The pit is where the orchestra perform during a musical. A pit? It doesn’t sound like the nicest place to be asked to sit. These talented musicians even get get tucked away on a lower part of the stage.
I’ve been to a few shows in the West End and at our lovely Congress Theatre and have often felt a bit sorry as actors take a bow on stage as the curtains drop while the musicians turn and give a wave as they peek out from the pit.
Sunday night’s Shows and Soundtracks show at the Congress Theatre saw the Welsh Musical Theatre Orchestra get a place firmly under the spotlight on the main stage.
This was the final show in a tour of Wales that took in Llandudno, Swansea and Blackwood.
The conductor Andrew Hopkins said something that intrigued me when I first heard about the show: “West End singers at prices that won’t break the bank”. A quick read of the programme before the curtain confirmed that we were about to be entertained by seeing people with credits such as Phantom of the Opera (Katy Treharne) and The Wizard of Oz (Zeph Gould) on their CVs. He also said the orchestra was a mix of music students and industry professionals.
Compere Andrew Phillips guided the audience through the night and made sure we knew what was coming up. He reminded us that the orchestra support The Big Issue magazine which was a nice touch.
I have been backstage at the Congress Theatre and know there isn’t a lot of room. The less-experienced singers must have enjoyed chatting and preparing alongside their more-experienced counterparts. Local singers including ten-year-old Alfie Farmer from Penarth, and Abergavenny’s Miles Harding and Chelsea Viveash enjoyed every moment they had in front of their local fans
The audience loved the show and I heard people shout out comments (at the right time, not disturbing the performers) in addition to applause. Someone very close to me didn’t stop tapping their feet.
There were several comments in support of Andrew Phillips’ closing remark to praise the orchestra when he said: “…an orchestra that can deliver a varied programme full of crowd-pleasers.”
Watching an orchestra
It was hypnotic to be able to closely watch an orchestra. This was a new experience for me. Many of the tunes were done without the singers but even when they were on stage I’m sure they won’t mind be saying that I often couldn’t take my eyes off the orchestra.
Frozen’s Let It Go was my favourite performance and that is a sentence I wouldn’t say in public before this show.
Shows and Soundtracks meant you concentrated on the sounds and not the images conjured up by the performance you have seen on stage or TV.
Let It Go stripped of all the Disney razzmatazz left behind an extremely powerful melody. It started quite dramatically for me as I spotted the percussionist pick up a claw hammer and thought ‘what is he going to do with that?’ Thankfully he picked up a metal pipe and put together a beat that supported the tune’s opening.
Andrew Hopkins clearly enjoyed himself and there was even one moment when he turned from the orchestra for a quick tap-dancing duet with Zeph before getting the musicians back under control.
Keep an eye on the Welsh Musical Theatre Orchestra
Check out the profiles from the programme. Keep an eye on the Welsh Musical Theatre Orchestra’s website and follow them on Twitter at @WMTSO for info.
