This evening, at short notice, I found myself at Nottingham Theatre Royal to see Unexpected Twist. Now I wasn’t sure what I expected but I definitely wasn’t expecting to be captivated from start to finish, by what is, for all intents and purposes, a kids show.
It wasn’t very busy, but that did not stop the incredible cast from giving it their all from the moment they stepped on stage. This modern take on Oliver Twist, adapted from the Michael Rosen book, had the youngsters in the audience enthralled throughout. Cleverly slipping in and out of the Dickensian world and modern day London, demonstrating how we still have the same issues, such as poverty, which makes desperate people listen to characters, such as the artful dodger, to get involved in things they wouldn’t normally (county lines).
What was absolutely unbelievable and awesome (in the truest sense of the word) was that this “musical” had no “music” or at least no musical instruments apart from peoples voices. Some of the songs were so melodic and others had such insane bass it is hard to get your head around the fact it was all from singing and beat boxing. Whilst the main genres of music were grime and RnB, there was a nod to the famous Oliver Twist musical with a cockney style song or two thrown in.
Everything from the singing and acting, to the choreography and lighting was flawless. However a special mention has to go to Drew Hylton, who plays Shona/Oliver. She’s not a star in the making ….she is a star. Her very first few notes were breathtaking and spine tingling; and the goose pimple effect did not wane no matter how many times we were treated to her stunning voice.
Hylton’s character, Shona, over related to the character of Oliver Twist. The way she delivered her songs told the story way beyond what the lyrics could, it was so emotive, you could feel every word even in lines as simple and seemingly meaningless as “I’ve got a phone.” In my humble opinion, it was a world class performance and Drew Hylton will be a household name before long, or at least she definitely deserves to be and as she’s still only 17 it’s extremely possible!
I would say it’s worth going just to see her, but this show is so good on so many levels. So get your ticket here: https://trch.co.uk/whats-on/unexpected-twist/
Unexpected Twist is showing at Theatre Royal until Saturday 25 March with tickets from £13.50.
Review by Josie Opal
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