Parents and pupils alike were treated to a thoroughly entertaining spectacle in the shape of this year’s Fourth Form production, Love Against the Odds, three fairy tales from across the world that depict the triumph of love over adversity. Opening proceedings, The Five Swans tells the story of the young princess, Lili, who must free her brothers from a dreadful curse placed upon them by the wicked Queen, their stepmother. In The Great Flying Ship of Ivan the Impossible, the eponymous hero finds himself at the mercy of the Tsar after he turns up at the imperial palace in Moscow and demands to be allowed to marry the Tsarina. And in the final play, The Lost Spear, the humble and unassuming peasant-boy Zandilli proves his worth by retrieving a spear from the land of the Moon People, thereby winning the hand of a Princess.
Three compelling tales in themselves, the way in which the children sensitively rendered their characters helped these stories truly to come alive for the audience, with many producing especially moving performances. Special mentions must go to the three leads, Lili, Ivan and Zandilli, each of whom led their respective casts by example, throwing themselves into their roles and delivering their lines with confidence and conviction. Many parents also commented on the way the quality of the dancing, which ranged from quirky, angular, animalistic movement to a full-blown Cossack dance and even a Swan-Lake-inspired balletic routine, greatly enhanced all three plays.
Another facet of the production that made it particularly engaging was the decision to perform these plays in the round: a dramatic innovation in Senior House that demands a lot of the performer, the children responded to the challenge of being surrounded by the audience with enthusiasm and professionalism, turning their performances out and taking advantage of the emotional potential afforded by the increased proximity of the audience. Spectators were unanimous in their praise of the decision to stage the plays in this way, commenting on the intimacy and naturalism inherent to the in-the-round format.
A hugely engaging evening of emotional highs and lows and a real feast for the eyes, Fourth Form’s Love Against the Odds demonstrated the abundant talents of such a dramatically versatile year-group, and sets the bar high for their production for next year.