Southend Operatic and Dramatic Society

$Chairman\'s Page$

$FAQ\'s$

REVIEWS MY FAIR LADY (2009) This ever popular show with its well known tunes and brilliant dialogue is a sure-fire winner for societies, as indicated by the 13 different productions that I have seen the last 3½ years, easily the highest number for all other shows seen. It has been rewarding to see in many of these the effort that has been made to explore meanings and emphases in the production and not simply to rely on the film’s interpretations. The SODS production team followed this pattern and veteran SOD (but first time director) Les Cannon, notably gave Higgins an obsessive-compulsive tidiness, abandoned in the final scene when Eliza returns, leading to yet another different and acceptable (but not to Bernard Shaw I suspect) curtain sequence to add to the many variations that I have seen. Andrew Denyer brought out some excellent chorus singing (particularly the difficult servants’ music), and his fine orchestra pulled out all the stops. David Street’s choreography was good throughout bringing demeanour to the upper crust scenes and a real exuberance to those in Covent Garden, ‘Get Me to the Church’ being a notable highlight. Laura Hurrell, in her second principal role for the Society, was a beautiful Eliza, and though just a touch constrained in early scenes, blossomed well through the play to a fine conclusion. This was a good role for her and I look forward to seeing her continue to grow as a performer. Roger Davies was a most uptight and pompous Higgins, who finally thawed towards Eliza, but with indications of a few well masked dialogue problems along the way. Dick Davis was a Pickering of politeness itself. Daryl Kane enjoyed himself immensely as the best Doolittle that I have seen for some time, and the scenes with his two sidekicks (Jonathon Buxton and Brian Shaw) were beautifully timed. A successful show is not just about the leads, however, and SODS pulled together an entire company of almost 60 committed and well cast players for this production. Wardrobe was very good in all the walks of lives portrayed, though Eliza’s market clothes really did not justify Higgins’ description of them. (True of every production of this show that I have seen!). The ladies’ Ascot and Ball costumes deserve a very special mention. How could Eliza fail to act like a lady dressed in such stunning outfits? – and all the female chorus looked thoroughly aristocratic in these scenes. The effect was spoiled a little, however, by the rather large and very obvious head microphones; time for a rethink perhaps, with period costume especially? An excellent show and many congratulations to all concerned in a production as good as I’ve seen from the SODS. *Report by John Warburton - Regional Councillor* NO FAIRER A LADY THAN LOVELY LAURA Southend Operatic and Dramatic society have discovered a real star in Laura Hurrell, and they are giving her all the right vehicles for her talents. Maria shone in the principal role of Maria in SODS’ recent West Side Story and shines again in the utterly different role of Eliza Doolittle. The latest production of My Fair Lady sees her completely mastering the double challenge, achieved by few Elizas and certainly not by Audrey Hepburn in the film version, of conveying both the cockney flower girl and the dazzling high society lady that she is transformed into. Ms Hurrell is also an accomplished comedienne, a skill she uses to specially good effect in the Ascot racing scene, as Eliza tries out her new voice for the first time. There is also a splendid turn from Daryl Kane as Eliza’s ne’er-do-well dustman father Alfred Doolittle, The enjoyment he pours into the role ensure those great Cockney knees- up anthems A Little Bit of Luck and Get Me to the Church on Time, are among the highlights of the night. Roger Davis as Eliza’s voice tutor Henry Higgins has the commanding voice and physical presence for the role, but on the opening night he didn’t muster the confidence and swagger, or the comic side of the charismatic professor. Dick Davies as bachelor friend Col Pickering, Jacqueline Moffat as the housekeeper Mrs Pearce and Annette McGibbon as Higgins’s long suffering mother, embrace their roles with confidence. SODS veteran Les Cannon, in his first directorial role, gets the best out of the story and music. But this is above all Laura Hurrell’s show, a fair lady indeed. Tom King, 6th November 2009 CALAMITY JANE (2009) ESCAPIST MUSICAL JUST RIGHT FOR RECESSION DAYS Southend Operatic and Dramatic Society have made a great choice for these difficult days when so many people are worried about the effects of the recession for in Calamity Jane at the Cliffs Pavilion, Southend, until Saturday (March 28) they provide the perfect chance to get away from it all with a pure escapist musical from the past. It is a show with great numbers like The Deadwood Stage, Windy City, the Black Hills of Dakota and Secret Love, which were standards of the time from the Doris Day film on which the show is based. The show has a lovely happy ending with true love triumphing in a fictitious Wild West that is about as far from the documentary truth as you can get and best of all a cast including some exciting new talent and some old timers showing just how effective you can be at the Pavilion when directed by someone as accomplished as Sallie Warrington. The plot is simple enough: Calamity Jane, played with gusto and drive by Suzanne Walters, rashly promises to bring international vaudeville star Adelaide Adams to the backwoods of Deadwood City in the Wild West of 1864 after a disastrous night in the town’s Golden Garter. She travels to Chicago and believes she has got the famous star but does not realise it is just the star’s dresser Katie Brown, who has been given Adelaide’s costumes as her mistress heads off to the bright lights of Paris. After nearly being lynched by the mob when the truth is revealed Katie eventually becomes Deadwood’s own star. The two most eligible men in the territory, gambler Wild Bill Hickcok (Jonathan Buxton) and Lieut Danny Gilmartin (Bradley Thompson) from the nearby fort, are both at her feet with tomboy Calamity getting worried that she may be usurped in her secret love for Danny. But Katie wants the best for Calamity and helps to show her that there is a lot more to life that buckskin trousers, shooting and stories of wild adventures. Jonathan Buxton, one of the many newcomers to the SODS in West Side Story, shows that he has all the talents to become one of the stars of the SODS with his great singing and stage presence, while absolute newcomer Emma Longthorne shows just how much young talent there is around in the area by making a beautifully acted and sung Katie with a lot of real personality. I was less happy with Bradley Thompson’s Danny for, though he looks and sounds the part, his singing seems a little weak for such a lead. Also worthy of mention are Nick Bright’s nicely performed song and dance man, Emma Howson as Susan, who is to become his bride, and Alan McGibbon as the harassed Golden Garter proprietor. Nice to see you back on the boards, Alan. Artistic director Sallie Warrington makes sure there is plenty of drive and pace in the show and successfully finds room for a cast of fifty, who make up a magnificent chorus for the big numbers without ever making the Pavilion stage look too crowded’ Musical director Andrew Denyer gets a nice sound from his orchestra besides ensuring that the whole production is excellent musically. John Giles. WEST SIDE STORY (2008) SODS TRIUMPH WITH “WEST SIDE STORY” Southend Operatic and Dramatic Society are making West Side Story one of their greatest productions at Southend’s Cliffs Pavilion this week. Not only is this a triumph for the young cast with 17 of them making their first appearance with SODS after a search for talent throughout the Essex area but it is a triumph for artistic director and choreographer Sallie Warrington, who told me this was her toughest show to produce yet for many of the 17 young men who play the rival gangs, the Jets and the Sharks, had never danced on stage before. Not only is this a rich vein of young theatrical talent but the ill-fated romance between Maria, beautifully performed and sung by Laura Hurrell and Tony, whose portrayal by Bradley Thompson, makes him a new young star and whose singing of some of the show’s great numbers is one of the best things in this West Side Story. The whole production has a wonderful drive and pace with a basic set enhanced by smoothly running cameo sets on trucks plus effective and imaginative lighting. The music department is just as strong with musical director Andrew Denyer navigating the 16 piece orchestra through Leonard Bernstein’s wonderful musical score and ensuring that the sound of the whole show is quite amazing. There is hardly a weakness in the 40 strong cast with Jonathan Buxton as the leader of the Sharks, Bernardo, giving a particularly strong acting performance and Sarah Gallucci, guesting from LODS, bringing a lot of impact to the show as his girl friend. But this is really very much an ensemble production with every member of the company dancing their hearts out and adding to its outstanding impact on the audience as the tragedy of young love as based on the Romeo and Juliet story is played out Among the adults, Dick Davies shows just how much impact you can make with just a few lines but Les Cannon is just too laid back as Schrank. Those great numbers like “Maria”, “Tonight”, “America” and “I Feel Pretty” show just why West Side Story is one of the great musicals of all time and SODS are doing it proud in every respect. John Giles, 20th November 2008. SODS REFRESH MUSICAL AT 50 Southend Operatic and Dramatic Society should choreograph a high speed pat on the back. It should land on the shoulders of just about everyone involved in Sallie Warrington's sizzling production. It makes the 50-year-old West Side Story look as fresh as this week. The company has landed an alpha league director/choreographer in Sallie, who offers a masterclass in dynamic, narrative drive and fluid stage movement. Southend Operatic has also winkled out a generation of young performers, often wholly new faces, who rise brilliantly to the opportunities given by the genius of Leonard Bernstein's score and Stephen Sondheim's lyrics. Laura Hurrell, in her first principal role, and company regular Bradley Thompson, achieve a mixture of strong emotional chemistry and terrific vocal delivery as the star crossed lovers Maria and Tony. The Multi-Talented Sarah Gallucci as Anita punches out another knock-out performance. Sods newcomers Matthew Lee and Jon Buxton as rival gang leaders Riff and Bernardo show star quality and have all the marks of veterans in the making. For anyone who has never seen West Side Story, this production will deliver a fan for life. For those who have seen it, this could be the version they remember. Tom King. Evening Echo, 21 November 2008. NODA REVIEW By any standards Bernstein’s version of Romeo and Juliet, set in the 1950s, is a challenge, met by the Society with an injection of new younger blood. This mixture of experience and inexperience was strongly directed to provide some striking performances, starting with those important opening scenes fiercely expressing the gang rivalries central to the theme, on a set that very adequately depicted the essential bleakness of downtown New York. Among the leads, Jon Buxton gave an accomplished performance as Bernardo, the angry leader of the Sharks, together with a protective nature towards his sister Maria. Sarah Gallucci (Anita), and Charles Tilley (Action) were both pleasing to watch and gave good performances. Darius Vapiwala played a convincing Chino and Hayley Cairns was well suited to the strong and eye catching portrayal of Anybody’s. Paul Alton was perhaps a more tolerant Krupke than expected. Bradley Thompson gave a fluent and all round strong performance as Tony: maybe his opening number would have benefitted from a little more passion. Laura Hurrell was a Maria convincingly confused but determined in her situation, but there were signs of strain in her voice in the upper register. Lighting was mostly good, with one or two unexpected shadows e.g. in the shooting. With a good orchestra that supported the action and performances well, together with convincing choreography and staging, this is a show of which SODS can be justly proud." John Warburton: NODA Eastern Area Councillor.


We take what we do seriously, but never ourselves! Site sponsored by MAGICPATCH PETS AND GARDENS