I had never been to see the infamous yearly Summer Show by RMDS which appears to be a regular yearly offering from the group, which like many things had to delayed due to the pandemic. However on a warm summer evening there was no better way to spend the time than amongst this highly talented group.
RMDS’s Summer Show is made up of three separate short productions in three different locations around the Greyfriars Community Centre in the heart of Ringwood. A well organised front of house team guided 3 different groups of audiences (wonderful idea to give coloured wrist bands so you do not forget the colour of your group!) and then you swapped over while being able to pause in-between to go to the bar and eat the wonderful canapés on offer.
Now to the plays! First up was ‘Come Fly with me’. This was a wonderfully constructed set of songs based on going on holiday but never reaching your destination! The Directors, Dave and Cindy Wischhusen had drilled excellently the 9 strong cast with some great vocals and brilliant staging. The energy, interaction between the cast and polish on this performance was fantastic. A special mention to the Musical Director Alistair Hume who played keyboard excellently and was spot on in his timing of bringing in the vast number of songs.
The second play was ’50 Shades of an Android’ and was directed by Jemma Wright. This musical offering was loosely based on ‘Phantom of the Opera’ in which a grotesque beast is created in a lab and then is let loose into society. Some lovely humorous moments in this performance alongside some beautiful singing. ‘Not While I am around’ and ‘Follow Me’ were two stand out numbers which shows the versatility of the cast and brought some wonderful light and shade to the performance.
The final play of the evening was ‘Sail Away’ and was performed in the small activities centre which was a perfect location and gave the cast some great performance space. The final performance of the evening did not disappoint. Based on a cruise the musical numbers and choreography in this play was really strong. Director Yvonne Zaremskyi (her first time Directing for RMDS) did a sterling job and has a very bright Directing future ahead of her I am sure. I thought the scene in the lifeboat was particularly strong and well delivered by the cast.
The lighting and sound for all 3 shows were strong and there was not a beat missed by any of the musicians or Musical Directors. At times some the volume of the music overpowered some of the singing which was a shame, but I do not want to be to negative as the whole evening was brilliant from start to finish. The programme layout means that the cast were very much an ensemble so I am unable to pick out any specific names but overall it is clear that RMDS are back and really showing themselves to be the premiere amateur singing group in the Ringwood and probably the wider SceneOne Plus area.
Tickets are still available online and the show runs until Saturday 30th July. Get online and buy a ticket people of Ringwood and the local area! You will not be disappointed and will leave smiling having been brilliantly entertained! I will be back!
