'A Matter of Life and Death' - Senior play review
Having returned from a lovely long summer holiday and after the huge success of House Music, the news that in 10 weeks we would be performing a highly energetic, full on Kneehigh adaptation of ‘A Matter of Life and Death’ was slightly daunting. Nonetheless, all the cast were extremely excited and ready to get stuck in to rehearsals. After learning lines, songs and dances, we were ready to perform!
The audience were thrown into the world of Britain 1945 and a pilot about to jump to certain death (cheery we know!) What really struck us about this production was the way in which the audience was involved in the whole story. The ingenious use of the ensemble engaging with the narrative from within the audience, added something really special to the love story of June and Peter. This meant that as an audience member you were no longer just an observer of the play, but fully immersed in the excitement and drama of it all, (maybe even offered a bonbon or two if you were lucky!)
Of course a massive thank you has to go to all of the staff and students who worked so hard to make this production sensational:
Frazer, our choreographer, was truly brilliant, inspiring an incredible feeling of unity and joy as we performed the whole cast numbers. This is a testament to his dedication and hard work in teaching us all the stunning movement sections.
Along with this, Mr Bevan and the rest of the amazingly talented band gave the production a whole new level of energy. They did everything from live sound effects for the ‘crash scene’ to perfectly playing the big numbers like, ‘Random Tango’ and ‘Only Believe’. Their contribution was definitely immensely appreciated by the whole cast.
The staging was exceptional, a floating level and spiral staircase made from scratch by Mr Bygraves were particularly impressive. This was wonderfully brought to life by Andy, Anson and the lighting and sound team. They created an immersive and magical atmosphere captivating both the audience and the cast alike.
The incredible Miss Dickens designed and coordinated the costume, set and props along with help from the amazing backstage crew, making multiple bandages covered in ‘blood’, donkey’s ears and an entire solar system (to name a few) is no mean feat. They managed to source and create everything to perfection, enabling us to feel completely absorbed in the lives of our characters. Which was also thanks to the brilliant costumes, hair and make-up.
A huge thank you to Mrs Bradby, Miss Rossdale and the entire hair and make-up team for working non-stop to make us all look great.
Finally, thanks to Mrs Allsop for her creativity, keen eye for detail and absolute dedication to every single student. We were all pushed to be the very best that we could be, resulting in a production that was both entertaining, poignant and overall, a brilliant success!
Immy Call and Holly Brennan
To view some images from the production please see below:
