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THE young talent of Bahrain shone brightly on stage as the marvellous members of MASK put on their latest production Bugsy Malone & Friends on stage at the British Club.
An appreciative crowd on Thursday's opening night were captivated by some strong performances - particularly from main characters such as Chris Beaty, a 13-year-old playing the title role whose voice grew stronger as the night rolled on despite recovering from a sore throat and a heavy cold.
His show sweetheart Blousey, played by Jenna Kamal, possesses a delightful stage presence and sweet voice, and she was matched by the charismatic George Jackson, playing Fizzy, a star struck cleaner, and a confident performance by Annabel Browne as the flighty Tallulah. Some of the principals looked the part but didn't always have the range to carry off their vocally-challenging songs. However, they were helped by an excellent supporting cast showing off some delightful dance routines and timely amusing interludes, particularly during the talent auditions and the police investigations.
Fat Sam and his gang obviously enjoyed every moment of their buffoonery and Dandy Dan's splurge guns worked wonders.
Cracking costumes, superb set designs (loved the cars) and tight musical backing from a band superbly conducted by Lydia Martin.
It was a job 'well done' by producers Carrie Bell, Iain Rawlinson and Jette Blankholm and stage directors Joanna Pascoe and Rory Adamson. No kidding!
- Review by Stan Szecowka
