Elf - The Musical Review, November 2021, Jane Lewis

What a wonderful start to the Christmas season! Every single member of the cast gave a high-energy and excellent performance.

The costumes and choreography were inspired and overall created a wonderful production. Christmas hats off to the cast and crew! A fabulous cameo performance from the hot dog vendor can’t go unmentioned!

The audience thoroughly enjoyed every single minute and f anyone was wavering in their belief of Santa before the show, they were completely SparkleJollyTwinkleJingley when the left!

Jane Lewis

We perform "From Now On" from The Greatest Showman

Lockdowns and social distancing measures have been part of our daily lives for longer than any of us perhaps imagined - our last production in November 2019 feels like an awfully long time ago! With the prospect of life returning to a ‘new normal’, we have come together again virtually to sing our hearts out in From Now On - a powerhouse anthem that looks forward to better times ahead.

Originally from The Greatest Showman, From Now On (Pasek & Paul) is performed at the moment in the film when P.T. Barnum and his company are at their lowest, having have lost everything when his museum was razed to the ground by fire.

As we actively prepare to start rehearsals for our Autumn 2021 production, it seemed a perfect choice to create our own version of From Now On, again with our great friend Jonathan Eiø at the helm.

“From now on, These eyes will not be blinded by the lights
From now on, What’s waited ‘til tomorrow starts tonight
Tonight”

— From Now On Lyrics

Click to watch From Now On on YouTube

Credits to RHJ Entertainment who musically directed, mixed and produced our From Now On video:

https://twitter.com/RHJEnts

https://www.instagram.com/rhjents

https://www.facebook.com/rhjents

WE’RE COMING HOME!

Elf – The Musical
9 – 13 Nov 2021

Plans for auditions and rehearsals are underway for our return to the Haymarket in November 2021 with Elf – The Musical.

It will be feast for the eyes and ears for whole family! Watch out for updates in the coming months. We very much hope that you’ll be able to join us when we return ‘home’.

We perform "True Colours" in aid of Spotlight UK

Covid. Lockdowns. Theatres closed for over a year. Having re-scheduled our productions we are longing to back onstage with our friends and entertain you. We are honoured to have worked with Spotlight UK to co-create a campaign video that reflects mental health challenges faced by young people.

Louisa Riley, founder of the charity’s ‘Body Positivity Campaign’ approached us with the idea. She’d seen our first fundraising video that we did in lockdown (You Will Be Found) and asked if we would work with her on a campaign to tell her story and mark Mental Health Awareness Week (10-16 May 2021).

Louisa has struggled with her own mental health for years and often faced problems getting the vital support that she needed. Through this video, she wanted to use the trauma from her own past to help others.

We are proud to have worked on this project, whilst doing something that we love, performing!

Please share this powerful video and make a donation to help Spotlight provide vital services to help people like Louisa.

Introducing True Colours. 🌈

“For anyone who is walking a terrifying lonely path. I want to reach out and remind them that no matter how far gone they believe they are or how lonely they feel that I am listening. This campaign pulled me out of that treacherous place, and I realised that I needed to use my hurt, my trauma, and my damage to make a difference.”

— Louisa Riley

Watch the True Colours video

About Spotlight

Spotlight UK provides mental health support to young people by building confidence, self-esteem and resilience.  Activities include mentoring, counselling, their sports academy, dance classes, Youth Social Action Support and mentoring in schools, as well as other services across Basingstoke, Reading, Newbury, Hart and Rushmoor and Portsmouth.

Spotlight UK Registered Charity Number: 1129258

We perform “You Will Be Found” from Dear Evan Hansen in aid of Spotlight UK

**Updated - 8 February 2021. Thanks for helping us raise £677. A fantastic result!**

We’ve really missed performing this year, hopefully as much as you have missed coming to see us in action! Before the year comes to an end, we got together virtually to record “You Will Be Found” from Dear Evan Hansen, by Benj Pasek and Justin Paul.

We felt the lyrics really captured the mood of the unprecedented challenges faced by many worldwide this year. Certainly, getting back together to rehearse gave our mental health a much needed boost!

Help us raise funds for local charity Spotlight UK
This virtual performance is helping to raise funds for Spotlight UK - a Basingstoke and Berkshire-based charity that helps vulnerable and disadvantaged people to improve their quality of life and future. A message at the end of the video explains a little more about their valuable work.

Any amount you can spare, large or small, will be greatly appreciated!
DONATE ONLINE

Watch the video!
Click the image below to watch the video on our YouTube channel.

A massive THANK YOU to RHJ Entertainment who musically directed, mixed and produced our video.

https://twitter.com/RHJEnts
https://www.instagram.com/rhjents
https://www.facebook.com/rhjents

9 to 5 the Musical Review, November 2019 - NODA

9 to 5, music and lyrics by Dolly Parton, book by Patricia Resnick tells the story what happens when the tables are turned on a sexist, egotistical, hypocritical boss (who’s also a bigot) as three female office workers who are underpaid and undervalued, unite to get revenge. It’s full, friendship, love and bubbling performances, fantastic songs and sparkling performances. From the first few bars of the familiar opening song – 9 to 5 of the title – we know we’re in for an evening of high energy entertainment.

The production: The period feel of a 1980s office was beautifully recreated throughout the evening. There were some lovely performances – particularly from the three women battling to come out on top: Nicola Morrin (as Violet), Millie Clucas (Doralee), Laura Burrell as Judy and Stephen Westwood as Hart, their boss. Sally Manning as devoted secretary and office spy, Roz almost stole the show. The entire cast performed with supreme confidence and professionalism. The choreography by Nick Brannam who also directed, was imaginative and well executed. The songs were performed with warmth, precision and joyful emotion. Although the subject of the show had serious undertones, there was a feel-good approach to it and it was delivered with first class performances, enthusiasm and panache we have come to expect from BATS’ productions.

Millie Clucas as Doralee and Stephen Westwood as Franklin Hart Jr.

Costumes: The costumes were in keeping with period and narrative. There was great attention to detail and the dream sequence outfits were custom-made and of the highest quality. The hair styles complemented the 80s outfits.

Lighting and sound: The lighting was good although I struggle to understand why, on occasion, there was a smoky effect. The sound was generally good but once or twice dipped and made it difficult to understand some characters, especially when dialogue delivery was fast and heavily accented.

Scenery: The stage design was well conceived and of high quality. The backdrops largely pastel in colour and 80s style were very effective as was Hart’s office and the typing pool was realistically recreated. The Xerox machine and car – used for Hart’s kidnap – deserves special mention.

Chris Horton
National Operatic and Dramatic Association (NODA) South East Region, District 14 Representative