Great Shows begin With The First Step. Stepping Out

Shrewsbury Musical Theatre Company

Stepping out

Walker Theatre

Thursday 27th-Friday 28th March

Having had such a fun time at Christmas watching this troupe I was delighted to learn of their next big project. Stepping out. But thought this reviewer, that’s a Richard Harris show and having seen it before, one realised the scale of their ambition to take on such a tough show to perform. The absolutely packed house were just incredibly excited at the prospects of another SMTC production and my, how the people kept coming in. It looked like the line might never stop of these anticipatory masses as they snaked in.

The reason one would identify this play as an ambitious project is because it calls on so much of the cast’s multiple ability to make it work. They had to act well and had to  dance not only brilliantly but also pretending to be not so, which in itself is a challenge. The narrative is that a dance group meet weekly to prepare for a performance and interweaving their own troubles,, angst, and challenges, they learn to explore themselves and work together to pull off a supreme dance performance at the end. So obviously for the cast, there’s no faking it. Its shape up or ship out and to be honest it was rather a relief to see that they were shaped up beautifully.

Calling for a Brechtian  style set, simply put together but highly impressive all the same, and yet  it called for a Stanislavskian immersion into character which gave an enjoyable juxta position that simply worked and worked well. The immersion into character was astounding , this was after all an amateur show but the characterisation was indeed deeply impressive as the character’s weakness and foibles all came to the fore. These were muti-dimensional characters and the cast found just the necessary pathos and timing to cash in dividends it was thoroughly fascinating to watch each work as they got more and more into their character. I have to praise the skills of Geoffrey (Johnathon Head) as he weaved his character beautifully holding his own in an oestrogen fuelled situation. Being the only boy he was the brunt of their jokes and teases but he put up with it well and it worked so well. Mrs. Fraser ( Karen Muxworthy) was so sensitively played and the attention to detail in portrayal was nothing short on genius. Suprb job. The rest of the cast were a delight to see too and one got a sense of the enjoyment and reward they were feeling from all their months of hard work to knock this show into shape.

The blocking and space usage was superb, the direction was really top drawer, (Andrew Murray) his attention to the minutia was delightful and his interpretation of this script was strong and powerful, he found pathos and comedy in equal measure and was a totally safe and exciting pair of hands.

Choreography was superb (Rosie Dixon) if ever there was a need for a good choreographer one would imagine, this was a keen example of that. But a fine choreographer they got Ms. Dixon dealt with space and movement expertly and the dancing was really very good and fun to watch, it wasn’t just a lacklustre vehicle to move onto the next scene these guys could dance and the choreographer brought out the best in them.

Technically the team are to be rewarded. There is a massive number of cues in this show, when to light the light, play in a track, open mics etcetera, etcetera.  And the team carried it off with aplomb. I find no need to mention the premature blackout in act 1 scene 2 it was inconsequential. But always remember that the critic is always  noting and watching and misses nothing.. However, it was an inconsequential slip and the team did a great job.

All in all there is very little to dislike about this performance. It is a snappy, pacey, robust and overall a thoroughly enjoyable night at the theatre.

This is a Four Star Review

Sofia Lewis