Castle Bromwich Community Website

In the classrooms of Castle Bromwich Junior School lies a gold mine of talent. Ever keen to entertain audiences, the children of Year 6 classes of 2009 last night staged a stunning performance of Rock World, packed full of Queen songs that so many know and love. I hold my hands up to not being the greatest fan of musicals and whilst I like a few Queen Numbers, it wouldn't normally be enough to get me along to a musical based around their career highs. But, I loved this production. I spent the whole time with a silly grin on my face.

Musicals are about performances - singing, dancing and acting, but usually acting takes a back seat. No worries here though, it was a great ensemble with acting every bit as strong as the sensational song and dance routines. It would be impossible to single anyone out for praise as all the performances were so strong from the chorus to the principals, all deserve a mention. Rock World is set on a futuristic Earth, globalisation is complete; everyone wears the same clothes and has the same thoughts. The company computers generate music and the kids download it, musical instruments are banned, but resistance is growing. The script invited participation and the pairing of the evil "Killer Queen" and her enforcer "Khashoggi" had the audience booing and hissing and joining along with the rendition of "Another One Bitesthe Dust." Whilst the hero "Galileo" teamed with "Scaramouche" and "Pop" bring the audience back to a world where Rock n Roll can again flourish and originality and individualism are once again the order of the day.

This was a big scale production in every sense and so the technical aspects also deserve praise. What Castle Bromwich Junior School does so well is to build partnerships with the community and enhance the pupils' learning experience by enlisting the help and support of professionals. Their technical support and assistance helped to provide an unforgettable experience. Set design and props added to the atmosphere, lighting was some of the best that I've seen and could rival that used in professional theatres, and the video projection was well used. The live band that "rocks" at the side of the stage further added to the experience. At times it was difficult to remember that this was a school production by ten and eleven year olds as the whole experience was so professional and definitely guaranteed to blow your mind.

I'm sure that most people will have left the performance talking about the fantastic singing, the subtleties of the acting and the comic timing which all belied the young age of the performers, but what struck me even more was the enjoyment these children got from performing and their sheer enthusiasm, confidence and the sense of belonging.

School performances are normally viewed as being for the parents and relatives of the children involved. Well forget that. This was a performance that would be enjoyed by anybody. It was a great production, fantastic fun and the audience thoroughly enjoyed it.

 (More photos can be seen HERE)