BEFORE UPON A TIME Endeavour College The Endeavour Centre Until 08 Jun 2018 Review by Fran Edwards The amazing amount of hard work by students and staff for this production is obvious in the quality result. The energy and enthusiasm were unbounded and the ides was fun. Basically this fusion of fairytale characters and fifties music, whilst still school-based, did not lend itself well to a production – but the students made it work. The band, led by Catherine Stanley on keyboards, was fantastic, a definite highlight! Their tempos were great and they provided good support. Congratulations to the choreographer (Amy Patty) as the dancers were well drilled and the routines kept interesting. Likewise the many hands that made, found and changed the costumes under the supervision of Laura Brenko should take a bow. The stage was a riot of colour and the fifties dancers looked and moved with authenticity – loved those poodle skirts. The other technical aspects, scenic design and art, along with the makeup (Annalisa Sheridan) and lighting (Martin Meinel) were also up to standard. A couple of minor lighting mistakes were covered well and the interesting and colouful makeup was impressive. Director Jamie Richards did well to bring together such a diverse and large cast in a mostly cohesive production. The script was lacking in some areas but that did not matter; the commitment of the cast kept it on track. It would be wrong to single out a lot of the cast as the standard was good all-round, but Jessica Priebbenow was a standout as Tender (the rabbit), well supported by Harrison Knott as Buddy (the wolf), Michael Finn as Eugine Tortoise and Rachel Kerber as Beatrice the fairy godmother. I could go on but the rest of the named parts were all great. I’d say Endeavour College’s major 2018 production was a success!