Exmouth Musical Theatre Company

The Exmouth Pavilion

Director: Anne Killoran

Choreography: Anne Killoran, Debra Butler, Kirsty Sydenham

MD: Kate and Anthony Lees

One of the most difficuilt things the production team had to do or this show was choosing the programme. The sixties gave us such as wealth of popular music, where do you start? Despite the lack of any Cliff Richards songs (He was my favourite, so I can't forgive them!) the programme was very well balanced and was greatly enjoyed by the cast and the audience, many of whom expressed their enjoyment by joining in the songs, clapping and dancing.

The concert had a mixture of solos, duets, group and chorus singing, with the chorus providing some excellent harmony numbers. The beach Boys medley was a highlight as were many of the solos, particularly in the second act. The show moved along at a good pace and the music was well balanced sp we heard every word. The stage was attractively dressed with some appropriate and well chosen film projected at the back, (including a picture of Cliff, so partially forgiven) The narration had been well thought out. It was ammusing and interesting, filling the audience in with the news of the time and delivered very professionally by the two DJs, Hugh Chudley and Craig Butler. The concert ended with the company singing The Rhythm of Life from 'Sweet Charity'. This had been superbly choreographed and was a fitting end to a most enjoyable evening.

Recent review of our 2009 Summer production at the Pavilion, Exmouth:

Dir : David Youll

MD : Lynne Caygill

I found this production to be one of the best I have seen by this company. It is a difficult choice of production, being essentially an opera, with some very difficult music. Its years since I last saw it, and I had forgotten, though, just how good the music is. David had cut the show considerably, which led to a very fast moving piece which was just over 2 hours long. The downside to that was that some elements of the story were given only a passing “nod” and it was difficult to keep up with what was going on. That’s just a minor point though because the quality of the performances and direction was superb. The 6 main principals ( Florence, Freddie, Anatoly, Svetlana, Molokov and Arbiter) gave stunning vocal performances that far exceeded anything else I have seen at Exmouth. The staging was adventurous, using a massive LED screen at the rear of the stage. This was very effective .. when it worked. There were some slight problems on the last night. The orchestra, as is to be expected with Aunty Lynne in the driving seat, gave a really good sound and supported the vocals without drowning them. Surely the best show in East Devon this season ?

IAIN DOUGLAS

On Friday 28th and Saturday 29th September 2008, EMCo performed for the first time under their new name, a concert of songs old and new, 'No Song Unsong!

The performances, at the Exmouth Pavilion marked a new stage in the life of the society, as their song list went on to demonstrate, a love of the many traditional shows and musicals that have shaped musical theatre, contrasted against the new age of contemporary musicals that are becoming increasingly popular now.

This gave many members of the company a chance to shine, as well as demonstrate the powerful and emotive choral vocal performances that the company pride themselves on delivering.

Later, the review from the National Operatic and Dramatic Association stated that:

After a successful summer production, hotly on its heels came the now essential find boosting musical evening. A perfect showcase for the equally talented members of the company who missed out on principal roles previously. As the title suggests, songs from a varied collection of well known musicals were performed, older favourites in act one, culminating in some of the most stirring work of the evening., in act two's modern segment. First night nerves contributed to a tepid start, quickly warming to positively hot, hot, hot, with energetic, concientious movement and memorable vocals, which included an unaccompanied version of 'I Dreamed a Dream' performed by the whole company, its harmonic accuracy was congratulatory achievement and pure joy to hear. With elegance, the company drifted into the excellent staging, devised to suit the mood and genre of the music, none appearing to seem anything other than 'at home'. A thoroughly entertaining evening, much to the audience's enjoyment.