SEIZE THE DAY Pelican Productions Michael Murray Centre - Westminster College Until 21 Jan 2018 Review by Talia Gaertner-Jones This year marked the 14-year anniversary of Pelican Productions’ Musical Theatre Camp. And boy, what a celebration it was! Directors Jen Frith and Kylie Green, together with Music Director Martin Cheney and many professional tutors for vocal training and choreography, have created this spectacular performance showcasing their talented students! Across two weeks in January 450 students rehearsed to bring their performance of “Seize the Day” to life. This year there were four casts: Disney, Hollywood, Broadway and West End. I had the pleasure of witnessing the spectacular Hollywood cast! The night began with colour and flair with Nava Revalk, Lachlan Williams, Lachlan Fleming, Sophie Morris, Hannah Hamilton and Darcy Bensted showcasing both their smooth, soulful vocals and their luscious locks with the musical numbers “Aquarius”, “Hair” and “Let The Sunshine In” from “Hair”. The performances for the night were a mixture of musical numbers from shows and films like “Anastasia”, “Hairspray”, “Moana”, “Newsies”, “Charlie & The Chocolate Factory” and “Sister Act”. The Senior Boys, with soloists Williams and Sean Jackson, also performed and created a beautiful moment in “Vaults Of Heaven” from “Whistle Down The Wind”. Colours and costumes shone in all performances, but the company in “Rumor In St Petersberg” from “Anastasia” looked simply stunning in their warm wintery outfits. And Zoe Waters singing “Journey To The Past” – also from “Anastasia” – was a standout of the night with her natural storytelling ability. Maisie Aitkin lit up the stage with her bubbly energy singing “Good Morning Baltimore” from “Hairspray” and when she was joined by fellow cast members Chloe Dowd, Maddie Gibbins, Emma Pool, Fallon Katz and Victoria Thorp for “Mama I’m A Big Girl Now”; they created such a fun number and each played their character perfectly. Thorp appeared in Act 2 as Moana singing the popular song “How Far I’ll Go” and was joined onstage by Jerome Javier for “You’re Welcome”. Javier did a fantastic job, not being fazed by a quick microphone swap mid song! When you think of “Newsies” you often only think of the newspaper boys; however, Hannah Hamilton commanded the stage when singing “Watch What Happens” and showed off her dancing in “King Of New York” along with Finn Green. In another strong performance, Eve Green sang “The Life I Never Led” from “Sister Act”. With minimal set and the use of lighting and projection, the show flowed nicely with smooth changes. The Hollywood cast created a beautiful celebration of musical theatre and each of the casts is sure to be equally amazing!