Such A Dazzling Show Of Many Colours!

Wow.

That really is the only word for it: wow. Three performances, four standing ovations - we couldn't be happier!

What a blast we had with Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat - to our cast, crew, band and audiences, we would like to say a huge thank-you on behalf of St. Peter's Church and The Wight Strollers.

The feedback has been overwhelming. It's flooded in and it's been absolutely spectacular, so we thought we'd share just a few of the comments with you, our wonderful blog readers.

The show was reviewed in the July 15th edition of the Isle of Wight County Press, and it was a glowing review of the show! Sadly it's not available online, but there were three other reviews written that are online for you to check out: one from Sardines Magazine, one from Mitch Hamer and another from Fern Alexander.

Meanwhile, our audiences took to social media to express how much they loved the show. Here are just a fraction of their many wonderful comments:

"What a way to spend a Saturday night, absolutely amazing from start to finish. Incredible costumes and scenery and so much talent. Well done everyone. Can't wait to see the next production."
- Lynda Waddams

"You were all brilliant...I much preferred your show to the West End one I saw some years ago. So proud of you all!"
- Scott Goddard

"Congratulations on an incredible show! Still singing the songs - proud of your amazing vision, Sarah , and the fantastic cast and crew for bringing it to life. I am a convert!"
- Jo Shannon

"The best musical I have seen outside of the West End."
- Peter Knowles

"Amazing performance...the effect you had on my autistic son was amazing, we were front row and he was spellbound - I came home emotional and humbled that he thoroughly enjoyed every second, so thank you."
- Michaela White

"What a brilliant show this evening. Amazing performers, every single one of you. Well deserved standing ovation."
- Vikki Roberts

"Had a fantastic time at the show this afternoon- thank you for making it so enjoyable. I know only too well how much hard work, energy and commitment goes into something to make it look that effortless! It was joyous, and that came from the sheer passion and enjoyment every single person on stage clearly felt. Well done. The best 'amateur ' (hate that word) I have ever seen on the Island. Sat there wishing I could have been a part of it! Special mention to my fabulous former students - Nick Weightman, Michael Mullin and Brad Barnley - but massive congrats to all!"
- Liz Segal

"A truly wonderful performance. Costumes, singing, everything was top notch...every single person taking part looked as if they were having the time of their lives.Well done and roll on the next pantomime."
- Sandra Davies

"It was a brilliant show. So professional. Anyone that didn't enjoy it, there must be something wrong with them. Well done everyone! What's next?"
- Jean Tayler

"Wow, oh wow! Think you should rename your latest production 'Sarah and her Technicolor Cast of many Talents!' Absolutely stunning show! What a spectacular production! Huge congratulations to everyone!"
- Stella Rogers

"A triumph for the whole company - Emily [was] by far the best the Narrator I have ever seen...A truly memorable and fabulous afternoon, thank you all so much."
- Howard Wilkie

There are dozens more comments like this and we wish we could share them all, we're so proud of everyone who was involved - what an absolute triumph!

Thank-you so much to everyone who came and supported the show, and watch this space to find out how much we'll be donating to our chosen charities!

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If you enjoyed Joseph, don't miss out on The Wight Strollers' annual pantomime. Our next production will be Jack and the Beanstalk at Medina Theatre, Isle of Wight, on February 18th, 19th and 25th. Tickets will be on sale from the Medina Theatre Box Office in January 2017.

Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs: The Feedback, Round 2!

Well, what a second weekend we had! Completely sold out and the positive feedback has once more been flooding in since this time last week - so we thought we'd share a few more of the wonderful things people have been saying about our production of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs.

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"It was the first time we'd seen a performance by you all and it was truly unique. My son hasn't stopped talking about it, [we] can't wait for July!"
- Laura Smith

"Fantastic show - well done."
- Susan Coquio

"Thank-you so much for a fantastic show tonight, we loved it."
- Caroline B Ritchie

"Thank-you so much to cast and crew for another brilliant performance last night! It was hilarious and entertaining as always, and even the two 14-year-olds that I had with me loved it and yelled and clapped along with the rest of us. We absolutely love the Strollers shows, we always leave with a big grin and dried tears of laughter on our cheeks. We will be back for next year's panto and we will see you all in July for Joseph."
- Lou Hewison

"A great show again, I came on Saturday afternoon. Def[initely] didn't disappoint, [it] was great. Loved it and so did my nieces, who are still talking about it now - great job, guys!"
- Samantha Stean

"Thank-you for our magical afternoon from 8th Ryde Brownies, we had a fantastic time and hope you like our photos - see you next year!"
- Caroline Seaward

"Another bloody amazing production. They just get better and better. Love the adult humour. Nice to see some new faces, which means it is still going to be the best panto on the Island for a good few years. What can you say about Sarah's performance apart from 'brilliant as usual!' - can't wait to see Joseph in July. Well done to you all!"
- Lynda Waddams

"Every year, me and my fiance come down to support The Wight Strollers. Having taken part in many shows before moving to London, I must say I truly miss it. A cheeky little shout out to my mummy, Karen Cassford, who somehow manages to work full time, organise, design and create endless number of incredible costumes. And Cheryl Rudd, absolutely incredible choreography! It is just such a pleasure to watch all the beautiful dancers as well - watching them grow into lovely young ladies! An incredible cast and an incredible director - well done, Wight Strollers! Standing ovation!"
- Hannah Cassford

"Thank-you for a wonderful pantomime!"
- Sandra Ma Davies

"The Wight Strollers put on an awesome performance this evening...laughed so much! Well done, all! Very well done!"
- Julie Anne Harris

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We'd also like to take this opportunity to thank everyone who supported us - whether that was by liking one of our Facebook posts, sharing our event, putting up a poster or, of course, coming to the show itself - we couldn't have done this without every single one of you!

We will be announcing our charity totals in April, so watch this space!

In the meantime, if you enjoyed Snow White - or if you missed out and want another chance to see us in action - then visit the Medina Theatre website and book tickets for Joseph - they're already selling fast!

As always, please visit our Facebook, Twitter and Instagram pages to keep up to date on the everyday happenings of The Wight Strollers.

Mexican Mayhem: All Systems Go!

Keeping this year's carnival theme a secret was a challenge and, with members being questioned on their weekly shop, facing interrogations at work and even having to resist telling their spouses and children, the pressure was on to deliver at our first carnival of 2013.

As the floats and walkers gathered for Newport Carnival, on Saturday, July 20, we were more than a little nervous as we inflated our mules, painted on our moustaches and donned our sombreros. 'Mexican Madness' was underway and there was no going back now!

Every year, we strive to have three dance routines - two progressive and one static - to keep us moving around the carnival and give us the opportunity to stop and deliver a 'showpiece' every so often to the larger crowds. This year's lucky tracks were Mexican Hat Dance, La Bamba and Tequila, with a cheeky dose of Gangnam Style as a nod back to our pantomime in February, where it also made a cameo appearance.

Weekly rehearsals began in June to learn the choreography, while the costume team worked on getting the mules ordered, the hats bought and the ponchos made. Mike Squibb, a committee member and one of the backstage boys, and his team built the float: an explosion of colour and illumination, it's easily our most popular float design since the nuns' outing in our 'Bad Habits' theme of 2010.

Newport Carnival was blessed with blazing sunshine, great crowds and a turn-out of around 30 Mexicans, almost a full house. We took second place in our class, and received the Committee's Choice cup for best entry, and, according to the results published in the local paper, we were awarded Best Overall, too!

There were a few kinks that needed ironing out before we hit Sandown Carnival, that much was clear, but therein lies the beauty of Newport: it's a simple route, with few hills, and plenty of chances to air all of the routines and figure out what needs changing of improving before we're faced with the likes of Ryde and Sandown, where the crowds are condensed, the hills steep and the routes much longer.

In the days leading up to Sandown Carnival, the weather forecast didn't look good.

Of all the Island's carnivals, Sandown is the one cursed by bad weather, almost every year, and so it wasn't a surprise to find that, after a week of uninterrupted sunshine, it was Saturday, July 27, that was due thunder, lightning and a healthy downpour.

Wonderful.

The day itself dawned, but the rain was nowhere in sight. Our eyes were firmly on the Sandown Carnival Twitter feed and all events were still scheduled to go ahead...but as the afternoon progressed the weather turned sour. The clouds rolled in and the mules grew jittery, but it was all systems go nonetheless!

We arrived in Sandown at 5:45pm, and so did the rain - mercifully, the thunder and lightning gave us a miss! Heavier and heavier it fell, until both Mexicans and mounts were soaked through from hat to hoof. Even so, nothing could dampen our spirits when we were awarded first place in our class and the trophy for best overall entry.

We had been there almost an hour when a Sandown Carnival official approached the float and asked if we were still willing to go ahead with the procession. We looked at each other, we looked ahead towards the crowds gathered at the start of the route, we looked towards the sky; we couldn't get any wetter, and letting people down doesn't sit easy with us, so we gave him a resounding thumbs-up, punctuated with cries of "Arriba!"

All things considered, the crowds were impressive, and hugely responsive. They cheered and clapped and buoyed us up as we set off, moustaches dripping down our faces, on our second carnival outing of the season. Battling large puddles and fuel spillages on the roads, our troupe of Mexicans worked hard to keep energy levels high and were still dancing even as we rolled back onto Culver Parade to finish the evening.

If there had been any doubts about our decision to go ahead with the carnival, the faces of the crowds as we trotted our way around Sandown stamped them out. Carnivals might be a dying form of live entertainment in other parts of the country, but on the Isle of Wight they've never been stronger. And as long as people continue step out of their doors to support them, come rain or shine, they will keep on growing for many years to come.

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If you'd like to see The Wight Strollers in carnival, there are still plenty of chances this summer:

Cowes Main - Wednesday 31st July - 7pm
Ventnor Main - Wednesday 14th August - 7pm
Ryde Main - Saturday 17th August - 5:30pm
Newport Illuminated - Wednesday 21st August - 8:30pm
Sandown Illuminated - Wednesday 28th August - 8pm
Ryde Illuminated - Saturday 31st August - 8:15pm

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