Bedfordshire Youth Opera

Candide, 2003

Performed at the Bowen West Theatre, Bedford from 1st - 6th September.

It was my first time in the company this year, but hopefully not my last because, from the early Easter rehearsals through to our final performance, I have enjoyed every minute of `Candide' and the hard work we all put into it!

Being new, I was very nervous about the residential week which took place at Chetham's School of Music in Manchester, but I needn't have worried at all because everyone was very friendly and I settled in straight away. We worked very hard and by the end of the week had managed to set the entire opera, but we had plenty of time for fun too with a poetry/ghost story evening in the spooky Baronial Hall, a competitive quiz night courtesy of Ben, and the now infamous review on our last night in the style of the Eurovision Song Contest! Alan Stewart's outrageous host, Sven, will live on in all our memories!

The week before the performances gave the cast a further chance to bond as everyday was spent in the Bowen West Theatre rehearsing in the new space, making props (the most memorable of which have to be the red sheep!) and sewing costumes, not forgetting the compulsory parties and trips to the pub!

And then, before we knew it, opening night had arrived! Were we ready? Would our hard work pay off? And would our comedy quick costume changes go smoothly? Thankfully, the answer to all three was a definite yes! Over the next five nights we pulled off as many spectacular performances to virtually packed houses and had the time of our lives doing it! Particular highlights for me, in a show that was all highlights, were Tom Wild's tender solos as the naive Candide which contrasted beautifully with the poignancy of `Nothing More Than This' as his character became disillusioned with "this best of all possible worlds", and Ally Eames's astounding vocal acrobatics, especially in the show stopping `Glitter and be Gay'. Jane Mabbitt amazed me, both with her fantastically ambiguous accent and the fact that it made absolutely no difference to her brilliant voice, and Dan Nolloth never failed to make me laugh with his great comic timing, spontaneous one-liners, and hilarious rendition of "My Love" where his impersonation of a slave girl had to be seen to be believed! Then, of course, we have the incredibly versatile Dan Smith who, if he didn't already deserve huge credit for playing four different roles, (namely: the wonderfully lecherous, lisping Doctor Pangloss; Cacambo, the resourceful half-caste servant; Martin, the pessimistic road sweeper; and Voltaire, the show's narrator) definitely gets extra for his powerful performance of `Words' which he spat out venomously at poor, optimistic Candide.

However, where would the show have been without its fabulously gifted chorus who, apart from being on-stage nearly all the time, excelled in the many hilarious cameo roles that gave the production its extra edge! They supported our wonderful principals with an amazing degree of talent, professionalism and exuberance, all of which were especially evident in the visually spectacular `Auto-da-&, when their bloodthirsty crowd joyously hung Pangloss, (thank you, both to Spoon for rigging that up, and to Dan Smith for agreeing to let us hang him!) and the breathtaking finale `Make Our Garden Grow'.

The orchestra were fantastic and played beautifully, really bringing that extra dimension to the performance which would not have been the same without them. Energetically conducted by John Shayler, they were very sensitive to what was happening on-stage and played to reflect this, although how much of the show they actually understood from the back I don't know, as it was often a mystery to the cast as well!

I've been saving Fred Broom until last! It was Fred's first year as artistic director and he'd chosen to tackle a phenomenally difficult and complex show, but he more than rose to the challenge, directing and choreographing the entire production flawlessly (who could ever forget the choreographic genius of `Oh my darling Paquette'?!) and showing commitment and dedication for which we are all eternally grateful! It is largely down to him that this latest show was such a success.

It is no exaggeration to say that `Candide' was one of the best experiences of my life and I just want to thank everyone involved for being so welcoming and giving me such a great time - hopefully, I've made some friends for life! Also special thanks to Fred and the principals for their endless patience in helping me learn a new part so quickly when I had to stand in as Paquette at the last minute! Now that I've been initiated into BYO I'm definitely going to return for as long as I can. In fact, I think that I'll be yet another one who they won't be able to get rid of!

-- Jenny Carson