Review: Flint Street Nativity

29th December 2014

Flint Street Nativity

Heswall Hall, Dec 2014 

They say laughter is the best medicine and if that's true the people who saw this show on the night I did will experience no health problems except for sore ribs through laughing so much. I had never heard of this play but I will certainly never forget it now that I have.

As the father of three children all of whom appeared in Nativity plays more than once and the husband of a lady who was often involved in costume making for them I had some first hand experience of the behind the scenes action. Obviously Director Dawn Kennedy has done the same since she was able to capture the various antics of the " children" so spendidly. In many ways it was akin to Joyce Grenfell's beautifully crafted nativity piece although the latter was of course purely verbal.

Collaborating with Musical Director Craig Price, Dawn and Craig proved once again that they are a first class production team.

What can one say about the "Kids". They caught the mood in voice and action brilliantly well making it so easy for the audience to believe in the characterisation and bringing out all that laughter I mentioned in an almost continuous flow. Stephen Hawkins, Damian Riverol, Andy Nickson, Kerry Jones,Ian Deveraux-Roberts,Kimberley Anderson,Anne Whittaker, Sheryl Thomas, Donna Dale, Sasha Edge and Hayley Parker; wherever you are stand up and take a bow for such spendid performances.

The antics of the choir school can not pass unnoticed as much for there acting skills in maintaining their characters throughout but also for their fine vocal backing.

Wardrobe(Amanda Roscoe) achieved just the right look with the costumes and the cast were well served by the stage management and props team and Heswall Hall's lighting squad. EPTMC have a strong group who provide the very necessary backup to the players themselves providing all the things an audience take for granted. Well done to everyone who was involved in putting on "The Flint Street Nativity"

Budge Groundsell, noda.org.uk