How do you get a school full of boys approaching or relishing the advent and adventure that attends the bewildering and distracting period of early manhood?<\/p>\n
Just ask musical director Debbie Rose and director Jennifer Brown who pulled it off in some style with the ambitious production of “Smike<\/em>” at the Amey Theatre, Abingdon – with terrific ensemble work, poignant duets and solos that identified probable future stars, accompanied by the ragamuffin Y6 choir, all for one night only.<\/p>\n This musical adaptation of Nicholas Nickleby<\/em>, music and lyrics by Roger Holman and Simon May, is an inspired and brave choice, blending the original novel, a witty script, a brilliant mix of pathos and rumbustious ‘attitude’ in the 20 low-whispered to big high-tempo numbers and even a tricky time-shift, the whole working for children and adults alike, to their delight.<\/p>\n To capture and motivate the performances, Debbie’s band, a sextet that included APS old boys, drove the action along and had the astonished audience stamping and hollering alongside the cast led by Leo in the infectious Dotheboys Rock<\/em> number. Mention must also be made of the behind the scenes team that took on the stage management and technical roles that helped the production to run so smoothly.<\/p>\n Inevitably, the major singer-actors are the catalyst for the dual roles in Charles Dickens’ Dotheboys Hall – in Yorkshire, complete with rich regional accents – and the modern school. These larger-than-life characters were epitomised by the Squeers, Mr and Mrs, almost caricatures, played with verve and confidence by Hugo and Rupert. <\/p>\n Tom, as Smike (and the modern school’s Smeeton) achieved a superb balance between the roles and moved the audience in his demanding solos with outstanding emotion. Josef as Nickleby\/Nicholls was an effective straight man who carried the social message of the play with quiet assertiveness against the Squeers’ abusive regime. A bewigged Christopher convinced everyone with his articulacy as Florrie\/Miss Grant, and the other pupils and characters, played by boys from years 7 and 8 gave able support throughout. The year 6 choir played cat's cradle in the background and swelled the sound impressively in the group musical numbers.<\/p>\n Charles Dickens’ huge success with Oliver Twist<\/em> impressed on him and right across the land the huge influence social, political, and, yes, moral too he had brought about and Nicholas Nickleby<\/em> was a swift follow-up to exploit the opportunity for reform and this production precisely charts the consequent benefits of how we live now in 21st century.<\/p>\n The boys of Abingdon Preparatory School will have learned and, indeed, earned a real understanding of what it does and must mean to them in the future and their contribution is a testament to their head – no Squeers character he – and the teaching staff for a remarkable performance. Bravo to all involved. But for one night only? Ah, that’s show business boys!<\/p>\n Review by Alan Tull, edited by Jennifer Brown<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" 20 March 2018 How do you get a school full of boys approaching or relishing the advent and adventure that attends the…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":13807,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[60,65],"tags":[],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n