The Pied Piper - June 2009 - The LBCT Mini theatre

 The Leighton Buzzard Theatre was alive with the excited voices of The Leighton Buzzard Mini Theatrewho performed a musical version of The Pied Piper over 3 performances. The young cast retold the classic tale with song, dance and excellent acting skills. The cast were led by 9 year old Lorna Winfield who attends Greenleas School. Lorna charmed the rats and eventually the children of Hamelin away because of the corrupt ways of the mayor played by 9 year old Alex Warren who goes to Linslade Lower School and his council played by Georgia McElwee, Gemma White, Anna Pridgeon and Lizzie Lister. The Mayors wife Eulalie, played by 9 year old Elisha Fowler from St Leonards School, stired up the people in a rousing song "People Power"

 The rat pack were led by their strong leader Matthew Jones who is 9 and attends Pulfords Lower School. The young rats danced and sang with all their might as they plotted against the town with their dirty underhand tricks. Seven year old Ella King from Husbourne Crawley School who played dirty rat Cagney was excellent in her delivery. Old rat , Corinne Hubbold who attends High Ash School sang beautifully and told the younger rats of the rat wars she had survived. The rat pack included Danny goodwin, Ellie Prophet, Erica Meadows, Molly Lowther, Monique Donavan- Smith, Olivia Campbell, Rebecca Knibb, Rebecca Murry, Samuel Gruner and the youngest rat 4 year old Rebecca Kelly who goes to Greenleas School.

 The townspeople were summoned on stage by the Town Crier, Ben Craig -with a big voice and a ready smile. Townspeople included Adam Birtles, Amy Jane Shane, Helen Montford, Aaron O'Neill, Harry Charter, Jack Potter, Joel Parrot and Tim Metcalf. The townsfolk treated the audience to a great market day scene where they sold their wares until they realised the rats were running wild. The children of the town sang of the grown ups who "nag, natter, moan and fuss but who are so lovely to come home to" Lucy Paine who is 8 and attends Heathwood School played Hans the child who could not dance after the piper and who was left alone(until the piper came back!) Other childrens roles were played by Amy Robertson, Ella Fox, Hannah Murray, Holly Lane and Robert Beilby.

 All the young actors performed superbly to great applause

All was revealed at the Library Theatre this weekend with Alice The Musical staged by Leighton Buzzard Children's Theatre and directed by Sally Allsopp.

Alice (Jess Allsopp), was perfectly cast as a naïve, unsophisticated, but thoughtfully articulate girl on the adventure of a lifetime
There was a comedy duet with the excellent Cheshire Cat (Callum Fosberry), excellent performances were repeated in each scenario with differing colourful characters and sets.

Traditionally clad in turquoise frock with puffed sleeves and white apron, shoulder length blonde hair and white band, Alice's open faced innocence expressed constant wonder, bemusement and curiosity.

In a Victorian parlour of Dodgson (aka Lewis Carroll the original author) and his niece, Alice, narrators interact with the stage characters. Alice, living dangerously for one so young, discovers a potion with a label inviting her to 'Drink Me'. She does. With clever setting and props, she shrinks in size and enters Wonderland: a surreal community of characters, costumes and choreography. Woodland animals with painted faces

So many everyday sayings and poems come from Lewis Carroll: "mad as a hatter" for one. Enter the Duchess in pinks and purples with that famous advice "Speak roughly to your little boy".

There's a charming and confident first LBCT performance by Vicky Webb as the Cook; the endearing White Rabbit (Dominique Kelly) and Caterpillar (Thomas Dunne).

The Mad Hatter's Tea Party was a dream-for both players and audience. Lewis Carroll's famous 'The Walrus and the Carpenter' poem beautifully spoken by Dodgson (Harvey Murray). Particular commendations must go to Alice for overall continuity, the Cheshire Cat for comedy and the Queen of Hearts (Eleanor Turner) as a vampish diva who eventually softens!

There were backcloths of art deco poppies and versatile, clever lighting, to create a Wonderland 'townscape'.

Bossa nova rhythms in one scene, American square dancing the next, full chorus anthems to set one's heart racing including Music is our Life and madcap comedy numbers such as We're all as Mad as Hatters.

This was an accurate but modern depiction of a much loved story. Add Alice as she realises her new companions are 'just a pack of cards' and wants to go home and the auditorium was bathed in pathos.

NEXT PRODUCTION: Christmas Sing out Against Cancer in December; OKLAHOMA IN FEBRUARY!

Sandra Dudley

Alice played by Corinne Hubbold was very good- she smiled her way through the complex scenes meeting all the madcap characters. Corinne acted with maturity and sensitivity. The duchess, the caterpillar,white rabbit, cook and cat all fitted their roles perfectly and brought alive the endearing tales.The mad hatters scene was super with three adorable little dormice, two mad hares and of course the Mad Hatter. The walrus played by Ben Craig, the gryphon Karl Goodwin, Mock Turtle Josie Derland and the carpenter Matthew Jones added more comedy and fun. The King and Queen of hearts were scarily loud and fearsome.Lewis Carroll himself was depicted by the young Tommy Scudamore with excellent singing and acting alongside April Matthews who showed sweetness in her role as Alice Lidell, Carolls neice. The costumes were wonderful, the music fun and the scenery simple but effective. Well done to the production team, it was lovely to see such young children having so much enjoyment and filling the town theatre with an appreciative audience.

Suzanne Jones

The show was celebrating the local youngsters who belong to the group led by director Sally Allsopp and co-director Janine Nightingale. The evening especially focused on the youngsters who are leaving the town to go onto university in September. James Trendell, Jenny Bernarde, Tammy Oxley, Dawn Mayne and Lydia Watkins as they leave to study Drama, Law, Media, Computer Science and Medicine. James to Southampton to study Computer science, Jenny to Sussex to study Media, Tammy to Leeds to study Medicine, Lydia to East 15 to study Drama and Dawn to Bristol to study Law. LBCT is about young people and the special things they do. They have been excellent LBCT members, always giving their very best and have a joint total of over 36 years service!!! The leavers choose a charity to support and this year they have chose Action for Sick Children and dedicated the performance to the memory of Lydia's cousin Lucy Hawthorne.

It was a wonderful evening of entertainment presented by last years leavers who came back from Higher education courses to host the show. Vanessa Lee who is studying Art at Dunstable College, Joe Childs who is studying accountancy and Hayley Green who is studying Drama.

Fiddler on the Roof, December 2007
Review by Sandra Dudley
TAKE 50 local young thesps, an inspired director, a team of committed volunteers/professionals and a tale of harsh Jewish Russian village life under Tsarist rule in 1905.

Add a God-fearing dairyman, Tevye, his wife, Golde, and their five daughters of marriageable age, a village community; those in authority and those, like him, poor and struggling and you have the iconic musical Fiddler on the Roof performed in this instance, by the Leighton Buzzard Children's Theatre.

In a moving Prologue, Tevye powerfully explains his belief in God's law which, together with their deep seated local traditions, makes their lives 'as shaky as a fiddler on the roof'.

They are such challenging roles for teenagers—the Jewish/Russian accent—and playing characters well beyond their own age and experiences but succeed they did. Effective scenery changes and an extended stage made a 3D framework and with sensitive use of all the auditorium, it was not difficult to feel part of the village.

The setting was superb, the actors well disciplined—almost all utterly motionless in the frequent very effective 'freeze' crowd scenes—'pictures' in stage terminology.The fiddler—lone, slight and with intriguingly haunting expressions—dancedinto all scenes.

Sometimes inebriated,Tvye manufactures a nightmare experience—a scene of magnificent evil and induced fear. Costumes, choreography and scenery were completely authentic; a show full of some of the most emotive songs ever—If I was Rich Man, Matchmaker, Sunrise Sunset: this teenage cast accompanied by a 'full orchestra' track courtesy Sound/Keyboards guru, David Allsopp, enabled much mature vocal presentation.

The Saturday matinee role of Tevye was played by Hari Apostolides—well cast physically and vocally with a commanding presence. Scarlet Forrest as Golde retained a dignified calm as the plot unfolded—a little too calm as she saw one daughter off to the USA! Key roles were played ably by Joanne Ellam, Dawn Mayne, Sarah Lightfoot and Serena Tartaglia, Cara O'Neill and Jenny Bernarde.

Annie Junior
Over 80 local youngsters took to the stage of The Leighton Buzzard Theatre during 8 performances of Annie junior. The production was full of stars ranging in age from 5-13. The performers were split into three groups allowing three of every character.

Annie was played brilliantly by Georgia McElwee, Jennifer Beckwith and Rosie Brookes. Each girl had a different style but all had a cheeky smile, superb singing voice and terrific acting style. Daddy Warbucks was played by Thomas Dunne aged 10, Kieran Faulkner and Jonathan Vernon both aged 13. The boys played the role with maturity and sensitivity, it's not easy to play a middle aged man but all three boys were super.

Grace Farrell was played by Eleanor Turner, Jess Allsopp and Emma Jones, they sang beautifully, wore high heels well and tolerated the rantings of Daddy Warbucks with extreme patience. Miss Hannigan was played by Suzanne Taylor, Lorna Drummond and Sarah Gallagher - all three girls were terrifyingly loud and very scary-super singing and excellent acting. The cast was so full of stars it is impossible to mention them all. The all did really well from the youngset Holly Lane, Robert Beilby and Amy Robertson to one of the tallest 13 year old Rebekah Lander who played Lilly St Regis alongside Jenny Humphries and Josie Derland, to the funniest Callum Fosberry, Harvey Murray and Sebastian Cridland who played Rooster Hannigan with panache and style, they all did so well.

Some children were on the stage for the very first time and some are old timers who have trod the boards for over 7 years. Special mention must go to Helen Mountford aged 9 who stepped in at the last minute to play the part of Molly, the youngest orphan in an older team when Shona Drummond was stuck in flooded Stratford Upon Avon. Helen met her new Annie and was on the stage, costumed and ready within 20 minutes of finding out she would have to play the role in a new cast, she was wonderful. Shona returned for two performances on Saturday - relieved and happy.

Leighton Buzzard Children's Theatre is so lucky to have so much talent, the youngsters concerned work hard and enjoy themselves. The production raised £500 for the Bedford Primrose unit which supports women with breast cancer in Bedfordshire.

Ring of Roses
Review by Jenny Rose
Ring of Roses at the LB Theatre in early December was an excellent production directed by Sally Allsopp featuring a cast of high quality, creative and talented young people. Ring of Roses is a story of hope, love and truth. Set at the time of the plague in 1665 it follows the story of the children and adults of the plague village Eyam in Derbyshire. Mixing pathos with fun, song with theatrical simplicity the Leighton Buzzard Children's Theatre Youth Section members aged 13-18 performed this family musical at The Leighton Buzzard Theatre.

The piece expressed the hope of humanity in impossible situations, it told of a time for adventure a time for letting go. Written by Darren Vallier the piece followed the fortunes of the children who are sent up onto the hill alone for safe keeping whilst the adults are left in the danger zone away from their children.

Catherine played beautifully by 18 year old Kassey Rutland and Alice played by Jo Ellam and Scarlet Forrest headed the cast which included over 50 local youngsters. There were so many stars in the performance and many superb voices. Comedy was added with real style by the herbal hags, Wendi O'Neill, Sophie Chenery, Hayley Green and Emily Beckwith and the gravediggers Angus Drummond, Edward Percival and Jason Dass who kept the audience guessing with their strange songs and comedic timing.James Leaver played the character Roland who was forever hungry.

The strong cast also included Eleanor Cloake, Dawn Mayne, Vanessa Lee, Joe Childs, Matthew Lee and Lydia Watkins, Tammy Oxley, Amber Nightingale who played their role with commitment and beautiful vocals. Fine drama was added by Sam Lowther,Kraig Rutland, Jenny Bernarde, Laura Foy, Jay Lawrence and Adam Smart. Bethan Edwards and Joe Parslow had the audience in tears as they realised they had helped to spread the plague, Bethan cried real tears.

A chorus of over 20 youngsters each performance showed strong vocal versatility and great natuaralistic drama and movement skills. Musical direction by David Allsopp was superb with fine orchestral arrangements. An excellent evening of fine performances- well done

Dream On
Over 50 members aged 9-13 took to the stage to present "Dream On" an adaption of Midsummer Night's Dream by William Shakespeare. The young performers retold the story in modern dress with song, dance and fun. There were so many stars but special mention must go to Bottom played by Keiran Faulner and Harvey Murray and Flute played by Tilden Shipway Porter who had the audiences in stitches during the play within a play. Hoardes of beautiful fairies were led by Lorna Drummond as Oberon and Elysia Allsopp as Titania, ably asssisted by Puck played by Hannah Rourke and Jess Allsoppand their sidekicks Shoa, Dominique, Sam and Thomas. The lovers Sarah Watson, Megan Jones, Sarah Gallagher, Lizzie Farren and Catherine Allen were great at creating fun as they fell in and out of love. The production worked very well and everyone involved seemed to be have a great time as they did the conga, the tango, sung about Rude Mechanicals and followed the story of the great Shakespeare favourite.

Midsummer Night's Dream
The final curtain of the Summer term fell for Leighton Buzzard Youth Section with their production of Midsummer Night's Dream the musical. The piece was the finale of the Shakespeare festival which every member of the group participated in which involved the Mini theatre members improvised version the CT's "Dream On" and the youth Sections Musica-the version adapted by Sally Allsopp used the true Shakesperian language and was enhanced with songs by Tchaikovsky, Offenbach, Schubert and Purcell. Over 50 young people aged 10-18 took part in this colourful production which used mask, music and movement to bring the forest alive. Angus Drummond was outstanding as the weaver Bottom, he towered above many of the cast and oozed comedic timing, as a donkey was hilarious but as "Pyramus the lover who must kill himself for love" he was unbelievable. He was ably supported by a crew of comedians which included Vanessa Lee as "Moonlight", Wedi O'Neill, Kassey Rutland and Jason Dass as "Wall", Matt Lee as "the director", Adam Smart and Louisa Telling as "the lion" and David Rourke and Charlie Watkins as the beautiful"Thisbe". The lovers were professionally played with many hilarious moments by Michael Hailes, Jenny White, Abi Allsopp and Jay Lawrence. The fairyland creature which emerged from a physicality of undergrowth were bought to life by Iain Smith as Oberon, Chloe Cromack as Titania and Tammy Oxley and Louisa Telling as Puck. Beautiful fairies emerged from every corner and led us to believe we were dreaming. The whole production directed by Sally Allsopp and Kate Peplow was wonderful, the music directed by David Allsopp was super and the lighting and sound effects provided by Oewn Allsopp and Peter Partridge added to the magic. A fantastic end to a very busy season. The young thespians will restart their stage journey in September where they will be working towards productions to be staged at The Leighton Buzzard Theatre in December.

Sing out Against Cancer
Sing out Against Cancer" at the LB Theatre last week was alive with the sound of music. The Leighton Buzzard Childrens Theate Youth Section produced a full two hour show which showed the talents, versatility and enthusiasm of the young members. The event in aid of Act Against Cancer was compered by local lad Ben Jones who is studying at The American Academy of Dramatic Art in Hollywood. Ben aged 19 ensured a smooth show with lots of fun and laughter. Highlights included a rendition of "Did you Ever" by Kenny, Iain and Michael which was slick, proffesional and fast paced, a beautiful duet from Abi and Iain in "Come What May" and the hilarious Gilbert and Sulivan spot with Michaels' " Major General", Kenny's "Policemans song" and Abi, Angela and Jenny as the "three little maids".The show demonstrated how young people aged 13-18 can put their time into a fantastic production which allowed so many youngsters a chance to shine. The Rogers and Hammerstein harmony piece was mesmerising and the tension built by Jay Lawrence in the Blood Brothers spot was fantastic.The 35 young people involved were all local with the six leavers destined for universities across the nation from York to Carlisle from Manshester to Glasgow. The production raised over £200 for the Laura Crane Trust which supports young people aged 17-25 who have life threatening diseases. The youth section members were ably supported by Saturday Childrens Theatre members who sang songs from their forthcoming production "Dream On".

Les Miserables
Review by Lucy Adams and Suzy Peters
Fantastic is the only word for it, the results were outstanding. Well done to everyone concerned- it was a real winner.

The production of Les Miserables Schools Edition by Leighton Buzzard Children’s Theatre Youth Section members was outstanding. There were so many stars and the audience were mesmerised from the moment the curtain rose. The young cast took the audience on a journey of tears, laughter, soul searching and reality. Accompanied by a ten piece orchestra under the skilful direction of David Allsopp the young people sang their hearts out. The chorus numbers were sung with passion and the drama skills employed were excellent under the direction of Sally Allsopp. All the large chorus numbers were executed exceptionally well. Memorable moments included the rousing number “One Day More” when the students fully of bravado and enthusiasm marched with flags waving little knowing the real fate that would befall them. The stirring chorus “At The End of the Day” showed the poor in shadow and squalor, it really encompassed the feeling of the time in France.

The scenes on the barricades were wonderful– the battle scenes were youthful and so sad as student after student fell to their death for the cause. The deaths of Eponine and young Gavroch were poignant in the extreme and really brought home the futility of the situation. The principal characters were all excellent– so many youngsters had a chance to shine.

Leighton Buzzard lad Iain Smith aged 17 who attends Vandyke Upper School played the convict Jean Valjean and acted his role tremendously well, the audience felt his emotion as he changed from convict to hero always trying to hide his guilty past. A tremendous performance from one so young.

Linslade youngster Michael Hailes, 18 who attends Cedars Upper School played the character of Javert and was perfect as the law enforcer who had to see justice done. Michaels singing voice resonated around the theatre as he retained his quest to catch up with Jean Valjean. Fantastic. Jenny White from Heath and Reach, another Cedars student, as Fantine was wonderful , she had exactly the right tone and pathos and her song “I Dreamed a Dream” brought a tear to many an eye.

Jay Lawrence 14, from Linslade as Marius was both youthful and exceptional. His “Empty Chairs at Empty Tables” was haunting and this calibre of performance was exceptional. He was partnered by Angela Rotherham as Cosette who acted her role with charm and sweetness.

Abi Allsopp 17, another Vanyke student from Heath and Reach as Eponine was superb. She employed the audiences sympathy and captured our hearts as the young girl caught in a place where no one could help her. A beautifully rounded vocal and dramatic performance. Her rendition of "On My Own" was mature and captivating.

Madame and Tenardier were also great performers. Kassey Rutland who attends Vandyke Uper School played Madame and was worthy of the West End with her excellent comic timing. Kenny Smith who works in Leighton Buzzard had a fabulous voice as Tenardier and demonstrated great expression.

Joe O’Neill who lives in Leighton Buzzard played Enjoras with fantastic quality, his vocal ability was brilliant and he really led the student group forward.

Local middle School scholars Callum Fosberry , Andrew Fell, Emma Jones and Jenny Humphries were very good as the younger characters. Some wonderful moments both vocally and dramatically.

Les Miserables Schools Edition is something LBCT members will never forget from the oldest to the youngest involved everyone loved it and everyone worked very very hard. Lighting under the direction of Chris Wright showed great expertise, the backstage team led by Roger Partridge showed professionalism in their set changes. The costumes and props were just right from the paupers in the streets to the finery and pomp at the wedding. The set designed by Vandyke Upper School teacher Kristian Hewitt worked exceptionally well to add to a superb production which left the audience shouting for more and the performers desperate to do more. Leighton Buzzard Children's Theatre have six Potted Pantos in performance at The Leighton Buzzard Theatre in early March, an adaptation of the great Shakespeare play Midsummer Nights Dream in June and a surprise musical theatre production in July. The group which has 150 members aged 5-18 is as always busy, active and enjoying everything they do.

Treasure Island
Leighton Buzzard Children's Theatre performed treasure Island at The Leighton Buzzard Theatre at the end of July and are pleased to announce that they raised £600 for Keech Cottage Hospice as a result of the successful production.

The performances featured over 70 local youngsters aged 5-13 and told the story of Jim Hawkins played by Eleanor Evie Turner and Jess Allsopp and Long John Silver played by Dylan Taylor and Helena Stokes and a band of pirates who tried in vain to gain gold, silver and jewels in the guise of the treasure. Jim however declared that the real treasure was always within oneself and to find true gold you had to look inside your own heart.

The youngsters included Polly the parrot played by Shannon Geddes and Suzanne Taylor, Ben Gunn played by Harvey Murray and Keiran Faulkner and a bevy of beauties found on the island. In LBCT style the huge cast sang, danced and acted really well. Audience response include " I could not believe they were such young children" There were so many stars" " LBCT always lifts you and makes you happy" "The children were all fantastic" "Wow! some of those youngsters were brilliant - real stars, the others were wonderful- they all enjoyed it so much-it was obvious- all of them had so much fun" Another wrote "Thank you for doing treasure island and it was fun being in it and the show was brilliant!" A cast member wrote "thank you for letting me be part of Treasure island- it was excellent- I felt so special"£600 for Keech Cottage was raised as front of house profit, generous donations from audience members and ticket sales.

Director Sally Allsopp says Treasure Island was terrific- all the young performers were brilliant, stars included Emer Downey as Squire Trewlany, Benn Gunns, Jim Hawkins' and Long John Silvers. LBCT is very lucky to have so many stars.

The Show Must Go On
"The Show must go on" in aid of Act Against Cancer at the Leighton Buzzard Theatre. The charity collects money to research cancers specifically affecting young people aged 13-25.The charity was et up in memory of Laura Crane aged 17 who died two weeks after her seventeenth birthday. LBCT show raised £300 for the charity. The group focused on Ben Jones and Hannah Doerr both aged 18 who will leave Leighton Buzzard in September to continue their studies in Drama. Ben is going to Hollywood and Hannah to UWE Bristol. The group also said goodbye to Peter Partridge and Owen Allsopp who have worked with the group for the last 10 years. Owen hopes to study Electronic Engineering at Bristol University and Pter hopes to study Law at Lincoln University. The show featured over 60 local youngsters and the programme ranged from excerpts from Les Miserables, The Mikado, Lloyd Webber and the dance of the sugar plums(a ballet by the boys) Highlights included the tribute to Westlife, the jazz group, the Treasure Island preview and the Les Miserables spots. Hannah sang a fantastic duet from Miss Saigon as well as a beautiful solo from Oliver and much more. Ben sang as part of the Westlife tribute, played saxophone in the jazz group, he also sang a song from the Mikado and much more. Ben and Hannah were advised to "Don't let life get you down" by the Youth section in song and learnt that "Theres a place for the Somewhere"i n the emotional finale. The audience were treated to song, Shakespeare, silly dances and sophisticated performances - a great night had by all in aid of a worthy cause. Hannah has been with the group for eight years, Ben for four years. Ben and Hannah have taken several lead roles in LBCT shows including Nancy and Fagin in Oliver. Ben from Plantation Road was Captain Von Trapp in The Sound of Music and Hannah was Abi in Ring of Roses. They both took lead roles in the highly successful Bang Bang You're Dead which was performed earlier this year. Former members Kate Peplow and Eva Clarke compared the show.

Potted Pantos
The last show of the season was the Youth section Pantos. These were devised and produced by the members and were terrific. Aladdin was played well by the younger members. Full of colour and intrigue. Dawn Mayne made a great Aladdin and Tammy Oxley being a fantastic villain. Dick Whittington was played by Chloe Cromack who worked well with her cast including her cat, a few rats and Kris Vizard as the ships Captain. The group amused us all with their Shrek karaoke. Jack and the Beanstalk featured a cow, two funny fairies, a giant and many more. Charlie and Jamie had everyone in stitches with their ladylike ways. The fairies Kassey and Louisa were hilarious. Rachel Bourne made a great Jack. Last on was Cinderella played beautifully by Lauren Selmes. Her two ugly sisters were Laura and Ben who were overseen by the evil Hayley. Buttons the page boy kept the evening going and as the final curtain fell all the Youth Members took a final bow. It was a great evening - full of fun Well done to you all.

The Leavers Show: 2004
LBCT said goodbye to Laura Hailes who left a year early to pursue her studies. Laura sang a haunting version of Think of Me and led the chorus in the wonderful "Somewhere" Laura will be missed. Other highlights of the show were Jamie Gallagher and Kassey Rutland in Barbie Girl, Emily Rust as Rizzo in Grease and the young cast of The Rocky Monster who cam to add support. A great evening had by all. it was fantastic to hear Eva Clarke sing "On my Own" from Les Miserables and Amy, Georgina and Janine who returned from university to sing The Sugababes as well as other favourites. Thanks to all concerned.

The Rocky Monster Show
"THE ROCKY MONSTER SHOW terrific, monster fun!!"
Forty children aged 5-13 took on the cast of weird, crazy characters who meet together with Baron Frankenstein (The Professor of Rock and Roll) to create a new super group - better than the Beatles. The production was great. Each character getting their special moment. Special mention to Jessica Lee as the overbearing housekeeper who hated the name Rebecca! The professor himself, Adam Smart who showed star quality in his role as the Phantom of the Science Lab. Dominique Kelly as Old Aunt Ada Doom - was quite magnificent. Cara O'Neill and Matthew Lee as the monsters who fell in love. Eleanor Cloake and David Rourke as the straight faced scientists, Igor the butler played by Harvey Murray and Olivia Berry as the bimbo daughter of the professor. A great show - full of fun.

Bugsy Malone
Bugsy Malone was held at The LB Theatre in March 2004. Leighton Buzzard Children's Theatre led by Sally Allsopp took 99 local youngsters aged 5-14, rehearsed weekly in Heath and Reach and let them take part in one or two of the 4 shows which were held in aid of Cancer research Uk. There were two main casts who both worked really hard to produce a fun filled, lively entertainment with touches of brilliance, plenty of ah factor and many moments of madness.

Bugsy played by Kraig Rutland in all four performances was excellent, he was a real cool guy with a good speaking voice, complimented by great acting skills and super stage presence.

The Friday evening cast included James Leaver as Fat Sam who had just the right amount of panache to play the gang land boss. Knuckles played by Georgina Liscio was excellent. Fat Sams moll Tallulah was played confidently by Bethan Dumpleton who commanded the stage and sang and acted with great maturity. Blousey Brown played by Caroline Adams was sweet but feisty- super characterisation, with lovely singing. Dandy Dans gang was led by Daryl Humphries who gained confidence throughout the performance. He loved the final splurging and was really keen to see justice done with his gang in tow- great fun. Other characters included Charlotte Howard who played the bar man and cleaned up all the splurge, polished the glasses and even scrubbed the floor. Emily Beckwith was wonderful as Lena, the overbearing star of the show- a real star in the making! Fizzy played by Amber Nightingale sang beautifully, her haunting melody "Tomorrow" rang around the theatre and merited the cheers from the audience. Jason Dass played Leroy with great skill, excellent comedic timing and a good powerful voice.

The Saturday cast was led by Edward Percival as Fat Sam who gave a thought filled, mature performance. Tallulah played by Emer Downey showed her mischievous smile and great singing voice, she had the audience in stitches when she flirted with Bugsy. Naomi Chadwick acted and sang beautifully as Blousey Brown and David Rourke showed great promise as Leroy. Little Dominique Kelly as Captain Smolskey was brilliant- commanding the stage with a clear voice and super expression, ably supported by Jessica Lee as O'Dreary. Nick O'Brien as Dandy Dan had a great voice and lovely stage presence. Sarah Gallagher as Fizzy had a beautiful, haunting voice.

Both casts worked hard from the tiniest little boxer to the main characters.

The gangs splurged, sang, danced and did everything brilliantly. Fat Sams gangs rendition of "Bad Guys" was super- some real charachters emerging from the chorus!

The simple set was effective and the props all worked well, copious amounts of splurge, silly string and custard pies made sure a good time was had by all. So many stars in the making- great music, great fun.

£600 will be donated to Cancer Research UK as a result of these young peoples efforts- WELL DONE

The Slipper and The Rose
Review by Josie Farmer
Fantastic show- Fabulous production by a very talented team of young people. The story of Cinderella and the Prince was adapted into a musical with superb music and lots of fun.

Cinderella was played brilliantly by Abi Allsopp giving just the right amount of sadness and certainly shining as the beautiful fairytale princess.

Her Prince was certainly charming played by 15 year old Iain Smith with excellent presence and panache. He had excellent diction and a very good singing voice.

The King and Queen kept the court in check assisted by a bevy of colourful characters including Montague played very well by Kenny Smith.

Ben Jones was terrific as the King. Ben played his part to the full with wonderful expressions and showed an excellent sense of comic timing.

Emily Rust played the queen as a perfect foil for the King, she had excellent expressions and gave a very competent performance.

Hayley Green as the stepmother was super. She showed real contrast when talking to Cinderella or her two delightful daughters, a great performance.

Palatine and Isabella played by Louisa Telling and Chloe Cromack, were a super double act. They worked excellently together and got plenty of humour out of their wicked roles. Both have a good sense of timing and their diction was first class.

Lady Caroline played by Amy Janes was a smaller cameo role but Amy played it very well and gave good support to the others on stage.

The dog Jesse was really well behaved and added the right amount of ah factor.

The Lord Chamberlain played by Angus showed his talents to the full. Confident and talented.

The dowager Queen played by Jilly Hailes was played very well. Jilly spoke slowly and clearly and did not rush her portrayal of this character.

Kassy Rutland as the Fairy Queen was a real star- comical and fun. Kassey gave a sparkling performance, she sailed her way through the show with ease- a great performance.

So many youngsters making so much fun. Beautiful dances and super singing shone through this fabulous production with so many extra touches. All the main characters used very good diction. David provided full orchestration on the keyboard- superb musicianship.

Well done to everyone involved- too many to mention individually but really well done to all.

Annual Awards: 2003
Over 120 young people aged 5-17 took part in the LBCT annual awards. Each member was presented with a medal and older members picked up accolades including long service and special awards. Entertainment was provided by each LBCT group and included Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, The Slipper and The rose, Bugsy Malone and Annie. The Youth Section gave their own rendition of "Where is the love" by The Black Eyed Peas.

Special awards included Actor of the year for Ben Jones, actress of the year for Hannah Doerr, vocalist of the year for Laura Hailes and King of comedy for Angus Drummond. Well done to all. Janine Nightingale who left in the Summer of 2003 to pursue a degree in Drama at Roehampton also returned to give a moving rendition of I don't know How to love Him and Little Girls from Annie. Great day- well done.

Annie
Review by Josie Farmer
During the last week of July over 80 local children aged 5-18 took to the stage of the Leighton Buzzard Theatre for a production of "Annie" I had the privilege of attending two of the performances and was very glad I did. The whole company worked hard to produce excellent performances. The title role of Annie was shared by 13 year old Tammy Oxley and 12 year old Eleanor Cloake. Both worked really hard and made me smile, they also demonstrated lovely voices and great acting ability. They had the added bonus of working with a black dog either Buster or Jesse, I saw Jesse on both performances- she was very well behaved and had the necessary ah factor.

Daddy Warbucks was played very well by 17 year old Matthew Williams. Matthew towered above the young Annies and showed excellent movement and acting skills. His rendition of "Together at Last" with Annie was superb.

Janine Nightingale was a star as Miss Hannigan, from her first entrance she demanded the audiences attention as she strode and swayed her way round the stage playing the middle aged orphanage proprietor who hates "Little Girls" Her voice was amazing, I really believed she was a forty year old woman and if I had been one of the little orphans I would have been terrified. Janine was supported by Rooster and Lilly who all worked very well, super expressions and movement skills. Easy Street was wonderful.

President Roosevelt was played cheerfully by Ben Jones and Iain Smith- excellent projection and manner from both these boys well done.

Grace Farrell was played by Hannah Doerr and Jenny White, excellent deportment and lovely expression from both girls.

An assortment of orphans, servants, and Hoovervilles filled the stage as various times. The orphans chorus of Hard Knock Life was great as was "Never Fully Dressed" led by Emer Downey and Amber Nightingale, both these girls were terrific. All the chorus numbers worked well, with full participation especially from the youngest orphans who looked great and showed such enthusiasm.

Kenny Smith played a variety of roles very well, he made a lovely Bert Healy and was assisted by a bevy of Boylyn sisters- all singing and looking beautiful with added assistance from Dominique Kelly and Kelly Vincent as Wacky the Puppet.

All of the musical numbers were good, NYC was visually stunning, I loved to see all the different characters, especially Father Christmas. The servant's song as they dressed the tree was lovely and the movement pretty. I particularly liked the final scene where Miss Hannigan was arrested.

All the children and young people should be very proud of themselves- a truly wonderful production, excellent costumes, authentic props, super scenery and good scene changes, brilliant music from David Allsopp and slick direction and production from Sally Allsopp. Well done to all concerned on and off stage.

The production was in aid of Cancer research Uk, well done to all involved -it is lovely to see young people and their production team working so hard to produce excellent results for a good cause. Well done to everyone involved.

Up The Beanstalk
Up the Beanstalk featured the younger children led by lovely performances from Catherine Allen as Jack, Hannah Rourke as the Wizard and Jacks mother Elizabeth Adams. The show featured a group of badly behaved bailiffs, villagers, dancers, two giants played very well by Amy Jane Shane and Gemma White and a butler called Grovel played superbly by Kieron Faulkner. A group of policemen charged around the stage chasing anything in site led well by Charlotte Howard. Special mention must be made of the pantomime cow played by two very young lads who mooed in all the right places. Lovely singing, pretty costumes and good scenery made Up The Beanstalk a success for these children aged 5 - 9.

The Wind in the Willows
The Wind in the Willows was a full scale production with two pantomime horses, ducks, a prince, a prison cat, toad, badger, mole and ratty plus many other endearing characters. Jason Dass as toad was terrific with all the right characterisation. James Leaver as the crazy judge played the small cameo role excellently. Becky Fraser as Badger, Jennifer Bernarde as mole and Kimme Stevenson as ratty worked hard and well together. Aunty Milly the dame was played superbly by Flora Macphail- custard pies right in her face and she did not flinch. Stunning performances all round, with a large chorus, great singing and great fun.

Alice in Wonderland
Alice in Wonderland was led by Chloe Spratt as Alice, she sang and acted very well, putting up with the mad antics of the Hatter played brilliantly by Kraig Rutland, the Hares James Davies and Matthew Whitman and three gorgeous dormice Alice, Eleanor and Heloise. Matthew Lee and Jessica Macmahon brought Lewis Carroll and Alice Liddell alive well, with some excellent singing. Shannon Geddes as the turtle made us laugh and cry all at the same time- sheer enjoyment. The Cheshire cat played by Adam Smart showed a great talent with song, dance and acting. The little white rabbit, Suzanne Taylor bounced around everywhere while the Duchess, Jessica Lee had us all in stitches with her morals and baby that's really a pig and Emer Downey as the cook had the cutest sneeze when there was too much pepper. Well done to all the youngsters- a superb effort, lovely chorus, super music and all this from children aged 5- 13.

All the youngsters worked well. They were ably assisted by a backstage team made up of older youth section members led by the fantastic Rachel Bourne who helped Sally Allsopp to direct. David Allsopp provided excellent musical accomplishment. The most important result of all this work was £800 for Cancer Research Uk, lots of happy children and a smiling audience- what could be better.

Scrooge - The Christmas Experience
A cold winters afternoon was brightened by the LBCT rendition of Scrooge and additional Christmas carols. Edward Percival was superb as Scrooge- a real nasty miser who was willing to spread badwill until he realised how precious life is. Interesting use of physical theatre enhanced the performance. Carols were sung by the audience with mince pies and mulled wine. The little ones sang sweetly, the Youth Section gave us Puppy Love by Donny Osmond with a romantic, winter feel. One of the highlights of the event was the setting of Tonight by Graham Kendrick- moving and meaningful- well done.

The Sound of Music
Review by Andy Collier, of "Three Counties Youth Theatre"
I took my place in the front row a little apprehensive as to the task that lay ahead for this talented group of young actors after hearing reports of illness etc. Very soon the atmosphere was set. Nuns appearing from everywhere and they were all acting the rather formal roles that they have been cast in! I relaxed! The opening canticles appeared to be sung a little nervously, but once these were over, the actors were able to relax and Janine Nightingale (Sister Berthe) Jenny White(Sister Marguerita) and Hannah Doerr (Sister Sophia) along with a steady and sympathetic Mother Abbess, (Laura Holmes) all performed very well, bringing out the anxiety that they all were showing over their single minded colleague. (How do you solve etc)

The nun, Maria, who was played sensitively by Georgina Vizard, who showed lots of ability as she worked her way through the huge solo role that it is. It is such a well-known role, and Georgina brought her own style of Maria into the show, which has to be done and she deserves lots of credit.

Captain Von Trapp was played by Ben Jones. His performance was a solid one, and he worked hard throughout with some excellent moves. Von Trapp's children as they do gave the show colour from the moment they make their spectacular entry to the captain's unreasonable whistling commands! The way that they started all formal and then unbent towards Maria was well done in numbers like "doe a dear" and "lonely goatherd" and each one assumed their own character with the teenage Lisel (Naomi Wilkins) the "boy" Friedrich (Iain Smith) Louisa (Emily Reeve) Kurt (Jamie Gallagher) Brigitta (Abi Allsopp) Martha (Jessica Allsopp) and plenty of "ah" factor from Gretel (Henrietta Cloake) They all sang tunefully and confidently especially Brigitta, as is essential in these roles! The housekeeper Frau Schmit (Chloe Cromack) performed well and looked the part also. The servant Franzi (Amanda Kent) played the part strongly.

Baroness Shraeder (Erin Donahue) was excellent. She portrayed the one up man ship over Maria very well. Max Detweiler (Matt Williams) came over strongly and brought out the comedy aspect of his role. He tackled the songs well. However, he needs to slow down on some of the many humerous lines that he had. These two worked well together.

Herr Zeller (Angus Drummond) was suitably authoritarian as was Admiral Von Screiber (Charlie Watkins).

Baron Elberfeld was played suitably by Charlie Toms.

The stage work went efficiently with the many changes, some quite complicated.

The various sets were brilliant and worked well and the expansive main set gave the actors plenty of scope to come and go etc. The director Sally Allsopp achieved plenty of imaginative groupings and generally used the small stage to good effect. Sally also was able to get the enormous fun of participation out of her large cast and this is all to her credit. David Allsopp's musical work was also full of excellent and musical arrangements although sometimes more live playing helps actors breathe with the music.

Lighting worked well even in the darker stages at the start of the show. Costumes were superb. There was lots of variety and several changes for the children and the ballroom scene came over very effectively especially when the stage team opened the tabs. There was everything in this show. Because of the well-known nature of this the best known of all shows, there is a tendency to want to achieve even more than is possible on the stage. They went a long to doing this and the whole team deserve to be congratulated.

The Wizard of Oz
Review by Andy Collier, of "Three Counties Youth Theatre"
It would have been difficult to forecast that two four years olds who both made their debut on stage as royal princesses in the Leighton Buzzard Youth Theatre's production of "The King and I" no less than eight years ago back in 1993, would be starring as principals in the recent Leighton Buzzard Children's Theatre production of "The Wizard Of Oz" Kassey Rutland played Dorothy with plenty of confidence and had the ability to act the different moods that Dorothy goes through on her adventure to the land of Oz and Abigail Allsopp played the cowardly lion with lots of energy and she also pulled off the big contrast between the two main moods of the lion. Both sang musically throughout and there were several other excellent performances including Matthew Lee's Tin man and Chloe Cromack's Scarecrow.

Louisa Telling portrayed a canny wicked witch and others who came over well were the various munchkins with their crazy mayor! (Jamie Gallagher) Often the strength of a show lies in its crowd and chorus work and in this production there was a continuous change of characters all very well portrayed and they seemed to be re-costumed with brilliantly effective costumes that had considerable imagination.

The other members of this large cast gave everything to bring good atmosphere and character to the different scenes. The show was very bright and lively throughout and great credit must go to the production team particularly director Sally Allsopp. She brought together a team that had obviously worked really hard to bring good effects, (not always successful in youth productions!) and steady lighting as well as efficient stage managing with the quick changes that were necessary to bring the effect of the changes that occur throughout. On a boiling hot summer afternoon the nearly full house gave the cast and everyone connected a huge applause.

Congratulations Leighton Buzzard Children's Theatre!!

Oklahoma
Review by Robin Hinton Brewer - NODA Area Representative
Oklahoma! This is a big show and a long one too! It takes a tremendous amount of stamina for even an adult company to perform it with vigour for more than a couple of performances, so for a youth group to take the challenge may seem beyond them. LBCT took on the challenge and succeeded far beyond their dreams.

Over the years Sally Allsopp has pushed, cajoled, praised, but never bullied her company of youngsters into giving their best. This production showed off their talents well. Dialogue projection has continued to improve, every word clearly heard. Sally in blocking the scenes ensured we had plenty of good set pieces to watch. Her work with the company on their characters well developed, each member of the company was an individual character in their own right.

David Allsopp, as one has come to expect gave good support accompanying the musical numbers, never overpowering even the softest of voices on the stage. I was impressed by the rendition of "Kansas City" the company were confident and secure in their performance. The male chorus were extremely strong in "Its an outrage" better than some adult companies I have seen.

Over the past few years I have watched Eva Clarke perform several roles with confidence, her "Aunt Eller" was strong with a good accent. She continues to sing well and put over her songs well.

"Laurey" played by Amy Lynch was a fresh faced, nice looking character, with lots of confidence and a pleasing nature. Every word of dialogue was given its full value and her performance of the musical numbers bright. As the years go by her voice will develop, she has particular strength in her lower registers.

Alex Dempsey turned in a strong performance as the hero "Curly" he had a nice sense of bravado when talking to Laurey and his playing of the scene with Jud was particularly strong. Alex found the gentle comedy in the dialogue and sang his numbers with style.

Paul Nettleton shared the character of "Jud Fry" with Tim Mann. Tim gave a tremendous performance with great maturity - he was focused and his sense of timing superb.

Paul gave a brooding interpretation full of depth. Paul as the oldest member of the cast, was last seen playing a pompous sales twit- in Jud he showed a tremendous depth of character seldom seen in this role. I enjoyed his rendition of "Lonely Room" and hope he succeeds in his career and works full time in theatre.

Ryan Bandy gave us a gently comic performance as "Will Parker" his performance of "Kansas City" a delight and his dancing secure, He gave good support to his fellow players ensuring they were never upstaged by his performance but he made sure we knew he was onstage and having a great time.

As Wills girlfriend "Ado Annie", Louise Betley was having great fun, she relished every moment she was onstage and made sure she got over her comic lines with flair specially in "I Caint say no" and "All or nothing" with Ryan which was nicely stylish.

"Ali Hakim" is a comedy role that can be played so over the top it becomes a caricature, not here Matt Williams gave a strong performance which worked well, the audience laughed at his every joke and facial expression, well done Matt.

The outrageous laugh from Lauren Stanley, as "Gertie" was just that outrageous and well over the top just as it should be. This was a fun part given by a young actor full of confidence.

Sam Dunham gave a thoughtful performance as "Carnes", he became stronger as the performance went on, his playing of the court scene stylish and well thought through- congratulations.

In the cameo roles and as a chorus members the company all gave strong support to the major principals, this is one of the strengths of this society, it supports everyone be they on-stage, backstage or front of house, everyone believes in what they are doing and from this belief ensure that the audience has an entertaining evening out.

The costumes were bright and colourful - and the wearing of stage shoes added to the overall production.

Thank you for inviting me to Oklahoma!, I look forward to the next productions with eager anticipation.