Theatre showcases the kids talents
Parents and caregivers looking to entertain the children over the April school holidays will have two musicals to pick from, with the Nelson Youth Theatre staging productions of Oliver and The Sound of Music.
Director Richard Carruthers said Oliver was a shortened version of the original musical.
‘‘It’s cut down to about an hour long, which, like most of the junior musicals we’ve been putting on lately, means that it’s action packed the whole way through, with lots of singing, lots of dancing,’’ he said. ‘‘There are no opportunities for any children or adults to get bored at all.’’
While it was a condensed version of the coming of age musical, the show kept all of the same songs – Food, Glorious Food, As Long As He Needs Me, Consider Yourself, and Pick a Pocket or Two.
‘‘I doubt if there’s many people out there that don’t know most of those songs,’’ Carruthers said. ‘‘It’ll be great entertainment.’’
The Sound of Music, on the other hand, is the full two and a half hour version, which Carruthers said was ‘‘very, very similar to the movie’’.
‘‘It’s a perennial favourite, a beautiful story, in a lovely setting, with gorgeous voices. It’ll be lovely, fun holiday entertainment.’’
Oliver has a cast of 65, and The Sound of Music 45, meaning over a hundred youngsters will take the stage, the tiniest of which is just 4 years old.
The joy in going to see a live show was that it was ‘‘a completely different feeling to just staring at a screen or watching
TV’’, Carruthers said.
Even going to the movies was more of a ‘‘flat experience’’, whereas in the theatre your senses were ‘‘surrounded by everything that goes on’’.
The director/producer reminded the public not to delay in booking tickets.
‘‘They’re on for a very short period of time, three days each,’’ he said. ‘‘So make sure you come and see them.’’