“The Show Will Go On – Act 5” – Harlow Amateur Theatre Society (HATS) – 

Harlow Playhouse – Thursday 5 March 2026.

A review by Ian Beckett

HARLOW Amateur Theatre Society (HATS) have been on my peripheral vision for a few years and it’s remiss of me that I haven’t seen them perform before. Having seen “The Show Will Go On – Act 5” in Theatre 2 of Harlow Playhouse last night, it’s a mistake I don’t intend to make again!

The sheer brilliance and professionalism of this show honestly left me shaking my head in disbelief and lost for words on more than one occasion. If you know me, you will know that doesn’t happen very often.

I love musical theatre and I was delighted when I opened the programme that eight of the thirty numbers to be showcased were from some of my favourite shows. What was also interesting was that five of the numbers were from shows I hadn’t heard of. I must get out more!

Act One opened with a belter – “Welcome to the Rock” from “Come from Away.” The whole ensemble pumped and thumped out this number energetically with a fantastic mastering of the Newfoundland accent.

Next, James Bentley and Hannah Frost gave the audience the, first of many, opportunities to exercises their laughter muscles, with their comical and vaudeville-style rendition of “A Couple of Swells” from “Easter Parade.” Their routine was slick with excellent comic timing.

“Maybe this time” from “Cabaret” provided us with the first indication that the director, Sarah Randell, had put a lot of thought into how to make the best use of the studio space. Theatre 2 can be a tricky place to perform in, with the ranked seats on three sides, which incidentally, were almost complete full on this opening night. Abbie Martin and Jody Randall both demonstrated how sometime less is more, with this subtle and sensitive song about longing for love whilst fearing it will almost inevitably end in pain. This was also the first occasion that I noted the excellent use of lighting, designed by Lewis Mackie, to mark out space and create the right vibe.

Emma Brookes, Sasha Hambling, and Francesca Harris “Just Blew in from the Windy City” from “Calamity Jane” shift the up-tempo number into another level with impressively choreographed tap routines.

There were many stand out numbers during the evening, not least “Everybody Ought to Have a Maid” from Sondheim’s “A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum.” Jody Randall and Panny Charalambous had the audience in stitches as soon as they appeared, and as they sang and danced their way through this number, adorned in tiny black maid pinnies. It was all the funnier because it was played so seriously, and just as the audience applauded the end of the song, Jody and Panny returned with Luke O’Keefe as maid number three for further hilarity, and minutes later we had the joy of yet another, maid number four Brad Boxall. Every show ought to have a number like this. 

Song number six was called “Friends” from a musical that I knew nothing about – “Shucked.” Post-show research tells me it is a comedic musical about a tight-knit, rural community in the USA whose way of life is threatened when their corn crops begin to die. The song “Friends”, sung by Shucked characters Lulu and Maizy, highlights the importance of female friendship and support in the face of adversity, and this was conveyed beautifully with sincerity and passion by Charlotte Dennis and Lucia Banks, who as well as wonderful singer are clearly accomplished actresses.                                  

The HATS team had no worries delivering “Hakuna Matata” from “The Lion King” (a film I must have sat through about 100 times with my daughter about 15 years ago). James Bentley, Brad Boxhall and Hannah Frost were suitably animated in a number that despite its simplicity would have dazzled Disney.

“The Best Things Happen While You’re Dancing” was polished and pleasant enough, but it was also what I would call one of those “for the grandparents” numbers. Panny Charalambous was the lead singer accompanied by Luke and Charlotte on one side and Jody and Emma on the other, whilst Danny Middleton & Francesca Harris waltzed gracefully through the song.

With a certain reluctance, because the evening was all but flawless, I’m going to single out a showstopper, and that was India Dod’s rendition of “I Dreamed a Dream from “Les Misérables.” India, having taken on the role Fantine, is thrown, discarded on the stage where she sits and begins the number with gentle confidence and a crystal-clear singing voice. Her emotional performance conveyed both the passion and the pathos of her character’s circumstances, and the concluding powerful crescendo was spinetingling. 

Now I had heard of “9 to 5: The Musical” and I knew it was based on the 1980 film of the same name, but as I haven’t seen that film, that didn’t help much. “9 to 5” tells the story of three female workmates pushed to boiling point by their sexist and egotistical boss, on whom they plan to kidnap and turn the tables upon. Jody Randell’s role of the despicable boss is a silent one, largely because he is bound and gagged by his workers at the start of “Shine like the sun.” From the set upon and the soring scathing distain displayed by Charlotte, Abbie, and Sasha I had concluded that this was a narrative concerning retribution following domestic abuse and this was reinforced by lyrics like “I’m gonna shine like the sun when these clouds roll away from my door, I won’t crawl, I can run, I won’t be at your mercy no more. 

I did see the 1988, Tim Burton, American gothic horror comedy film “Beetlejuice” and I didn’t rate it much. I was aware it had been adapted into a musical, but new nothing beyond that. Brad Boxall and Lucia Banks’ performance of “Say my name” was top notch and a great advert from the show. Seeking out the soundtrack is on my to-do list.

I had no idea there was a musical called “Treason” about the 1605 Gunpowder Plot! India and Panny delivered “Blind Faith”, one of the show’s pivotal songs that explores themes of loyalty and, for Panny’s character Thomas, placing complete trust in God. “Blind Faith” was another number that hugely benefited from creative atmospheric lighting.

Another of my absolute favourite musicals is “Hair”, it speaks to the old hippy in me and I first saw it at the Playhouse in the 1970’s. I was therefore delighted that the full cast of HATS returned to the stage to share with us their version of “The Flesh Failures/Let the Sun Shine”. The song is the climactic, emotional finale of the rock musical, addressing the disillusionment of the1960s counterculture regarding the Vietnam War, environmental destruction, and social alienation. The thought of the final tableaux of the dead body of Claude (Danny Middleton) still gives me goosebumps when I think about it.

“Ordinary Days” is a sung-through musical that follows four characters, exploring how their ordinary lives connect in the most amazing ways. This was another completely new one for me and another one that thanks to HATS I intend to find out more about. Luke O’Keefe and Charlotte Dennis were a convincing couple in a fractious relationship where everything was anything but “Fine,” be it the wine, the public transport or the weather providing the source of their disgruntled discourse. Love was clearly bubbling under the surface.

The closing number of the first half of “The Show Will Go On – Act 5” saw the whole cast return to stage to deliver “Sunday” from “Sunday in the Park with George”. It was a fitting end to an extraordinary hour drawing upon the creative components of great art: working with the basics; working by allowing our senses to connect with our environment; understanding and trusting our collaborators; and loving what you do. I have no doubt that these were the components HATS worked with in their rehearsals and boy, did it help them in their delivery!

During the interval you could tell by the buzz in the bar that the audience was enthralled and eager for more. We were not disappointed with what we received in Act Two which began with the full ensemble giving us “Revolting Children” from “Matilda.” HATS succeeded where it would have been so easy to fail in having adults sing and dance in a childlike fashion without coming across as crass or slipping into parody. There was nothing revolting about this number, except perhaps Jody Randall’s last-minute appearance to momentarily reprimand the audience as the tyrannical headmistress, Miss Trunchbull!

James, Danny, Brad, Luke, Abbie, Hannah, Charlotte, and Panny then maintained their youthful apparel to convincingly perform “Kids Game” from “Blood Brothers.” Excellent casting, which was also evident in Sasha Hambling’s blend of menace and seduction as the “Mad Hatter” from “Wonderland.” Ably assisted by Fran and Emma, this was another number that displayed the skill of HATS’ choreography team.

We were then treated to one of my favourites of the evening “By My Side” from “Godspell;” extraordinary harmony, intensely spiritual and emotional sung from the heart by Charlotte, Lucia, Panny, Luke, India, Hannah, Charlotte, and Abbie. I’d love to see HATS perform the full show.

Hannah Frost returned to perform the powerful solo number, “The Wizard and I” from “Wicked,” subtly owning the space amidst glittering emerald-green lights, demonstrating that she has lungs of steel!

I had heard of “A Slice of Saturday Night” but new little about this 1989 musical which, set in a 1960’s nightclub tells a tale of teenage dreams and young love. Brad Boxall’s marvellous rendition of “Club A Go Go” displayed what a powerful all-round performer he is, his club owner character, a blend of Arthur Daly and the Kray Twins!

“Pippin” is another show from the creator of “Gospell,” Stephen Schwartz, and Luke O’Keefe perfectly encapsulated the character’s quest for purpose and belonging in the world, in the song “Corner of the Sky.”

I saw the musical “We Will Rock You” at the Birmingham Hippodrome about 5 years ago and loved it! If Panny, Danny, Abbie, and Fran’s “Who Wants to Live Forever” was anything to go by, with their extraordinary vocal range, this is a show HATS should consider taking to the main auditorium. They rocked!                 

“There is Nothing Like a Dame” from “South Pacific” was one of the standout numbers of Act Two, executed with almost military precision by Brad, Luke, Jody, Danny, Panny, and James. These boys can move! They were a brilliant, bonded band of brothers, with echoes of Officer Krupke.

Dressed to impress, all the women from the ensemble took to the stage for “Gimme, Gimme, Gimme”  from Mama Mia. This was no Abba karaoke. It was a class act, a collective performance from eight exceptionally talented actresses.

Great comedy is all about timing, and throughout the night, when it was needed, HATS never missed a beat. Evidence of this came to the fore in Brad and Luke version of “You and Me (But Mostly Me). “The Book of Mormon” is now on my bucket list. Thank you.

I have seen a live-streaming version of “Hamilton.” I love it and regularly listen to the soundtrack. Sasha, India, and Lucia were outstanding as the “Schuyler Sisters” with phenomenal backing by the ensemble. Lucia Banks was a perfect Peggy!

The “Found/Tonight,” a blended melody from “Dear Evan Hansen” and “Hamilton” messed with my head a bit and I did find it a bit hard to follow thematically. That does detract from quality delivery from Jody and Panny.

The ensemble filled the stage to passionately perform “Out of the Darkness” from “Everyone’s Talking About Jamie,” a creative coda to the finale “(I’ve Had) The Time of My Life” from “Dirty Dancing.” The enraptured applause that the company received was evidence that the whole audience that evening had the time of their lives. 

I would have gladly paid West End prices to see a show of this quality and calibre. Hats off to HATS!!