20/10/2026
🎭🌟 WELL… OUR NODA REVIEW IS IN! 🌟🎭
The moment we’ve all been waiting for! 👀✨
After all the hard work, rehearsals, laughter, nerves and dedication, we’re so excited to share our NODA review with you all! ❤️
“It was a great privilege to be asked to cover for my colleague Helen and to visit We Made It From Scratch productions for their themed concert, Ohh Fabulous, The Showcase.
Not only was I treated to a lovely and entertaining evening from this small group mixed with adults and juniors but I also got to witness the fantastic work this community group is doing in this small town in County Durham.
From the camaraderie on stage right through to emotion and sincerity in the closing speeches, from cast and crew, it was very clear just how much joy this community has from having a Society like this available to all.
The theme of the production is something that I am sure a lot of us can relate to. 3 young and aspiring performers, in their home setting dreaming up and indeed performing their perfect blockbuster production. The story had a real warmth to it and allowed the numbers chosen to have meaning and context whilst allowing the production to flow with a 1 scene staging requirement.
For a small village hall the staging, light and sound was all perfect. Flashes of colours lit up the performers with good plots and the sound was very well balanced (if anything possibly too loud for my old ears right next to the speakers). The raised staging was awash with colour, from the bedroom scenery to the costume rail packed with glitter and glamour, again allowing the scenes to flow without unnecessary scene changes.
The platformed stage allowed the cast to enter and perform from multiple entrances and this worked well although if i was to be hyper critical then I would advise looking at some of the sight lines as I was able to see quite a bit of backstage from one of the entrances but this is me being picky and purely offering personal advice for your next shows.
The main story and narration was led by 3 superb Junior members, Katie Bernard (Chanel), Cali Cusworth (Dior) and Annabelle Cowell (Pixie) and what superstars all 3 were. From the first line to the closing number they brought energy, excitement and some seriously impressive acting and characterisation. With beaming smiles as big as thor performances the 3 girls jumped from character to character with ease, really standing out in solo parts and ensemble numbers. Not only were their acting skills full of detail but wow these 3 girls can sing. Katie really shone as Annie and Matilda and Cali really got to show off her lovely vocal tone as Bert in Let’s Go Fly a Kite.
As with all concerts it is impossible to mention everyone but when this group came together they really had a lovely sound to them, great credit to Musical Director Tori Gray for navigating the group through some incredibly tricky numbers.
Marlee Brown really stood out from the group, joining the 3 girls in multiple medleys whilst pairing up with Layla Hutchinson for Good Morning Baltimore backed up by a lovely choreographed routine from the ensemble.
Choreographer Wayne Summerbell did a great job with a small space, ensuring the stage was never over crowded whilst adding some good detail in well rehearsed routines. Wayne himself delivered a lovely cameo as Miss Trunchbull in Revolting Children, his flamboyant delivery of the role had the cast and audience in stitches.
Layla Hutchinson had the responsibility of leading some of the biggest numbers in the show but handled them with real control. Her performance as Elphaba in Defying Gravity really was a powerful vocal display of an incredibly hard song. Joining her in the number as Glinda was Ashleigh Wild who in my opinion is a bit of a hidden vocal talent. Her vocals, especially as Sigrit in My Hometown showed some lovely tone and control and along with the rest of the group with some extra confidence and belief in themselves has great potential to just keep getting better.
Joining Ashleigh in the Eurovision number was John Barwick who brought such lovely warmth to this and all of his numbers. A true performer and very versatile jumping from Daddy Warbucks to Dewey from School of Rock at ease. It is clear that John is a very big character in the Society and his personality and overall joy in performing really stood out.
Megan Brown brought some lovely tenderness and honesty as Mary Poppins whilst Chris Thompson had the children terrified as the wicked Miss Hannigan.
Joining the principals were Jessica Wild, Kacey Thompson, Ellen Gallagher, Vicky Carter and Chloe Carter and each of them brought lots of lovely personality and energy to the big numbers.
With an action packed finale the audience really showed their deserved appreciation for what this small group had carried off. Huge well done to the direction/production team of Wayne Malcolm-Taylor, Wayne Summerbell and Tori Gray. This fun story and your detailed direction really gave the cast a blank canvas to shine. There was care and attention throughout and you could see from the cast's enjoyment just how much this show and the whole company means to this community.
Thank you for a lovely evening and I’d happily cover for Helen again just to see how much more you have grown. To anyone in the area looking for a warm, friendly and caring company to join I would happily recommend you to them all.
Author: John Holliday
(on behalf of: Helen Abraham)
🎭A massive thank you to John, our wonderful NODA representative, for taking the time to come along and review our show! 🌟
We really appreciate your support, encouragement and feedback. It means so much to our whole cast and crew at We Made It From Scratch Productions. ❤️
