16 May 2014

A Gem of a Theatre showing polished productions

Submitted by: matthew newnham
A Gem of a Theatre showing polished productions

Tucked away behind a small shopping centre in Sunningdale is a theatre, its part of Elkanah House School and the performances staged are far from the average school productions. No squeaky can’t-hold-a-note voices or forgotten lines with a teacher prompting little Jimmy for every other sentence but fresh, youthful and exceptionally professional and very polished performances.

Seven Brides for Seven Brothers is almost at the end of a 10-Day Run. An amazing cast of high school students in a more than professional performance of a familar musical supported by a first class orchestra delivers entertainment for audiences of all ages.  Superbly acted with the perfect balance of serious storyline and laugh out loud comedy, the enjoyment of the cast is conveyed to the audience in a unique and special way. The foot tapping musical score, brought to life by the live orchestra not pre-recorded synthetic sounds  so often used in so many schools, amateur and even professional productions carries the audience into the musical itself creating first class, truly enjoyable entertainment. Everything a theatre production should be is brought to the table and delivered to the tee.

Seven Brides for Seven Brothers is another masterpiece from this little gem of a theatre that is fast growing up.  This and past productions leave audiences spellbound and changing the mind-set of what a school production is; any preconceptions are thrown away as soon as the show starts and standing ovations are common and well deserved. One leaves the theatre wanting more with the audience questioning “was that really a school production?” The answer is no, it wasn’t  a school production but a production from a school that is passionate about theatre, with a staff that know the theatre and a team bold enough to tackle the most challenging of projects that say “if we are going to put on a show then it’s going to be the best”

Seven Brides for seven brothers is sadly drawing to a close, last shows are on Saturday 17th May, future productions are in the pipeline. Keep an eye open for the next show and when you attend the next production, and if you have waited all this time to go you are perfectly allowed to kick yourself for not doing so sooner.  You will soon agree that this little theatre, tucked away behind a shopping centre is a real gem!