HONK!
|
27th Nov - 1st Dec 2018Director - Claire Leonard
Musical Director - Dan Francis CastUgly - Lewis Padgett
Ida - Samantha Finch Cat - Will Parsons Drake - Mark Turvill Bullfrog - Mathias Kayser Greylag - James Palmer Dot - Janet Turner Queenie/Barnacles - Natalie Turvill Lowbutt - Jen Jones Penny/Snowy - Claire Gray Maureen - Louise Elliker Grace - Ellie Parsons Henrietta - Pamela Lee Turkey - Bob Noble Jack Daw/Pinkfoot - John Payne |
NODA Review
WALTON AND WEYBRIDGE OPERATIC SOCIETY
‘HONK!’ – NOVEMBER 2018
‘Honk!’ is a musical I hadn’t seen before and so didn’t know quite what to expect in either the staging or the characters, it being about farmyard birds. However after the first few minutes of the opening I began to get the picture and settled into watching what proved to be a charming and cleverly written musical. The cast entered into their respective roles with commitment and enthusiasm and all gave good performances.
Mark opened the show setting the scene with ‘A Poultry Tale’ as he walked through the audience to the farm yard, which was simply but adequately portrayed, and he gave a relaxed, confident performance as Drake - the full beard did age him a little although Lewis Padgett looked so young in his grey school uniform that credibility wasn’t a problem.
‘A Poultry Tale’ was an excellent introduction to the characters and it was interesting to work out which birds they were representing.
Lewis played the role of Ugly brilliantly showing all the emotions needed; innocence, sadness, vulnerability and finally happiness and pride as he realised who he really was. His singing was very good and his loud honk caused much amusement.
As his mother Ida, Samantha Finch gave a sympathetic performance and her anxiety at losing Ugly was really moving. She too has a good voice, I loved ‘The Joy of Motherhood’ and her North Country accent was consistent throughout. (perhaps she IS a Northerner!)
Will Parsons made a sinister Cat with his feline moves – the baddie of the piece - but he was also easily fooled, making him a likeable character whom we knew would never really get the better of Ugly.
There were many named birds and they all added to the enjoyment of the production but notable performances were from Jenny as Lowbutt and Natalie Turvill as Queenie. Their scene together, Jenny the homely comfortable bird and Natalie the femme fatale, was classic and both girls with their different vocal styles sang ‘It takes all sorts’ very well. ‘Together’ with Cat didn’t sound as though it had much help from the music score so it wasn’t quite so easy on the ear. At this point I need to mention the sound. It was obvious from the words that I WAS able to pick up that the girls’ number was very funny indeed, but unfortunately they couldn’t be heard clearly enough throughout the song as the band was too loud. There was an inconsistency between the various personal mikes most of the evening too.
Greylag and Dot, played by James and Janet respectively, were super and the moment when they took off, played like an aircraft take off, was most effective.
Mathias Kayser was first rate as Bullfrog. His costume was brilliant and he brought out the humour really well with his frog like leaping and the creative dialogue.
The chorus number ‘Warts and All’ was great. All of the company numbers were well rehearsed and performed – as always with WWAOS – which really makes for a polished production. Laura Sharman has an acknowledgement in the programme for two of the numbers so I’m assuming that Claire Leonard as director did the other ones.
The swan ballet was delightful and Claire Gray is so very graceful to watch on stage - whether or not she’s a swan!
The T.V. appeal was funny and the song ‘Hold Your Head High’ was effective with the swathes of blue shimmering material representing water.
Pamela Lee, Ellie Parsons, Bob Noble and Johnathan Payne in their respective roles as Henrietta, Grace, Turkey and Jack Daw/Pink Foot all added their talent to this whimsical and entertaining musical.
Directing a full scale show for adults is very different from teaching children but it came across well and I imagine that Claire was pleased with the results.
The children appeared confident with their movement and dialogue and could mostly be heard. WWAOS is an amateur company of course, but it’s clear that you strive to be as ‘professional’ as possible by the quality of your shows – it would perhaps be a good idea to give the children a few do’s and don’ts, particularly about waving to the audience.
Costumes were fabulous and the props appropriate – the eggs with their hatches (no pun intended) were perfect.
Make up was mixed as some of the ladies looked rather pale and wan under the stage lighting and appeared to be wearing no blusher.
Lighting was good – I’ve already mentioned the lack of consistency in the sound department, and sound effects were good.
Your programme cover is eye catching and the inside pages are set out for ease of reading.
Thank you for inviting me to see ‘Honk!’ – it really was most entertaining – and also for your hospitality on the evening.
I wish all the members at WWAOS a very happy Christmas and a healthy 2019.
E. Gloria Smith
NODA S.E Regional Representative – District 9
‘HONK!’ – NOVEMBER 2018
‘Honk!’ is a musical I hadn’t seen before and so didn’t know quite what to expect in either the staging or the characters, it being about farmyard birds. However after the first few minutes of the opening I began to get the picture and settled into watching what proved to be a charming and cleverly written musical. The cast entered into their respective roles with commitment and enthusiasm and all gave good performances.
Mark opened the show setting the scene with ‘A Poultry Tale’ as he walked through the audience to the farm yard, which was simply but adequately portrayed, and he gave a relaxed, confident performance as Drake - the full beard did age him a little although Lewis Padgett looked so young in his grey school uniform that credibility wasn’t a problem.
‘A Poultry Tale’ was an excellent introduction to the characters and it was interesting to work out which birds they were representing.
Lewis played the role of Ugly brilliantly showing all the emotions needed; innocence, sadness, vulnerability and finally happiness and pride as he realised who he really was. His singing was very good and his loud honk caused much amusement.
As his mother Ida, Samantha Finch gave a sympathetic performance and her anxiety at losing Ugly was really moving. She too has a good voice, I loved ‘The Joy of Motherhood’ and her North Country accent was consistent throughout. (perhaps she IS a Northerner!)
Will Parsons made a sinister Cat with his feline moves – the baddie of the piece - but he was also easily fooled, making him a likeable character whom we knew would never really get the better of Ugly.
There were many named birds and they all added to the enjoyment of the production but notable performances were from Jenny as Lowbutt and Natalie Turvill as Queenie. Their scene together, Jenny the homely comfortable bird and Natalie the femme fatale, was classic and both girls with their different vocal styles sang ‘It takes all sorts’ very well. ‘Together’ with Cat didn’t sound as though it had much help from the music score so it wasn’t quite so easy on the ear. At this point I need to mention the sound. It was obvious from the words that I WAS able to pick up that the girls’ number was very funny indeed, but unfortunately they couldn’t be heard clearly enough throughout the song as the band was too loud. There was an inconsistency between the various personal mikes most of the evening too.
Greylag and Dot, played by James and Janet respectively, were super and the moment when they took off, played like an aircraft take off, was most effective.
Mathias Kayser was first rate as Bullfrog. His costume was brilliant and he brought out the humour really well with his frog like leaping and the creative dialogue.
The chorus number ‘Warts and All’ was great. All of the company numbers were well rehearsed and performed – as always with WWAOS – which really makes for a polished production. Laura Sharman has an acknowledgement in the programme for two of the numbers so I’m assuming that Claire Leonard as director did the other ones.
The swan ballet was delightful and Claire Gray is so very graceful to watch on stage - whether or not she’s a swan!
The T.V. appeal was funny and the song ‘Hold Your Head High’ was effective with the swathes of blue shimmering material representing water.
Pamela Lee, Ellie Parsons, Bob Noble and Johnathan Payne in their respective roles as Henrietta, Grace, Turkey and Jack Daw/Pink Foot all added their talent to this whimsical and entertaining musical.
Directing a full scale show for adults is very different from teaching children but it came across well and I imagine that Claire was pleased with the results.
The children appeared confident with their movement and dialogue and could mostly be heard. WWAOS is an amateur company of course, but it’s clear that you strive to be as ‘professional’ as possible by the quality of your shows – it would perhaps be a good idea to give the children a few do’s and don’ts, particularly about waving to the audience.
Costumes were fabulous and the props appropriate – the eggs with their hatches (no pun intended) were perfect.
Make up was mixed as some of the ladies looked rather pale and wan under the stage lighting and appeared to be wearing no blusher.
Lighting was good – I’ve already mentioned the lack of consistency in the sound department, and sound effects were good.
Your programme cover is eye catching and the inside pages are set out for ease of reading.
Thank you for inviting me to see ‘Honk!’ – it really was most entertaining – and also for your hospitality on the evening.
I wish all the members at WWAOS a very happy Christmas and a healthy 2019.
E. Gloria Smith
NODA S.E Regional Representative – District 9