“Out There” by The Young Performers
Duchess Theatre, Long Eaton

It's 1969 and following the death of his wife, Hope, astronaut Newman Carter (James Pedrick) has disappeared. Newman seemed to have everything going for him. He was about to go into space as Mission Commander and he had a young son called David (Ricky Hill), who worshipped him. But now, Newman, has vanished and his son is being brought up by Newman’s sister, Celia.

Jump forward forty years and David has grown up to be a highly successful businessman. He has a son of his own, Logan (Harvey Tavener) but unfortunately, the two of them don’t get on. Logan is a bit of a tearaway and has only managed to escape jail thanks to David’s lawyer, and confidant, Linda.

Having finally gone too far, Logan runs away and Celia tells him to go to a particular farm outside the town of Hope, Texas and meet the farm owner Ned Thomas. On his way there, Logan meets the residents of the town including the town mechanic Jamie ( Hayley Watson), her mother, Sheriff Pack (Charlotte Rowland) and the sheriff’s rather inept sidekicks Billy (Henry Icke) and Stan (Ryan Yates).

The town of Hope is dying on its feet and everyone wonders what can be done to save it. Maybe Logan, with a little help from old Ned – a man who can keep a secret or two – can rescue the town and become a better person along the way.

Written by Elliot Davis & James Bourne, James of indie/pop/rock band Busted fame, it’s the perfect vehicle for a younger cast. The only other time I’d seen this musical performed was also at the Duchess Theatre a few years ago and also performed by a young cast. Davis and Bourne also wrote the musical “Loserville”

The production is a great team show which does a good job of highlighting the various vocal talents of the group. Harvey Tavener's going to have a brilliant falsetto in a few years' time as he easily moves from his usual singing voice to a gentle falsetto on several occasions.

He also gets to show off his dance moves as well in a lovely choreographed piece with Hayley. The section also includes a tutoring from Newman Carter in learning to dance.

James Pedrick manages to capture the physicality of the old man well and Ricky Hill keeps a superior age difference between his son and himself, making both characters very believable.

Loved Charlotte's voice, injecting soul into her first song "I Am The Law" and Hayley's characterisation of the backwoods mechanic/country girl next door was a pleasure to see.

Also enjoyed Eleanor Meakin's performance as Claudia Pointers as the reporter and her sidekick played by Finlay Dilks.

There is a blossoming double act in Ryan Yates and Henry Icke as the pair of police officers, and there are some lovely comic moments with these two which are often akin to panto. These two also impressed me with their Texan accents and facial impressions.

Along with these main characters there is also a large ensemble who flesh the stage out brilliantly as the town folk of Hope.

Expertly Produced by Vicky Byrne and Directed by Zak Charlesworth, another well known name in local theatre, now not just on stage but behind the scenes. He knows what he wants from a production, not only from his actors but with the lighting and stage management. I especially like the way that the scenes are changed while we are watching whoever is on stage at that moment, meaning that there is no hanging around for a full scene restructuring.

Sound Design by Dave Dallard was well balanced, although there were just a couple of occasions when we missed some of the script. This though was just from the un-mic'd actors, something that can't really be helped with the quantity of actors on the stage.

Lighting Design by Dave Martin, and this was something really special. From the roof full of stars in the auditorium to the back lighting behind the scenery, and the ending, which I won't spoil by giving away what happens, this is a richly lit production.

The set, which at first sight looked simple, but is not as simple as it looks with the various disguised doors, helped give the lighting a really special feel. Designed by Zak and Roydon Charlesworth.

Choreography by Alex Tavener, it is lively and shows the cast in their best light for these dance sections.

Musical Director for the show is George Parkinson and the collective of George on keys. Sean Garavan on guitar, Jeff Widdowson on bass and Justin Chambers on drums, belie the big sound produced from this quartet.

The soundtrack itself is not the most memorable but in the moment and when delivered on stage, you will find yourself tapping your toes, but you probably won't remember the songs the day after.

Despite that, the production is great fun and there is a message out there regarding family values. The cast all look like they enjoyed every second on stage and that enjoyment, like osmosis, spread to the delighted audience.

“Out There” is at the Duchess Theatre, Long Eaton until Saturday 18 January.