Musical Theatre Showcase 2025

After a feast of drama and in the wake of exams, and the glorious but poignant departure of the A2 students, might the theatre be turning down the volume a little for a summer hiatus? Of course not: this is Hurtwood.

Stand by for 50 minutes of unalloyed high-octane energy: get those toes tapping, forget the state of the world and join the fun. We’re in glossy New York and the heady world of post-war possibilities and optimism, with a whirling, swirling company of upstairs/downstairs characters drawing us in. The set, sleek art deco glamour hotel foyer, proves a flexible backdrop to a mesmerising flow of characters and narratives. Thank you, Ali and team. Thanks also to the totally brilliant Elizabeth Poulter, true mistress of the wardrobe, for capturing the mood, setting the tone, in frankly gorgeous costumes: curve-hugging crepes, endless little day-dresses and high heels, waistcoats, braces, Oxford bags and tap shoes, loosely layered coats, frilled white pinafores and caps - shades of enigmatic Hollywood 40s glamour, and hints of Busby Berkeley.

Have I exhausted you? That is the intention, for the show is non-stop action, with choreography that beguiled and absorbed from start to finish. Bravo Lottie and the team, and special thanks as ever to Neil, whose years of experience of maxing the action and managing the special space that is Hurtwood has wowed us for decades.

And then, of course, the choral singing: it was stupendous. The flow, the impact of the whole company harmonies, that sense of joyous, all-involving commitment, carried the audience into its world. Well done to Nick and his team for the total professionalism evident on every front. Guy’s lighting design was, as always, superb; a wonderful ‘first’, however: it was operated by student Josh Root, with an ease that belies his youth as well as many academic commitments.

So finally, and most especially, time to acknowledge that director in charge here, for the very first time, was Adam Rood. With Doug assuming a kind of back-stop position, and moving now to Senior Management, time for new young blood to take up the baton. Wow, Adam – this was everything it should be, and more! You, your team and our amazing students, pulled off a blinder of a show.

Bravo. You ended a tough term with more – more youthful energy, high kicks, tap dancing and feel-good energy than anyone could have wished for. You put us all in an optimistic New Your state of mind, made us nostalgic, and maybe even a little optimistic. Bravo indeed, and thank you.