‘The Freshers’ Showcase’ review

‘a wonderful production that constantly had me at the edge of my seat, and took me through a range of emotions throughout’

Last night, I attended my first show of the new academic year at the Assembly Rooms Theatre with TDTC’s The Freshers’ Showcase, directed by Talia Tobias and Maggie Thompson, produced by Charlotte Blair, and with Zac Smith as the Musical Director. The plot of the showcase was a performance of musicals throughout time, dating from the 1940s and 50s with the Golden Age of musical theatre, all the way through to modern day classics such as The Greatest Showman and Heathers. 

The opening number, from Guys and Dolls, filled the theatre with such energy, with actors entering from all four corners of the stage and one bursting through the doors by the audience with bounds of enthusiasm that delighted the audience. Furthermore, the duet from Guys and Dolls, which featured Lizzie Dixon and Teni Taiwo, was incredible and hilarious. In this classic Broadway showtune Dixon played the heartbroken Miss Adelaide, with Taiwo as her soon-to-be-husband Nathan Detroit. Their chemistry together was off the chart and truly made the audience laugh in their comedic exchange. 

Taiwo brought the audience to tears during his exquisite performance of ‘Stars’ from Les Misérables. The characterisation was incredible and it fully encapsulated the character of Javert. 

The group number of ‘Pure Imagination’ was incredible, especially the acapella section which included gorgeous harmonies from all cast members and truly made jaws drop in the audience. It was powerful and opened the 80s section of the showcase in an incredible way. 

Celine Delahaye brought chills to the audience with her solo ‘As Long As He Needs Me’ from Oliver!. Her cockney accent was incredible and the emotion conveyed during the song was so powerful that you could truly feel the desperation of the character and her complex emotions in that moment. 

Louis Williams stunned as Evan in the section of Dear Evan Hansen, and further showed his impressive skill in ‘Something’s Coming’ from West Side Story, impressing as a truly magnetic performer.

Irini Sozomenou and Yasmine Berrada performed an incredibly powerful duet of ‘Slipping Through My Fingers’ that touched everybody in the audience, and personally brought me to tears. They both reflected Donna’s emotions and communicated the emotional turmoil she was going through.

Lara Sowande’s angelic riffs during the final number of ‘From Now On’ had the audience awed with her musicality and incredible voice, making the final number truly the icing on the cake of such an impressive showcase, and highlighted the new talent of Durham University. 

Of course, it takes a village to produce such an amazing showcase, and it would be wrong of me to not discuss the effective choreography of Grace Graham with such simple staging of chairs and drama blocks, but which truly encapsulated the energy of every group and solo performance throughout. The choreography during ‘Welcome To The Rock’ was particularly impressive with the various places that the chairs needed to be moved throughout the five minute song. 

Furthermore, I cannot go without mentioning the incredible band led by Zac Smith, consisting of Ben Armitage, Rob Morris, Beth Cooley, Tilly Watkins, Bex Smith, and Johnny Barry. From the keyboard to the percussion, every member of the band was essential and instrumental (pardon the pun) in creating a fantastic soundtrack for the performers to sing with.

Finally, under the leadership of Production Manager Anna Brzezinski, the lighting and production was unbelievable, especially with the creation of the French flag at the end of the Les Misérables section with ‘One Day More’. The drama of the shadows of the actors against the flag made the song all that more powerful, and was a fantastic ending to the first act that had the audience instantly wanting more. 

All in all, it was a wonderful production that constantly had me at the edge of my seat, and took me through a range of emotions throughout the performance. I cannot wait to see what these incredible performers do during the future in their time here at Durham and I wish them all the best with their incredible talents. 

By Isobel Bird.