1 August 2011

Please note: this news article is in our archive. Articles were correct at time of publication, but should not be relied on for accuracy after the passage of time.

A stunning recent production of Les Mis set the bar high when it came to expectations for the Ariel Theatre Academy’s end-of-year show, but the talented youngsters who took part proved they were up for the challenge in a varied and well-thought-out programme of music, dance and drama.

The smaller members of the Academy certainly have the “aaaah!” factor, but they didn’t rely on cuteness to carry them through a series of well-executed dance routines.

And there were some genuinely laugh-out-loud moments, when their comic timing belied their tender years in the Little Red Riding Hood sketch, which was enjoyed as much by the small actors themselves as it was by their appreciative audience.

Natalie Boyd gave a simply beautiful performance of Hallelujah, with lovely harmonies provided by Lauren Merry and Charlotte Kenward. While Beth Elliott’s heartbreakingly original rendition of Winner Takes It All wrung real pathos from the end of a love affair turned sour.

The Prospero team’s choice of a dramatic tribute to the victims of 9/11 should on paper have been a difficult one for children still of primary school age: but their youthful gravity and careful delivery brought a special poignancy and dignity to their words as they recalled the horrors of the terrorism attack on New York.

Other highlights of the evening included monologues by James Rowsell and Polly Beaumont, and Gabriel Rathbone’s sweet-voiced Who Will Buy? from Oliver!

And by the time the whole school joined in the Shake Your Tail Feather finale, there wasn’t a parent – or a grandparent – in the audience – who didn’t want to shake along.