THERE was a real family feel to Ten Year Call, Act One Beginners’ end-of-year show which celebrated its tenth birthday with a cast aged from five to 23 including 11 ‘returners’ many of whom have gone on to pursue careers in entertainment.
These seasoned performers were given a run for their money by talented youngsters some of whom were on stage for the first time, but between them they served up a real box of delights in a wide-ranging showcase of drama, singing and dance.
First up were the Copthorne and Felbridge singing classes with a toe-tapping medley of songs from The Lion King, which featured a simply lovely solo performance of Can’t You Feel the Love Tonight?
The smallest performers were up next, and without a hint of nerves delivered beautifully enunciated versions of Nursery Chairs and If the World Was Crazy.
Sadly the energetic action in Ernie’s Incredible Hallucinations from the Inters Class was marred by technical problems with the mics, which rendered portions of the script inaudible, and it was greatly to their credit that the actors gave it their best despite being hampered by their mics.
But the cast was soon back on form for The Demon Headmistress and a shrewdly-observed look at the perils of Speed Dating.
One of the most intriguing of the short dramas was The Cagebirds, a surreal play which was as compelling as it was well-acted. Hannah Woodger was particularly good as the Wild One, but this ensemble piece was a credit to all the young actors who took part.
An extract from Once a Catholic produced a welcome injection of humour which was particularly enjoyable if, like me, you are the product of a convent school, before the first half closed with a pacey group performance of Everyone Dance.
But if the young performers set the bar high in the first act, they simply wowed in the second half, with a reprise of the shows the school has produced over the past decade.
Georgia Gunn put in a feisty and accomplished performance as Annie ably supported by a band of cute and step-perfect orphans under the ‘care’ of a slatternly Miss Hannigan played by Emma Peadon.
And it was good to see The Music Man back.
It’s a show which seems to have fallen out of fashion but in the hands of Sam Casella as the fast-talking con man Professor Harold Hill and Jonty Egginton, in fine voice as Marcellus, it was one of the highlights of the afternoon.
Another was Oliver!
Kristina Hewitt WAS Nancy. Pretty, with a beautiful voice and great diction, she combined the sassy street smarts of Dicken’s tragic heroine with real poignancy in a pitch-perfect performance. While Sam Cunningham made a sweet-voiced Oliver in his endearing duet with Bet played by Abby Ingham.
In an extract from The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe, it was Kendra Bletchley who stole the show with a lovely performance as Lucy which drew well-deserved ‘aaahs’ from the audience.
West Side Story could have been an overly-ambitious choice for a young company, but a slick extract featuring the girls in I like to Be in America and the boys in Officer Krupke showed they were up for the challenge.
And it was good to see a fresh take on an old favourite in the pop version of Alice in Wonderland, which was followed by a reprise of Footloose, a well-deserved hit for the school in 2011.
All the original cast were back bar one and gave hugely enjoyable repeat performances of Holding out for a Hero, and Let’s Hear it for the Boy.
And if that wasn’t enough to get audiences back for more, the finale featured an extract from Act One’s next show Our House, scheduled for 2014.
So congratulations on a real feel-good show – and best wishes for the next decade!
by Geraldine Durrant
