An original musical, 'Boom Town' tells the story of a Mid West USA shanty town, which, as the title suggests, boomed during the gold rush period, but now is in a state of decline. An outlaw is terrorising the town, the mines have been closed, and the tumbleweed is tumbling... what is to be done?
This enthusiatic cast of 19 - 27 year olds which go under the moniker of 'Matilda's Booth' are all students at the University of Chichester, and they put their hearts and souls into this production.
Their characterisations were good, and a good attempt was made at authentic costuming and accents, whilst the set (crates used creatively and a couple of cut-out cacti) sufficed adequately. My over-riding concern with this show was the lack of audibility. The pre-recorded backing tracks were set at the correct volume, and the music was very much in-keeping with the style and era of the show's setting; however the cast needed amplification, not just in their singing but also in their speaking too. I missed several sections despite being seated on the front row.
A fun storyline, with stock, recognisable characters from almost every Western and Western-themed musical ever written, portrayed in a tongue-in-cheek, caricatured way, making it humorous and entertaining.. but there is also a [sadly all-too-predictable] modern story twist too.
Reviewer - Matthew Dougall
on - 22.8.22
on - 22.8.22
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