First Read-Through: Monday 4th February

Wallington Village Hall is a million miles from St Mary’s Church Hall. Of course in literal distance it’s only a few minutes’ drive, but as halls go it’s completely different. It looks like a strange house from outside and feels like the living room from a Hardy novel from inside. It's quite scary actually when you first arrive; the doors creak open when you unlock them and it's pitch black inside... But it’s cosy, and the cast sometimes find themselves more focussed in this smaller environment. Smaller in every sense of the word - the front door is one Nicci can only just fit through!

For those successful in the principle casting auditions last week, last night was the first read-through for our production of “Annie”. We went back to Wallington, where we’d previously had two last-minute Guys And Dolls rehearsals in the run-up to the performances, because St Mary’s Church Hall unavailable on alternative weekdays. Finding the Hall is a mission in the dark, as the village itself is one devoid of any form of exterior lighting, and the long windy road from Baldock’s A505 is also something of a potential death trip – last night for example we had to do some pretty major swerving when an oncoming car approached us at pace down a road that really is only comfortably big enough for one-way traffic. Mark was harping on about how I had nearly taken them to their deaths, but I think I actually handled it quite well, there was a tiny gap between the hedge and the other car and I slotted into it perfectly! Ha. Despite that, for some reason just the nature of going up to Wallington and finding the hall is a laugh, because it just feels like some sort of weird – for lack of a non-geeky word – quest.

We only had an hour in which to read the whole show, and we did overrun slightly but we made it to the end. All twelve of the principles were in attendance, bar one, and Mark, Nicci and I read in the extra little parts. When we got to songs we just played the vocal versions of them on the CD, and when they left the kids had all read and heard the entire show from start to finish. We had quite a laugh last night actually, a feat only acceptable for that one first rehearsal... from now on it's straight faces all round! Well, you know, we'll try anyway...

Some of the songs I really can’t wait for Dean to get his teeth into. “I Think I’m Gonna Like It Here” promises to be a fun number for everyone who’s in it, be it one of the soloists or the prim and proper chorus of servants. Some of the principles’ numbers such as “I Don’t Need Anything But You” and “Easy Street” will also sound fantastic once our trusty MD has worked his magic with the harmonies. I also can’t wait for the two orphans’ numbers to be well underway, most notably “It’s A Hard Knock Life”, which promises to blend Dean’s excellent vocal tuition with Nat’s cleaning-themed choreography and the result will hopefully be one of the standout numbers.

Without meaning to brag (much), I think our casting was spot on. Of course it’s a real shame that people we wanted to give principle roles to had to be disappointed, but those we did cast proved their worth. Jasmine Stokes had clearly done her research and put us all at ease that she will be an amazing Annie. Jasmine Farrant will play Pepper, the hard-as-nails orphan from the non-Annie sextet, and she had, within about four lines, lead me, Nicci and Mark to turn to each-other and congratulate ourselves on casting her so well! Of course Sophie Mance (Miss Hannigan) and Rebecca Owen (Grace) slipped into their roles as easily as slipping into a pair of slip-on slippy shoes. Tara Nicholson (Lily), Callum Bateman (Warbucks), and indeed Stokes herself, who were all cast in principle roles without much previous experience as a main character, showed that they were up to the challenge that had been set for them. The show-stealer of last night’s read-through though was Zoe Gray, one of the newcomers to Spotlight for this production, who was sitting there happily reading in her lines while the rest of us looked at each other miming “Awwww!” She will find the heart-warming and adorable character of Molly absolutely effortless to pull off.

On Friday we meet with the full company, and it’ll be the first time that they’ve all been together since they were cast last week. Luckily the show is dotted with cameo roles that will allow most of them to have a speaking part of some description, and some of the songs such as “NYC” will create opportunities for a few to sing solo as well. With an able company and a principle cast that slipped naturally into their roles and got on well with each other, I’m worryingly confident that we’re off to a flying start. Too good to be true, surely?