How often do you go to a show where the audience starts clapping before the cast has even appeared? The familiar rhythms of the opening bars of the overture to this much-loved musical had the audience putting their hands together with excited anticipation only a few seconds in - fully justified by the sustained torrent of fantasmagorical entertainment which ensued.
MYCO (Musical Youth Company of
“Together we can do anything!” says hero inventor Caractacus Potts: “Teamwork can make a dream work” – and MYCO is living proof of this. The large cast of youngsters has spent six months working together to create a lively, compelling show: a model of slick classic musical set-piece stagecraft, bursting with exuberance and humour.
It is also a feast for the eyes: a kaleidoscope of colour, in terms of both lighting and costume, from the whirling, swirling candy-cane skirts of the Scrumptious sweet factory suffused in pink light, to a stage drenched in primary red, with flashes of greens and yellows, when the steampunk Vulgarians don red silk garb to taste the delights of the Brazilian Samba.
The magnificent magical Chitty car was hired; other stage furniture was kept to a minimum, such as Grandpa Pott’s quirky rickety shed, Truly’s vintage motorbike, Caractacus’s ingenious haircutting bicycle and breakfast-making machines, and the Childcatcher’s sweet stall cart, allowing plenty of space for the dancers to kick up their heels with panache; it was largely the filmic backdrop which helped transport us seamlessly from scene to scene.
There were so many brilliant double-act pairings. Ella-May Higgins and Edmund Fitter were bright, engaging and endearing as the two Potts children; Giacomo Ruffman was a confident, natural fit for Caractacus, with effortlessly powerful vocals, chiming perfectly with Dolly Ogier’s clear, charming voice and personality as Truly Scrumptious; and the four of them together made a lovely quartet. Ava Lea-James was a strong, forceful Baroness character, set against Maxime Abecassis-Loyer’s amazingly nimble, hilarious, light-footed Baron, as springy as one of his beloved toys; and Jasper Carter and Elsie Talbut clearly revelled in their portrayal of the two comedic Vulgarian spies.
Praise is due not only to the entire enthusiastic and talented young cast on stage, but also to the inspirational and dedicated adults who helped to create this spectacular show: notably Julie Todd, the Director, clearly adept at juggling a myriad of demands and challenges; Catie Marie Simpson for the energetic and entertaining choreography; and the small team sourcing, creating and managing the impressive wardrobe for the huge ensemble of children, factory workers, Morris dancers, fair-goers, soldiers, inventors, Vulgarians etc, most of whom needed three different costumes!
The young performers of Oxfordshire are lucky that such people devote time to MYCO to develop their theatrical talents, and we are lucky to be able to enjoy the fantastic shows that result.