A CABARET: ONE NIGHT ONLY

A CABARET: ONE NIGHT ONLY

On a wet, gusty evening when Storm Gareth was at work, our Music Department whipped up a musical storm of their own.

The wind blew and Mary Poppins would not have needed her umbrella to blow into A Cabaret. The red carpet was rolled out and as the audience were guided into what was formerly the Sports Hall, you could have been fooled into thinking that you had arrived at The Grammys or Brit Awards. The stage was well and truly set with an added back drop of twinkling stars.

The evening kicked off with The Junior Singers giving us a preview of what is to come with Mary Poppins Jnr – the stage was packed and the joyful voices rang out around the auditorium.

Next were the Flute Group with a truly wistful performance of Memory by Andrew Lloyd Webber. The haunting tones of the flutes brought this melancholy song to life. This is a new addition to the Music Department and what a great addition it is.

For a second time, Delilah Johns impressed us with her tap dancing. Delilah was also spotted throughout the evening on her bass guitar – she is one to watch for future years, I am sure.

The Junior Drumming Group with “Ladders” was a revelation – who knew that such rhythm could come from a set of painting ladders? The ingenuity of teacher, Matthew Thorpe is boundless.

The Warminster Singers with solos from Cody Yu and Paige Allgrove was O.K. See what I did there? In fact it was more than OK – the hall was filled with the vibrant sounds of the voices of the Warminster School collective.

Warminster Cantamus belted out Hold Back The River and we could hear the audience joining in.

After the interval for dinner, we were launched into Bohemian Rhapsody played for us by the String Quintet. Charlotte Robinson led the tribute and Mrs Robinson said  “We try to keep our music up to date where we can, so following the huge success of the recent box office hit Bohemian Rhapsody Mrs Thornton sourced the most fabulous, if not incredibly challenging string tribute to Queen”.

The Fantastic Four with lead singer Barnaby Craven-Smith, got the entire audience rocking and clapping along – it is safe to say they were a resounding hit!

The much reduced Jazz Band who had suffered the loss of some of its key Upper Sixth players last year, were enchantingly lyrical and definitely on the up.

Paige and Lucy with the Bob Dylan Classic – Make you feel my love touched many hearts, they were a perfectly balanced duo and performed in total harmony.

The Soul Band led by Mr Page had everyone on their feet – the sound of the entire sports hall was filled with clapping and whistling and they were a HUGE success. They were not only soulful – they rocked!

Elton Foulstone or was it William John (William Foulstone), appeared next, complete with flashing Elton John spectacles! Furnishing us with an interesting mix up of Beethoven and Elton John that had us feeling the love tonight.

The Brass Group whose teacher, John Bilby, was at a gig in Skegness that he couldn’t get out of – some guys have all the luck – performed admirably without him. This was their first appearance at Cabaret for years and they were a welcome addition with their tones that took you back in time to the old colliery brass bands of old. We say a sad good bye to Alex Halls, when he first came to the attention of Mrs Robinson he was just starting his GCSE Music course, and playing second trumpet. Since then he has stepped up to playing the last post numerous times, and providing stunning top lines and solos in all of the groups he plays trumpet.

The Ben-d-y Band with Ben Drummond on vocals and guitar, Robbie Maclean on guitar and vocals, Mr Page on keys, Harry Lomas on drums and Delilah Johns on bass. This band is a real cocktail of year groups working together. Their version of Johnny B Goode brought the house down and they deservedly received a standing ovation.

We ended the evening with Concert Orchestra playing Coldplay classics and a confetti cannon! Songs were performed in a lively, energetic style and it truly was a great way to round off the evening. What is truly apparent is music at Warminster is alive and kicking.

Stella Aldridge, Deputy Head of Development & Alumni

 

Official Cabaret photographs – Jon Edkins, David Wiltshire Photography

Official Bootleg Cabaret Recording – Yellow Balloon Films

*A chance to relive the incredible atmosphere and talents that were on display during this year's Cabaret. Yellow Balloon Films takes us behind the scenes to reveal how the Sports Hall became, for one night only, host to one of the marquee events in our calendar.

**A bootleg recording is an audio or video recording of a performance that was not officially released by the artist(s).