Forty-seven young people packed in a tight group on stage saw the Congress Theatre’s huge curtains close last night, grinning as they looked out at an audience standing, clapping, and cheering in front of them.
It was the opening night of The Olympians by the Congress Junior Theatre where the cast are aged between eight and 14. Rachel Hamilton, the show’s director, told me this was the UK theatre premiere of the show- it did have a trial run in London, but not in a theatre.
A new show is obviously new to us in the audience, and this can be a challenge to hook us in. But this had a simple storyline (perfect for me) and lots of familiar songs ( I genuinely had no idea who ‘Pitbull‘ was until I queried why the staff at my local pub shared a video of themselves last Saturday with bald caps, white shirts and beards drawn on their faces).
Greek mythology
Greek mythology is packed with stories of men slaying monsters and achieving glory.
The Olympians brings us “new stories” about “new heroines” with pop songs, comedy, adventures and a quest that needs teamwork to discover what qualities are really needed to be a heroine.
Sorry to all you Greek gods reading this from the clouds. There’s no need for you to earn your place in books with made-up tales of monsters with heads that regrow when chopped off or slaying snake‑haired Gorgons.
I loved ‘One Way Or Another‘ by Blondie where the three heroines came together on stage together for the first time with the full cast and company. It was a joy to see the hard work – these shows take hundreds of hours of rehearsal both in the theatres, at home, and I imagine in the heads of the cast as they walked to and from school- all fall into place as one.
Staging
The staging was beautifully simple. Three boxes were used throughout by the goddesses, heroines and some cast members. The team that puts on these shows is so creative with a small budget. A highlight of this was ‘Walking On Sunshine’ by Katrina & The Waves.
The cast needed to walk on sunshine, obviously- this is Greek mythology. A long line of gold, sparkly pom-poms shimmering in the stage light as the cast danced and sang was brilliant.
Greek mythology often features goats, so how does a junior theatre production bring goats to a stage? No more spoilers from me. Pay a tenner and find out for yourself 😉
Rachel wrote in the programme about teamwork: “One of the many transferable skills being a theatre kid has to offer is the required collaboration between boys and girls, which requires respect and friendship.”
The Olympians ended with ‘Sewing The Seeds Of Love’ by Tears for Fears. Productions like this bring together children from every (my guess) primary and secondary school in this area. This means new friendships for life, where they get to meet other young people they wouldn’t meet elsewhere. Priceless.
Committment
A former workmate who was there chatted to me after the final curtain. I say chatted- I should also mention she was teary after seeing one of her young relatives on stage, as she knew the 100 per cent commitment he’d given to the show. I also saw an older gentleman leaning on a walking stick in the foyer shout out, “well done, young man”, to the boy who played Thalia.
I nipped backstage when the excitement had calmed down and spoke to Rachel Hamilton. She said: “Because they’re pretty well-rehearsed, they’re confident going on and then it’s the end of the show, then, obviously, when you get the feedback from the audience. For them, that’s what makes it worthwhile. While they’re actually on stage doing the show, they’re focusing on what’s next and what they’re doing and remembering it, but at the end then, it is worth seeing their faces.
“All they want to do is go out and see their parents and their grandparents and the people they love and go, “was I good?”
“A lot of them especially the older ones, they’ve been in the company, they’ve waited their turn, all those six girls have all been in the chorus, all those six girls, and they were ready this year and it was a great show for that wasn’t it to exhibit those girls and all of them and they work as a team in fairness, they really do. They’re great kids, they all get on really well.
“You know I’ve been doing this a long time, but that feeling you get for the kids, you don’t do it for yourself anymore, that feeling that you get with the kids, it’s like the first time, it’s like the first time you ever [directed a show] back many years ago when I did the first show, that’s the buzz for me.”
Buy tickets to The Olympians
You have two more chances to support local young people and enjoy a night out in an air-conditioned theatre. Tickets are just £10. The show starts at 7.15pm on Friday 10 July and Saturday 11 July. Visit the box office or buy online here.
THE CAST
- Sophia played by Olivia Kopec
- Zoe played by Darcie Hewitt
- Lexi played by Betsy Honeywill
- Artemis played by Nora Ward
- Athena played by Sophie Mohr
- Aphrodite played by Cara Marshall
- Xander played by Evan Brenton
- Apollo played by Freddie Dunn
- Orpheus played by Elliot Gallihawk
- Thalia played by Theodor Alexoaiei
- Lotus Eater played by Mila Christoffersen
- The Guards played by Emanuel Jeans‑Wells & Jonah Redwood
Featured roles
- King of Sparta played by Noah Johnson
- Hera / Hippie played by Georgia Price
- Zeus played by Charlie Elms
- Hippie played by Alex Marshall
- Professor played by Charlie Thomas
- Diogenes played by Theodore Davies
- Captain played by Kaian Taylor
The company
- Roman Calder
- Phoebe Isidoro
- Florence Williams
- Evie Parry
- Ben Redwood
- Ethan Lawton
- Isabelle Mallet
- Amy Griffiths
- Marianne Taylor
- Jayla‑Mae Jolliffe
- Georgia Marshall
- Olivia Clarke
- Lily Burgham
- Imogen Hindley
- Connie Beer
- Evelina Higgins
- Daisy Arscott
- Sophie Price
- Isaac Jeans‑Wells
- Freya Harrison
- Martha Whitcombe
- Phoebe Wallace
- Jasmine Gibbs
- Nia Grace Evans
- Anwen Blair
- Alivia Drury