At The Playhouse Theatre,
Whitstable, Tuesday 20th-Saturday 24th March

Directed by Ilona Macdonald & Sophie Guariglia,
Musically Directed by Samantha Roberton and
Choreographed by Charlotte Pateman & Sophie Guariglia

Featuring Joel Arnold as Jesus, Albert Leasry-Swainsbury as Judas, Isobel Reed as Mary Magdelene and a stunning cast and choir.

‘GODSPELL’, our rock musical, was an immense success. Tickets sold well and the feedback was amazing, once again the students of PPA had pulled off a fantastic show! We had a cast of 30 and a choir in the balcony of about 15. Here is the review...

Whitstable Times, Thurs 29th March ‘07

Spelling out the story of Jesus in Fine Style

Spending two hours in a theatre watching a musical about God was never going to be top of my to-do list. The very thought conjured up memories of being trapped in religious education classes at school and all the unexplained feelings of guilt that went with it, but the fantastic performances of the young and energetic cast of the Phoenix Performing Arts School at Whitstable’s Playhouse Theatre turned Godspell into an all-singing, all-dancing bonanza of entertainment.

While watching the budding superstars of tomorrow pirouette perfectly across the stage, and hold a note longer than I could hold my breath, I became lost in the performance. The energy from each of them made the theatre come alive as they told the story of Jesus and his 12 disciples.
Dance sequences – my personal favourite of tap made an appearance – and the complex choreography coupled with the multi talented dancers set the standard.

Each cast member was given a chance to shine, be it with a joke or a song. Albert Leary-Swainsbury, who played various characters, delivered each comic line to perfection before wowing the audience with his emotional portrayal of Judas during the finale.
The show, to my delight, was not all preaching and when the occasional morally correct monologue by Jesus, fantastically performed by Joel Arnold, popped up it was soon turned onto a humorous sketch or dance sequence. There was also innuendo and impersonation borrowed from TV’s Catherine Tate and Little Britain.

Many times the audience were reduced to deep belly laughs. Add to this the perfectly timed sound effects and the coolly delivered music from band Grifter and you can see why this is one of the greatest stories told.

Review by Natalie Turner