Debut Academy are a dance and performance arts academy based in Stockport and are one of only a handful of dancing / theatre schools in the Greater Manchester area which have my undying support. The quality is always very high, and their production values and training ethics are second to none.
This will be the second time I have seen their school perform at the New Adelphi Theatre, a new theatre in a new building, in the Peel Park campus of Salford University, and hopefully they will continue to perform there (it's easier and quicker for me to get there than it is to Stockport!)
However, this evening the pantomime was much more of something I like to call a 'dancomime'. A combining of art forms in order to showcase the whole school and their differing classes and disciplines as well as provide a thread of a narrative that brings them all together and makes a show.. in this case a panto!
Not all the school was involved in this show (although there were still over 150 children on stage!), as the more seasoned and longer-standing students of Debut has been lucky enough to gain employment in professional pantos up and down the country, nevertheless the standard was still extremely high and every single dancer on stage, some as young as only three years old, were all 'in the zone' and working thier little socks off. The discipline is amazing, and the obvious respect and love of the teaching staff that these youngsters have is also quite obvious. The cheering, whooping and crying from behind the curtain at the end of the day's second and final show was deafening, but a huge testament to the hard work and dedication put in by those responsible for their training.
A simple black-curtained stage with just a few stage props to help us in our understanding such as a giant beanstalk, a giant's foot, or the Trot's wood cabin were presented, ameliorated by lighting and sound effects including a voice-over for the giant himself [although this could have been louder and scarier in my opinion]. The principals were all cast from the academy's students except Dame Trot her/ himself as this role was performed by the school's cafe chef, Jed! And in all fairness to him, once he had got a little warmed up and more happy with the character, he was actually quite good, playing with the audience and even coming down into the audience at one point, joking around. It would have been nice if there had been more audience maipulation and participation, not just from him, but all the cast, but when they are so young themselves, it was perhaps wise not to do so. The script was written and devised by the tutors, and there were plenty of laughs, one-liners and very corny jokes in there. Some didn't quite land, perhaps due to the age and experience of those speaking them, but nevertheless, the idea of Jack selling a toilet plunger at market was something I haven't seen in this panto before!
Jack, Dame Trot's son was played excellently with cheeky charm, and a lovely clear speaking voice, by Madison Browne. His best friend, Jill, (Poppy Hall) didn't really have such a large part to play, but her stage presence and characterisation were excellent. As with all pantomimes there is a battle between good and evil (and of course the good always wins the day!); and in this case the evil was catered for by the Giant's Guard, played superbly with more than a touch of malevolence and an easy stage presence by Josie Counter. I loved her ad lib put-downs to the sudience {"shut yer face!"}. Entering stage right as is tradition was the good Fairy Beanbag (Sophie Osborne), who spoke clearly and precisely in rhyme and both looked and acted extremely well in the role of a rather strong-willed fairy.
The dances were very varied, but each time they were performed by a different age group and showcasing a different discipline from street dance, through commercial and tap, to contemporary ballet. I have to admit that it was a new experience for me to see a tap routine to 'Beat It'! - but it worked! My favourite dances though - the ones where the 'pictures' and groupings were for me the most pleasing, and the ones with best overall use of the space were, 'Castles' and 'Timber' where some gymnastic skills were ably showcased. The costumes were all generally very good, and I especially liked the black and gold costumes for the opening dance of act 2; however, if I may, just for a moment be a little critical, then I would have prefereed all the dancers in the 'Country Roads' dance to have worn denim shorts. A couple had long denim jeans and a couple dungarees, and this looked rather odd.
One thing which is becoming something of a mini-tradition with me now when watching dancing shows of this nature is to find the non-principal dancer who deserves a special mention. This evening, the young girl in question caught my eye as soon as she entered the stage, her posture, poise, and presence shone and I was immediately captivated. She continued to dance and sing with a huge smile, and her naturalness, but obvious ability is most definitely worth my commenting on. She appeared in a couple of the dances, but she caught my eye for the first time in the 'Reach For The Stars' dance which finished the first act. I have been reliably informed that her name was Rosie Hitchen.
Huge congratulations to all involved, it did not disappoint and lived up to my now very high expectations from the Debut team. I look forward to coming along again to see your next show.
Reviewer - Matthew Dougall
on - 15/12/19
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