REVIEW | The Secret Society of Leading Ladies, Barn Theatre
The Secret Society of Leading Ladies, Barn Theatre
★★★★★
If there is any theatre which has breathed new life in their performances since last March, it would absolutely be Barn Theatre. This theatre has played host to a variety of different digital theatre productions, including Peter Pan. They’ve continued to grow and inspire other venues with new ways to bring theatre to their audiences. The Barn Theatre have raised the bar for innovation and what can be made possible in the industry.
The Secret Society of Leading Ladies is an entire new experience, giving the audiences full control of what they want to see in a 25-minute musical theatre concert with five decisions to make. The instructions are made perfectly clear, at each point the viewer has 45 seconds to select from two or three performance options, depending on their personal preference. This is the first time I have experienced a show like this and it’s accessibly is brilliant, as well as creatively executed for a joyous night of musical theatre.
The production brings together 14 incredible performers, each delivering a different persona and script that helps navigate us through a main thread of storytelling in one beautiful performance space. Creative Director of Digital Projects, Ryan Carter has ensured there’s a variety of different characters within the concert; reflecting a true celebration of women in musical theatre. It adds layers and dynamics to the concert that would otherwise be lost with this type of content.
Kayleigh McKnight, Lauren Byrne, Jarniea Richard-Noel, Claudia Karuki, Allie Daniel, Ellie Mitchell, Kelly Sweeney, Aoife Clesham, Kayla Carter, Jocasta Almgill, Natalie Kassanga, Abbi Hodsgon, Emma Kingston and Aisha Jawando take on iconic characters from popular musicals such as the Wizard of Oz, Into The Woods, Shrek and Ghost. The strength and ability in these women’s vocals is clear as day to see. They are wonderful at bringing many of our beloved musical characters to life in a snippet of time.
My own personal favourite performances in this concert where Allie Daniels rendition of ‘I’d Rather Be Me’ from Mean Girls, Abbi Hodgson’s ‘Nothing Stops Another Day’ from Ghost and Lauren Byrne’s ‘Journey to the Past’ from Anastasia. Each of these performances really grabbed my attention instantly.
You are able to access a choice of over 150 combinations with this concert which encourages you to watch it more than one time. I loved the element of play through the different options that were accessible to me. I watched the show three times so I was able to experience all of the performances made available through The Secret Society of Leading Ladies.
Read More: INTERVIEW with Ryan Carter, Creative Director Of Digital Projects At Barn Theatre.
All of these singers are brought together for a Big Finish – a splendid Encore for all 14 Leading Ladies to sing separately but with their voices melting together to create a beautiful harmonised sound. A enjoyable design-your-own experience, that definitely opens up the doors to more concert-style things like this in the future. I am so buzzed to see what else Barn Theatre will be up to next!
In a time where the future of theatre is still unpredictable, this theatre has sparked up new innovate ideas to be put into play. Audiences will be delighted a joyous concert like this is available at their fingertips.
An excellent job and such wonderful piece of theatre I want more and more of!