DRAMA
Maria French and her team went back to musical comedy roots for “Anything Goes”, Cole Porter's feelgood show born in the recession, and still one of the most popular school productions in the
The result was a colourful, tuneful extravaganza, featuring some of the best performances you could hope to see on a school stage. James Russell, the Stage Director, was very much thrown in at the deep end, but proved an inspirational force for these enthusiastic actors.
Matthew Lecznar & Hayley Camis
Hannah Phillips was a diminutive, dynamite Reno Sweeney, selling all her numbers and lighting up the stage, ably partnered by Matthew Lecznar as Billy Crocker, relaxed, with an easy presence and real star quality. His last show with KEGS, alas; other swan songs from Robin Carroll, Maxwell Spence as the myopic buffoon Eli Whitney, Sam Booth as a strong Captain, Alex Duval as the real man of the cloth, and Tom Childs a great comedic discovery as Public Enemy #13. Alice McFarlane made a sweet Hope Harcourt, her Goodbye Little Dream moving in its simplicity, while Hayley Camis made a great character of her frantic mother. Bonnie Letour was another smouldering performance from the inimitable Katie Gormley. Chris Malton, an indefatigable techie, also signs off with this show.
Alice McFarlane (centre) with Matthew Lecznar (left) and Tom Childs (right) and the Angels
We hope to see more of Bart Lambert, an upper-crust Lord Evelyn, and Thomas Crowe, the effete Purser – a brilliant performance. Not to mention the accomplished Sailor Quartet, and some very promising younger cameos.
Tim Worrall, MD, and the 16-piece band made the most of the familiar show-stoppers. But this was really all about the hoofers. Not just the polished principals, or the augmented Angels [Dance Captain Sian Cripps], but every one of the forty students, from year 7 to year 13, who pounded the decks of the SS American, tapping and stomping through the title number at the close of each act.
Congratulations to everyone involved on a five-star production. As Wodehouse wrote for the 1935
See gallery section of Home Page for more photos
An 80 page full colour photo-book of Anything Goes - by talented photographer Sawood Pearce - is available to preview and buy online at http://www.blurb.com/bookstore/detail/643647 priced at £22.
Click here for a review and photos of last year's performance of Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat
