NODA (National
Operatic & Dramatic Association) Report.
TWICKENHAM OPERATIC SOCIETY (TOPS)
“GODSPELL”
10 May 2009
The Live Room, Twickenham Rugby Stadium
Reviewed by - Stephen Macvicar
Thank you very
much for inviting me to Twickenham Operatic Society’s
production of Stephen Schwartz “Godspell” recently at The
Live Room, Twickenham. Thanks also to Jenny Mundy for making
the ticket arrangements.
Brief Synopsis
Godspell is a
fun, modern day retelling of the New Testament parables from
The Gospel According to Matthew. The show is at times
comedic and at times sentimental.
Godspell
embraces the 21st century and is one of the longest-running
Off-Broadway musicals of all time.
Godspell
uses
improvisation and contemporary themes to illustrate the
parables, bringing these lessons to life through the grand
tradition of story theatre. The show features an
exhilarating score by composer/lyricist and legend Stephen
Schwartz
(Wicked, Pippin, The Baker's Wife, Children of Eden)
filled with recognisable songs, including the international
hit "Day by Day." Overflowing with irrepressible energy,
this classic favourite appeals to today's audience with a
message of tolerance, kindness, and hope that resonates just
as deeply as the music.
When I arrived at The Live
Room within Twickenham Rugby Stadium, I didn’t really know
what to expect. This was a change of style and direction for
TOPS in terms of venue and choice of show and I was
interested to find out how they would address these changes.
I have to say, that TOPS took to the Live Room like ducks to
water and the entire society rose to the challenge.
There is a synergy between
the RFU and TOPS and the two organisations work very well
together. The RFU promote arts and excellence in the
locality and TOPS produce a consistently high standard of
musical productions. This goodwill collaboration enticed
TOPS away from Richmond Theatre on this occasion to be the
first theatrical production at this brand new facility.
The venue itself is a 400
seat versatile space within which TOPS chose to purpose
build their own stage and bring in masking cloths and
additional lighting and sound rigs. From what I can gather
the staff at the RFU couldn’t have been more helpful or
accommodating to their guests. It’s not often you have a
team of burly security guards to bolster your front of house
team.
The production itself was a
feast on the eyes and ears. It had a ‘youngset’ feel in
terms of colour, energy and vibrancy. The costumes were
simple but effective with a nice variety of coloured
t-shirts and blouses. Character costumes where necessary
were impressive and it was a nice touch symbolically to have
Jesus in white and Judas in black. Despite this being a
brand new venue, there didn’t appear to be any technical
teething difficulties. The lighting plot was excellent –
barely a lightbulb was unused and the sound team made use of
personal and handheld mics alike. The sound balance was
absolutely fine where I was sitting and there was no
feedback. Well done to the technical and stage crews.
The cast of characters is
largely made up of the ensemble and this gave the talented
society stalwarts their chance to shine centre stage under
the spotlight. It was really encouraging and pleasing to see
individuals who, simply because there are never enough parts
to go around (especially for women), were able to flourish
in the limelight. It was also nice to see an influx of new
and in some cases returning performers enhancing the
society. Godspell is a musical that can be performed in many
ways but what I liked about this production was that age was
not a factor or a barrier at either end of the spectrum. It
was a strong ensemble production and the variance in age
groups actually complemented each other to create a family
feeling.
My overall impression of
the show was very positive. Some thought had gone into the
planning and the choice of show. With a new venue, it is a
good idea not to be too heavily reliant on set or technical
issues but to keep it simple. It was a good choice of show
and there was certainly a strong enthusiasm and feel-good
factor both behind and in front of the stage. Production
numbers built nicely and the harmonies in a few numbers were
evident. The quieter, more sombre moments, especially
towards the end of the show, were treated with a precision
of emotion, which was tangible. Congratulations for this
must go to your redoubtable Production Team of Gill Wade,
Babette Langford and Dave Roberts who collectively should be
very proud of their efforts and the final product. I would
like to afford a special mention too, for an excellent band.
There are too many named
principals to comment on individually and this was a true
ensemble production but I have written a few notes on some
of the lead principals who all had challenging parts;
Jesus – Paul Lyons –
Godspell is supposed to be a modern version of the familiar
story around Jesus and the parables. Paul successfully
refreshed the Jesus character to a more modern era and while
this modern slant may not be everybody’s idea of a Jesus
character, it is very much suitable and relevant to this
version of the story. Paul’s strong vocals were evident and
he brought excellent light and shade to his depiction
Judas – Peter Beaven – I
always enjoy Peter’s unique and slightly ‘off-the-wall’
interpretation of characters. This performance was no
different and as well as providing many humorous moments,
his vocals were a treat. Never better than in ‘Prepare Ye’
Bee
Wilkinson – I have heard Bee sing before of course but never
this style of music. Bee was ‘glowing’ and her soulful
voice, in my opinion, has never been better than it was in
this production
Fay
Ellingham – I have always enjoyed watching and appearing
alongside Fay on stage. She was born to sing ‘Day by Day’
and her elegance and aura are just a joy to watch and be
around
Claire
Fee – Claire has a lively and bubbly stage disposition. I
enjoyed her performance as the temptress and looking forward
to seeing her in future productions
Toby
Thorp – Toby was one of the individuals that I referred to
earlier, in that Toby hasn’t played a lead principal part
for the society to my knowledge but it was very pleasing to
see that he is very capable of doing so
Tower
of Babel singers – very, very tough scene to do and is
normally cut as most societies won’t dare tackle it. It is
to TOPS credit that they did and all the voices – Bee,
Frances, Matt, Fay, Sweep, Simon, Zoe and Toby came through
confidently and strongly – and the scene looked great as did
the performers in their cloaks
There
were some lovely cameos amongst the ensemble and indeed some
lovely voices coming through to back up your main
principals.
The A5 souvenir programme
had an excellent layout and there was plenty of interesting
society reading to be done. I would recommend that the
society enters their programme for the NODA competitions. At
the very least you will get from feedback from a committee
who have seen a lot of programmes. Short biogs and
especially photographs are always very welcome as it shows
the relevant experience and growth of performers. The
photographs and group vignettes were excellent.
Once again thank you for
inviting me to The Live Room and best wishes for your next
production.
Kindest Regards'
Stephen Macvicar
NODA
Rep: London Area 3
|
