Strathclyde’s Musical Theatre Society certainly brought the house down at last weekend’s showcase!
By Jhanvi Vipin (she/her)
Last Friday, I had the chance to spectate Strathclyde Musical Theatre Society’s third annual ‘A Night at The Musicals’ showcase on their opening night. The show was held in Assembly Hall in Strathclyde’s Royal College Building. It was also a collaboration with Beatson Cancer Charity, whose mission is to support people affected by cancer and invest in a better future for them.
Lucy Ronnie, the SMTS President mentions in their playbill: “This year marks the 5th year of Strathclyde’s Musical Theatre Society! We have grown yet again in numbers this year and are honoured to have so many new faces alongside our previous members on the stage tonight! This charity night is an opportunity for our cast to get to know each other, boost confidence on the stage and fundraise for our Full Musical next year!”
The show was postponed by an hour due to technical issues, and this was clear at the beginning. The mics were malfunctioning, causing the music to slightly drown out the performer’s voices. However, these problems settled over the next few minutes and if anything, the will of the members of SMTS shone through. The show was separated into two acts, both featuring a medley of songs from popular musicals, films, and of course, Disney. Every member of the SMTS had their chance to shine. The singers all have lovely, harmonious voices and their passionate performances illuminate the stage. The band did a superb job of supplementing the music for each song. The renditions were well coordinated by the conductor and some of the performances truly gave the audience goosebumps.
The use of props and special lighting heightened the performances. Different colours were used to set the mood of each performance, and it truly was well done. The show was full of personality and entertaining. My personal favourite performance was ‘The Bells/Out There’ from The Hunchback of Notre Dame. The hallowed atmosphere created by the voices along with the music, dark lighting, prop candles, and acting from Will Stewart and Alex Ashcroft brought the scene from the movie to life. I also quite liked ‘What You Mean To Me’ from Finding Neverland. The chemistry of Fraser Brown and Rachel de Blieck could be seen from the audience and their voices blend together well. There were many other performances that caught my eye that night, and the practice everyone put in did not go unnoticed!
Overall, I was quite entranced by the SMTS’ show. It was entertaining, engaging and everyone was mesmerising to watch. The audience, including myself, will be waiting to see their next show.
Final year journalism + politics student at Strathclyde. Culture Editor 24/25
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