I walked into the foyer to be told that the performance was going to start about twenty minutes late as there was "a problem in the foyer". So the gatherering of supporters and I were shown through to the bar. As I was given a complimentary drink (courtesy of the theatre management), I was to find out that the problem in the auditorium was due to the appearance of two pigeons. Personally I thought it was a great way to start a musical adaptation of the story of Noah.

At 8pm the show started, and was very much what I had expected: Noah builds an ark, takes a range of animals and his family (!) aboard and sets off to outlast the 40 inclement days.

This is a thoroughly enjoyable production. The humour (or was it the way the scripted lines were delivered by Safra, Noah's wife, played by Laini Johnson?) was very much tongue in cheek, making the dialogue work on several different levels whilst keeping it a family show. Her husband Noah, played by Paul Huntley-Thomas, was confident in his role as the loving husband, provider and (arguably) history's most famous sailor.

The lyrics were well thought out, and the range of singing styles and contrasting songs worked excellently. I liked the menacing singing of the Madame Mayor - flanked by two "Men in Black"-style bodyguards - as she delivered her message to stop people interacting with Noah. Diction in all songs was spot on (it's always hard for an audience when they hear songs for the first time, so to be able to hear all the words was a definite plus in the production's favour). I especially enjoyed the character of Bob, played by Richard Firn, as he wheeled and dealed and then snivelled and grovelled. I initially thought his business acumen would make him a great car salesman - but things don't always turn out how you expect!

The set was very efficiently constructed, with multi purpose pieces of wood used in a variety of creative and interesting ways to culminate in an ark. The appearance of the animals as they boarded the ark, and the accompanying sound effects, were also very enjoyable. The characters in the chorus were effective in maintaining their roles, the singing was uniform and precise and they played their parts with conviction. The added choreography was slickly presented and showed an added range of skills from the students.

A lot of thought has been given to the fine detail of this production, from the staging, sound and lighting to the themed music at half time. The references to modern-day living were funny and apt. However, I was puzzled by one scene, where a mother dragged her child off stage, which didn't seem to move the show along.

The audience were very supportive of this production and applauded loudly as the cast concluded with a very upbeat, rendition of "Faith" as the cast took their bows. It is exciting to see new work, with fresh and eager faces on the stage giving it all they've got; I really hope these students keep working together in other fabulous productions.

Karen Fletcher, 22.6.2004