When the opportunity first arose to come and watch The Wight Strollers in action, this reviewer knew she had to get in there quickly, as it’s well known amongst the local theatre scene, this is a company that know how to put on a good show, and ‘Holy Cow’, as soon as the overture kicked in, the audience realised they were in for a ‘sweet’ treat of toe tapping, shoulder shimmying entertainment.

From start to finish, the energy was off the Richter scale from all cast members every time they stepped foot on stage. The passion, dedication and friendship amongst this local group was clearly evident and made the ensemble numbers so much fun to watch.

It’s often easy to forget, whilst sitting auditorium side, how much hard work goes on behind the scenes in order to put on these types of productions. From the FAB-U-LOUS costumes, wigs/hair and make up, to the props, and the work that goes into the sound and lighting – this production was sensory overload for the eyes and ears – for all the right reasons. 

The curtains opened up to reveal a striking painted scaffold set construction, which was a real focal point and enabled seemless set changes to take place (Kudos backstage crew). This supported the narrative transitions, as the audience followed Charity’s quest for love. 

Talking of Charity, Emily Scotcher simply embodied ‘Charity Hope Valentine’ and put her own unique stamp on the character. As an experienced performer, Emily showed her versatility and took us on a rollercoaster journey of emotions in every scene. Emily is a joy to watch, as she pours her heart and soul into every vocal and every move. A highly demanding and energetic role, which Emily performed with ease. 

Izzy Rudd and Beth Mansell took on supporting lead roles as Nickie and Helene and also delivered strong performances throughout. Their lifelong friendship and chemistry was believable in their scenes with Charity (Scotcher) and their fast pace, high energy dance numbers were confident and eye catching in their brightly coloured dresses. 

Robert Bingham also took on a demanding role as ‘Vittorio Vidal’ and his accent was clear and consistent throughout his scenes. His solo was particularly beautiful. Katie Walker-Green was the perfect ‘Ursula’. Katie’s comedic timing with Vittorio was spot on and the energy lifted whenever she came bursting on to the stage, creating many audience sniggers. 

Ches Checkley took on the role of ‘Oscar Lindquist’- (Charity’s love interest) and any scenes alongside Emily were a highlight of the show. Their real off stage friendship and chemistry was evident. Ches delivered a beautiful, strong vocal and was able to show what a skilled actor he is – particularly in the lift scene. 

For this reviewer though, the highlight was watching the ensemble going beyond their comfort zone and just embracing every moment and being the glue that supported the main storyline; the majority of the cast often taking on multiple cameo roles and hardly ever resting. The visual narration cards held up by the ensemble cast was a great added extra.

Some stand out ensemble/supporting cast moments were during ‘Rhythm of Life’ where Myk Hooper’s flamboyant performance of Daddy Brubeck got everyone tapping their toes, ‘Rich Mans Frug’, where Sophie Frost deserves a shout out for her confident dancing skills and Michael Mullin’s comedic portrayal of ‘Herman’ during the number ‘I Love to Cry at Weddings’.

Choreographer duo – Cheryl and Izzi Rudd must be congratulated on their dedicated effort to capture the style of Fosse – an extremly difficult task, but they were sensitive to not over do it, it was simple, yet very clean, sharp and effective and the duo should be very proud of their visual masterpiece they created. 

How great to not only hear, but get to see the talented musicians playing live on stage too, ably led by Kim Ball multitasking as Musical Director, conductor (and if that wasn’t enough) Keyboard 1 player. The sound balance was just right and the use of the band incorporated within the club scene worked particularly well.

Over the years, The Wight Strollers have donated thousands of pounds to local charities and as always, all proceeds from this production will be divided between their two chosen charities – The Salvation Army and Independent Arts. With this in mind, despite recognising hard financial times, it was somewhat disappointing to only see Medina Theatre half full for their Matinee performance. However, that certainly didn’t dampen the liveliness of the show or the performance in any way and hopefully those who were lucky enough to attend over the run, were able to donate whatever they could spare towards the two very worthy causes. 

Huge congratulations to Sarah Scotcher – (Director) and the entire cast and crew involved in this tremendous show.

There is one more chance to see this amazing show at 2.30pm today (Sunday) – tickets available on the door at Medina Theatre. What are you waiting for??

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Reviewed by Rosie Sales