{"id":2036,"date":"2025-06-29T15:11:58","date_gmt":"2025-06-29T15:11:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.thebigbluehouse.org\/site\/?p=2036"},"modified":"2025-10-15T10:28:22","modified_gmt":"2025-10-15T10:28:22","slug":"if-we-only-had-noda","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.thebigbluehouse.org\/site\/if-we-only-had-noda\/","title":{"rendered":"If We Only Had… – NODA"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
Site<\/strong><\/td>NODA<\/a><\/td><\/tr>
Date<\/th>11th Jun 2025<\/td><\/tr>
Society<\/th>Petersfield Theatre Group<\/td><\/tr>
Venue<\/th>Festival Hall, Petersfield<\/td><\/tr>
Type of Production<\/th>Concert<\/td><\/tr>
Director<\/th>Emily Collins-Wingate, Emily Watts, Jeanette Simpson, Sophie Baker, Claudia Vogt, Beth Rubens<\/td><\/tr>
Musical Supervisor<\/th>Sam Sanders<\/td><\/tr>
Choreographer<\/th>Beth Rubens<\/td><\/tr>
Reviewer<\/strong><\/td>NODA<\/a><\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

It must be very hard to come up with ideas for themes for variety shows and this is a particularly clever one. Why not look at all the shows and songs we could do \u201cIf we only had\u201d a particular quality, such as \u201cYouth on our side\u201d or \u201cThe Nerve\u201d? Who cares if you\u2019re far too old to be singing \u201cRevolting Children\u201d, it\u2019s a great song, why should the kids have all the fun!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A lot of groups must wish \u201cIf we only had\u201d six Directors! But PTG has<\/strong> been able to field six well-qualified ladies who each directed one of the sections of the show, imbuing it with their flair and personality so that the flavour of the show changed as it progressed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

After the opening number and between each section, two cast members (different each time) introduced the next part of the show. They used a nicely relaxed, conversational style to explain what attribute the company would need to perform the next four songs. The numbers chosen to illustrate the themes tended to be some of the lesser-known numbers that were refreshing to hear, along with some good old favourites too.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The whole show was performed on the floor of the theatre (the stage is undergoing a revamp) with no scenery, just chairs on each side which were used by the cast members when not performing. It was perfect, and meant fast changeovers between numbers, making the show nice and pacey. Costumes too were very simple, mostly the performers’ own clothes I suspect, with only one or two specialised items. Even so, everything looked just right, not least because of very effective and clever lighting, designed by Ian Pratt. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n

Sound too was perfect, as we\u2019ve come to expect from Tom Davison of Trained Ears. The balance between the soundtracks and the voices was spot on.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

Actually, there didn\u2019t seem to be any<\/em> qualities lacking in this group. Everyone on stage demonstrated top notch abilities in singing and dancing, and almost everyone seemed to be involved in every number. What a feat of learning that must have been! And what a test of Choreographer Beth Rubens\u2019 inventiveness and the cast\u2019s ability to execute all the routines. They weren\u2019t too complicated, but not bland, and the cast performed them with great energy, precision and pizazz.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I won\u2019t mention individuals because this was the ultimate ensemble show, but could I pick a favourite item? That\u2019s very difficult. There was such a variety of styles, and I loved every number – I even found myself liking \u201cRoom Where It Happens\u201d from Hamilton (a show that I loathe). \u201cSix!\u201d of course, because I adore the show and it was performed here to perfection. \u201cAnything You Can Do\u201d was hammed up nicely, \u201cYou\u2019re the Top\u201d was a great exposition of one of Cole Porter\u2019s interminable \u2018list\u2019 songs, and \u201cSomething\u2019s Coming\u201d was sublime. \u201cSunday\u201d \u2013 a typically difficult Sondheim sing \u2013 was performed beautifully and the static setting was absolutely the right treatment. If you really twist my arm, I\u2019ll admit that \u201cFlash Bang Wallop\u201d was my favourite \u2013 so many verses, so much going on, such great singing and lots of laughs too. A good one to end on.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It seems rather contradictory that a show about all the things the group can\u2019t do only serves to highlight just how well they can do just about anything! It was a real showcase for this group\u2019s talents and an extremely enjoyable and entertaining evening. Thank you to all the talented Directors and the fantastic cast \u2013 you did an amazing job.<\/p>\n\n\n

\n
\"\"<\/a><\/figure>\n<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Sound too was perfect, as we\u2019ve come to expect from Tom Davison of Trained Ears. The balance between the soundtracks and the voices was spot on.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2037,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[433,432],"tags":[435,436,437,434],"class_list":["post-2036","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-showreviews","category-theatre","tag-review","tag-show","tag-sound","tag-theatre"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p2jmMR-wQ","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":2134,"url":"https:\/\/www.thebigbluehouse.org\/site\/singing-in-the-rain-jr-noda\/","url_meta":{"origin":2036,"position":0},"title":"Singing 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