Young Writers - Orchard Theatre

  Firstly the cast were amazing! From when the curtain opened  I felt part of the show even while sitting in the audience.  It was heart warming, the story was told extremely well and performed to quality west end outstanding voices. The cast members all complimented each other and encouraged them to do well and work together as part of a unit the whole time. The staging was simple but effective to  comply with the scene all lighting and sound it was enlightened very good coverage around the theatre. Thank you to the Orchard Theatre the viewing of this performerance was overwhelming, outstanding, clean well presented staff very helpful. 

  When I walked into the theatre building, there was a ‘ZOLTAR’ machine in the foyer. The ZOLTAR apparently is the thing that turns Josh ‘Big’. I was very excited as the ZOLTAR gave me a little card with my fortune written on it.  When I walked into the auditorium my breath was taken away as the stage was lit all in red and there was a large pair of shoes hanging from the ceiling. The cast told the story fantastically and I was completely engrossed. I thought it was fun when Josh played the piano with his feet along with the store owner MacMillan. Most of the songs were very energetic and told the story of Josh (the main character) and his wish to become big. My personal favourite song was ‘Cross the Line.’ I’m humming it as I write this. Overall, I think that Big was an amazing musical that shows that some wishes are not as good as they seem to be before they come true. If you go to see it for yourself, I hope you enjoy it as much as I did. 

Big the Musical is an 80s comedy, following Josh Baskin as he makes a wish and turns himself into a ‘big’ (an adult). At first he thinks it’s all fun and games, until he realizes what being an adult is actually about. He ends up having to get a job, a girlfriend and an apartment! It was a very heart-warming, hilarious play, all made better by the cast. I firmly believe that all the actors did a fabulous job in making you really feel how they felt- sad, happy or anxious. During the play, a couple of things weren’t as good. For example, all the actors were playing American characters, however, sometimes this would break, and you heard their actual accents. This made things a bit confusing as you weren’t sure if they were playing English characters or were unable to maintain their American accent. Also, I felt at certain points, the plot became very predictable and the outcome was obvious. This took away from my enjoyment of the show at times, but doesn’t take away from the great sh

  The Summer Youth Project at the Orchard Theatre this year was incredible! How they managed to pull it off with only 2 weeks to rehearse shows how much work they all must have put into it. This year’s show was Big the musical, which is about a 12 year old boy who wishes to be an adult on a Zoltar machine, then wakes up and he’s exactly that! He is then thrown into the world of grown-ups but isn’t ready. In my opinion, the transformation from boy to adult was done really well. The show made me feel all the right emotions at all the right times. I loved it. My favourite parts were the big ensemble numbers when everyone was performing. The song ’Fun’ was a good one. It’s when adult Josh meets Mr Macmillan, the owner of a toy company that is now a place of no fun whatsoever. Josh helps Macmillan realise that fun isn’t data and sales. It’s happiness and spontaneity. The singing and acting was very good. Overall, I would have hated to have missed it and I’m very glad that I got to see

 I LOVED every second of it! The actors were incredible and the lighting was brilliant. It was so different – using coloured, light up boxes as the props: fish tanks, suitcases, TVs and even microwaves. A feast for the imagination! Throughout the show it felt as though we were inside Christopher’s mind – expressing what it is like to be different to those around us. The bright lights, loud noises and overwhelming busyness put us into Christopher’s world, feeling his emotions and living the chaos. Overall, I thought the show was absolutely brilliant and would definitely go to see it again. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did! 

 The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time conveys nearly every emotion you could possibly think of having when going to see a play – intrigue and satisfaction, sadness and happiness and many more. The set is eye-catching immediately when you walk in the theatre, with a bright, modern design that is clearly well thought through and perfect for the production, which becomes clear throughout the show as side panels open up, graphics appear and every inch of space is used by the cast, even including the walls.  Mysteries start the moment the play does, no time is wasted and the plot only inspires more curiosity as it goes on, especially for those not familiar with the story. Yet even if you had read the novel it is based on or seen the show before, there is undoubtedly something new to see and appreciate, whether it’s the impressive choreography or watching the characters develop as they figure out the answers to questions they didn’t even know they had at the start. Th