After a stressful 10 weeks of rehearsals The Friary School in Lichfield launched their spectacular show Oklahoma!
Performed with a live orchestra and a number of highly skilled actors this is a great night out, showing some of the amazing talent from a wide range of young people.
As with all shows, one of the deciding factors is the quality of acting. After a subdued start the actors soon engaged with their characters and improved their performance as the show progressed.
The cast, directed by Dan Branch and consisting of actors from all school years, showed a range of exceptional performance talent throughout the show.
Although all main parts show off their abilities, one performer who stood out was Romayne Sturridge as Ali Hakim. Sturridge, a Year 13 student and a member of the Lichfield Garrick Youth Theatre, produced a captivating and sometimes comical performance through his acting and singing.
The actors were supported superbly by The Friary’s own orchestra. Conducted by Jason Cain, this group of highly skilled individuals brought the performance alive with their consistent high standard of well recited numbers.
The most disappointing part of this performance was the sound. Although of excellent quality when turned on, the actors were often turned off leaving the audience playing catch-up halfway through lines. Although this was resolved quickly in most cases, in some parts it broke the atmosphere the actors had created.
Despite this the crew made up for it with a superb set of well-timed visual effects alongside a wide range of versatile sets seamlessly changed between scenes.
Oklahoma! is showing until November 28, with an extra matanee performance at 2pm on Saturday. Tickets can be purchased from online or on the door. Please check availability with the school.
[…] After Juliet is being performed by students at The Friary School and follows hot on the heels of their production of Oklahoma! […]