Musicals From the Movies
Northern Musical Theatre Orchestra
The Majestic Theatre Retford
Sunday 18 December 2022
Review Culture usually reserves its reviews for events happening in Lincolnshire, but every now and again we venture across the border with an invitation to Retford's wonderful, Majestic Theatre and it is always a pleasure and a privilege to do so. This is the third show we have reviewed there this year and we are never disappointed. The Northern Musical Theatre Orchestra, produced and conducted by the immensely talented Musical Director Brady Mould, were holding their annual Christmas show which comprised of an eclectic mix of sogs and music from movie musicals down the ages. A couple of other names need to be mentioned here. Assistant MD Pete Lack, Orchestrator Luciano Williams, and orchestra leader Sarah Bongiovanni all play integral roles in bringing this show to the stage, as does co-producer Bethany Nicholson. The Northern Musical Theatre Orchestra is a fabulous team effort and I never cease to marvel at the astonishing quality of the work produced.
After the 50-mile drive from Cleethorpes, I settled into my seat and was delighted to see that the group had managed to make use of my photos from their summer concert production of South Pacific in their programme. Its nice to see my work appreciated by those putting in so much effort to entertain others.
The show opened with the roar of the MGM lion, much to the surprise of many in the crowd who were not expecting it, some in the row behind us nearly leapt out of their seats, and as the baton was raised, the overture began. We were treated to snippets of familiar songs from shows we have loved on the big screen and each provided a warm, fuzzy sensation of familiarity as its notes rose. The 56-piece orchestra looked resplendent, sat on the stage with members of the ensemble occupying the boxes.
At it's conclusion, MC and renowned actor Ian Reddington, who will be familiar to many for his roles on both Eastenders and Coronation Street took to the stage and explained how the show would run, it would guide its audience through four distinct eras of film musicals. It began with a duet from the Fred Astaire musical Top Hat.
Featured performers Benjamin Durham and Joanna Pierce-Jones took to the stage and performed Irving Berlin's Let's Face The Music and Dance. Durham's rich deep baritone proved a perfect accompaniment to the lush orchestration and the sparkling performance by Pierce-Jones helped create a picture that was pure Hollywood. Both performers are relatively recent graduates and it is a privilege to witness such nascent talent in musical theatre as they begin their journey and we will, no doubt see more of them as their careers continue.
Next was the turn of the super-talented ensemble to perform The Trolley Song from Meet Me in St. Louis with a solo by Kirstie Passmore. To hear the blended vocals and harmonisation of the combined voices of the many many members of the ensemble was a tribute to the vocal direction provided by Pete Lack.
A musical interlude from the movie Guys and Dolls gave the singers some respite as the orchestra teased its next project - the concert version of Damon Runyon's classic tale of gambling and redemption immortalised on film with Sinatra and Brando. This was followed up by an unexpected gem as the NMTO performed Singin' In The Rain, accompanied by film footage and the vocal performance of Gene Kelly. It was a masterful use of technical expertise to co-ordinate the live music, the film footage and the isolated vocal track, and to have them all synch up before our very eyes.
Alice Croft returned to the stage to perform the Streisand classic Don't Rain On My Parade from Funny Girl and it was a virtuoso performance. Croft is an astonishing singer with fantastic vocal control and the power to blast even the back row of the circle as she effortlessly impressed. Her performance was breath-taking and an absolute joy.
If Croft was a hard act to follow, soloist Gary Mitchison made it look easy. He brought us the classic love song Maria from West Side Story. His presence and stillness as he sang was so powerful and helped sell every word to the audience. His silky tenor can handle anything the orchestra chooses to ask of him and it was a delight listening to his storytelling through song. As he sang Pure Imagination from Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory later, you could hear a pin drop, and every eye was fixed on him sat quietly on the steps at the side of the stage.
Each soloist had their moment to shine. Pierce-Jones impressed delivering Rizzo's tour-de-force from Grease with There Are Worse Things I Could Do. She infused it with emotion and believed every word she sang. It is no suprise that she won the Connie Fisher Award during her training at Mountview, she seems an absolute natural on stage and musical theatre is her domain. She also gave a spirited performances of The Lusty Month of May from Camelot and in Act 2 There She Goes from Fame.
It was in his performance of Out There from Disney's The Hunchback of Notre Dame that Benjamin Durham really shone delivering an emphatic, impressive performance that will stay with me and he clearly enjoyed his duet from Hairspray in Act Two with Joanna as well. His voice seems so well-suited to the classic musicals of yesteryear I hope to see more of Durham in future concerts with the NTMO.
What more can I say about Alice Croft? She gives every song her every molecule of effort. Musical theatre seems designed for her, rather than vice versa. Whether it was singing the iconic Cabaret made famous by Liza Minelli or duetting on Suddenly Seymour with the effortlessly, perfect Gary Mitchison as Seymour, from Little Shop of Horrors, I hung on her performance and was never disappointed. She has bags of charisma and can sell the biggest of songs. The audience love her and rightly so.
The concert concluded with a medley of nine Christmas carols in six minutes and once again the ensemble took their opportunity to shine. The clarity and diction of the singers was fabulous, and they thoroughly enjoyed every phrase and every harmony. It was the perfect end to a wonderful concert.
The orchestra is now officially celebrating its fifth birthday, long may it continue to enjoy its birthdays at this beautiful theatre run and sustained by a team of immensely hard-working volunteers. This was a wonderful evening and I look forward to returning to review more work here in 2023.
Andy Evans 19 December 2022.