Brit Theatre is a new Oldham-based semi-professional theatre company which aim to create a field of equality for new work and established work for both amateur and professional local actors and creatives in quality productions locally. They produce both professional and amateur shows, and this evening's 50th anniversary celebratory production of the perennial favourite by Rice and Lloyd-Webber was an amateur one, but a highly polished and proficient one nevertheless!
From the moment we walked into the auditorium we knew that this was something out of the ordinary. A large stage area had been set up with an impressive and very busy set - that of a middle-eastern style Bazaar with clothes, lamps, trinkets, jewelry, and goodness knows what else surrounding the stage's perimeter, as well as a set of steps at the back still ostensibly part of the bazaar and a large screen behind that upon which images pertinent to each scene were shown. The cast were already on stage mingling and interacting with the audience trying to get us to buy their wares etc. It was a truly lovely opening and one I had not seen before for this musical [which, incidentally, I have seen more times than I have had breakfasts!]
With excellent costumes throughout {a lovely balance between the 'traditional' and modern ideas}, effective lighting and a solid and secure band, this was proving to be a very good production indeed.
For the opening song however the band had been mic'd too loud and we had feedback and they were drowning out the song. Fortunately this was quickly rectified and didn't continue. I also thought that the choir would take position on the rear steps, but they didn't, preferring instead to hide away in an alcove unseen by majority of the audience. That was a shame - since those steps were hardly used throughout the show they would have been an ideal place to have showcased the choir, the local award-winning Chorus Choir.
It was a large and strong cast, with some lovely cameo appearances, including a fire-eater for the entrance of the Pharaoh! Joseph was played by Matthew Corrigan who played the role with a slight disdain and an air of nonchalance. A characterisation I have not seen before. It was an interesting slant and worked better at times than others. A very pleasing voice and a nice stage presence made his performance though. Surprisingly, he was also the Musical Director of the show - which would account for the fact that he was continually looking at the monitor to watch the main keyboardist.
The narrator this evening was Laura Purdey who gave us a lovely balance between being the story-teller and also a part of the show. It's a difficult balance to find and here the interaction and complicity with the cast was stronger than usual, and this worked in her and the show's favour. And with a lovely high soprano voice she was unafraid of bluesing some of the vocals.
Amazingly the company amassed 11 male singer / dancer / actors to play the brothers and they worked excellently as an ensemble and also shone during their solo moments. Redressing the gender balance was a chorus of 8 young dancers, and although the choreography (Amy Mason) was far from adventurous it was easily within the dancers' capabilities and there were some lovely pictures created. I absolutely loved the camels! Hilarious!
The whole show was directed by Dave Benson. There were some lovely personal directorial touches to this show which made it stand out from all the other million versions out there, and in general it was a colourful and light-hearted romp through a well-known biblical story. A couple of things in this show worked less well though. Both 'One More Angel In Heaven' and 'Benjamin Calypso' were given the wrong emphasis. These are essentially down-beat pieces, the first being mock tragedy whilst the second is indeed real and incredulous as the brother's fear for their youngest brother; therefore an element of pathos and realism would have been most welcome at both instances. Instead this evening they were both treated as happy holiday songs with a glint in the eye and no hint of sadness at all. That was unfortunate. Also, I simply didn't understand why Joseph was not on stage when the brothers pleaded for Benjamin - in this version to the narrator!
However, overall this was a colourful and busy show which was professionally executed and hugely enjoyable to watch. I have never come across Brit Theatre Company before - I shall keep my eyes peeled for future productions!
Reviewer - Matthew Dougall
on - 27/9/18
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