A joyful, fun and warming new musical has opened in Peterborough!
Caroline: A New Musical is a new musical written by Vikki Stone. The show takes place 1960s where we meet Caroline, a young woman who dreams of more than her normal life. When her boyfriend Robbie lands a job at Caroline radio station, her life is taken into a world of music and mayhem. The show utilises beloved 60s songs from the likes of The Kinks, Lulu and The Rolling Stones: giving a vibrant and engaging atmosphere for all audiences. Vikki Stone is the writer of this new musical and has a clear intention of the story, characters and musical moments. Stone’s vision of the show has been presented perfectly by the creative team. Director Douglas Rintoul and Co-Director Alex Thorpe are able to make this production run smoothly with their direction, working alongside the book to make an exciting new piece of theatre. With Paul Schofield as Musical Supervisor, Caroline: A New Musical was bound to be a joyful celebration of the era whilst giving audiences a heartwarming show!
Sundeep Saini choreographs and Haruka Kuroda directs fight and intimacy scenes. Both worked incredibly well with this show, especially the upbeat choreography. Titilola Dawudu is credited for dramaturgy whilst Charmian Hoare is credited as vocal coach. Both have both a great job during this production. This production has a strong, consistent design which can be from great collaboration between designers. Helen Atkinson, Stella Backman and Callum Macdonald designed the sound, set/costumes and lighting respectfully. Their work together is evident, with fantastic lighting which complements the costume, set and sound. The plot is inspired by the events between 1964-1967 around the radio station. This era is felt throughout the show and is a strong consistent message. Stone’s book is steadily paced and has musical moments at appropriate moments which work for the story. Some moments felt slightly longer than needed but ultimately helped to shape a well-rounded production. Moreover, the music choices for this show were perfectly incorporated, allowing the audience to hear these classic songs in a new context.
Firstly, this cast is incredible throughout the performance. Musician-actors are a joy to watch and this cast were working very hard throughout to switch between their instruments and acting roles. Perry Meadowcroft plays Dave the Fish. Meadowcroft had great comedy timings throughout his smaller role. Nicola Bryan plays Betty. Bryan was able to add value to each scene she appeared in and was great as Caroline’s mum. Eloise Richardson plays Mary, Caroline’s best friend. Richardson added a fun, bubbly friend for Caroline to talk to: having a believable friendship between herself and Shenfield. James Lawrence plays Steven, another presenter on Caroline. Lawrence was able to add comedic timing to his scenes which allowed for a unique dynamic in scenes with Halsey-Jones. Jerome Lincoln plays Private Secretary and Gareth Cooper plays Postmaster General. This duo were comedically paired together brilliantly: bouncing off each other very well.
Declan was played by Joey Hickman and Kitty was played by Rhiannon Hopkins. As the creator of the boat and radio station, their dynamics on stage worked great: being able to navigate each scene effortlessly together. Caroline is played by Claire Lee Shenfield. Caroline is described as a ‘everyday’ normal girl, but we soon discover this not to be true. Shenfield is able to bring lots of character to this role, working really well alongside Halsey-Jones as her boyfriend Robbie. Her vocals, especially in ‘Shout’ were phenomenal! The stand out performance in this production is Jake Halsey-Jones as Robbie. Robbie is an infectious character, being extremely likeable throughout the show. Halsey-Jones brings this young, vibrant energy to the character, with upbeat choreography and brilliant vocals!
Caroline: A New Musical continues to run until Saturday 23rd May in Peterborough. Book your tickets now!
Tickets for this performance were provided complimentary. Many thanks to the New Theatre Peterborough PR team and the creative team at Caroline: A New Musical. All the best with your run!
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