Make 'em laugh...

Nomads' Showtime provides another chance to do things differently

Newbury Nomads: Showtime Locomotion 2011, at New Greenham Arts, from Thursday, March 24 to Saturday, March 26

"People want laughter!" was a line from one of the songs included in NOMADS' second Showtime presentation, and laughter there certainly was.

When I arrived, I thought I had mistaken the start time, for things seemed to be under way but no, it was Daniel Maskell, co-director with Amanda Maskell (and Lord High a Lot of Other Jobs) getting the audience in the mood.

Then the entertainment proper began, as it was to end, with the whole cast in Spread the Love Around and certainly there was a lot of goodwill about for this society, who are not afraid to try to do things a little differently.

There were straightforward solos - Russell Barrett with one of the better-known numbers All I Care About Is Love, Paul Hyde's When Words Fail from Shrek and Jon Lovell begging Don't Rain On My Parade were particularly enjoyable.

A quartet of Stuart Honey. Shaun Blake. Jon Lovell and Kath Burns did a great job with It Sucks To Be Me and as always the NOMADS girls came up trumps with the lively Positive and an enormous amount of lithe crisp movement in the superbly entertaining Bend and Snap (Sasha Robaczynski, Holly Lucas, Suzie Jalland).

Most of the songs had action built into them and Shaun Blake gave a hilarious performance singing Stand Up And Fight from Carmen Jones and 'fighting' Daniel Maskell. stripped to boxer shorts, at the same time. It was a laugh from beginning to end and cleverly choreographed.

Not quite so successful was the rather muddled action which was going on in the background while Juliet Clarke sang Holding on for a Hero.

The full cast numbers were consistently good, especially the highly entertaining, foot-tapping Cell Block Tango with Claire Hurst, Jeanette Maskell, Crissy Quirke, Juliet Clarke and Lucy Davey as merry murderesses maintaining that 'he had it coming' to the chorus.

The Showtime concept is a good one, giving performers another chance to extend their onstage experience and using several less-familiar songs, though as performed by this company, under the musical direction of Jevan Johnson Booth, you wondered why exactly they are not more popular. An enjoyable fun evening.

CAROLINE FRANKLIN