‘The Freshers’ Cabaret: An Evening with HBT’ review
‘The night was an undeniable success and the takeaways from it were numerous […] this cabaret was a real showcase of the love that the newest DST arrivals have for theatre and music.’
As soon as the doors to The Vern opened, the exhilarating atmosphere bled through to every anticipating crowd member. Immediately, there was a strong sense of unity with the decoration across the venue - the purple bunting and handmade decorations were a lovely touch and really enhanced the strong sense of Hild Bede pride throughout The Vern.
Continuing on the Hild Bede pride theme, a strong credit must go to the exec members of the society who made up the creative team for this production. Their passion and dedication to this show was evident from the get-go with Co-Company Managers and Co-Presidents Connie Richardson and Jude Battersby making excellent hosts for the evening, using their improv skills during minor technical difficulties. Furthermore, managing such tech in a non-theatrical venue is no mean feat and Production Manager Ruby Huyn rose to the challenge with great skill. Overall, the work of Co-Directors Lucy Rogers and Julia Panova cultivated a cohesive, camp, and confident cabaret which truly let every member shine, including the performances from guest societies.
After entertaining introductions, the eclectic evening was off to a fantastic start with a hilarious parody of ‘Hello’ from The Book of Mormon, where the cast welcomed the audience to their cabaret. With strong harmonies and even stronger characterisation, the audience were charmed by the pure enthusiasm emanating from the cohort on stage. Equally, the ingenious parody, which was musically directed and curated by Michael Nevin, was packed with humour and immediately let the audience know that they were in for a very witty night.
Each number was entrancing and displayed the sheer aptitude of the Fresher cast. Louis Williams’ ‘Out There’ was inspiring and left the audience with goosebumps, a feeling which was only maintained when Clara Suss-Francksen took to the stage and captivated with her rendition of ‘On My Own’. Ty Tollman and Daisy Barson swiftly followed with a heart-warming ‘Suddenly Seymour’ duet which they handled expertly. The Vern filled with sound beautifully as Jake O’Donnell performed ‘Maria’; his confident, lovestruck Tony was remarkable.
The first act ended with an ensemble performance of ‘We Both Reached For The Gun’, a complicated song which the cast tackled without even a bead of sweat - the directors’ work especially shone here with the jazz movements and exaggerated facial expressions paying true homage to Chicago. This theme continued with Fin Meyer Melville’s performance of ‘Razzle Dazzle’. This was a particularly notable moment as Melvin also acted as Shadow Musical Director for the production, and therefore played the piano himself whilst maintaining engagement with the crowd; it was a real privilege to watch the showman.
The trio of Yasmin Hassan, Madeleine McCrink, and Louis Williams granted us a softer performance where they handled the complex emotions explored in Dear Evan Hansen’s ‘Requiem’ perfectly. Their voices blended beautifully for the harmonies and ripples of gasps passed over the audience. The complexity of the cabaret only continued when Claire Chan tackled the infamously tricky ‘Think Of Me’ and earned herself a huge round of applause after her wonderful final note.
Jamie Duncan and Ty Tollman’s final duet of the evening, City of Angels’ ‘You’re Nothing Without Me’, hilariously captured the rivalry between the two characters. The cabaret came to a close with ‘Shine Like The Sun’, number in which the cast handled intense choreography alongside their intricate harmonies, and left the audience with wide smiles on their faces.
The night was an undeniable success and the takeaways from it were numerous and bountiful. The mixture of special guests including Hild Bede Music, DUCT, and DULOG allowed for a variety of theatre to shine in the spotlight! It was so refreshing to see the many different forms of theatre be celebrated all in one space. Above all, this cabaret was a real showcase of the love that the newest DST arrivals have for theatre and music. I, for one, am excited to see what else HBT has planned for the future…
By Lauren Williams.