Inspirations Theatre Company’s Disney’s Dare To Dream Junior – 7 February 2026, The Eagle Club, Chesterfield
Review by Claire Stanley.
From the moment you walk through the door, Inspirations Theatre Company provide a warm community welcome and their theatrical offering was most welcomed by the audience tonight. The splendid team of Joshua Mason, (Creative Director), Matthew Szadura & Matthew Alsop (Musical Directors) and Emily Skill & Maisie McAteer (as Choreographers), worked together superbly to showcase the rising talent of their young members.
Dare to Dream Junior is a terrifically unique revue of one hundred years of Disney. As my first experience of this cast, I was not at all disappointed. I busked my way home after the curtain close, as there were so many numbers that charmed me. Having seen (and been a part of) various showcases of songs over the years, this production struck me as one of the most visionary. Great scene setting existed from the very start, which with abstract staging and just one back wall projection, this is most impressive. It means the performances largely have to stand alone and ITC met this challenge easily. The audience were offered within a clever framework, performers as trainee “Imagineers”, who on their first day at Walt Disney’s studios set out to discover their dreams. They help each other along the way, through exceptionally well- chosen song and dance. Selecting from a raft of classic popular tunes, this production also featured contemporary songs and ably constructed medleys. We were treated to twenty four numbers, which despite this fair array, – were all delivered with artistic flair.
The show commenced with dialogue between Player One and Two who, very competently using the digital screen, dissected the meaning of dreams,- sparking a debate amongst all the Imagineers. This concept really heightened our expectations for further Dream Work as the full ensemble were revealed. The span of ages and large cast was dealt with brilliantly by using the venue’s exits and entrances in and around the stage to great advantage. Beauty and the Beast’s ‘Be My Guest’ started the music and was really pleasant, (always a fitting introduction tune). The full cast though truly settled into their performance with ‘When you Wish upon a Star’. The confident volume of this number seemed to take flight and push all members forward with heartfelt delivery. The spoken lib between musical sections were acted with sound ability, there were some really convincing American accents – and this contributed further to the believability of the mixed characters at the Walt Disney Studios. All in all, these transitions made the start of singing sections run smoothly.
From over twenty songs, it is difficult to list each one but suffice to say all were handled with care and dedication. The many that stood out to me were ‘How Far I’ll Go’ (Moana) -beautifully confident and clear, both in general projection, tone of voice and accent. ‘Just Around the River Bend’ (Pocahontas) was also a triumph creating a rich ensemble sound. The Lion King section was animated with great energy and the King here fully deserved his crown! ‘Surface Pressure’ (Encanto) was clever in that the sound was of medium volume literally building up the “pressure”, (great crescendo). ‘Let It Go’ was truly sensational and wowed the audience. The emotion in the solo vocal and the blend of ensemble harmonies were excellent. I must give a shout out to the movement used here too. It was fitting with contrasts of cast members literally “Frozen” and the ones that moved throughout the song.
The Friendship theme was appealing given how well the cast seemed to gel together and really enjoy their stage time. ‘Friend Like Me’ (Aladdin) and ‘You’ve Got a Friend in Me’ (Toy Story) was a cheerful and expressive offering. ‘‘Dig a Little Deeper’ was also very well handled with a delightful solo sound and accent. ‘Try Anything’ was a number I don’t often hear in these types of revues and it held it’s own well. The Hercules section really did “go the distance”. As a personal fan of this film, I felt that this was one of the most enjoyable and emotionally delivered. ‘When I’m Older’ from Frozen 2 got an outing too and I thought the use of the cane here was admirable, as was the use of other props in this production. For example, the employment of the fantastic Bubble Gun! The youngsters clearly loved using these and the audience seemed to really appreciate this magical touch. Waving of colourful napkins earlier and wearing of the sunglasses (later in Snow White) was also well implemented giving cast members something to do that enhanced their performance-and no doubt upskill their stage craft.
Clear devotion to Disney would not be devoted without ‘Hakuna Matata’ and this great number led nicely into ‘Bare Necessities’ after which, the cast “hi-ho-d” it’s way along to the enthusiastic version of ‘Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious’. I then really appreciated the change of pace from said classics to a much sweeter energy of ‘Remember Me’ (Coco). I must say that this was the most delicate and poignant offering of the night, both in singing style and it’s placing within the whole production. The Finale of ‘You Are the Magic’ was wonderful and closed the collection of hummable tunes. After the interval I was very fortunate to witness the older performers of ITC give a taste of their own work to come in 2026, with dazzling performances from ‘The Hunch back of Notre Dame’ and ‘SpongeBob SquarePants the Musical’. This was a treat I was not expecting so I cannot wait to witness more of said musical talent from these members. Before I go, I will say this…Juniors, you really Thought, Dreamt, Believed and Dared. Congratulations to you all on such an enchanting night.
