Big Little Theatre School 
Performing Arts Centre, Bournemouth School for Girls
Carole Gadsby 
19 February 2026
WOW, what a treat; this spectacular production of CURTAINS is full of fun, laughter, dancing and intrigue and was indeed a show of raw talent and high energy.
The story is relayed to the audience of a musical which has just opened with backstage and onstage action used to move the plot ahead. The show opens with the final scene of a musical within a musical and the leading lady, played by Neve McRobb, making a brief but noticeable appearance, collapsing on stage. It soon turns out that she was in fact murdered and everyone in the cast and crew is a suspect. The audience is then introduced to the officer investigating the murder, Lieutenant Frank Cioffi, played by Marek Silverton who commands the stage with enthusiasm, talent and expertise and who also happens to be a musical theatre enthusiast. Mayhem, misunderstandings and music ensues as Lieutenant Cioffi tries to solve the case whilst also adding his two cents to the production. His ‘love at first sight’ meeting with Niki, played by Grace Hebditch, is both convincing and endearing to watch.
Curtains is undeniably quick-witted and funny, full of lots of twists and turns; the comic timing and delivery of the dialogue are also key in this show, which they managed to do effortlessly. Jonny Daly with the beautiful singing voice and Elisha Heckford stand out as being very talented, but an unhappy writing duo. Lola Massow, playing Bambi the chorus girl who is desperate to be noticed, was commanding and persistent in her role; I enjoyed her performance. I loved the acting of Jonah Priest the Stage Manager, but found his delivery a bit quick at times so I missed some of his dialogue.
My favourite numbers in the show are ‘A Tough Act to Follow’ and ‘Show People’; the singing and dancing was spectacular and I didn’t want it to end. However, taking the show as a whole, the chorus were stupendous, such a magnificent array of talent I have rarely seen in an amateur production enhanced by the lead performers. The choreography was different; raunchy and no two numbers were the same. The music sometimes was a little loud drowning out the voices, but nothing detracted from the quality of the sound, performance and performers. It was stage managed beautifully, with the cast easily bringing on and removing props so as not to be noticed.
Curtains is definitely different to other shows. It is a fun, old-fashioned musical with an interesting concept. It will have audience laughing out loud whilst constantly scratching their head trying to work out who the murderer is. With a clever, witty book and lyrics and some catchy numbers, the show is certainly a great way of getting away from the stresses of everyday life, making it a great form of escapism. With an extremely talented cast Curtains is a show not to be missed. There are still three performances to go, so get your tickets now.
