Performance Drama School

The favourite had to be the jocular Famous Five sketches where youngsters, Ashley Caton (Julian), Danny Gustafson (Dick), Lorna O’Sullivan (Ann), Charlotte Staley (George) and Grant Holmes (Toby) sent ripples of laughter through the crowds with their take on the Enid Blyton heroes.

Each actors gave an incredibly convincing (and hilariously funny) performance but it is difficult not to give special mention to Danny Gustafson, whose energetic facial expressions, gormless schoolboy walk and plummy accent made for a perfect portrayal of character.

The highlight of the sketch was a scene where Dick was forced to jump into a make-believe swimming pool. This was the moment where this talented youngster’s facial expressions left the audience begging for more.

Such was his talent that the moment he appeared from behind the scenes there was a murmur of excited anticipation from certain members of the audience eagerly awaiting his next line.

But that’s not to say he was the only star of the show. The youngsters who make up the team at Performance Drama put an incredible amount of energy and enthusiasm into the performance, from beginning to end.

The show was a bit long at three hours but lively and entertaining enough to keep little bottoms on seats without too much wriggling around!

There was a variety of songs, dancing and readings from children ranging from the ages of three upwards.

The choreography was just right for the little ones - not too complicated but sophisticated enough so that they all looked fabulous on stage.

Without singling too many children out (the entire cast really were excellent) it is hard not to mention Molly Collins, whose debut as the yellow poka dot bikini girl almost had me in tears. Molly is a little star and showed off her excellent rhythmic skills by giving just the right amount of wiggle for the performance.

Emily O’Donnell showed that she could handle what television’s Mr Nasty Simon Cowell, once described as the most difficult songs of all pop songs to sing when she tackled some songs from Abba tribute film Mama Mia.

And Pippa Feldberg-Collins delighted the audience by floating down to the stage as Mary Poppins.

By the time the interval arrived, the audience had thoroughly enjoyed the performance with loud cheers for the Famous Five whenever they appeared.

The second act brought with it a powerful portrayal of the Lord of the Flies, where Ashley Caton showed just how flexible his talents were as he took on a more sinister role as hunter Jack.

This was followed by a fabulous performance by Billy Bryant, who showed off his musical talent and acting skills with a fabulous rendition of Kissing with Fred.

Another highlight was the delightful Phoebe Rishworth with her poem Little Miss Tucker. This tiny tot was all alone on stage and handled her solo with absolute professionalism.

Billy Bryant made another appearance as Joseph where he tackled some very difficult songs with relative ease.

And there was a colourful performance of Saturday Night Fever, where once again the choreography was perfect.

The show was truly inclusive. Every single child had a part to play and was noticed for it.