AMATEUR it may be, but the 14th
annual charity fundraiser from Showcase - in aid of Macmillan Cancer
Research - has all the ingredients for a pleasant evening’s
entertainment.
With variety aplenty, this year’s show includes numbers from the
worlds of film, stage and pop.
The first section, a tribute to Sir Tim Rice, set the bar high last
night and Edinburgh’s amateur singers maintained this standard
throughout.
The show continued with a selection of Scottish music, starting with a
medley of songs based on the poems of Rabbie Burns, followed by a
half-dozen David Bowie numbers.
After the interval, the pace picked up where it left off with a lively
rendition of Wham’s 1984 classic hit Freedom.
More 80s favourites followed, before the night moved into more
traditional territory with a selection of numbers from some of the
biggest musicals of all time.
The final section featured a series of sing-a-longs, including a male
chorus of the Osmonds’ Love me for a Reason, and a hilarious tribute
to the epitome of high camp, the Village People. The medley of Go West
and YMCA, alone, was worth the price of admission.
NODA Scotland News No.80 February 2005
For a Reason
This year saw Showcase
go in a different direction with their choice of material, giving the
production a more modern up beat slant. The young company performed
the difficult material with ease. We were presented with an amalgam
of both modern pop songs and a few show standards. The choral singing,
for which Showcase are noted, was of its usual high standard, with
backing given by a large concert style orchestra which at times
required a little taming. The comic section of "Go West", mimicking
the Village People, was one of the funniest sections in the show. The
simplified staging and use of moving lights gave a very professional
look to the whole proceedings. For the past fourteen years all profits
from this company have gone to Macmillan Cancer Relief and a total of
over £110,000 has been donated over this period. An excellent
evening's entertainment from a very talented cast.