NODA REVIEW
what's next musical concert - 18th february 2023
Director – Paul Clements
Choreographer – Helen Wallis
Venue – Titchfield Festival Theatre, Titchfield
Type of production – Compilation
I always look forward to coming along to a Stage One show. Each time you astound me with your talents which always seem way beyond your years, and you give us a show that puts many adult groups to shame. For a first show in a new venue (Titchfield Festival Theatre) you looked remarkably at home, and the audience received a very warm welcome into this comfortable venue.
To call What’s Next a ‘concert’ would be to seriously undersell it. This was not just a sequence of everyone’s favourite songs, but a well-thought-out selection of refreshingly different pieces of music that were cleverly blended into a breath-taking and seamless showcase of the talents present in the group.
I am not going to pick out individuals because this was mainly an ensemble piece with very few solo numbers. Every single person on stage shone – you all sang or spoke, moved, tapped, danced, and played your instruments to perfection, and you all looked as though you were having the time of your lives.
With such enthusiasm bursting out from the stage, your audience could not fail to love everything you did – and I hope we showed our appreciation properly at the end! Had I not already been seeing another show in the evening, I would have stopped at the box office on the way out and booked to see it all again!
Apart from one or two costumes to enhance numbers, everyone wore their everyday clothes, which was just right. The lighting was well designed and enhanced the pictures created at the end of each number and, thanks to the head mics most people were wearing, a good sound balance was achieved between the singers and the quality soundtracks used. Continuing the theme of quality, the well-designed programme provided all we needed to know about the show and the company, as well as the touching messages from your supporters.
Director Paul Clements and Choreographer Helen Wallis, you have waved your magic wands and put together a spectacular showcase for the talents of not only the youngsters in the group but the people behind the scenes who made it happen. I loved the way that one number was seamlessly blended into the next, with performers lingering a little to see What’s Next? Choreography used every available space on the stage and was executed to perfection. I couldn’t believe what a short rehearsal time you’d had – everything flowed so smoothly and was done so well.
At the end of each act, you kindly gave us a little taste of your next two shows – I can’t wait, they promise to be exceptionally good! Huge WELL DONE to everyone.
Mark Donalds
NODA SE District 10 Representative