DISCO INFERNO
Performed at Luton Library Theatre - November 2006
Yet another triumph for CSYMT! Stuart Farrar and his 40-plus cast of youngsters put on yet another show to be proud of.
Admittedly, the story was pretty thin, but the show was carried along by the wonderful songs and the sheer exuberance of this talented cast. Unfortunately, I had to attend on the first night, and there were a few technical hitches, particularly in the second act, but overall it did not detract too much from the general standard of the show, and the performers carried it all through, and were not fazed by it.
The lighting was fantastic, all flashing lights and loads of colours, contributing to the lively feel of the piece. I bet Dave Houghton and his crew had a great time with this one. The static set was just right, although I did feel that when the chorus was not on stage it looked slightly empty and might have benefited from a few more props.
The costumes were all in keeping with the period and were generally colourful. Simon Tabert's band was a good balance, and not overloud, so it didn't overwhelm the performers - not easy in such a confined space. The use of backing singers off-stage was also a good idea, although at times they were a little too loud for the on-stage singers. Lynda Haxell's choreography was well though out and suited the music.
Now, to the performers. I was again astounded by the variety and high standard of the talent shown to us all by the cast. It is so heartening to see young people prepared to give their time and effort to entertain us all. I would have liked to hear a bit more projection from some performers, especially in the lib, as some of it was hard to hear.
I loved Declan Perring. He is such a good comedy actor and we remarked at the interval that he has that element which can't be taught - timing. Declan kept in character the whole way through, even when he wasn't the centre of attention, but was also able to show that he has a good singing voice.
Rachel McDermott as his girlfriend rose to the occasion with a good comedy performance, and a strong tuneful singing voice. Luke Storey suffered a bit from the sound problems mentioned before, but gave a suitably energetic performance as the DJ. Peter Eldridge gave a good, believable performance and sang with energy and conviction. I liked the interaction between him and Megan Farrar as his rather brittle girlfriend. The more adult tensions were there which created a good foil to the slightly younger characters' relationships.
Nicky Edwards has a super voice, and I really liked his take on Sorry Seems To Be The Hardest Word, but I would have liked to have seen a little more 'behind the eyes' in his emotionally-charged scenes with his female love interest, Elizabeth Welsh. This young lady shone, excellent projection in her lib and her rendition of I Will Survive was a show stopper. I was also impressed with Hayley Thompson's gutsy rendition of Hot Stuff, a real talent here as well.
As you can tell, I greatly enjoyed the show, and the fact that Peter Eldridge and Elizabeth Welsh took over their parts only a couple of weeks prior to performance, shows how hard they, Mr Farrar and the cast worked to put on a cracking show for us to enjoy. Well done to all.
Nova Horley