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| Edinburgh : A&E : Festivals : Fringe reviews |
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 Musicals & Opera |
Rating Guide Schoolhouse rock, live! (Page 124) American High School Theatre Festival Drams  - and a halfPresented by Duluth Central High School Theatre Music and Lyrics Lynn Ahrens, Bob Dorough, Dave Frishberg, George Newall, Tom Yohe Book Scott Ferguson, Kyle Hall and George Keating Musical Director Joe Atkins Producer Judith McGowan Director/Choreographers Liz Larson Venue Church Hill Theatre (Venue 137) Address Morningside Road Reviewer Mairi Anderson Schoolhouse rock, live! is a fun, lightweight musical experience. The bright young cast from Duluth Central High School Theatre have boundless enthusiasm and energy. The 11-member cast sing and harmonise well and put their hearts and souls into the performance. Choreography is excellent, particularly on Conjunction Junction, stage space is used well and lighting is good. The colourful set is enhanced by images projected onto a screen behind the actors and costumes are simple and bright. Musical accompaniment is good. Having experienced problems with this venue before I was pleasantly surprised by the sound quality which was excellent. Several cast members merited special mention, though all are good. Mallory Saurer as Dina has sparkle and vivacity in addition to an excellent voice, particularly evident on The Preamble. Adriana Fitzgerald as Dori has an impressive range to her singing and dancing, particularly on Just a Bill. Jim Bushey as Joe has charm and a natural rhythm and Myles Heistad, as Tom, has the personality to hold the show together. As well as being entertaining, this musical has a serious message of inclusion, demonstrated on The Preamble and Great American Melting Pot. The largely American audience loved this show and it was very warmly received. Unfortunately some of the show does not translate well for a UK audience. Schoolhouse rock appears to be a US version of our Play School, designed to teach primary / elementary school basics. The songs as well as the programme seemed to be well known to the US audience but the rest of the audience missed out on all the in jokes. From that point of view, I don't think it was the best choice to bring to the Fringe. The only song likely to be familiar to a UK audience is Three is a magic number, currently being used to promote BBC Channel 3. Overall this is a good show for an American audience but the description of the show leads a UK audience to expect popular or rock & roll music and we were a little disappointed. More clarification in the Fringe information could have prevented that. © Mairi Anderson 23 August 2004. Published on www.edinburghguide.co.uk Run continues Aug 25th 18.15 £6 (£4)
Showtime 2004 (Page 124) Drams Presented by Norfolk State University Players Cast Naomi Derensberg-Williams; Anthlya Daniels; Shalandis Wheeler; Katherine Bynum; Brandon Myers; Andrea McMillion; Lawrence Sharp; Twanya Brown; Dawn Linsey; Sharon Williams-Mack; Vincent I. Epps; Joyce Dunbar; Swisyizinna Moore; Saria Daniels; Howard E'Moby' Lemelle III; Meredith Murray; Valeka Nichols; Felicia Sherrod; Daiquan Jamel Smith; Lorell Thornton; Phillip Mack Music Ain't misbehavin' (Fats Waller); Them there eyes (Billie Holiday); Take the A-Train (Duke Ellington); Flat foot Floogie; Why do fools fall in love? (Frankie Lymon & The Teenagers); Only you (The Platters); Up on the roof (The Drifters); Cupid (Sam Cook); The twist (Chubby Checker); Mama said (The Shirelles); Sweet soul music (Arthur Conley); Mr Postman; Reet petite (Jackie Wilson); When you're young and in love, Heat wave, Third finger left hand and Dancing in the street (Martha & The Vandellas); My guy (Mary Wells); Here and now (Luther Vandross); You give good love (Witney Houston); What a man (Salt & Pepa featuring En Vogue); Crazy in Love (Beyoncé featuring Jay-Z) and Stop in the name of love (R. Kelly) Artistic Directors Clarence W. Murray Jnr. and Vincent I. Epps Choreographer Vincent Epps Costumier Joyce Dunbar Stage Manager Saria Daniels Technical Assistant to The Director of Theatre Brando Linsey Venue C too, St Columba's by the Castle (Venue 4) Address Johnston Terrace Reviewer Nick Scott  Billed
as a European Premiere, Showtime 2004 - Musical Revue is a lively and energetic
"salute" to African-American music from the 1920s to the present day.The setting is simple: it is the place you first heard the song; and the time is the past and the present. The company from Norfolk State University, with their pulsating, foot-tapping, spirited performance worked hard to "woo" their audience. "Informality" was the keyword, as they sang and danced their way through the show - their non-stop exuberance never waning for a moment The songs were performed in "karaoke-like" fashion - pre-recorded backings with live "vocals" - linked together by terse introductions. In essence, a good idea - but it didn't quite work; and after a while, the format began to pall. There was a mixture of talent on display - with each member of the cast (to a greater or lesser degree) getting a share of the lime-light - and, therefore, the overall performance was a bit of a 'curate's egg'. Thankfully, a core of around five or six performers kept the show afloat. There were also some reasonably wellchoreographed numbers and pleasing close-harmony backings, but some items were less successful - in particular, The twist and Take the A-Train. On the whole, the production could have been tighter and would benefit from some additional guidance and direction, with the possible omission of at least three or four items. All members of the company are specialising in Theatre at Norfolk State University's School of Arts and Letters. © Nick Scott. 12 August 2004. Published on www,edinburghguide.com Run 5 - 14 August (23.45)
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