18th March 19
Directed by Tarani Jago and musical director Emily Pettet, with choreography by Rosie Ellis, pupils from Years 7-12 performed 'The Producers', based on the musical by Mel Brooks.
This is the first time that the school, which has outgrown its performance space at Dunottar, has staged a performance at the Dorking Halls. The cast of 96 pupils relished the opportunity to perform on a professional stage.
The entertaining, lively and bold performance successfully recreated the insanely funny adventure of Max Bialystock and Leo Bloom, played by Jason Cole and Charlie Hawker, who came up with a scheme to produce the most notorious flop in musical history, which ended up a smash hit.
The band of students and professional musicians delivered outstanding musical performances, which ranged from Along Came Bialy to Springtime for Hitler, featuring a complex myriad of melodies and entries.
Musical Director Emily Pettet said: “The musical numbers were bigger and more demanding than any other shows that we have put on at Dunottar; despite this, our cast approached this challenging musical with great professionalism and maturity. To learn how to sing, act and dance requires a huge amount of tenacity, and we feel very lucky to work with such committed and enthusiastic young people.”
Director Tarani Jago added: “It takes a real team to put together a performance of this size; our choreographer Rosie Ellis, a sixth form student, has been nothing short of outstanding. All the choreography was her work, and she successfully produced a repertoire that all the caste could perform, irrespective of their previous dance experience.
“Directing 'The Producers' has been an absolute joy—the students have continued to learn, develop and shine. Thank you to everyone who helped to make the performance such a success.”
Work on a new 500 seat Assembly Hall, with music and drama facilities, is scheduled to start at Dunottar School in the summer term.