 | | St. Albans Gang Show 2007 |
Joyous, heartwarming, uplifting, and proud to be British. It may sound soppy and overblown but these are just a few of the phrases that we came out with after this year’s fantastic St Albans Gang show – another feast of music, dance and comedy performed by Scouts and Guides from the District in this, the national movement’s centenary year. In a night of fun and laughter, that took our minds off the fact that the country had all but come to a stand still due to snow earlier in the day, the songs were well chosen, and well sung and the choreography creative. It was simple, but because the 115 cast were so organised and enthusiastic and every note was sung and every step danced with conviction, it was all highly effective. Talents
 | | Justin Timberlake??!! |
The point is that these are just ordinary kids, not stage school protégés, but under a skilful director, and with focus and dedication, they are able to make the absolute most of their talents to produce a slick and highly professional looking show. It’s just wonderful to watch. This is always the case but I felt that this year’s event was particularly inventive. I also liked the fact that there were only a couple of comedy sketches – this year’s “Comedy Camp” and a reproduction of Monty Python’s Dead Parrot sketch were valiant but I still think their strengths lie in music and musical comedy.
 | | The casino scene |
To this end, I loved the excellent Justin Timberlake take-off, the brilliantly choreographed “What Would You Be?” which literally had us on the edge of our seats, and the hilarious parody of the Back Street Boys – “I’m Hooked on Ebay”. This song about the “dangers” of addiction to the Internet auction site has been on YouTube but in the hands of these four talented youngsters it was superbly executed and very funny. Fabulous All the other musical compilations were great inventions, from scenes about the elements - sun, moon and stars, earth, wind and fire - to a garden tableau and a fabulous casino section, to more emotive scenes about the “Past, Present and Future” of scouting and a moving tribute to those who died young or before their time in “Lives Too Short”. In an amazing array of costumes, the sheer numbers of which made me really feel for the Wardrobe Mistress, all the numbers showcased the talents of this group of youngsters, which threw up some very strong voices this year. | "Under a skilful director, and with focus and dedication, they are able to make the absolute most of their talents to produce a slick show." | | Katy Lewis |
It was all rounded off with my favourite “Riding Along on the Crest of a Wave” and the National Anthem – one way of getting a standing ovation I suppose! Although I suspect that they would have got it anyway! And excitingly for me, it was all performed in front of the scouting movement’s Chief Scout, the legendary Peter Duncan, of Blue Peter fame, looking at least ten years younger than his 53 odd years! What is so great is that these are just ordinary kids, or should I say extraordinary in this day and age, because when many appear to be hanging around aimlessly on street corners, these have decided to do something positive with their lives by joining an international fellowship committed to worldwide friendship and helping other people. Call me old fashioned but I still think these things are important. |
