Woodseats Goes To The Movies - 25th to 28th May 2011 - Dronfield Civic Hall
| Sheffield Star Review - Friday 27 May 2011 |
| The show opened with Richard Carlin’s confident showman voice singing Movies Were Movies from Mack and Mabel. There was accomplished accompaniment throughout from live piano, guitar and drums. We were then introduced to the Company singing Hooray for Hollywood. The men were dashing in their tuxedos and the ladies wore beautiful ball gowns. |
| Woodseats have some terrific individual performers. Kate Mitchell has the perfect voice for her rendition of Doris Day’s Ten Cents a Dance from Love Me or Leave Me. Jill Beckett also shines singing You Can’t Stop the Beat from Hairspray, along with an exuberant chorus singing and dancing with choreography by Hayley Twigg. Jill also sings What a Feeling from Flashdance and we are treated to a virtuoso solo dance routine from Aggie Gryszel who also assisted in the choreography. Tony Gallager shows off his comedy skills with a couple of great duet ditties. A bad memory in I Remember It Well with Elizabeth Williams and champagne in Well Did You Evah!, with Richard Carlin, causing the humour. Director Mary Newey’s attention to detail is pleasing. Ian Bell mimics the iconic James Bond firing into the movie audience as he is lit up by stage lighting. James Langley wears a white officer’s uniform for Up Where We Belong from An Officer and a Gentleman. |
| Most of all the cast look as though they are enjoying themselves. The Company singing The Rhythm Of Life from Sweet Charity for example was powerful thanks to their immense enthusiasm. |
| Stephen Grigg |
| Derbyshire Times Review - Thursday 2 June 2011 |
| Putting on the glitz! |
| Glittery gowns,evening suits and the paparazzi snapping away as the gem-laden guests arrived. When musical theatre lovers decide to put on a show, they go to town – with an Academy Award-winning production. The premiere of Woodseats Goes to the Movies clicked with the audience in a show which shone with the sparkle and style of Hollywood greats. Dronfield Civic Hall's stage was transformed into a movie set with a glittery backdrop, star-spangled steps and black and white film strips framing the performance arena on either side. An inspired use of the auditorium saw several entertainers arrive through the same door as the spectators or use the central aisle between seats to whip up the audience into a singing, clapping frenzy. Mark Harris acted as the continuity man, narrating the journey through hit movies in which he highlighted the big players and action heroes. He even waved a fake Oscar as he gave a saccharine-laden and highly amusing acceptance speech. Shades of a movie in development saw a less than glamorous start as a caretaker swept the stage then ushered the first performer on to the stage by torchlight. But this was all part of building up to the big show as the Company's A-list singer Richard Carlin set the bar high with an excellent rendition of Movies Were Movies from Mack and Mabel. From then on, it was lights, camera, action all the way through 35 songs, several of which were accompanied by tap, ballet and freestyle dancing. Everyone has their favourite films and there were plenty of outstanding performances in this show. Kate Mitchell's wonderful delivery of Ten Cents A Dance, James Langley's powerful rendition of The Music of the Night and Jill Beckett’s knockout singing of What A Feeling, the latter accompanied by athletic freestyle dancing from assistant choreographer Aggie Gryszel, were personal highlights. Like an anxious film director on premiere night, society chairman and show chief Mary Newey watched her troupe like a hawk, at one point retrieving a top hat which flew out of the hand of a dancer and off the stage. Presented by Woodseats Musical Theatre Company, the show ran from Thursday to Saturday last week. The company return to Dronfield next year to stage The Boyfriend from May 30 to June 2. To book tickets, call (01246) 290499. |
| Gay Bolton |
