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Clevedon Light Opera Club Juniors
Princes Hall
Clevedon
Saturday (Matinee)
16th September 2017
There is something about CLOC: there is a warmth of welcome and such a positive feeling to every visit I make to their splendid Princes Hall venue and that warmth also seems to pervade their shows. CLOC Juniors, their youth section is a great testament to the group’s commitment to the future of the Musical Theatre genre: great stuff in my point of view.
I saw a CLOC Juniors’ show last year and as is often the case with youth groups, many of the ‘leading lights’ had moved onwards and upwards, leaving a less experienced band to learn the ropes. Honk! is a great fun show, re-telling the traditional Ugly Duckling tale, with great opportunities for principals and ensemble to shine, packed with good music, tension and comedy: A great choice for CLOC Juniors. Last year’s show had the feel of a ‘work in progress’ so I was fascinated to see how the team had developed.
Even from the beginning of the opening number A Poultry Tale, it was clear that these performers were coming of age: Singing and dancing with confidence and ability on a very attractive set of Gary Newman’s design, attractively costumed by Alex Coghlan-Forbes, Jules Ashton and team, with Andy Hughes’ lighting enhancing the attractive ‘look’ were a group of young performers who were streets ahead of their previous outing. A year has made such a difference.
The production team had worked their magic well: Director Lynda Prescott pulled good, strong performances from her young cast, scene transitions were pretty slick too. Choreography from Emma Flaherty was full of originality and showed that hard work in the rehearsal room pays off. Musically, under MD Emmanuelle Hicks the show was strong too. The big, powerful band gave a tremendous sound but never drowned the singers. Sound quality, thanks to Graeme Renson was very good indeed.
The Ensemble performed well: group song and dance was an impressive part of the show. The principals impressed too: Isaac Lewis as Ugly was terrific – verging on professional quality at times; Kate Gilbert charmed as Ida and if her Northeastern accent wasn’t her own then it was especially clever and fit the role beautifully; Ollie Broderick’s Drake worked well; Brandon Headford’s Cat was slimily convincing; Amelia Treble and Bridie King were very funny as Maureen and Queenie and Des Coghlan-Forbes sparkled as Bullfrog. Time and space here stop me from listing the whole cast of named roles but quality and confidence shone from everyone. Suffice it to say that Liv, Ted, Olivia, Emily, Luke, Holly, Christian, Maisy, Maggie, Leila, Kayleigh, Caleb, Lilly, Daniel, Abi, Elliot, Emily, Ross, Vince, Aviva, Diesel, James, Pippa, Evie and Lauren should be very proud of themselves.
I cannot avoid mentioning two absolute stand-out performances: Isaac Lewis as Ugly looked great, sang very well and he can really dance; Des Coghlan-Forbes as Bullfrog simply shone. The combination of the two of them, along with the Chorus for Warts and All was amazing: great, synchronised tap, singing and comic timing for which far more seasoned performers would cheerfully sell their grannies.
Yes the show had a few less than perfect moments: a prompt or two, a couple of notes narrowly missed and a slight drag in pace during the second act but as a fun, sparkling piece of musical theatre entertainment it was just what the doctor ordered. CLOC Juniors are back on track and should be very pleased with themselves. I was entertained and impressed and can hardly wait for the next production.
Thanks for inviting me