‘The Freshers’ Showcase’ review
‘I left feeling entirely blown away by the sheer talent put on show this fateful Sunday, and this sentiment seems to have resonated with all who came to watch that night.’
I risk indulging in a personal bias when I write that the TDTC’s Freshers’ Showcase has been a staple and a highlight of The Assembly Rooms Theatre’s Michaelmas Term calendar. However, it gives me great pleasure to inform you that this year is no different; a new cohort of delightfully talented freshers has taken Durham University’s musical theatre scene by storm! Superbly directed by Misha Joshi (assisted by Rebekah Hart), this year’s showcase took the sold-out audience through a myriad of “mini-musicals”, tantalising us with bite-sized chunks from an array of musicals, but leaving behind a wonderful assortment of lingering tastes, ranging from the eerie and intense, to the fantastical, endearing, and even raunchy at times! In its entirety, this showcase was a joy to watch.
The showcase opens with a bang, using ‘The Whole “Being Dead” Thing’ from Beetlejuice to give a punchy first impression. Right off the bat, the audience is greeted with tight harmonies and dynamic choreography/blocking, as well as a charismatic Beetlejuice, courtesy of Michael Nevin. These are a testament to the hard work of musical director Ros Morgan and associate Beth Fairbairn (assisted by Zac Smith and Lucian Wang), and choreographer Charlie Holliday (assisted by Lucy Paget). The band - under Morgan’s direction - sounded full and well-rehearsed and accompanied the cast deftly, providing a strong sense of rhythm (impressively so as they did not have a drummer!). On the other hand, Holliday’s choreography did wonders for some of the evening’s repertoire, highlighting the magic between Lauren Chaplin and Michael Nevin in their duet ‘What You Mean To Me’ from Finding Neverland, and making ‘Brush Up Your Shakespeare’, Michael Nevin and Jobe Hart’s duet from Kiss Me Kate, a comedic masterclass (as well as a tap masterclass!). These duets were definite highlights of the showcase and aptly demonstrate the emotional and stylistic range which this cast and crew executed so beautifully.
That said, each and every member of the cast delivered such powerful performances, both as individuals, as well as in a tight ensemble. Erika Davenport gave a coy and fluttery rendition of ‘If I Were A Bell’ to help round up the showcase, but I thought that Davenport’s standout moment was in her embodiment of Carrie’s ruthlessly zealous mother in ‘And Eve Was Weak’, showing off her powerful alto belt and fantastic stage presence. In this same number, as well as her solo, Maggie Grace left all mouths agape as she continually stunned with her impressively clean belt and terrific vocal control. Even with demanding and relentless songs such as Carrie’s titular number, Grace blew us away throughout the evening, and so did her duet partner Talia Tobias who was given a mammoth task, in the form of Falsetto’s ‘I’m Breaking Down’. Here, Tobias gave us some immaculate characterisation and a personalised infusion, on top of vocal dexterity, having the audience hooked on every word and witty aside, laughing along but also feeling the angst and frustration she brought out of the song.
In the same vein of challenging songs to sing, Jed Godfrey tackles ‘The Confrontation’ from Jekyll & Hyde admirably, striking a brilliant distinction between the two characters by varying his vocal quality. He also tugs on our heartstrings as Whizzer and the temporary accompanist in ‘Unlikely Lovers’, with the help of three of his fellow castmates. Anna Pile handles ‘Dead Mom’ brilliantly, balancing out the consistently high belts with her beautiful tone. Conversely, Pile also has the audience in stitches in ‘What Do You Know About Love?’ from Frozen, matching the impeccable comedic time of her duet partner Jobe Hart, not to mention his stunning vibrato and jazz/soul-esque vocal inflections. Having mentioned his hilarious duet(s), one must also acknowledge Hart’s effective capture of the sincere and endearing side of ‘So In Love (Reprise)’ from Kiss Me Kate. Finally, congratulations must be afforded to Michael Nevin and Lauren Chaplin, some of whose highlights have already been mentioned, but Nevin’s Marvin in ‘Unlikely Lovers’ was suitably heart-wrenching and gorgeous to listen to, and Chaplin stunned throughout the evening, her voice oozing with ease and professionalism, delivering a performance of ‘Monster’ from Frozen that would have made Caissie Levy proud.
As a whole, the 2024 Freshers’ Showcase was a hit. Tim Millard and his production team must be given due recognition for the seemingly flawless operation of all things tech and sound. Although I would have liked to see more in the form of visual effects, such as dramatic lighting change to assist the character split in ‘The Confrontation’, everything was effective and smooth, and this allowed the performers on stage to shine. If I had any meaningful criticism, it is that the mini-musicals left me wanting more! Removed from their contexts, each set of songs occasionally left me somewhat unsure and craving something more substantial to sink my teeth into, and I felt that some of the cast members would have benefitted from a tad more breadth, with regards to the selection of repertoire. That said, I left feeling entirely blown away by the sheer talent put on show this fateful Sunday, and this sentiment seems to have resonated with all who came to watch that night. Bravo!
By Charles Moscrop.