REVIEW

Triumph of classics from the musicals...

Showstoppers by Adrian Mullen

Westmorland Gazette 5th September 2013

Burneside Amateur Theatrical Society never goes for the easy option of simply entertaining - they go one better and produce something more visually striking with well thought-out sets and projected imagery that adds a fabulous filmic element to its shows.

This year's Showstoppers featured a selection from some of the top musicals - we had the Lion King, Beauty and the Beast and The Jungle Book.

Dan Taylor and Jen Armitstead took us on a magic carpet ride to A Whole New World (Aladdin) and we were totally captivated By Sue Cook's elegant vocal, the graceful balletic moves of Tamara Rae, and the inventive projection of St Paul's Cathedral in Feed The Birds from Mary Poppins.

However, we marvelled at director Gordon Lawson and BATS sheer ambition in the way they presented excerpts from Les Miserables.

Les Mis was a total triumph, from costumes, props to individual and ensemble performances that grasped the complex numbers, particularly the lively Master of the House that was worthy of any professional cast.

Okay, occasionally in the show the balance between solo voice and backing track suffered. But these are big production numbers staged in a village hall and not songs with mere piano accompaniment.

A sterling performance all round from both the new younger members of the cast and regular players.