There was a fresh take on some of the comedic aspects of the show and they really worked the intimacy of the venue.
This cast is quite young for a university cast and there is definitely a certain level of immaturity in the production, with voices not always up to the vocal challenge and the approach in direction and choreography sometimes quite amateurish. Nicola French as Wednesday does a lot of things right and her attempt at one of the most memorable songs Pulled is a valiant effort, if just a little short of really nailing it. Both Callum West as Gomez and Jozey Wade as Alice Beineke do so much to hold the whole thing together. Perhaps it’s the parental nature of their roles but the rest of the cast have a lot to thank them for as they really drive it forward. Wade in particular is delightful to watch and has the energy and ability to be earmarked as a really promising young actor.
There were one or two technical issues in terms of music cues and I take my hat off to the cast's mature decision to carry on a cappella. However this did expose a rather embarrassing amount of vocal weakness; without the music the pitch was totally lost. Unfortunately it wasn't just when there was no music that the tuning was atrocious either. Even strong cast members had moments of completely losing the tune and seemingly picking notes out of the air.
A great story with amazing music that, at times, this production just about nailed, made this a really enjoyable 90 minutes. There was a fresh take on some of the comedic aspects of the show and they really worked the intimacy of the venue. I don't know if they completely made up for their weaknesses but they certainly gave it a damn good try.
