Milton Musical Society 
Forest Arts Centre, New Milton 
Jade Morrell 
20 November 2024
Milton Musical Society’s latest production has delivered a magical and raucous performance with Once Upon a Time, A Musical, a production that combines fairytale charm with contemporary wit. Once Upon A Time, produced by Charles Henry, written and directed by Kirsti Warne and Emma Hardy – who all also starred – is a whimsical blend of comedy, music, and storytelling.
The show offers a comic exploration of themes like good versus evil, love, and friendship against the backdrop of a whimsical not-so-Disney life. Audiences can expect a lively jukebox-style musical with songs from popular shows such as Funny Girl and Guys & Dolls with a nod to well-known fairytale characters intermingled with cheeky humour and relatable modern twists.
The story begins with an introduction to The Storyteller, played amusingly by Beverley Beck. She would pop up now and again to keep the story ticking along, and if anyone had wandered from the plot, she would gladly get everyone back on track. Considering she was sat there all show, she deserved her big moment at the finale!
We are then introduced to Mrs Tubbs, the café owner, Catherine Irlam held this role totally convincingly and her vocals were so naturally blissful singing ‘Opening Up’ from Waitress.
We learn the love interests and meet the ‘older’ Princesses. But they need not worry, there wasn’t anything outdated about their energy on stage! The trio of Pat Barnett, Kirsti Warne and Tracy Knapp and their song ‘I’m So Over Men’ really had the audience in hysterics.
The plot also involves the friendships between the younger Princesses and what destinies behold them. Emma Hardy and Latayan Richardson as Bella and Jaz really show their talents during ‘Don’t Rain On My Parade’, which was impeccably sung. The girls return later, and adding sweet harmonies from Ashleigh Barker, Emily Underwood, and Catherine Erlam made for a lovely version of Wicked’s ‘For Good’ – the ultimate friendship representation.
It wouldn’t be a fairytale, without the villain and Charlie Squibb assertively held her own and gave audiences that typical – almost panto-like – Evil Queen Mel. She was joined by her brood of typical villains plus cautious Eva who opposes the evil life, and Jess Barras took on this role with ease. Not only involved with a love triangle (or square!) and escaping Mel’s clutches, she also still manages to pause for a lovely rendition of ‘Your Song’ with stud Gus played by Charles Henry. Their voices blended so charmingly together.
The live band, led by Jo Kent, was flawless, providing a dynamic backdrop to the performance. Drummer Jacob Corbin and Sean Samber accompanied Jo and that was all they needed. The balance between the musicians and vocalists was well-maintained, ensuring neither overshadowed the other.
The venue was the perfect place for the size of this production and was a delight overall.
Sometimes the balance between the plot and the musical numbers felt slightly uneven. While the songs were brilliantly performed and enjoyable, the second act included a few too many, which occasionally slowed the momentum of the story. At times, it felt as though the audience was anticipating the finale before it arrived. But, when you have a cast so enthusiastic, I understood why there was something for everyone and why each song was purposely chosen.
For a newly written musical comedy, Milton once again proves its knack for creating another fun and thoroughly entertaining night at the theatre. Attending a local theatre production is always a rewarding experience, especially when it’s clear the cast and crew have poured their hearts into it.
If the snow doesn’t halt you in your tracks, tickets are on sale via the Forest Arts website and the production runs until Saturday 23 November.
