St Edmund's
A Rollicking Good Slice of 1960s Nostalgia
What a Saturday night it was at Club a Go Go! The School production of “A Slice of Saturday Night” delivered laughs, romance and singalong nostalgia in abundance. On a dark, cold, mid-December evening, Director Mark Sell kept the energy sky high and the jokes flowing as the audience were transported back to 1960s Belfast through pop-infused musical numbers and larger-than-life teenage characters. The talented cast bought the ups and downs of friendship, family, dating and freewheeling youth to hilarious, and at times moving, life.
The plot revolved around the era’s challenges of love, friendship and societal expectations during a typical Saturday night at a nightclub, capturing the essence of youth and the struggles of growing up. An endearing romance developed between Frederick Butler as the bashful Rick, who pined after the earnest Sharon (Matilda Marriner). Matilda and Fred had the audience in stitches with deadpan facial expressions and piping one-liners. Isobel Kimber gave a standout performance as Marie who was in a back-and-forth relationship with potential suitor Gary (played with menacing presence by Arthur Clague). Isobel sung “Twiggy” with great emotional depth, providing a moment of sadness and reflection in the midst of all the laughs. Meanwhile, Bridget (Zoe Rogers) and scene stealing Eddie (Henry Goodwin) twisted and twirled across the stage with misunderstandings a plenty. At times, Bridget seemed to provide the only voice of reason to the girl squad who bought many laughs too, from Gabrielle Scott-Kilvert’s deadpan facial reactions as Penny to Olivia Standen oozing sass as the eyerolling Jackie. Theo Bawtree anchored the show as Eric ‘Rubber Legs’ DeVere, Club a Go Go’s compere, adding more than a touch of humour and commentary to the unfolding events.
Sprinkled amongst the dating mishaps and friend clashes was an electrifying 1960s soundtrack, thanks to musical director Victoria Rowcroft’s live student band. Musical numbers including “The Boy of My Dreams”, “It Wouldn’t Be Saturday Night Without a Fight” “I Fancy You” and “Last Saturday Night” bought humour, heartache and hi-jinks to the stage. The muted colour palette of costumes, Mary Quant make-up and lighting design transported the audience effectively to the era, while the playful choreography raised the roof!
Smartly directed and wonderfully acted, the play known affectionately in school as “Slice” provided swashbuckling comedy alongside sweet romance and a killer soundtrack. All in all, it proved to be a splendid St. Edmund’s “Slice of Saturday Night.”
