Drama

THE ARTS

DRAMA

FAME

It might be back to the 1970s with the economy, but there’s not doubt that the 1980s are having a cultural moment. Big hair, bright colours and synths are back in. The Ben Travers Theatre, ever in tune with the zeitgeist, brought us a highenergy end to LQ with Fame: The Musical. Within moments of seeing the set (constructed and designed by Mr Chris Bagust, Miss Helen Pinkney, Mr Gavin Plowright and a committed team of pupil artists), we were reminded that New York in the 1980s was a city with a gritty edge, still emerging from the shadows of a dark decade. The opening number Hard Work set a pounding rhythm as we were treated to the full force of the ensemble’s vocal power. From there, we had the introduction of our teachers (Emma Horner-Long (F), Chiara Francesca Ramon (N), Timi Ebimami (L), and Guy Ellis (W)) who were here to guide, cajole and challenge their charges, dispelling naïve dreams, whilst encouraging genuine talent. The full scale of the BTT was on display as our stage divided into three classes at the High School for the Performing Arts (or PA): the Dancers, the Musicians and the Actors. Underpinning all of their performances was the tightest of bands led by the show’s Musical Director, Mr Harry Boulton, and Mr Mark Shepherd, who seamlessly steered the musicians through jazz, funk, rock and pop numbers.

Carmen gives us the iconic canteen spectacle of the eponymous musical number with its irony tinged I’m Gonna Live Forever. We couldn’t help but share in the sheer energy of the cast as they soared, twirled and poured themselves into their performance through the fantastic choreography of Mr Jeremy Morganty.

A hymn to the power of drama, Nick Piazza’s (Tom Byrne (g) and Xavier Currill (R)) I Want to Make Magic set us up for what was to come. We met the cocksure Joe Vegas (Theo Needs (B)), resplendent in a Bronx accent and leather, with his risqué tribute to female beauty. The storytelling never lets us forget that these young wannabes are flawed diamonds in the rough who need polishing and schooling. Yet, there is talent. Take Jack Zakowski (Jack Guest-Gornall (R)) whose rapping, preference for street dance over ballet, and anti-establishment views made for a potent, foot-tapping combination, perfectly balanced by the graceful Iris Kelly (Clio Yu (Su)). Or the multitalented Schlomo Metzenbaum (Jago Brazier (R) and Eddie Chai (R)), looking to forge his own path apart from his prolific father’s influence. Together with his band members, ‘Lambchops’ (Felicia Freeman (Su), who learned to play the drums for the production) and ‘Goody’ (Timothee Colin (B)), he is looking to make it on his own. We felt for Serena Katz’s (Maya Bayliss (F) and Thea Marsh (F)) unrequited love as she looked to turn fiction into real life in Let’s Play a Love Scene. Finally, we had the remarkable Carmen Diaz (Fleur Hinchcliffe (N) and Lauren Stewart (C)) chafing at the confines of PA and longing to break free into the big, wide world. Carmen gives us the iconic canteen spectacle of the eponymous musical number with its irony tinged I’m Gonna Live Forever. We couldn’t help but share in the sheer energy of the cast as they soared, twirled and poured themselves into their performance through the fantastic choreography of Mr Jeremy Morganty.

The performance had great comedy despite Carmen’s Icarian overreaching. We had the (perhaps now a little more troubling 30 years on) lament of Mabel (Aomi Hiroi (Su)) as she struggled with her commitment to her ‘seafood diet’. There was time to show that teachers do have a human side as Miss Sherman (Emma Horner-Long) and Ms Bell (Chiara Francesca Ramon) came together to help Jack Zakowski confront his illiteracy.

Teenage hormones collided with Shakespeare as a performance of Romeo and Juliet allowed Nick Piazza to step into the role, cementing the union with Serena Katz. Supporting all of this onstage drama was a remarkable team of pupils, led by Stage Manager Harry Church (G) who had to step up to oversee the whole show’s tech during performance week thanks to Covidrelated staff absence – no mean feat given the number of radio microphones, lighting cues and scene changes involved. The final number was sombrely undercut by the news that Carmen Diaz (Fleur Hinchliffe and Lauren Stewart) had died of a drug overdose. The 1980s was not all legwarmers and colour. Nevertheless, this is theatre, and we were treated to a revived Carmen belting out our title track one more time. Amongst some remarkable individual performances from the cast (and some of those leads were in the Under School), we were reminded that this was very much an ensemble piece as our legwarmers filled the stage for one final time before graduation. Directors, Miss Emily Fox and Mr Dean Chisnall, who would no doubt have thrived in PA, had produced something really extraordinary with their young cast and reminded us that Charterhouse could be rebranded as Charterhouse School of the Performing Arts. We had Carmen’s mantra of ‘remember, remember, remember’ ringing out as we left the theatre: we were never going to forget.

Mr Will Gaisford

SPOTLIGHT ON LAMDA

Ahead of LAMDA examinations taking place in March, pupils performed at a LAMDA Showcase held in the Ben Travers Theatre. This was the first public LAMDA Showcase event we have been able to host post-pandemic and it was a pleasure to welcome parents, peers and performers.

LAMDA (London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art) lessons are an increasingly popular activity at Charterhouse, with close to 100 pupils taking weekly lessons. Pupils prepare for a range of examinations in Acting; Musical Theatre; and Verse, Prose and Public Speaking. Pupils work towards an examination in their chosen discipline, with the higher-level exams holding UCAS points.

LAMDA (London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art) lessons are an increasingly popular activity at Charterhouse, with close to 100 pupils taking weekly lessons.

The pupils were asked to perform one piece for the showcase. This is just a fraction of the total work that is prepared for the examinations, in which two or three performance pieces are assessed with additional questions on Drama theory.

Fleur Hinchcliffe (N) performed a charming Grade 8 Musical Theatre monologue from Meet me in St Louis. Amusing the audience with their comic skills were Krishiv Sekhri (H) as Adrian Mole, Ian Kwan (B) and Saivansh Chopra (B) as young Eddie and Mickey in Blood Brothers and Toby Morris (B) and Dominic Wilder (B) as two hopeless criminals in Loot.

Nicko Lawrence (B) gave a captivating rendition of his poetry piece, The Spider and the Fly, with Thomas Bateman (S) and Shiv Pillai (G) also performing verse and prose pieces with clarity and ease. John Deacon (R) and Lola Gorst (N) delivered heart felt monologues from modern plays, whilst duo William Bourke (B) and Henry Cardozo (P), and soloist William Ferry (V) tackled dramatic pieces. Classical pieces from Shakespeare to Lorca were performed with maturity and conviction by Leith Fallon (B), Ritvik Mekala (B) and Omala Opubor (F).

The showcase was a valuable experience for all those who performed. It was wonderful to see the pupils engage with such a wide range of material and share their work with an audience. I hope this helped them build confidence ahead of the examinations, and that the experience of performing under the lights of the BTT stage was both enjoyable and memorable.

Mrs Liz Bennet