ACT Reviews 2022-2023 Season

portray. He managed the transition from grumpy to caring to fun loving back to grumpy very naturally. Dave Pilkington, as the Bus Driver with the heart of gold, Angela Foulds, as the hilariously peering lollipop lady and swindled sweet seller, and Eleanor Jolley as the equally frustrated head teacher and zookeeper each individually provided some wonderfully comedic moments. The direction and overall artistic vision were generally excellent, which is no small feat for such a big cast and production with so many changes of pace. The only points I noticed that might have needed a bit more focus were the embarking and disembarking from the bus – some cast members mimed climbing the steps and others just walked, and there was also one point where it felt like maybe there was too much activity

on the stage – this was during the bus driver's song. The accompanying dance was enjoyable (although perhaps dance moves more in keeping with the 70s would have enhanced it even further)

but it made it difficult to hear the lyrics of the song which, when they could be heard, were very entertaining. Maybe some additional microphones so the singing was louder during this number would have overcome this problem. Speaking of sound, lights, and projection, I really enjoyed the projection and thought it always set the scene appropriately (especially the "blast from the past" image of a Little Chef !). The lighting was always perfect – at no point could I not see all the action. Sound effects were generally effective, although there was a very odd effect during the castle visit that I just couldn't identify! I loved the set idea: it was very impressive how crates could be used so effectively to create so many different locations, and the cast seamlessly moved them at no point detracting from the scenes. My only suggestion would be to have the prompt's/