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Art Music Drama
Written by Verity Bramsom
From the very beginning, it was clear that this year’s Senior play Coram Boy was going to be an enormously ambitious challenge that would prove to be highly successful. Not only was it following last year’s stunning performance of West Side Story, but it was the first play at Malvern to be directed by the new Director of Drama, Keith Packham, and only the third production of Coram Boy in the world!
One of the first things I remember Mr Packham saying to me was “Don’t be surprised if you’re playing a boy.” I have to admit that I was slightly worried at this, and my fears were confirmed when the cast list was released and I saw the words Alexander Ashbrook next to my name. On top of this, after reading the script for the first time, I realised that I would have to act out my voice breaking! It was tough to imagine how to do this, but after rehearsing the musical items of the production, I began to accept what I had to do, and managed to work out a plan of action. I soon realised that lots of other male parts had been cast in this way: Vixie Furse was to play the humorous character of Thomas Ledbury, Lottie Rugeroni was to play the eight-year-old Aaron, and the choir of Gloucester Cathedral was to be made up of Abi Hay, Daisy Welch, Natalie Drenth, and two Jo Smiths. After the initial hilarity at the situation at hand, we all began to enjoy our new roles and turned our attention to the difficult task of acting and singing as young boys.
Being set at Gloucester Cathedral and the Coram Foundling Hospital Chapel, music (under the instruction of Director of Music, Iain Sloan), played a key part in making the production such a spectacle. Members of the audience commented on how easily many of the actors turned their attention to singing and playing musical instruments, and the chamber choir and members of the orchestra provided the perfect atmosphere required for such a complex plot. Highlights of this nature included Amy Chichester’s superb harpsichord playing in character as Melissa Milcote, and an ironically placed performance of Handel’s “For unto us a child is born” sung by Felicity Rogers, Alex Thompson and the Chamber Choir during the hanging of Otis Gardiner.
Not only did this year’s production feature both music and drama, but also choreography by Sue Close was added through Thomas Ledbury’s raucous sea Shanty “The Gloucester Clipper”, and a ball scene at Ashbrook house. The former provided a lighter note amongst the dark tale of family ties, murdered children and adolescence, and this was expertly carried out by Vixie Furse and the choir boys’ of Gloucester Cathedral who put across any hidden innuendos in the song very well! The ball scene displayed a typical image of eighteenth century high society that contrasted strongly with the on-stage conflicts between characters.
Also typically eighteenth century were the costumes. Some were hired, whilst a large amount were skilfully crafted by Gwyn Sloan and Sue Black. The end result was spectacular and meant that the play was a feast for the eyes. The stage itself, designed by Lee Appleby and constructed by Steve Doidge and a team of helpers, added to the visual impact. Its two levels made the scene changes swift and the action fast-paced, and the use of pipes suspended from the ceiling over a real organ, a harpsichord to one side of the stage, and an ornately tiled floor made transitions between scenes at the cathedral and on the Ashbrook estate run smoothly. Oliver Helm’s atmospheric lighting design perfectly complimented both action and style of the production. The harrowing scene in Ashbrook Woods will linger in the memory as an example of his skills.
Of course, the show could not have gone on without the extremely high standard of acting throughout the entire cast. Coram Boy is a play with a large number of lead roles, and so casting it could have potentially been difficult. However, many excellent performances were viewed throughout the play’s three nights, and I have been told that audiences were moved by the cast’s ability to convey the intricate emotions required by such a script. Personal highlights include scenes between Otis Gardener (Roland Stirling) and Mrs Lynch (Clare Hughes), who created characters that were believable yet fittingly evil for their roles, the playful relationship between Aaron (Lottie Rugeroni) and Toby (Ben Oviosu) whose performances captured the youth of their parts, Melissa’s (Amy Chichester) birth scene which involved many “mothers” all with eerie looking babies, the final drowning of Meshak (George Lacey) which was highly dramatically effective due to skilled acting coupled with the symbolic use of lighting to suggest water, and Thomas Ledbury’s (Vixie Furse) hilarious one liners.
All in all, the play was enormously successful. I know that many people not mentioned in this review gave their time and outstanding efforts to the production, be it on stage or behind the scenes, and I regret that there isn’t enough space to mention every detail. Coram Boy was hugely enjoyable to be part of and I know that there is a great sense of accomplishment for all involved now that the performances are over. There has been talk of it being amongst the best productions ever put on at Malvern, and I have to agree. Roll on next year; it will be a tough act to follow!
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