St John’s First Form regaled an audience of parents and pupils with their performance of The Bumblesnouts Save the World, a musical comedy with a strong moral message. In their voyages across the universe, a team of Bumblesnouts (an alien life-form) make a return journey to earth, a planet renowned for its beauty, diverse climates and wildlife, but are dismayed to find that the human race (who is ‘thought to be the most intelligent’ species on the planet) is not looking after it properly: they encounter violent bullies who drop litter; cleaners who use environmentally-harmful aerosol sprays; woodcutters who decimate entire forests; hunters who kill other animals simply for sport; and gangsters who cruise around in smoke-belching cars. With their customary quirkiness and out-of-this-world sense of humour, the Bumblesnouts set about teaching humans to respect the earth and all who live there.
Members of the audience were unanimous in their praise of a production that was a joy from start to finish, and the enthusiasm with which the children threw themselves into their roles was simply outstanding. The soundtrack to the play, featuring several songs of various different genres, was a real highlight, involving some very spirited singing; and this, coupled with the wonderful choreography, made for a number of very entertaining musical numbers.
The most striking feature was the enjoyment that the children took from being in the play, evident to every spectator. Clearly relishing every moment, the children brought an energy to the performance which made it eminently watchable, with some children improvising new ‘ad libs’ and gestures in the performance. One performer enthused, “It was my favourite play I have performed in; we danced, sang and acted and it was a real buzz.”
