Having never visited the Brindley Theatre in Runcorn before, I was uncertain as to what to expect. The theatre is nicely upholstered, cosy, and almost every seat affords a good view to their deeper-than-expected professional stage. A warm welcome awaits, and the cafe bar serves hot drinks, ice-creams and cakes before the show too which is always a plus...! However, to the show...
Allegrodance, the company presenting this evening's performance, is the touring arm of dance / theatre school KS Dance in Warrington, and the students performing in this evening's 'showcase' were certainly on the cusp of their professional careers, the standard was indeed extremely high.
The first half of this evening was a shortened version of the ballet, "The Kingdom Of Narnia" which uses the story of The Lion, The Witch And The Wardrobe by CS Lewis and music by Maurice Ravel. In this 30 minute version, the Allegrodance company excelled with their interpretation choreographed by the company's Artistic Director, Kate Simmons.
Effective use of minimal scenery and props, blended nicely with admirable costumes and some superbly measured dancing. It was also extremely edifying to see 4 young male dancers taking principal roles here too. This is classical ballet, and older boys are few and far between!
The four children who go into the Spare Room and enter the Wardrobe started this spectacle, and their togetherness and rapport was immediate. They were Danielle McGivern (Lucy), Melissa Hughes (Susan), Oisin Middleton (Peter), and Harry Hughes (Edmund). Once in Narnia, the first creature they come across is Mr Tumnus, danced with style this evening by Jessica Starling; they then meet the Snow Witch herself along with her entourage; here danced with precision by Alex Paterson, aided by six members of the corps. A very energetic young lad impressed as Mr Beaver (Paolo Munoz Fennel), whilst the final principal to appear was the deposed King of the realm, Aslan (Pierre Guidicelli Probin) along with his own entourage of Naiads and Fairies, utilising a further 10 members of the company's corps.
The dancing throughout was of a much higher standard than I have to admit to expecting, and the choreography was always apt, fitting, and interesting to watch. I loved the use of space, the pictures created, and the different groupings, all leading to a wonderfully dramatic denouement / finale utilising the entire company.
In the second act, all the aforementioned company, with the addition of a couple more here and there, presented a more traditional showcase of the company's lessons and talent. 14 separate items were shown, ranging from Musical Theatre, contemporary dance, jazz, tap, classical ballet, flamenco, and solo singing. Every one enjoyable and of a high standard, I simply didn't want it to end! However, it ended on an extreme high, with what was perhaps my personal favourite of the whole event, young Melissa Hughes showing considerable skill and range with her lead vocals for an all-girl version of the Queen hit, "Somebody To Love". The female backing vocals being secure, tuneful and robust too.
Before this, we were treated to 'Relativity' (Classical ballet), 'By These Flowering Dreams' (Spanish), 'Peasant Pas' (solo classical ballet danced by Natasha Gray), 'Siesta Espanol' (Flamenco), 'Too Darn Hot' (Jazz), 'You Will Be Found' (contemporary), 'Don't Tell Me' (cowboy line dancing inspired), 'I Won't Say I'm In Love' (solo song from 'Hercules' sung by Megan Swales), 'Incredible' (jazz tap), 'Pas De Trois' (classical ballet solo danced by Mei Takahashi), 'Cry Me A River' (contemporary), 'Part Of That World' (solo song from 'The Little Mermaid, sung by Melissa Hughes), and finally 'La Grazia' (classical ballet pas-de-deux danced by Minnie Michlmayr and Pierre Guidicelli Probin); and it would be completely impossible to try and put them in order of favourites, since they all were extremely enjoyable and meritorious.
My only overriding concerns this evening were with things technical. First of all, I think the voice-over narration during the ballet was a little unnecessary, and slowed the flow down somewhat too. A ballet, by its very nature is a mimed story, and some of that mime just happens to be danced in a very specific and precise style. However, slightly more irritating for me this evening was the sound levels. Sometimes the playbacks being used were too loud and had been given too much bass which was distorting the quality of the sound and our enjoyment of the pieces as a whole. Especially during the songs in the second half, the volume needed turning down on the playbacks even more so.
However, all-in-all, this was a superb presentation from a school whose teaching staff are obviously both extremely talented themselves and dedicated in bringing the best out of their students, preparing them for a life in the profession. Hugely enjoyable, and a massive congratulations to all!
Reviewer - Matthew Dougall
on - 14.2.22
on - 14.2.22
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