March 30th 2022
Or should we say DAnnie?
When it all comes together, there are very few events at Moulsford that have the same feeling as a Year 7 production. The whole year group working together for a collective goal alongside countless members of staff results in something that lives long in the memory of all involved.
Just a year ago, the prospect of having a group of boys singing to an assembled crowd indoors would have been nigh on impossible. Two years ago we weren’t even in school! For us to return to the Theatre with an all-singing, all-dancing musical has been a fantastic return to ‘normal’ and a reminder of the joys of live performance.
After months of preparation, the boys were more than ready to perform. A dress run to some of the school on Tuesday gave them an excellent starting point going into the four evening performances from Wednesday to Saturday. Each night was a triumph for the cast and it was fantastic to see so many individual moments of brilliance shine through every performance.
Mr Bissell - in his last run as Musical Director before he retires at the end of this year - and his live eight-piece band certainly kept the standards high on the musical front, something which the boys more than matched in their group and solo numbers. The songs in Annie are real earworms and I’m sure I won’t be the only one still humming the tunes weeks from now!
A continuing theme in the way we approach the Year 7 play has been to double-cast the boys in order to maximise opportunities as much as possible. As such, we had two Dannies, two Miss Hannigans, two Warbucks (Warbuckses? Warbucksii?) etc. This did mean extra work for the boys in learning two different roles, but the upshot was a more engaged cast and plenty of understudies should the worst befall anyone!
Each night the boys were supported by an enthusiastic and encouraging audience who made sure that everyone felt comfortable on stage. A huge thank you to everyone who came to watch and make the evenings so memorable for the boys. Thank you also to all of the team who have worked so hard over the past few months to build the set, find and make costumes and props, assisted with all of the backstage gubbins and supervised the boys (as if they needed it!). A special mention must go to Jess Roberts for the brilliant set and costumes.
Finally, a massive congratulations to Year 7. All of your efforts have paid off and you should be incredibly proud of your achievements individually and as a group.
