immensely proud.
This show was a testament to the creative talent at South. Clearly, something special is forged at these societies, with likely more to come.
By Lottie Goldthorpe.