Review: Mr Sandman a triumph

Mr Sandman
A Sharyn Underwood School of Dance production
Saturday, August 1 at the Royal Wanganui Opera House
Reviewed by Paul Brooks

Take almost 90 dancers, a committed team of choreographers, teachers and supporters, a heap of imagination, dedication and a whole lot of talent, and you have the Sharyn Underwood School of Dance.

Their stage shows are legendary and always original, with all Sharyn's dancers strutting their stuff to packed houses. From world-class seniors to young dancers who aspire to those high standards, the stage is a showcase of skill and years of hard work.

In Mr Sandman, the dance school's latest production, the team presents new concepts, new dances and almost two hours of non-stop entertainment and movement magic.

The story is of a young dreamer, played by Emily Corcoran, who is whisked away in her dreams by Mr Sandman, played by Oisin Broadhead (former WHS student). The dreamer finds herself in a variety of dream situations where dancers in dazzling costumes enact various themes.

The dreamer gets to join in some of the dances and even gets to soar above the stage in a flying sequence. The dancers' wings in that segment are stunning light shows, and the use of wings later in a fairytale segment is a dream of gossamer and grace.

The costumes are fabulous and represent hours of creativity and skill, while the choice of music – and there's a lot of it – proved a perfect demonstration of the dancers' abilities.

Mr Sandman's role includes the introduction to each dream theme, Oisin's own voice providing a summary while he executes some beautifully choreographed moves before making way to the other dancers and the dream sequence.

In a departure from tradition, Sharyn has made use of another dancer's voice, having her sing and dance at the same time.

Abby Squire sings beautifully and also scored the highest possible marks in her dance exams last year, achieving 100 per cent in her American Jazz Dance Affiliation Advanced 1 exams, the first time one of Sharyn's dancers has made a perfect score.

In Mr Sandman she sang I Want To Be a Rockette, and even though the Opera House personal microphone let her down, it did not stop her singing her heart out and nailing the top notes. A true professional. I heard the microphone worked perfectly well in the second performance.

The storyline was a perfect vehicle to show off dancing talent, imaginative choreography, a huge variety of styles and the classiness for which Sharyn Underwood School of Dance is renowned.

There was a personal touch when the dancers sat on stage before the finale and sang along to Mr Sandman, obviously enjoying themselves and the strong camaraderie of the group.

With grace, elegance, humour and dreams, the dancers and everyone behind the scenes proved Mr Sandman was a class act and worthy of stages anywhere in the world.

Paul Brooks
Whanganui Midweek 5/8/20