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"Youth Theatre production is not 'half-bad' at all"

"Elmbridge Youth Theatre brought the classic musical Half A Sixpence to life with a flash, bang and a wallop!
Stunning performances, glittering costumes and a fabulous set ensures the sensational show has lost none of its sparkle since it hit the silver screen in the sixties.
Set in Folkestone in the 1900s, the musical follows the life and times of Arthur Kipps, a loveable working class man who is in love with his friend's sister Anne Pornick.
However Arthur's destiny is about to change when he inherits a fortune and finds himself catapulted into the world of high society. No longer having to work under the perfectionist Mr Shalford, Arthur begins to mix in upper class circles where he falls for society girl Helen Walsingham.
With the engagement announced, Arthur bumps into the Walsingham maid, who just happens to be his old flame Anne. Consumed with guilt about how he treated Anne, and realising that his money and the Walsingham's effort to change who he is, has ruined his life. He breaks the engagement with Helen and tries to make amends with Anne.
Arthur and Anne get married, but it turns into a bumpy ride when Arthur still tries to live in upper class society while Anne knows where her roots are.
However, Helen Walsingham's brother runs off with Arthur's fortune and with only a small amount left the couple buy a book shop and live contentedly for the rest of their days.
The musical deals with the complexities of class and society during the turn of the 20th century in a lively, but touching, fashion.
Michael Richens excels as the loveable, confused Kipps, with acting, singing and dancing talent that will surely see this lad go far into the world of theatre or TV.
The powerful singing voice and acting skills of Katy Ashcroft produced a convincing Anne Pornick and the eccentric Chitterlow, Arthur's friend, was played fantastically by Keith Brown. The performance as a whole was first class and the cast, with their variety of talent, could not be faulted.
An entertaining evening, with music and songs that left you humming for days!"
MT Esher News and Mail, 31 Jan 2001

"This 'Sixpence' was a pre-decimal delight"

"The latest production by Elmbridge Youth Theatre opened to a packed house last Wednesday.
The musical, Half A Sixpence, was a popular choice and was well received by the audience at the Walton Playhouse.
Michael Richens played the lead character Arthur Kipps excellently in what was clearly a demanding role. A strong singer with the ability to get to grips with difficult and challenging songs, he showed great competence throughout.
His childhood sweetheart, played by Katy Ashcroft, put real emotion into the role of the girl who loved and temporarily lost her man.
The story is complicated by the introduction of Helen, played by Catherine Farmer, who falls in love with Arthur when he comes into money. She played the perfect lady with a strong voice and acting skills and portrayed the character well.
The acting was superb from all the cast and the musicians were also excellent. Elmbridge Youth Theatre has many young performers who show promise, ambition and talent."
KB Surrey Herald, 1 Feb 2001

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The Secret Diary of Adrian Mole Age 13 ¾, 2001

"Comic Peak into Adrian's diary"

"The award-winning Elmbridge Youth Theatre brought Sue Townsend's Secret Diary of Adrian Mole Aged 13 ¾ to the Walton Playhouse last week.
Set in the Midlands in the 1980s and based on her own best-selling novel, the play gives a comic insight angst-ridden Adrian and his family.
Accompanied by Alan Blaikley and Ken Howard's memorable songs, the show brings to life in all its suburban glory Adrian's struggle with spots, his parent's break-up and toothless old pensioner Bert Baxter.
Making his debut with EYT, Alexander Hawkins shone in the title part, playing it with energy and spot-on comic timing. In a demanding role Alex presented a convincing Adrian, confused and lost in a bewildering world.
As Adrian's parents, Jon Miseldine and Katy Ashcroft brought real sympathy to two characters whose marriage is falling apart.
Pauline Mole's quest for self-fulfilment in the face of her husband's dull lifestyle was acutely portrayed by Katy who made Pauline likeable and warm. Her two songs were particular highlights during the evening.
Jon Miseldine as George gave a polished performance as a man who, despite all his faults, truly loves his wife. In his song Your Hair of Gold, Jon gave real feeling to George's anguish to memorable effect.
As the effervescent Pandora Braithwaite, Anna Livermore played the love of Adrian's life with spirit, humour and intelligence. In the show-stopping number Oh Pandora, Anna sang brilliantly and the song was another one of the show's highlights.
Michael Richens as Bert Baxter, the bad tempered OAP, was as funny as ever and had the audience in stitches.
As Doreen Slater, George's mistress, Sarah Raffio sang and acted with bravado, giving depth and poignancy to a stand-out comedy part.
Adrian Mole was another for EYT - the revival of a delightful modern musical and a thoroughly enjoyable evening out."
SC Esher News and Mail, 4 July 2001

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Annie, 2002

"A heart warming Night with Annie"

Elmbridge Youth Theatre put on another fantastic performance as the hit musical Annie took to the stage at the Playhouse last week.
The heart-warming tale follows the adventures of Little Orphan Annie - magnificently played by 12 year old Kimberly Powell - who was abandoned at an orphanage and left in the hands of nasty Miss Hannigan.
Along with 11 other engaging orphans, the protagonist sings, skips and dances her way through the role to the sounds of classics such as Tomorrow and Hard Knock Life.
She escapes in a fruitless attempt to find her parents and along the way befriends Sandy, a Border Collie called Fin, from Thames Ditton.
She is, however, sent back to the orphanage and reconciled with the tyrannical Miss Hannigan, played superbly by Katy Ashcroft, who manages to captivate the audience as the caustic and often-inebriated head of the orphanage.
With the help of his assistant Grace, played brilliantly by Chloe Pepperell, Annie enters the world of tycoon Mr Warbucks and her life dramatically changes.
Daddy Warbucks is portrayed with compassion by Michael Richens as the kind billionaire who puts up $50,000 for information on the whereabouts of Annie's parents and then offers to adopt her himself. There is obvious chemistry between Annie and Warbucks as their stage relationship develops and their duet is an inspired piece of singing.
In contrast to the Warbuck's kindness and Annie's naïve innocence, Miss Hannigans villainous brother, Rooster, played by Jon Miseldine, and his gold-digging girlfriend, Lily St Regis, played by Sarah Raffio, portray Annie's rogue parents with confidence and both deliver an excellent performance.
Praise must go to the crew and cast who managed to co-ordinate the production with perfect timing on their opening night, obviously delighting the full house.
The hard work of director Richard Davis, the cast members, and the stage designers paid off and the evening was hailed a huge success.
SH Esher News and Mail, 30 Jan 2002

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Magic Of The Musicals, 2002

The West End came to the Walton Playhouse last week with the Elmbridge Youth Theatre's The Magic of the Musical, a compilation featuring some of the biggest shows of recent years.
Opening with Cats, the show plunged us into the night-time world of back alleys that prowling, dancing felines make their kingdom.
Following Anna Livermore's stunning rendition of Memory, a succession of brilliantly made-up cats transported the audience into a world where the surest sign of superiority is a long tail and a set of whiskers.
Switching to Miss Saigon, Lee Richard as the American GI Chris performed an affecting duet Last Night of the World, with Catherine Farmer as Kim, the young Vietnamese girl who compromises his love with his wife back home, played movingly, by Samantha Costigan.
The evening continued with songs from Jesus Christ Superstar. Keith Brown was brilliantly comic as King Herod. With Sarah Squire's beautiful rendition of I don't know How to Love Him, and Tim O'Shea as the world's funkiest Judas, the audience were treated to a hugely enjoyable glimpse of this show.
Next up was Natasha Parvess as Norma Desmond singing One Look from Sunset Boulevard. A confident and assured performance, she captured perfectly the wounded vanity of this faded silent-film star. The first part finished with a selection of numbers from Blood Brothers. Katy Ashcroft played Mrs Johnstone, mother of twins who gives away one for financial reasons and lives to regret it. Sam Fry and Matthew Bunn brilliantly played her sons, while Katy led the company in the haunting Tell Me It's Not True.
Part two opened on a high with the razzle-dazzle of Chicago. Emma Pardoe led her all-singing Cell Block dancers in song. She and the company performed their numbers with pizzass and excellent comic timing, joined by Alex Hawkins as the sleazy, tap dancing lawyer Billy Flynn.
Whistle Down The Wind was represented by a memorable performance of the Boyzone hit No Matter What by the male chorus and Chloe Pepperrell's impressive rendition of the song.
In Evita Catherine Farmer's performance of Don't Cry For Me Argentina was one of the highlights of the evening as she sang to the crowds beneath her balcony, while Keith Brown's Che skulked in the background.
The evening closed with songs from one of the world's most popular musicals, Les Miserables. From the rousing Do You Hear The People Sing? to Charlotte Alderton's beautiful love song On My Own, these selections gave us an impressive taste of the musical.
With the hilarious Master of the House, featuring Keith Brown's scheming pub landlord and his long-suffering wife, Chloe Pepperall, and Jon Miseldine's stunning performance of the haunting Bring Him Home, Elmbridge Youth Theatre demonstrated why this is one of the longest running shows in the West End.
The finale brought the entire company on the stage to sing One More Day, an appropriate closure to the evening.
In The Magic of the Musical, Elmbridge Youth Theatre displayed their versatility and talent to great effect. They danced, sang and acted with terrific energy, producing a hugely enjoyable night.
Esher News and Mail, 30 Jan 2002

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West Side Story, 2003

"Inspired by two sides of love"

Energetic, dynamic and exhilarating - the Elmbridge Youth Theatre delivered an action-packed West Side Story at The Playhouse last week.
Set in 1950s America, it's the story of Tony and Maria who fall in love from opposite sides of a street gang turf war.
Despite their best intentions to put the world and it's hostility behind them, they are swept up in a train of disastrous events that spiral out of control, with tragic consequences for all concerned.
Jon Miseldine and Catherine Farmer were inspired as the star-crossed lovers, in perfect harmony throughout and with singing voices that truly captured the emotion of each scene and gave the production an extra dimension.
As gang leaders Riff and Bernardo, Michael Richens and Alan Dudley both have a commanding stage presence, and Michael, especially, was as fleet-footed in his dance scenes as he was handy with a blade in the knife-fight.
Among the girls, Katy Ashcroft demonstrated split-second timing plus a beautiful voice as Anita, while Anna Livermore deserves mention for her excellent vocal solo.
With such an energetic production, it was vital the musical score carried it's share of the drama, The orchestra, under the direction of Richard Whennell, never let the tempo drop, swinging through American jive and hot Latin rhythms to the subtle pace of Somewhere.
It's a measure of the talent of the entire cast that EYT could successfully stage a musical that requires such a high level of stagecraft.
From the flowing fight scenes to the complicated, highly stylised choreography, from snappy comedy moments to heartfelt tragedy, all was handled with great timing in a production that was a joy to watch.
MM Esher News and Mail 29th January 2003

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A Funny Thing Happened on the way to the Forum , 2003

The bawdy excesses of Ancient Rome exploded on stage last week at the Playhouse in Walton, when Elmbridge Youth Theatre performed Stephen Sondheim's riotous musical 'A Funny Thing Happened on The Way To The Forum'. A web of intrigue, sparkling comedy, confusion and memorable musical numbers combined to make this a splendid evening's entertainment.
In the lead role of Pseudolus, Michael Richens shone. Whether it was singing, comic delivery or physical dexterity, he brought the full range of his considerable talents to what was a very demanding part, and amidst all the mistaken identities and double crossing, gave the audience a likeable and sympathetic lynchpin.
As the put upon (and aptly named) slave Hysterium, Rufus Cooper showed a breathtaking skill for physical and verbal comedy as he veered from one calamitous situation to another, with barely time to adjust his toga. Alan Sahbani, as the befuddled and short sighted old man Erronius, back from searching for his children stolen in infancy by pirates, gave a hilarious performance as he was tricked, slapped around, duped and finally re-united with his long lost twins.
Matthew Bunn and Anna Livermore, as the two lovers Hero and Philia, provided a romantic and grounded counterpoint to the mania that surrounded their attempts to be together, providing genuine romance amongst the hysteria, that culminated in their songs together that were beautifully performed.
Sam Fry, as the self inflated and ruthless Captain Miles Gloriosus, intent on discovering the whereabouts of the bride he has paid 500 minae for, was powerfully impressive, striding through the action with authority and with a set-shaking voice that had even the most conniving slave scuttling for cover. As the scheming Marcia Lyca, a buyer and seller of human flesh, Catherine Farmer portrayed her character's desperate ruthlessness to great comic effect, with some of the shows best one-liners.
Katy Ashcroft, as Senex's wife Domina, played the role of Roman matriarch with great fervour, keeping her husband's wandering eyes firmly in check with her whiplash tongue.
Skilfully directed by Richard Davis, and showing us Ancient Rome in all its' dirty glory- togas and laurel wreaths askew- this was another triumph for one of the borough's leading young theatre companies.

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Guys and Dolls, 2004

There's an old stage adage saying that 'the show must go on,' and that's exactly what happened last Thursday at the Walton Playhouse when a power cut threatened curtain up on Elmbridge Youth Theatre's production of 'Guys And Dolls.'
With the building plunged into darkness, audience and cast alike waited while an electrician hastily mended fuses to ensure the performance got back on track. And it was worth the wait.
EYT's twenty first production- subtitled 'A Musical Fable of Broadway'- took the audience to a seedy world peopled by gangsters and mission 'dolls', drunkards and hot box girls, where wide eyed sightseers rub shoulders with fleecing chancers and odds are laid on the colour of a man's necktie.
Rufus Cooper played the harassed Nathan Detroit, trying his best to set up an illegal dice game with obstacles on all sides: trigger happy hoodlums looking for action, Lieutenant Brannigan (Sam Fry) breathing down his neck, and insistent fiancé Miss Adelaide (Anna Livermore) begging him to set a wedding date. Hounded at every turn, Rufus' energetic performance was spot on, a master-class in comedy timing and characterisation.
At his side, and taking some of the flak, were Nathan's sidekicks, the dopey Benny (played superbly by Alan Dudley) and Alan Sahbani as Nicely-Nicely Johnson, whose excellent rendition of 'Sit Down You're Rockin' The Boat' was a storming Act Two highlight.
Anna Livermore gave a triumphant performance as Adelaide, the showgirl with permanent adenoids, the result of a nerve induced cold (she's been engaged for fourteen years). Pining after the elusive Nathan, Anna's performance was a dexterous combination of show stopping vocals and uncanny comic talent.
Catherine Farmer played the kind hearted but prudish Sarah Brown, a missionary whose solemn preaching seems to have little effect on the gin soaked streets of New York. Hooking up with Sky Masterson (Michael Richens) in order to save her mission from closing, she finds that despite her misgivings he has charmed his way into her heart. Catherine was touching as Sarah, and her beautiful singing voice meant that her numbers always packed a punch.
Michael Richens gave a smooth portrayal of gambler Sky who has to decide between the rolling of the dice and the beating of the heart. Bristling with fifties cool, he dazzled with 'Luck Be A Lady,' and contrasted it with the laid back 'My Time of Day,' in a perfectly judged performance that didn't put a foot wrong.
And Katy Ashcroft shone as Avida, the voice of reason in the down at heels mission, patiently guiding Sarah closer to her true feelings in the poignant song, 'More I Cannot Wish You.'
Skilfully directed by Richard Davis, with rousing support from Ken Poole's orchestra, 'Guys And Dolls' was a colourful spectacle of music, dance and comedy, and an evening that certainly set the seal on the EYT's well deserved reputation.

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 "EYT'S LES MISERABLES IS A STIRRING PERFORMANCE"

ACCLAIMED as the world’s most popular musical, the epic Les Misérables is an intimidating prospect for any theatre group, but last week’s production of the Gallic magnum opus at The Playhouse in Walton showed that Elmbridge Youth Theatre is certainly up to the challenge.

Based on Victor Hugo’s novel, the story follows Jean Valjean, a victim of the harsh penal system of the 19th century.
Valjean, jailed for nearly 20 years for stealing a loaf of bread, finds redemption on his release when he is saved from arrest by a local priest.
Vowing to devote his life to helping his fellow man, Valjean rises to become a prosperous factory owner and local mayor.
But this success is marred by the intervention of Chief Inspector Javert, who has been doggedly pursuing the former convict ever since he broke his parole.
With his true identity revealed, Valjean escapes the inspector to fulfil the dying wishes of one of his factory workers and save her daughter from the hands of her unscrupulous guardians, the Thénardiers.
Valjean rescues the girl, Cosette, and together they flee to Paris, a city teeming with poverty, where the anguish of those living on the streets is about to ignite into revolution.
Les Misérables is an immense, grand piece of theatre — virtually operatic in scale — and to succeed on stage it must have a very strong cast.
Fortunately, in the case of Elmbridge Youth Theatre, it had one.
Neil Dicker played the central character of Jean Valjean with authority and presence.
With perhaps the most demanding role in the show, Neil portrayed intelligently the grizzled convict’s transformation and his resulting moral fortitude, which is at the heart of the story.
As his nemesis, Javert, a steel-cold Danny Owens captured the inspector’s ruthless conviction as he pursued Valjean across the years.
His final scene, as Javert weighs up his own questionable certainties, facing the abyss of the Seine below him, was particularly effective.
A show with this subject matter almost cries out for some comic relief and, with the repellent Thénardiers, Victor Hugo helpfully provided the most perfect of comedy foils.
Alex Newman and Tori Hill played the roguish pair with relish, moving through a bankrupt society, living on their wits and whatever they could steal from the pockets of the newly-dead.
As Marius and Cosette, caught up in the turmoil of political unrest, Jenny Powell and Jacob Copeland were absolutely convincing as the two lovers.
Both of them had excellent voices and their duets were among the highlights of the evening.
Another of the many fine voices in this production belonged to Kristy Bottrall, who played Eponine, with a very moving performance of the wistful ballad On My Own.
As Enjolras, the zealous student activist who rallies his friends to arms, Will Howells gave a truly dynamic performance, leading the company in one of the show-stopping numbers Do You Hear The People Sing?
With other stand-out performances from Karlene Bourne as the ill-fated Fantine and Harry Boulton as the spirited street urchin Gavroche, this was a tre-mendous ensemble.
Les Misérables is an ambitious musical in every respect, and in each department of this production EYT came up trumps — from the inventive lighting design through to the perfectly-judged costumes.
This was a triumph for director Richard Davis and choreographer Carole Andrew.
Once again, the result of their effective partnership was a superb evening at the theatre.
Special credit must also go to Ken Poole, the musical director.
Not only did his sterling work lead the orchestra, but he also for maintained such a high vocal standard from the cast in a musical that is entirely sung through.
With each new performance, Elmbridge Youth Theatre continues to raise the bar on what it achieves.
Having tackled such a colossal show with great verve and energy with this production, it is difficult to see how EYT can beat this performance.

Hersham News and Mail 01/02/2006

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