CROYDO N H I GH
F
Since 1874 S E N I O R S C H O O L
CROYDO N H I GH
Since 1874
SENIOR SCHOOL
ull houses, on Friday 5th and Saturday 6th February, were treated to an outstanding production of Oliver! – Lionel Bart’s much loved adaptation of Dickens’ novel, Oliver Twist. There were equally strong performances from Emma James in Year 11 and Rose Gower in Year 13, who took the parts of the insidious undertaker and his wife, capturing their avaricious natures perfectly but also allowing the black humour of their situation to come through, to the audience’s great enjoyment.
Familiar songs and characters were brought to life by a cast of over 100 girls ranging in age from 9 to 18, all of whom displayed talent, energy and enthusiasm in abundance. The atmosphere on-stage, backstage and in the audience was simply buzzing. The workhouse children and Fagin’s gang, including a good number of the younger girls from years 5 and 6, sang and danced their way through some complicated numbers with a professionalism that would not have been out of place on the West End stage.
Credit must be given to Georgia Weaver in Year 13, who multitasked admirably, taking the roles of the hideous undertaker’s assistant, Noah and then appearing later as the sweet voiced strawberry seller in the beautiful Bloomsbury scene, as well as giving her all to the Oom Pah Pah scene! Jessica Martin and Imogen Broyd, both in Year 13, gave very dignified and measured performances as Oliver’s saviours, Mr Brownlow and his housekeeper, Mrs Bedwin. Katie Harris, also in Year 13, was a very believable Bet and Carlotta Meyer (Year 12) carried off the role of Old Sally perfectly – and even managed not to giggle in her death scene! The demanding and iconic part of Fagin was delivered admirably by Year 13’s Drama Scholar, Lucie Stranack who drew us all in to his den of iniquity whilst acting and singing with great aplomb. The characters of Nancy and the nefarious Bill Sykes are among the most memorable and portraying them, especially by such young actors, is always a challenge and sometimes (it has to be said) a little too much to ask. Not so in this production; Alita Butcher-Wallis in Year 12 brought so much pathos, strength and warmth to the role of Nancy and her acting and vocal performances were simply outstanding. Morayo Adeagbo, in Year 11, gave such a magnificent portrayal of the villain Bill Sykes that, at times, it was easy to forget we were watching a 16 year old schoolgirl on stage. Both girls should be congratulated on their performances which were of the highest standard.
No production comes together without an enormous amount of hard work behind the scenes and the Oliver crew were excellent in every respect. From lighting and sound to artwork and set design, everything was top quality and largely produced by the girls themselves, with expert guidance from the Art department and the invaluable Alan Bishop, whose vast experience in all-things theatrical was much in evidence. And finally, huge congratulations are also in order for the director and producer, Head of Drama at Croydon High, Emma Webb, whose infectious enthusiasm, talent and professionalism so clearly inspired the girls to raise their performance levels and most importantly, to enjoy every moment.
Whilst very much a team effort, there were some notable individual performances that had the audience on their feet in appreciation as the curtain fell. The two central characters of Oliver and the Artful Dodger were played superbly by year 7 and 8 students, Freya Marstin and Megan Webber respectively. Freya captured Oliver’s plaintiff manner perfectly, especially in her beautiful vocal rendition of the poignant Where is Love? In contrast, Megan’s swagger and confidence shone through in her characterisation of Dodger and it was a joy to see her interaction with Freya and the older members of the cast. The part of the Beadle, Mr Bumble, made famous by the legendary Harry Secombe in the film production, was portrayed by Year 11’s Charlotte Clapperton, who displayed excellent poise, true comic timing and gave a wholly believable portrayal of the bumptious official, with his ‘love interest’ – the alluring Widow Corney, played effortlessly by Sophie Haden-Scott in Year 12.
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Musical Director Marcus Suranyi too, led a band made up largely of pupils and the standard of music overall was a huge credit to his efforts. As always, it is the team work that makes the difference and this was clearly a very happy and well led team. Congratulations to all those involved for a memorable production.
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