REVIEW
The Palace Theatre Summer Youth Project 2023 presents
School of Rock
Palace Theatre, Southend-on-Sea, SS0 9LA
THU 3 – SUN 6 AUG 2023
The Palace Theatre Summer Youth Project 2023 presents
School of Rock
Palace Theatre, Southend-on-Sea, SS0 9LA
THU 3 – SUN 6 AUG 2023
It’s that time of year again, where the members of the Palace Theatre Summer Youth Project hit the stage of the Palace Theatre at full throttle. With just a 2 week rehearsal period in which to hone whichever theatrical craft that has either been auditioned for or assigned to, the youngsters have been fully immersed in putting on a show. Not only are there an abundance of performers for the production team to nurture, there’s also a team of backstage and technical experts ready and primed to teach the children how to make props and scenery and, no doubt, deal with any real life dramas that inevitably lead up to a full scale musical going live.
This year’s show is the School of Rock the Musical, based on in the hugely successful film starring Jack Black. The storyline follows Dewey Finn, a failed, wannabe rock star who inadvertently gets the opportunity to earn a few extra bucks by posing as a substitute teacher at Horace Green, a prestigious prep school. There he turns a class of straight-A students into a guitar-shredding, bass-slapping, mind-blowing rock band.
In class, Dewey attempts to turn the cello and piano playing gold star pupils into rock stars so that he can compete and fulfil his dream of winning the 'Battle of the Bands'.
There’s an announcement at the beginning of the show to say that all of the children are playing their instruments themselves and you have to keep reminding yourself that this is, indeed, the case. Zack (Joseph Sterry), Freddie (Elijah Cooper), Katie (Prudence Brown), Lawrence (Reuben Fuller), Summer (Ava Moule), Tamika (Honey-Rose Quinn), Billy (Aaron Paley), James (Joseph Lewins), Mason (Monty Mollica), Shonelle (Kacy Lefember), Marcy (Francesca Pasqui), Madison (Ciara Daly) and Sophie (Prudence Benjamin) as the school kids who realise their true potential both as people and as musicians, under Dewey’s rather unorthodox teaching methods, all really shine, and show incredible talent.
The leading role of Dewey is a pivotal one and there’s an awful lot of pressure lying in the hands of Edward Flynn-Haddon who plays him that carries high expectations. Edward has absolutely no problem meeting any of these expectations and does an absolutely outstanding job delivering a truly confident and professional performance throughout, along with some impressive singing and guitar playing to boot.
Lucy Burrows approaches the role of Rosalie Mullins with panache and gives a lovely performance in the role of the rather uptight and strict headmistress of the school. Her vocals are stunning and she has some great numbers to show them off, not least with the Where Did the Rock Go number. And talking of vocal ranges, Mia Cater as Mrs Scheinkopf also impresses, as does Honey-Rose Quinn who plays the timid student, Tomika who, when she eventually gets to sing, is a revelation.
Freddie Strange and Hana Kasai-Harte inject plenty of humour into the roles of Ned Schneebly and Patty and there’s a lot of fun to be had within the script with the comedy fast and furious, much like the music which will have your feet tapping to the beat.
You can plainly see that every single member of the ensemble has worked their butt off over the last couple of weeks to deliver a really fantastic show with some wonderful high octane vocals and cool choreography to accompany each number. The Stick it to the Man number is particularly well performed and staged.
Director, Marc Mollica is a genius at uncovering and developing natural talent and has given these children the chance to showcase their abilities and talents. Likewise, with choreographer, Douglas Yolland, who has injected an abundance of energy into every dance number.
MD, Paul Day, has also done a sterling job here too producing some great vocal harmonies from the ensemble and core cast members alike as they faultlessly belt out their rock numbers. The band in the pit must be revelling in the fact that they get to play some great music this week too and they sound superb.
A nod must go to the backstage team. The set looks fantastic and works so well, with lots of tricky scene changes frequently needed to keep the show running smoothly. For a first night, this was done super efficiently.
School of Rock the Musical isn’t just a rock musical, it also shares an important message. With Dewey’s unconventional teaching methods, he unwittingly gives the children the confidence to become who they really want to be as opposed to what their pushy parents want them to be. If Only You Would Listen sung by the students beautifully conveys this wish.
The Summer Youth Project have pulled off anther great production this year. With guitars in their hands and rock in their hearts, it’s great to see such rising talent here in Southend. In fact, I reckon if Andrew Lloyd Webber gets wind of this production, it probably won’t be long before we see some of these kids' names up in lights in the West End. Did anyone send him tickets?
Review: Kim Tobin
This year’s show is the School of Rock the Musical, based on in the hugely successful film starring Jack Black. The storyline follows Dewey Finn, a failed, wannabe rock star who inadvertently gets the opportunity to earn a few extra bucks by posing as a substitute teacher at Horace Green, a prestigious prep school. There he turns a class of straight-A students into a guitar-shredding, bass-slapping, mind-blowing rock band.
In class, Dewey attempts to turn the cello and piano playing gold star pupils into rock stars so that he can compete and fulfil his dream of winning the 'Battle of the Bands'.
There’s an announcement at the beginning of the show to say that all of the children are playing their instruments themselves and you have to keep reminding yourself that this is, indeed, the case. Zack (Joseph Sterry), Freddie (Elijah Cooper), Katie (Prudence Brown), Lawrence (Reuben Fuller), Summer (Ava Moule), Tamika (Honey-Rose Quinn), Billy (Aaron Paley), James (Joseph Lewins), Mason (Monty Mollica), Shonelle (Kacy Lefember), Marcy (Francesca Pasqui), Madison (Ciara Daly) and Sophie (Prudence Benjamin) as the school kids who realise their true potential both as people and as musicians, under Dewey’s rather unorthodox teaching methods, all really shine, and show incredible talent.
The leading role of Dewey is a pivotal one and there’s an awful lot of pressure lying in the hands of Edward Flynn-Haddon who plays him that carries high expectations. Edward has absolutely no problem meeting any of these expectations and does an absolutely outstanding job delivering a truly confident and professional performance throughout, along with some impressive singing and guitar playing to boot.
Lucy Burrows approaches the role of Rosalie Mullins with panache and gives a lovely performance in the role of the rather uptight and strict headmistress of the school. Her vocals are stunning and she has some great numbers to show them off, not least with the Where Did the Rock Go number. And talking of vocal ranges, Mia Cater as Mrs Scheinkopf also impresses, as does Honey-Rose Quinn who plays the timid student, Tomika who, when she eventually gets to sing, is a revelation.
Freddie Strange and Hana Kasai-Harte inject plenty of humour into the roles of Ned Schneebly and Patty and there’s a lot of fun to be had within the script with the comedy fast and furious, much like the music which will have your feet tapping to the beat.
You can plainly see that every single member of the ensemble has worked their butt off over the last couple of weeks to deliver a really fantastic show with some wonderful high octane vocals and cool choreography to accompany each number. The Stick it to the Man number is particularly well performed and staged.
Director, Marc Mollica is a genius at uncovering and developing natural talent and has given these children the chance to showcase their abilities and talents. Likewise, with choreographer, Douglas Yolland, who has injected an abundance of energy into every dance number.
MD, Paul Day, has also done a sterling job here too producing some great vocal harmonies from the ensemble and core cast members alike as they faultlessly belt out their rock numbers. The band in the pit must be revelling in the fact that they get to play some great music this week too and they sound superb.
A nod must go to the backstage team. The set looks fantastic and works so well, with lots of tricky scene changes frequently needed to keep the show running smoothly. For a first night, this was done super efficiently.
School of Rock the Musical isn’t just a rock musical, it also shares an important message. With Dewey’s unconventional teaching methods, he unwittingly gives the children the confidence to become who they really want to be as opposed to what their pushy parents want them to be. If Only You Would Listen sung by the students beautifully conveys this wish.
The Summer Youth Project have pulled off anther great production this year. With guitars in their hands and rock in their hearts, it’s great to see such rising talent here in Southend. In fact, I reckon if Andrew Lloyd Webber gets wind of this production, it probably won’t be long before we see some of these kids' names up in lights in the West End. Did anyone send him tickets?
Review: Kim Tobin