Wales Community Theatre Players’ Showstoppers: The Best Of The Best – 2 July 2026, The Lyric, Dinnington
Review by Claire Stanley.
Tonight’s ‘Showstoppers The Best of the Best’ demonstrated there truly is no limit to the talent of Wales Theatre Players. A packed and diverse programme of musical hits with new flavours and old classics engaged the audience throughout. Usually in a show of such high content there is little room to mention many performers, but I feel I have to do such an outstanding show justice. The show began with Joseph Bairstow and James Moore eagerly guiding us through what is ‘A Musical’, ably enhanced by the Adult Ensemble. It’s a tongue in cheek number from Something Rotten that had me in mind of Spamalot (which we were also treated to in Act Two!) As the lyrics said, musicals don’t have to be miserable OR miserABLE, and this was anything but. This choice was fresh for a review of this kind and the performances built up to high energy involving great tap dancing and a winning kick line, preparing us for the standard to come. The Youth Ensemble then made their entrance with ‘Do Re Mi’ and this was delightful singing, -=the uniform white and green costumes giving a simplistic yet eye catching appeal. Traditional sections followed of My Fair Lady and Calamity Jane where the adult ensemble shone once again. Classic Singin’ In The Rain provided us with an excellent ‘Good Morning’. I thought Beth Wade made confident use of the stage in this number, a joy to watch alongside James and Joseph. (Joseph’s ability to connect with the audience throughout the show was superb). The selection of a classic Guys and Dolls number was further enhanced by the accomplished vocals of Will Marshall. ‘Sit Down You’re Rockin’ the Boat’ had it all; black costumes with vivid streaks of colour, movement in unison and every team member singing solidly. I especially appreciated the “boat” like effect achieved by use of chair choreography and ensemble participation.
In a show that introduces and showcases such an array of young talent it is hard to name so many, yet I thought the ‘It’s a Hard Knock Life’ and ‘Little Shop of Horrors’ offerings were charming, the former for it’s incredible acting and the latter for sweet harmonious sound and well rehearsed choreography. In many performances one can judge the success of a song by the audience reaction and the house tonight reacted very favourably to “Little Shop”, the “elder” red t-shirted end of the youth section led this competently, so it was well earned! A song selection that also won over the audience as it built, was ‘You Can Drive a Person Crazy’ from Company. This was delivered fabulously by the three ladies (Eve, Beth and Sophie). Additionally every single solo in Act One was befitting to the cast member vocally (Mollie Antcliff – ‘Don’t Rain on my Parade’) and Faye Wood’s number from Evita was not just “sang” as is often the temptation, but expressed well in mannerisms too, a well rounded performance. All sections from Cabaret, Masquerade and Miss Saigon were executed well from the adult members, with Masquerade allowing the ensemble to use props to aid their obvious cohesion. It was a particular highlight and nice to be reminded of the draw of Phantom of the Opera. ‘Bui Doi’ was sang so powerfully by Adam Wigglesworth it had the audience in raptures. Both his skills in blending and stand alone vocal was impressive. ‘Two Ladies’ is a popular number and was performed with vigour by all three performers. The act closed wonderfully with Les Miserable’s ‘One Day More’, all vocals strong and indisputable projection. It certainly left us wanting more.
Act Two began with ‘Footloose’,-all female vocals and energy in this was splendid with the front line dancers moving with conviction. Considering the amount of high energy required, the vocals did not drop once. Alison Wade a very reliable vocalist offered two accomplished solos from The Band and Come From Away, every note seeming effortless. ‘Seasons of Love’ is a widely chosen song in review shows and Katy Marsh was very well suited to her vocals here, she made it her own and the ensemble complimented her fully. Hairspray’s ’Mama I’m a Big Girl Now’ was also pure joy, its comic value shining through and the simple movement in repetition added to the vibe of the song. We Will Rock You and Sister Act, again a popular choice by societies were well received tonight, especially the story telling in Sister Act, it was acted fantastically by the ladies!
‘A Friend is Still a Friend’ was new to me this evening, so thank you for this introduction. From The Wind in the Willows, this is a meaningful melody. I was visibly moved by its sentiment and very strong performances by the three men. In a similar vein ‘My Dad’, provided a comparable atmosphere. I have to say that Chloe Gallagher was outstanding in this piece. ‘Nazareth’ from Nativity was a lovely offering from the younger members who literally shone in their costumes and considering how very young some of these performers are, they maintained impressive focus. The afore mentioned ‘Diva’s Lament’ from Spamelot was acted brilliantly by Faye Wood and the cast for ‘Hello’ had great timing, this song was brought alive by the comedy performance of the number. As highlighted earlier, one does not normally single out performers from such a high volume on stage but I thought Agatha Ingall owned the ‘Bambaleo’ number, all movement and vocals in perfect harmony and the red costumes added to the impact. Indeed many costumes tonight elevated performance such as The Addams Family section whose “Wednesday” look reinforced the mood of their delivery.
The end of the show was a truly emotional ‘You Will Be Found’, it was the absolute stand out number of the night for me. The costumes lent flair to the piece but did not distract from such heartfelt vocals and theme of the song. Every performer gave it their all. The finale piece was a song chosen by the voters tonight (I loved the novel idea of this!) ‘Proud Mary’ just about blew the roof off The Lyric. We clapped along and were left on a high as the evening ended. Shout out to Claire Harriott on her Directing and Choreography for this dazzling show and to Musical Director Ray Gallagher for a well complimented cast and assembled band. The sound throughout was wonderful. Huge congratulations to all and thank you Wales Theatre Players for your hospitality and one lovely evening of entertainment. If you can get to The Lyric tonight and Saturday (3rd/4th July), grab any spare tickets whist you can! I promise you will not be disappointed.
