Congratulations to the members of Wargrave Youth Theatre and director Chez Annetts for their excellent rendition of Shakespeare Rocks by Steve Titford, performed with great verve and humour on the Shakespeare stage on Mill Green as part of the 2024 Wargrave Festival. The youngsters also coped very well with the sometimes challenging weather conditions, and used the open stage area to great effect.
In testimony to their talent and enthusiasm, you can find below a gallery of pictures taken during final rehearsal by kind courtesy of Peter Knowles and David Williams, and a review of the live show by regular Wargrave Theatre-goer Maria Marron. Thank you all for your valued contributions.
In response to a standing invitation by Chez Annetts, we were also privileged to be visited by Cate Naylor of the London Region of the National Opera and Dramatic Association (NODA), who has likewise written a glowing review of Shakespeare Rocks! . This means, we hope, that the show could now be put forward as one of three in the region that will compete for a NODA award for Best Youth Production for the year. Fingers crossed everybody!
To read the NODA review, click on the button at the foot of the page and follow instructions on your device.
Review by Maria Marron
“Shakespeare on the Green is an essential part of every village festival and this year Wargrave Youth Theatre got in on the act. Instead of choosing just one play, they presented Shakespeare Rocks!, a modern musical romp through the life and works of the playwright. Hilarious and joyful, with show-stopping songs and a witty script by Steve Titford, it proved to be a great introduction to the Bard. A great ensemble piece, every young actor was given their place in the spotlight.
Shakespeare’s lost diary had been discovered by pompous theatre director Aubrey (Poppy Simmonds), who decided to adapt it for the stage with down to earth assistant Al (Zac Winter). We met Will (Charles Monte), a playwright struggling to find his voice – ‘to creak or not to creak? That is the question’ – aided by sensible sidekick Ollie (Sophie Hucker), his wife Anne (Grace Paddison) and children Hamnet (Beatrice Parrett) and Judith (Martha Rees).
From rapping minstrels (Alice Parrett and Freya Hall) to a beer seller who has sampled too much of his product (Hector Hughes), all Elizabethan life was here, with a fresh and fun twist. The fast-moving action was punctuated by cheesy jokes and songs performed by the whole cast with vim and enthusiasm. Great fun was had with the fact that in plays of the era, all the female parts were performed by boys. The leading actor Burbage (Jess Beazley) and assistant Nic (Florence Parrett) laid down the rules to a motley line-up auditioning for roles (including Huw Rees). The high-energy song No Girls Allowed ended with the unmasking of the girls dressed as boys dressed as girls thanks to the lure of high heels.
The action raced through the events of Shakespeare’s life. Dodgy builders (Harry Large, Isabella Nazarri and Darcie Bennett) tried to rip off Will with a bill that went up and up for the new Globe Theatre and there was even an encounter with the Queen (Jocelyn Evans), immortalised unflatteringly by paparazzi painters (Amara Khurana and Emily Ramsay).
The most famous plays were showcased. Romeo (Marnie Tang) and Juliet (Nancy Hughes) survived the burning of the Globe. The director (Bruce Christensen) put the actors in the ‘Scottish play’ through their paces with the song Don’t Mention Mac. When the witches (Jasmine Kandohla, Fleur Malin, Mia Gupta, Isabella Davies and Penelope Dunne) encountered Mac (Jasmine Vora) and Banquo (Eden Holloway), they almost managed to avoid saying that unlucky word, Macbeth.
There was wonderful camaraderie with the children engaging with and supporting each other.
The well-schooled cast obviously had lots of fun and were a great credit to their director Chez Annetts. The two performances were made possible by the Wargrave Theatre adult sound, costume,
props and front of house crew, plus a team of chaperones and parent helpers.”