Musical theatre society

Full Disclosure: The Addams Family Musical

18Nov

By Emma HalahanNo Comments

Culture & Literature, Theatre & Performance

Full Disclosure: The Addams Family Musical

After wowing us with campus hit Love Island: The Musical, Director Harriet Williams, Musical Director Daniel Looseley and Choreographer Bryony O’Hare take on the musical adaption of cult film and TV series, The Addams Family. With a puff of dry ice and a scarily sombre prologue, the SU main hall ‘moves towards the darkness’ into the disastrous Addams Family mansion – and full disclosure, you are greeted immediately by some stand out performances. Newcomer Emily Quillin makes a delightfully macabre Morticia Addams with both a stellar acting and singing performance that draws every laugh, gasp and blush. From motherly mentor to seductress señorita, Quillin carries that signature Morticia mannerism with her throughout the show, providing an energy unmatched – a testament to Harriet William...

14Mar

By Michele TheilNo Comments

Culture & Literature, Theatre & Performance

Bare: A Glowing Review

Musical Theatre Society’s (MTS) exceptional performers and crew members were laid bare last night in the explosive Bare: A Pop Opera. This largely niche musical by Jon Hartmere and Damon Intrabartolo has been brought to our attention due to Director Anthony Underwood's brave decision to stage it - a decision that paid off immensely. George Lambourne and Daniel Edwards were amazing in their roles as Peter Simmonds and Jason McConnell, the couple that this entire show was centred on. They were extremely convincing and effective in portraying the emotion required of the show - which is a testament to their skills as actors. The chemistry between Lambourne and Edwards was really great, as was the chemistry between Edwards and Molly Cheesley, who plays his sister Nadia. Their brother-sister ...

19Feb

By Emma HalahanNo Comments

Culture & Literature, Theatre & Performance

Review: Love Island The Musical

Love Island: The Musical transports us to a sunny island resort in the unlikely venue of Jane Holloway Hall. Incredibly innovative production skills use a projector, a voting app and a star performance by Director Connor Wood as the hot tub, to produce a lot of laughs and a substantial suspension of disbelief. The performances mimics the style of the hit reality TV show that swept the nation last summer, Love Island, which sees couples deserted on an island to find love and win some hefty cash prizes. It is clear that the production team from the beginning have thought long and hard about how to squeeze what they can from an incredibly low budget production. There are pre recorded ‘ad breaks’ that left the audience in hysterics and the infamous Love Island texts show up on the projecto...

MTS Weekend Show ‘Musical Moments Through Time’

29Jan

By Josip MartincicNo Comments

Culture & Literature, Theatre & Performance

MTS Weekend Show ‘Musical Moments Through Time’

The now already traditional showcase of talent within the Musical Theatre Society took place in Jane Holloway Hall this Sunday. What differentiates this show to other performances seen on campus is explained in the name - the entire show is put together in one weekend. All of the songs and choreography are learned and rehearsed on Friday night, all day Saturday and Sunday, and finally performed on Sunday evening. The performance from Andrew Lloyd Webber's Joseph and the Technicolour Dreamcoat started the tour-de-force through history, which included performances from such hits as Chicago, Annie, Oliver!, 9 to 5 and many others. Though the numbers differed in style and tone, what was consistent was the high level of quality and execution by the stellar ensemble. The amount of hard...

28Nov

By Kyriakos KostaNo Comments

Culture & Literature, Theatre & Performance

Les Miserables…Today!

Les Miserables...Today! (‘…Ι give you back to god!’) It’s unbelievable how one book can change your life with the magical quality that only literature has. Especially when that book is also a well-known musical! Les Miserables, from the great novelist Victor Hugo, was first published in 1862, and was followed by many re-publications and big screen adaptations. In 1980, it was first presented as a musical, with the music composed by Claude-Michel Schonberg, with French and English lyrics-libretto written by Alain Boublin, Jean Marc Natel and Herbert Kretzmer respectively. Since then, this musical phenomenon was presented to over 75 million people in 42 different countries worldwide, a truly special honor for the book, which is an achievement in modern literature...

22Nov

By Rebecca OwenNo Comments

Sports & Socs

MTS Lives Below the Line

What is Live Below the Line? ‘Live Below the Line’ is a challenge we’re putting forward to anyone who wants to take part. The challenge is to buy all your food for five days on only £10. That means all meals, snacks etc must come out of this budget whereas drinks and social don’t. How is MTS getting involved and who is it for? In the past MTS has run a November campaign called ‘No Shoes November’ in aid of War on Want which has been very successful but we felt it was time for a change, which is where ‘Live Below the Line’ comes in. This campaign is in aid of The Trussell Trust and the Runnymede Food Bank, with the aim of raising awareness surrounding extreme poverty in the UK and the hardships many people face every day just trying to get their basic needs. How have you been ge...

MTS Presents ‘Bring It On’: From the Perspective of a Sideline Cheerleader.

15Nov

By Joanne ArcherNo Comments

Culture & Literature, Theatre & Performance

MTS Presents ‘Bring It On’: From the Perspective of a Sideline Cheerleader.

Orbital's Joanne Archer reviews Musical Theatre Society's performance of Bring It On. Every time I watch MTS perform I laugh, I smile, and deep down I am envious of their superhuman talents. Bring It On was no exception to the rule. Walking through the SU main hall doors, I realised that this show was unconventional, I became aware I was entering from “backstage”; the hall layout having been rotated to allow for a basketball court to be taped down to the SU flooring. With lockers, banners and photo collages, I immediately felt like I was in an American movie. The show itself was certainly not the “glorified High School Musical” that one might have assumed it to be. We follow in the footsteps of Campbell, the relatively down-to-earth and newly elected cheer captain of Truman High Sch...