What makes an All Saints musical so spectacular? Well, as Bela Zangler would say, ‘you ought to know by now what causes that!’
What makes an All Saints musical so spectacular? Well, as Bela Zangler would say, ‘you ought to know by now what causes that!’
A grand setting, a fearless cast and crew, professional guidance, an army of selfless volunteers and, in the case of Crazy For You, a step back in time to the ol’ Wild West.
Year 12 students Taye Grant and Ellie McMahon led a formidable cast of no less than 140 student performers and crew.
Having been in seven All Saints musicals herself, Ellie says the final instalment Crazy For You was a very special note to end on.
“The cast were all very close to begin with, but this just made us a whole lot closer,” she says. “It is an experience I’ll cherish forever.”
Taye adds that he is proud to have seen the show come to life after a demanding year of hard work.
“We are very, very lucky to go to a place like All Saints where we have so many talented people pushing us to get to the next level,” he says.
“With every musical you watch here you can see the effort behind it; a year of the directors, cast and crew literally putting everything they have into each performance."
Parents, friends and family members weren’t the only audience members at the Nairn Theatre for those fantastic few nights in May.
London West End veteran and current Director of Musical Theatre at Griffith University’s Queensland Conservatorium Professor Paul Sabey was among the many industry VIPs who attended Crazy For You.
Professor Sabey said it was “the best school production” he’s ever seen, and that the cast “should all be incredibly proud of what they have produced”.
“While certainly all the lead cast were exceptional, what impressed me the most was that every single person on the stage, regardless of the part, was so clearly dedicated to their performance.”
“That’s what makes a great musical.”
Following the performance, Professor Sabey extended a special invitation to all Crazy For You cast members to spend a day in the Conservatorium’s performing arts department.
At the time of writing, many cast members had accepted Professor Sabey’s invitation and were looking forward to attending a day at the Con.
““While certainly all the lead cast were exceptional, what impressed me the most was that every single person on the stage, regardless of the part, was so clearly dedicated to their performance.””— Professor Paul Sabey, Queensland Conservatorium
Year 11 student Brodie Gardiner is All Saints’ first male dance captain.
If you are wondering whether you spotted Brodie on stage, his impressive gunshot backflip during the bar scene may jog your memory!
It is the dance captain’s responsibility to quickly master Michelle Hopper’s world-class choreography and, when Michelle is not on hand, help their fellow students perfect the difficult steps.
Although tap dancing was undoubtedly the most difficult skill in the Crazy For You repertoire, Brodie was proud of how the cast rose to the occasion.
“It was a really supportive environment for everyone learning the steps,” he says.
“Michelle didn’t hold back in giving us difficult choreography. It was such a challenge, but I found that it made the cast want to be even better and get the tapping right.”
“There was also no divide between ‘chorus’ and ‘dancer’, I know some people who didn’t tap in the main show tapped in the finale just because they thought it was so much fun.”
Type on the line above then press the Enter/Return key to submit a new search query