"The Next Chapter" by MADD

Nottingham Playhouse.

I so look forward to showcases like these because it's a chance to see the musical theatre stars of tomorrow and admire the professional way in which the show is put together and presented.

MADD, if you didn't know stands for Midlands Academy of Dance and Drama and are based in Carlton, Nottingham. So many of their students have gone on to work in the West End and on television, and you can see why talent spotters from all over attend their showcases to tempt these young people down to where the big lights are.

All the tutors at the academy are working professionals which means that the students receive professional training in all aspects of drama and dance.

One thing I especially like about this show is that it takes you right back to 1942 and delivers sections from proper heritage musicals like "Kiss Me Kate". "South Pacific", "Annie Get Your Gun", "Guys 'n' Dolls" and "Fiddler On The Roof" all the way through "Chicago", "Saturday Night Fever", "Cats", "Rent", "Joseph" and right up to date with "Six", "MJ", "Hamilton", "Jagged Little Pill" and "We Will Rock You". Thirty-Two performances in all, mainly musical theatre performances but there were also two choreographed dance pieces which were both emotional and sublime; choreographed to tell the story in the song perfectly.

The staging this year has been changed slightly. Every year that I've seen MADD Showcases they did something that I've not seen any showcases do, and that was to transition the oncoming segment in to the ending of the segment just finishing, maintaining a smooth flow from one segment to the next. That didn't happen as much tonight and there were more groups/singers etc swiftly exiting the stage and the next entering the stage. This way did not in any way slow down the flow at all and still no gapping, which I see at times with other showcases. It was a pacy show indeed and extremely well stage managed.

The vocals were as strong as ever, which shows the continued level of professionalism is as high as it has ben in the past. You could feel the energy and heat from the stage like a furnace in the faster numbers and the ballads gave the performers chance to not only show off their vocal skills, but also to show the emotion they have in their voices to great dramatic affect.

I adore beautiful and powerful choreography and there are some immensely talented choreographer's work on show through these talented students, including Kristian Cunningham, Sue Sparham, Graeme Pickering, Melody Jones, Mark Hedges and Tori Robyn. The "MJ" medley was as exciting to watch as if the man was himself on stage.

I'm not going to start spouting individual lead vocalists because I'd be here all-night showering praise on them. All I need to say is that professionalism and talent prevailed this evening on stage, as it has always done when MADD present their showcases, and Edward Nudd, the Principal of MADD, will be a very proud Principal, as he has been since taking over in September of last year.

Unfortunately, I didn't get to thank him for the show, so I will do that here, and look forward to the class of 2024 Showcase. Every year the students have a lot to live up to with their predecessors, and every year they reach that bar and top it. This is the future of musical theatre stars on stage, and I always thank my lucky stars that I am there to witness the talent.

Just before I finish, I will also mention one thing new that has not happened in past shows. At the end of the first act, we were treated to seeing students graduate on stage. This of course meant that they ended act one as students, and started act two as professional performers.

We went from another openin' of another show to another closin' of another success story.