"MADD Showcase 2019"
Nottingham Playhouse.

I thought that nothing could top last year's showcase, but then again I say that every year, and yet again, Midlands Academy of Dance and Drama (MADD) have only gone and raised the bar even higher in 2019.

I know from the off that I'm going to be entertained as well as educated. For anyone like myself who absolutely adores the theatre, and especially musical theatre, I am always guaranteed that MADD showcases will show me something that I've not heard before as well as reminding me of amazing snapshots of musical theatre from old and new pieces of theatre. Yet again, this year, I was not disappointed.

44 pieces of work in around two hours on stage, and that is done partly because of the brilliant staging, segueing one piece into the other, making the two sections of the show flow seamlessly. This was conceived, Directed and Staged by Emma Clayton with James Doubtfire as Assistant Director.

If I was going in looking for anything to critique, I would have come out failing because MADD Showcases are always incredibly polished, glitzy, glamorous and utterly faultless. This shows that an incredible amount of work goes into these shows from every person involved.

The production and presentation as well as the performers would not be out of place on any West End stage or production. In fact these showcases could be like a supermarket for any Director, Producer or talent scout from the West End. Pop along, see what you want and add to the list. If I was in the role of either Director, Producer or talent scout, I'd need a very big basket, one the size of a tour bus in fact!

Nothing I can say, or write will ever come close to the sparkling show at the Playhouse, so I'm not going to try; all I will say is that, if you can't afford a ticket for a West End show, then buy a ticket for MADD's Showcase because this is as close as you'll get to West End quality on a local stage.

Musically Directed by John Morton, and let's face it, what John doesn't know in this field isn't worth knowing. The sound of this six piece band was incredible, powerful and crystal clear. The acoustics for music at the Playhouse are perfect when you get it spot on, as it was tonight.

The sound design, impeccably balanced, was the work of Rob Kettridge and Rob Temperton.

The Lighting Design, by Leigh Mulpeter, was again of West End quality. I have seen lighting designs at big name concerts and night clubs less impressive than this one for this show. The mood lighting allowed you to focus on the singer and the song and still enhance the performance, and in the upbeat sections, the lighting created an exciting home for the dancers, singers and performers.

The choreography was everything I'd expect from any professional touring company or London show. The energy, the passion, the sensitivity and the musicality through dance left me speechless. When you have a whole stage of tap dancers and all you hear on every tap is the one tap, you just know that you are in the presence of class.

A very varied array of dance styles and I always look forward to MADD's dance sections because they are so emotional. Again they didn't fail me. I loved the choreography to James Bay's song "Peer Pressure"The physical strength of the dancers and the whole range of musical styles, flexibility and agility will have your jaw not defying gravity.

Every vocal performance was perfect and the range and power of these singers just blew me away. From the second song "Maybe This Time", the hairs on my arm started to rise, which became a regular event throughout the show.

From the opening number "Underground" from "Memphis The Musical" they had the audience in the palm of their hands and there was no release until the closing song "Steal Your Rock n Roll" from the same musical.

Newer, and lesser known musicals like "Prom", "Little Mermaid On Broadway", "And The World Goes Around", "Copacabana", "Tina - The Musical", "The Color Purple", "Spongebob The Musical" to well known musical numbers from "Wicked", "Chicago", "South Pacific", "Footloose", "Cabaret","Legally Blonde", "Company" there really is something for every one in this show, including an hommage to "The Understudy"

The perfect night out for anyone who appreciates musical theatre or just loves top quality entertainment performed live by on your doorstep talent.

"MADD Showcase 2019" is at the Nottingham Playhouse until Saturday 29 June.