Stepping Out - March 2025
Shrewsbury Musical Theatre Company’s First Play in 102 Years!
27-28 March 2025, The Walker Theatre, Shrewsbury
After 102 years of dazzling audiences with musicals, Shrewsbury Musical Theatre Company is finally took a step into the world of drama!
Stepping Out, is a witty and uplifting comedy about eight unlikely tap dancers who stumble through their weekly lessons and tumble into each other’s lives. This is one show where the rhythm of the feet tells more than just a story – it reveals the bonds between these quirky, lovable characters.
Written by the ever-prolific Richard Harris (whose credits include The Darling Buds of May, The Sweeney, and Sherlock Holmes), Stepping Out brings together a diverse group of individuals, each with their own reasons for turning up at the local church hall for a weekly tap class. What starts as a rag-tag bunch, some with two left feet, eventually transforms into a tightly co-ordinated troupe. As their tap dancing improves, so too does their understanding of one another, leading to unexpected friendships, camaraderie, touching moments, laughter and plenty of toe-tapping antics.
These aren’t just amateurs – by the end, they’re ready to take on the grand finale of their community charity show like a true chorus line, proving that sometimes, all it takes is a bit of rhythm to bring people together.
Having successfully run for three years from 1984 in the West End, Stepping Out went to Broadway and subsequently became a film starring Liza Minnelli and Julie Walters.
Cast
DIRECTOR - Andrew Murray
CHOREOGRAPHER - Rosie Dixon
VERA - Joanne Young
MRS FRASER - Karen Muxworthy
MAVIS - Michelle Handley
MAXINE - Natalie Small
ROSE - Yvonne Morris
ANDY - Emily Parsons-Jones
GEOFFREY - Jonathan Head
LYNNE - Mille Evans
SYLVIA - Ellie Giblin
DOROTHY - Allana Farquhar
EXTRAS - Chloe Richards / Scott Sutherland
See the show programme here
Show Review
Having had such a fun time at Christmas watching this troupe I was delighted to learn of their next big project. Stepping out. But thought this reviewer, that’s a Richard Harris show and having seen it before, one realised the scale of their ambition to take on such a tough show to perform. The absolutely packed house were just incredibly excited at the prospects of another SMTC production and my, how the people kept coming in. It looked like the line might never stop of these anticipatory masses as they snaked in.
The reason one would identify this play as an ambitious project is because it calls on so much of the cast’s multiple ability to make it work. They had to act well and had to dance not only brilliantly but also pretending to be not so, which in itself is a challenge. The narrative is that a dance group meet weekly to prepare for a performance and interweaving their own troubles,, angst, and challenges, they learn to explore themselves and work together to pull off a supreme dance performance at the end. So obviously for the cast, there’s no faking it. Its shape up or ship out and to be honest it was rather a relief to see that they were shaped up beautifully.
Calling for a Brechtian style set, simply put together but highly impressive all the same, and yet it called for a Stanislavskian immersion into character which gave an enjoyable juxta position that simply worked and worked well. The immersion into character was astounding , this was after all an amateur show but the characterisation was indeed deeply impressive as the character’s weakness and foibles all came to the fore. These were muti-dimensional characters and the cast found just the necessary pathos and timing to cash in dividends it was thoroughly fascinating to watch each work as they got more and more into their character. I have to praise the skills of Geoffrey (Johnathon Head) as he weaved his character beautifully holding his own in an oestrogen fuelled situation. Being the only boy he was the brunt of their jokes and teases but he put up with it well and it worked so well. Mrs. Fraser ( Karen Muxworthy) was so sensitively played and the attention to detail in portrayal was nothing short on genius. Suprb job. The rest of the cast were a delight to see too and one got a sense of the enjoyment and reward they were feeling from all their months of hard work to knock this show into shape.
The blocking and space usage was superb, the direction was really top drawer, (Andrew Murray) his attention to the minutia was delightful and his interpretation of this script was strong and powerful, he found pathos and comedy in equal measure and was a totally safe and exciting pair of hands.
Choreography was superb (Rosie Dixon) if ever there was a need for a good choreographer one would imagine, this was a keen example of that. But a fine choreographer they got Ms. Dixon dealt with space and movement expertly and the dancing was really very good and fun to watch, it wasn’t just a lacklustre vehicle to move onto the next scene these guys could dance and the choreographer brought out the best in them.
Technically the team are to be rewarded. There is a massive number of cues in this show, when to light the light, play in a track, open mics etcetera, etcetera. And the team carried it off with aplomb. I find no need to mention the premature blackout in act 1 scene 2 it was inconsequential. But always remember that the critic is always noting and watching and misses nothing.. However, it was an inconsequential slip and the team did a great job.
All in all there is very little to dislike about this performance. It is a snappy, pacey, robust and overall a thoroughly enjoyable night at the theatre.
This is a Four Star Review
Sofia Lewis
Fri, 28/03/2025 - 00:27
SHOW PHOTOS
With special thanks to Captured by Eden Photography
