The Pocklingtonian 2017/2018 | Page 92

MUSICAL THEATRE// MUSICAL THEATRE The Musical Theatre Society’s exuberant Musical Extravaganza of songs from popular musicals entertained packed audiences in the Music School in March. Directed by Upper Sixth Formers Emma Burke and Sarah Jackson, Musicals Through the Ages featured 20 songs from shows staged from the 1940s to the present day. As the ensemble assembled to the strains of Oh, what a beautiful morning, the audience were taken on a journey from the Golden Age of Hollywood to contemporary rock musicals. 90 THE POCKLINGTONIAN With such a large company involved, it is hard to select highlights. Some might pick out the powerful singing of Iona Kaye in You’ll Never Walk Alone, or perhaps the bawdy, raucous Master of the House featuring the entire cast with Alex Laing and Chloe Griggs as the innkeeper and his wife. Those dance aficionados might speak highly of the amazing choreography of Max Jones and Fiona Tilsed in Expressing Yourself or the gyrations of 6th form girls in Bend and Snap. For me, the standout items were the emotive Not my father’s son, beautifully sung by Kobby Fofie, with the audience spell-bound by his communication, and the hip-hop inspired songs from Hamilton which struck a chord with younger members of the audience. Whatever one’s musical taste, there was something here to please. The finale brought the house down, with all members of the cast (including Mr Galloway), rocking the Music School with Stick it to the Man. The three full-houses left the auditorium feeling uplifted, and still singing!