Playwright
(various authors)
Director
Tracey Anderson & Claire Smith
Overview
Carrying on from The Even Greater Cheriton Variety Show in 2017 with its mix of songs from shows, sketches, melodramas and guest appearances, Claire Smith and Tracey Anderson put together an amazing show with a very international theme.
There is no doubt that this show really raised the bar in many ways: we introduced complex harmonies and choreography; extra accompaniment in the form of a saxophone to augment the keyboards of MD Peter (Theo) Theobold; children performing (the first time we have had that many children on stage for many a year); new faces both on stage and backstage and so much more, including some fantastically colourful lighting and costumes. There was a licensed bar, supper, entertainment galore and an extra (matinée) performance on the Saturday. Over 60 people contributed in some way to this production – not bad for a small village group.
There were medleys from Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, Fiddler on the Roof and The Sound of Music, with songs from shows such as Les Miserable, Hot Mikado, Carmen and Evita. There were sketches, some of them written by our own members and the mix of musical and non-musical items worked wonderfully.
Sue Cox (Music Director of the 2017 Variety Show) sums it up: “It was a great show with so many highlights. The harmony singing was wonderful, choreography inspired, costumes stunning – great to see some new faces and the children did brilliantly. As always at Cheriton, things are about team effort and the enjoyment of the whole cast shone through the entire evening, giving opportunities for those at all levels of experience to enjoy performing for the audience”.
One reviewer, Elaine Chapman, wrote: “The one thing to be taken away from tonight’s performance is the energy and enjoyment the whole cast exhibit while on stage. Big smiles and lots of energy – all aids to settling the audience by showing that they command the stage and want us to enjoy ourselves. An absolutely fun night out”. Her full review can be found here.
As always we are grateful to our supporting local newspaper, Winchester Today, who tirelessly plugged the show for us. And in addition, their review finished with “Congratulations to everyone involved. Outstanding”. Thanks for that, Winchester Today!
For a full list of acts and cast/crew, have a look at our online version of the programme.
To see a 60 second romp through the process of putting on a show, starting with the planing in December 2018, through the rehearsals in January-March and the show itself in April, check out this link. There’s even a snippet of our two brilliant directors, Tracey Anderson and Claire Smith, receiving their ‘awards’ at the after-show party! Shot and edited by Tom Steckler (thank you Tom) with additional show footage by David Cradduck, Peter (Theo) Theobold, our Music Director, and Charlie Hellard. We hope this gives a flavour and insight into what goes on behind the scenes of a Cheriton Players production and look forward to welcoming new members!