Musical Magic

Wednesday 2nd June saw a magical evening of music at the Casa de Cultura in Calpe provided by the casts of Sounds Familiar and Theatre Express. The show, produced by Philip Ashley, helped to raise over €1100 euros for the Friends Of The Children Of EMAÚS, and that money will be used to help pay for summer holidays for the children.

Musical Magic was repeated in September by the cast of Sounds Familiar on their own in Rafol de Almunia. The evening continued at the local Piscina Bar with dancing to local trio "Ménage à Trois".

The show itself was a tour of musical theatre ranging from Calamity Jane and Anything Goes through to Chicago, Les Miserables, and right up to date with a number from "13" which is one of the most recent shows to be released.

The show never stayed with one style for very long with a beautiful medley of Rodgers and Hammerstein numbers going straight into another medley this time from the Michael Jackson show Thriller.

In the Calpe show Theatre Express performed six numbers with two of them, the Thriller Medley and a medley from Glee, having been performed earlier this year at Her Majesty's Theatre in London.

Both groups presented ensemble numbers and solos. Sounds Familiar's group numbers were sung in harmonies often arranged especially for them by Philip, and thought given to the singers involved in the solos, duets and small ensembles, resulting in a bizarre and hysterical version of Hey Big Spender.

In the first half Sounds Familiar appeared in their traditional black outfits with coloured scarves for the ladies and coloured ties for the men, apart from when other costumes were needed. In the second half they unveiled their new range of coloured waistcoats made to represent the colours in the Joseph Megamix, but worn at various times throughout the second act. Each waistcoat was uniquely designed by Giulia Hartley, and all of them handmade for the cast by Anna, Giulia and Annie Hartley.