A glorious, spectacular,
and quirky kaleidoscope of colour,
sparkle, music, lycra, youthful energy, zeal, personality and talent. (Review
by Keith Millar)
No matter how
extravagantly I praise Westville Boys High School’s astonishing production, I
would still do it an injustice.
But let me try,
anyway.
The Time of Your Life is a glorious, spectacular, and quirky kaleidoscope of colour, sparkle, music,
lycra, youthful energy, zeal, personality and talent. Over 60 young people in
an all-action, fast-moving tribute to the music of the 80’s. Their unfettered
enjoyment of performing and dynamism is irresistible. The whole package is
superbly entertaining.
It is hard to
believe that this is a school production. It is of a standard which would not
be out of place on a professional stage.
WBHS has a long
record of outstanding productions under the guidance of their inspirational
Director of Cultural Activities, Luke Holder. One of the cornerstones of his
success has been the professional technical backbone he puts in place for his
shows. Providing the technology for The
Time of Your Life are industry leaders such as Selby’s Sound and Lighting,
Black Coffee, Darkhorse Productions, SAS Productions, System Solutions and
Durban Medianet.
The production team
includes the likes of the multi-award winning Megan Levy as Technical Director
and Sound Designer, and Stephen Woodroffe who is responsible for AV Design and
Programming.
The magnificent
80’s costumes on display during the show are created by Tracy Campbell and the
staff of Togs dressmaking. They’re gloriously colourful and detailed and
beautifully made. They play an integral part in the stunning visual impact of
the show.
Fiona Barnes’
choreography throughout the show is absolutely breathtaking. She uses
everything from ballet to ballroom to create sequences which are absolutely
unique. Each item in the show, be it an individual song or a medley, becomes an
exciting event in its own right. Her creativity and versatility provides the
opportunity for all the young performers to express their own personalities and
talent. The result is a joyful and fun-filled extravaganza.
The manner in which
AV projections are used in The Time of
Your Life is particularly imaginative and adds an extra dimension to the
audience’s enjoyment of the proceedings. Smallish round screens on either side
are used to project the action on stage, which is contrasted with footage of
the original artists. The big screen at the rear of the stage is used to
project TV commercials from the 80’s.
Musical backing for
this production is provided by an excellent professional band put together
specially for the occasion. They are Chillie Stent on lead guitar and vocals,
Dale Wardell on bass, Seth Parkin on drums, Charlene May on keyboards and Luke
Holder on keyboards and vocals.
Performing two
hours of memorable music from the 80’s are the stars of this show – 60-plus
marvellously talented young people. The boys are all from WBHS and the girls
from neighbouring girl’s schools. They have energy to burn as the show rollicks
along at a tremendous pace. They sing and dance with vigour, panache and
obvious enjoyment.
While there are a
few very good solo performances on the programme most of the songs are ensemble
work and, as such, I am not going to signal out individuals, but rather say
that all the performances were exceptional and wonderfully entertaining.
Pulling together
all the elements which go into creating a production such as The Time
of Your Life is the remarkable Luke Holder. Not only did he conceive the
show but is the director, musical director, lighting designer and for good
measure played in the band, provided vocals and was the MC. He also found time
to socialise with his invited guests prior to the start of the show.
Holder is an
extraordinary theatre practitioner and educator. He creates wonderful opportunities
for young people to develop their sense of self-esteem and to grow in
confidence and ability. One can only hope that the school, its pupils and
parents value what they have in this man.
Holder and his
entire team deserve an A plus for this superb production.
The Time of Your Life is on at the Roy Cousins Theatre at
Westville Boy’s High School until August 28. Tickets R120 pp seated at tables
of 8 or 10. For bookings or further information e-mail tickets@wbhs.co.za –
Keith Millar
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