Take for example these three versions of a scene from last year’s panto, Dick Whittington.

“After surviving the shipwreck Dame Sarah the Cook and Jack go off into the audience to pilfer some sweets to keep them going.” What happened next was anyone’s guess….

Night One – Walkers Crips

Night Two – Cola Bottles

Night Three – The Bag of Skittles

Become part of the magic!

Join us for our next production, on or off stage and discover the joy of live performance.

Greg Dunlop and Jemma Standen

KLT’s first ever Show Choir performance took to the stage this week and the choir in question certainly proved they had the chops.

Directed by, and starring, Kristen Falcioni and Stephen Grimes, the production set out to weave together 30+ popular chart songs  from decades past into a ‘musical’ event that along the way told a love story – or four

During the course of the two and a quarter hour show, Daphne, the Gleek, (Kristen Falcioni) falls for the new gleek in town, Nathan (Yousef Al Nasser). Jessie, (Gregory Dunlop) one of the class jocks, gives in to his uncool feelings towards Hannah (Jemma Standen), the class nerd. Rick, (Stephen Grimes) the class lotahrio finally settles down with cheerleader Carla (Karen Siemers) and the track-suited cheer coach (Kimberly Grayce Lewis) falls for –  and then dies on –  Mr. Brewster (Mike Ricketts) the English teacher.

Stephen Grimes and Karen Siemers

Plot wise it was maybe a little too much to try and weave between thirty musical numbers and at times the dialogue linking the musical numbers was a little strained. But, where the acting and script writing fell short, the singing and choreography certainly made up, and with some first rate numbers the audience were soon clapping along and whooping in appreciation.

The opening chorus number, ‘Somebody to Love‘, set the musical tone with some well placed harmonies and clever sectioning of the lead vocal. The movement was subtle and effective and, in the glare of the on stage lights, (a nice touch from KLT, mirroring the Glee TV show stage theatrics), the number raised to a climactic end that left the audience charged, excited and ready for more.

Mike Ricketts and Kimberly Lewis

All in all, there were no overtly weak moments in the whole production, however, some voices clearly stood out above the rest. Newcomers Karen Siemers and Rasgito Salas delivered some stellar sounds. The former’s lead in the duet with Jemma Standen a melodic highlight, as was Rasgito’s acoustic version of ‘Let It Be’ in the funeral scene.

KLT regulars Stephen Grimes and Greg Dunlop also showed that they have strong male voices, something the KLT has missed for a number of years, notably in their ‘karaoke’ duet. And Kimberley Grayce Lewis continued a strong season with an energetic Beyonce number as well as some power ballads that left you wishing a different character could have been culled from the script in Act Two.

Yousef Al Nasser and Kristen Falcioni

Other stand out numbers included a mash up of ‘It’s My Life / Confessions’ and a clever exam room staging of  ‘Under Pressure’ as well as a toe tapping, hand clapping finale incorporating the show choir staple, ‘Don’t Stop Believing‘.

Using nothing but black curtains, some simple but well color-coordinated  costuming and good use of lights, ’Love Story’ certainly achieved what it set out to do: to create an entertaining musical evening using popular song (as opposed to broadway hits that has oft been the format at KLT). It showcased a wealth of vocal talent that shone admirably through the, at times inefficient, KLT sound system, to produce a hugely enjoyable evening for all who attended.

- Artemis -

The full show in pictures will be available soon – shot by KLT’s master photographer Dhari Al Fozan. Enjoy the below video snippet of the opening number.

Book now using the form below or call the box office on 99-373-678

The Arsenic team are looking for crew to help out on their show. Whatever skills you may possess the most important one is enthusiasm – though seamstresses and make up ladies (or gents) are exceedingly welcome.

Please use the form below to contact the director, Annike Jones, and volunteer – or find out more about how you can help.

———————————————-

Bookings for Arsenic and Old Lace are also now open online ONLY (phone bookings open after Vocal Rhapsody’s Love Story on February 18th.

Book Now at: http://www.TheKLT.com/booknow/

This Valentine’s Day step into a musical Love Story performed by Vocal Rhapsody, KLT’s first ever GLEE-esque show choir. It promises to be an exciting evening for all with some classic songs that everyone will enjoy.

Bookings now open – http://www.TheKLT.com/booknow.

We are looking to fill 2 parts, as our original actors are unable to continue. Join our cast in the following roles to be part of the funniest show with the largest body count:

 Mortimer Brewster – 20s/30s Nephew of Abby and Martha Brewster, Mortimer is a drama critic who is engaged to Elaine, the daughter of the minister next door. He is a nice man who cares for his aunts.

Officer Brophy – 20s+ A police officer.

Officer O’Hara – 20s+ A police officer, O’Hara is a would-be playwright who pesters Mortimer to read his play.

If you have any questions please use the form below to contact the director.

ABOUT THE PLAY

“Arsenic & Old Lace”, the farcical black comedy set in New York in the 1940′s, features Abby and Martha Brewster, two sweet little old ladies with a gruesome secret: they poison lonely old men and bury them in the cellar! Add to the mix a nephew Teddy, who believes he’s Theodore Roosevelt, another nephew Jonathan, an escaped lunatic murderer, his sidekick Dr Einstein, and you have all the ingredients for a hilarious night at the theatre as the body count gets higher and higher. As their third nephew, Mortimer, tries desperately to escape Jonathan, prevent his aunts from any more ‘charity work’ and propose to the minister’s daughter next door, things get wackier and wackier! A well-reviewed comedy, full of insanity of the funniest kind, and a fun show to watch or to star in.

COME ON DOWN! We look forward to seeing you there!

“I recently came to the conclusion that the Mayan calendar based on cyclical nature of time must be correct because great things regularly happen at the Kuwait Little Theatre at auspicious times towards the end of the year.  Luckily, the periodic happenings at the KLT are much easier to predict, there are no hieroglyphs, no yucatec names, no Venus cycles – it’s December  which means it’s panto time!  This year’s panto Dick Whittington And His Cat directed by Kimberly Lewis, a KLT newcomer, was a resounding success.  Kimberly had no sooner unpacked her boxes after moving to Kuwait from Jordan than she appeared in Mad Musicals 7 as a soloist and chorus principal.  The fact that the panto was played to full audiences of small and not-so-small children every night is a testimony to her talent as a director.

Dick Whittington and His Cat was the first panto I saw many years ago and since back then I had no idea what a panto was and what on earth was going on I was not impressed at all.  I was thinking to myself ‘How silly!’  Since then I have upgraded my knowledge of theatrical genres, and now the panto ranks high on my list of KLT favorites.    The Christmas pantomime is a uniquely British form of popular entertainment traditionally played during the holiday season even though there is usually no direct reference to Christmas.  The content of the pantos comes from children’s stories or  fairy tales by authors such as Hans Christian Andersen or the Grimm Brothers.  The most popular fairy tales are Cinderella (first performed as a pantomime in 1870 in London), Beauty and the Beast, Goldilocks and the Three Bears, Little Red Riding Hood,  Snow White, etc.  Tales from the Arabian Nights, e.g.  Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves sometimes combined with Aladdin, have also made their way to the panto repertoire .

Dick Whittington and His Cat is the only panto based on a real life character, Richard Whittington of Gloucester, a wealthy merchant who served as Lord Mayor of London three times at the end of the 14^th and the beginning of the 15^th centuries.   The story has enchanted generations of theatre goes since 1814 when it was first staged as a pantomime.  Tommy the cat has become so popular  that  statues have been built to commemorate his heroic deeds as a ratter and Dick’s companion.   Whether the historical Whittington actually had a cat or not is not documented but who cares!  We love Tommy for his unwavering loyalty, good heart, quick wit and exceptional decision making skills.  Without him, Dick would be lost,  there would be no legend and no panto.  No wonder that at the end, Fitzwarren decides to put Tommy on the board of directors of his company.

KLT’s Dick Whittington and His Cat had all the characteristics that distinguish a panto from an ordinary children’s story, like gender role reversal, well known tunes with rewritten lines and references to local geography or daily life,  exciting dance routines, squirting members of audience with water and the most popular of all, audience participation.  One of the principal roles,  the panto Dame, is traditionally played by a male actor.  Sarah the Cook played by Tim Waddell stole the show with her outrageous costumes and hats and lead roles in several slapstick sequences.  Tim always excels at establishing an instantaneous relationship with the audience upon entering the stage, this time in a “flat taxi”.  As the Dame, he encourages lively participation in the traditional “he’s behind you” scenes,  the “Oh, yes, it is!” and “Oh, no, it isn’t” shouting matches and the final sheet song where everybody had not only to sing but also jump to their feet and do some aerobics.

We  anxiously watched the love story of the brave Dick (Stephen Grimes) and beautiful Alice Fitzwarren (Emma Neilly) develop against the will of Alice’s father Alderman Fitzwarren (Josef Stagg).   When Idle Jack’s (Sharon Williams) “shabby trick of planting the stolen money on Dick” was discovered, audience cheered in excitement.  Since Dick was now a rich man with a prospect of becoming the Lord Mayor of London, Fitzy, as Sarah lovingly referred to him, was only happy to welcome him as a new member of the family and a business partner.  The whole plot was manipulated by other two panto characters who represent the eternal battle of good and bad – the charming Fairy Bowbells (Pauline Berry) whose job it was to put King Rat (Mike Blackburn), nothing but a common rodent as she calls him with contempt, in his place,  and help Tommy (Lisa Bowdery) not only to get to London faster, but also kill the villain King Rat.    The Fairy always got involved in the plot at the most critical turning points of the panto or “else our ending could be tragic”.  Thanks to her and Tommy – and the panto conventions – good triumphed over evil and at the end Alice became Mrs. Whittington.  Don’t we all need a good fairy and a cat to help us through hard times?

The enthusiastic acting of the principals and chorus combined with great musical numbers (thanks, Miss P on the piano!) dance choreography, jokes and overall lighthearted kindness of the story and the happy ending certainly brought a lot of joy to all and prepared the backdrop for a happy holiday season.  Is next December the end of the world according to the Mayan calendar?  Since the panto is usually scheduled at the beginning of the month, there’s nothing to worry about.  We’ll make it just in time.  Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.”

The reviews are in as the curtain closes on yet another KLT panto success and they are all saying the same thing – “What a hit!”. Now, thanks to the genius of photographer Dhari Al Fozan, you can enjoy the WHOLE show again in stunning pictures, right here on TheKLT.com

[Show as slideshow]

1234...141516►

Vocal Rhapsody’s “Love Story” – is a show choir production with hit songs from artists such as Journey, Queen, Katy Perry and Meatloaf. If you love to sing and perform come out to audition for this ‘GLEE-esque’ production that is guaranteed to be fun, exciting and musically intriguing for all!

AUDITION DATES/TIMES

Auditions are Sat Dec. 3rd 6pm-8pm, Sun Dec. 4th 7pm-9pm and Mon Dec 5th 7pm-9pm (you should arrive promptly at the start time on the day you choose to attend and stay until your audition is complete. You only need to attend one audition.)

Who we are looking for are:

3 Male soloists (Character age 18-30)
1 Male soloist (Character age 35+)
3 Female soloists (Character age 18-30)
1 Female soloist (Character age 35+)
All parts require strong vocal/dancing/performing ability

3+ Male/Female Choir – any age (we can include any amount of people if they have the required skills)
All require strong dancing/performing ability and good vocal ability

AUDITION FORMAT
Everyone who auditions needs to prepare one modern song of their own choice to perform acapella (it must show off their vocal ability as well as their performance ability)
-There will be a small dance routine they will have to learn and perform at the audition
-Everyone will also have to come ready to sing the song “Don’t Stop Believing” – the lyrics below:

Please use the contact form at the bottom of this page to contact the director with any questions.

Don´t Stop Believin Lyrics

Don’t Stop Believing – Audio Track

Just a small town girl
livin´ in a lonely world
She took the midnight train goin´ anywhere
Just a city boy born and raised in South Detroit
He took the midnight train goin´ anywhere

A singer in a smoky room
The smell of wine and cheap perfume
For a smile they can share the night
It goes on and on and on and on

Strangers waiting
Up and down the boulevard
Their shadows searching in the nights
Streetlights people
Living just to find emotion
Hiding somewhere in the nights

(skip to end)

Don´t stop believin
Hold on to that feelin´
Streetlight people
(repeat)

Don´t stop!

 CONTACT THE DIRECTORS

Click for the full size poster then right click to SAVE to your computer to print and display/email

Matinees are all sold out but there still some seats for all evenings apart from December 9th. Book now online to avoid disappointment.