Broadway comes to Moneyrea

Broadway comes to Moneyrea

2 March 2016

MONEYREA Primary School PTA’s latest musical extravaganza proved a smash hit with its audience on Friday evening at a packed La Mon Hotel, raising £7,000.

Almost 600 family and friends of the school were wowed by sights and sounds made famous on the wooden boards of the Broadway musicals with the evening getting off to an upbeat start with a lively rendition by the school choir of I Just Can’t Wait to be King from Tim Rice’s Lion King. 

This was followed by acts comprising Moneyrea’s teachers, classroom assistants, “yummy mummies” and soulful papas, with the event hosted by Cool FM’s very own star man, Pete Snodden.

Broadway took the audience on a lyrical journey commencing in the Serengeti Desert before whisking it away to New York’s Little Shop of Horrors with a rendition of Suddenly Seymour by husband and wife duet, Greg and Jude Fox. Staying in the US, the audience was transported to the San Francisco Convent of Poor Clare for a toe-tapping rendition of I Will Follow Him by Moneyrea’s yummy mummies. 

It was then off to Russia in the days of the anti-Jewish pogroms, for an up-tempo solo by Moneyrea principal, Roy Greer, singing If I were a Rich Man made famous by Chaim Topol, in Fiddler on the Roof. Fortunately for the audience, the exuberant Mr Greer’s vocal was drowned out by his talented accompanist, classroom assistant, Diane Donnell.

From Russia, the audience was transported to the streets of revolutionary Paris to hear a pitch perfect performance by Portavogie primary principal, Lorna Stitt, singing I Dreamed a Dream from Victor Hugo’s Les Mis.

Moving forward to more recent times, the audience was mesmerised as Graeme Finlay, complete with home grown moustache and white vest-top, prowled the stage, strutting and posturing as the inimitable Freddie Mercury to the sounds of an amazing live band.

After a short interval, enabling everyone to draw breath, cast their votes and buy a few more ballots, the school’s dance troupe took centre stage, performing two seamlessly synchronised dance routines from Annie, leaving the audience totally enthralled. Good luck to the girls as they compete in the NICMAC competition this Saturday.

With five acts to go, the audience was buzzing when six members of the Moneyrea staff transported them to a Chicago jailhouse for a polished rendering of Cell Block Tango. Their song alone was certainly worth the ticket price. From Chicago’s prison, the audience “defied gravity” travelling back to the Land of Oz, before the arrival of Dorothy and her friends, with Elaine Ayre certainly hitting all the high notes atop her broomstick.  

From wizards and witches, the event moved to an audience with the King; well at least Christine Floyd had a somewhat embarrassed audience with Moneyrea’s white suited Elvis, alias Jim McDowell, singing It’s Now or Never and Teddy Bear. From the concert halls of Vegas the audience headed back to Europe to the Moulin Rouge for a glitzy dance routine by Year 4 teacher, Suzi Finlay and former Moneyrea pupil, Hannah Kee. 

By now, the room at La Mon was bouncing in anticipation of the return of the silky voiced crooner, Mr Jonny Shaw, who brought the audience’s journey to the streets of New Jersey with his amazing reprise of Frankie Valli’s Oh, What a Night.

And, oh what a night it had been. With some final words from judges, Jessica Peters and Marie Lacey, Pete Snodden announced the return of the acts for a fully choreographed version of Michael Jackson’s, zombie infested Thriller.  A truly memorable end to a fantastic night’s entertainment.

Queue the drum roll and heart’s pounding on stage as voice coach Aisleagh McConnell handed Pete the result of the public vote and there was no great surprise with Cell Block Tango proving deserved winners. Special commendation also goes to the judges’ pick, Jonny ‘The Crooner’ Shaw.

Moneyrea Primary School wants to thank everyone who supported the event, sponsors, ballot providers, PTA members, Broadway committee members and staff for their efforts, not  forgetting event co-ordinator and impresario, Karen Hamilton.