Four Voices In Concert, Regent Centre, Christchurch
ANYONE who was around when Big Little Theatre Company was formed in the early 90s will remember what a breath of fresh air it brought to the local theatre scene, so it was a huge treat to attend the inaugural concert by four of those people - Jason Jay, Giselle Summers, Tracy Challen and Nolan Dark.
All of them have moved into the professional world since those early days, singing in the West End and on cruise ships as well as locally, and I have no doubt that as Four Voices they will quickly and deservedly make their mark.
The evening consisted of mainly show music with a final classical section, and there wasn’t a single number that was less than superb. If I say that they didn’t always take themselves too seriously, that is no reflection on the excellent standard of singing and presentation – but when did you last watch a soloist performing O Sole Mio (great one Jason!) as someone else wandered on eating a cornetto? Whether this delicious ice cream came from Italy or the Regent I couldn’t say, but…
There was also a running gag concerning Nolan’s t-shirt from the Les Miserables 25th (yes Nolan, not 21st!) anniversary concert at the 02, which he wore when he took part in the performance. One of several hundred, ‘tis true, but even so…
From Mary Poppins and Chess to West Side Story and Les Miserables, from Phantom Of The Opera and Jesus Christ Superstar to Love Never Dies and Spamalot, and from La Donna Mobile to Nessun Dorma, we heard four voices as the peak of their powers in this beautifully staged evening that was a real privilege to attend and which well deserved its standing ovation.
I do have just a couple of criticisms though. Financial constraints meant that they performed to backing tracks, and I did feel that these were sometimes too loud and did not complement the voices as much as live music would have done. It would also have helped to have a star cloth or even a couple of potted palms at the back of the stage, as black curtains and mostly black costumes made for a slightly dull look – when the girls changed into deep pink towards the end it made a tremendous difference.
Linda Kirkman
ANYONE who was around when Big Little Theatre Company was formed in the early 90s will remember what a breath of fresh air it brought to the local theatre scene, so it was a huge treat to attend the inaugural concert by four of those people - Jason Jay, Giselle Summers, Tracy Challen and Nolan Dark.
All of them have moved into the professional world since those early days, singing in the West End and on cruise ships as well as locally, and I have no doubt that as Four Voices they will quickly and deservedly make their mark.
The evening consisted of mainly show music with a final classical section, and there wasn’t a single number that was less than superb. If I say that they didn’t always take themselves too seriously, that is no reflection on the excellent standard of singing and presentation – but when did you last watch a soloist performing O Sole Mio (great one Jason!) as someone else wandered on eating a cornetto? Whether this delicious ice cream came from Italy or the Regent I couldn’t say, but…
There was also a running gag concerning Nolan’s t-shirt from the Les Miserables 25th (yes Nolan, not 21st!) anniversary concert at the 02, which he wore when he took part in the performance. One of several hundred, ‘tis true, but even so…
From Mary Poppins and Chess to West Side Story and Les Miserables, from Phantom Of The Opera and Jesus Christ Superstar to Love Never Dies and Spamalot, and from La Donna Mobile to Nessun Dorma, we heard four voices as the peak of their powers in this beautifully staged evening that was a real privilege to attend and which well deserved its standing ovation.
I do have just a couple of criticisms though. Financial constraints meant that they performed to backing tracks, and I did feel that these were sometimes too loud and did not complement the voices as much as live music would have done. It would also have helped to have a star cloth or even a couple of potted palms at the back of the stage, as black curtains and mostly black costumes made for a slightly dull look – when the girls changed into deep pink towards the end it made a tremendous difference.
Linda Kirkman
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