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TWO CASTS MAKE IT A DOUBLE TRIUMPH

By Martin Neville - Friday, April 11, 2008
TWO CASTS MAKE IT A DOUBLE TRIUMPH
From left, Tom Grand, 15, as Edward, Kate Slade, 16, Katy Rawlinson, 14, as Linda, Chester Ward, 15, as Mickey, and Elisa Jones, 17, as Mrs Johnstone. Some of the cast in the picture are different from the one reviewed. Picture by Laura Holme.
STAGE REVIEW
SEVENTEEN-year-old Charlotte Cantelo was a revelation in the role of Mickey, in Carisbrooke High School’s production of Willy Russell’s tragic tale of twins separated at birth, Blood Brothers.
The audience was instantly drawn to her wit and energy while her sparkling delivery, and excellent comic timing, ensured the laughs came thick and fast, in what is both an extremely funny but also incredibly sad story.
Bold and confident, the young performer was utterly convincing and natural alongside her opposite number, Tom Grand, who, after a shaky start, grew in confidence in the role of Edward.
For the audience, the delight is watching the pair’s friendship blossom in the knowledge they are brothers, a fact they are unaware of. This sense of dramatic irony is a point of humour throughout the play which considers class, fate and destiny, childhood and adolescence and surrogacy.
There were also strong performances from Elisa Jones as the downtrodden mother, Mrs Johnstone, as well as Katy Rawlinson as Linda, Lucy Smith as Mrs Lyons and David Hallam, who made fleeting, but nonetheless memorable, appearances as a milkman, doctor and policeman. The play, which involved students from all year groups, was staged for two nights with a different cast each evening.
Alison Kent, who directed the production and is also the school’s drama teacher, said the pupils study the play at GCSE and they had worked hard over the past few months to bring it to the stage.
“They have been involved in everything from acting and assisting in the direction to costume and set design and construction,” she said.
“The story is very powerful and follows the characters over a number of years. Finding ways to show this dramatically and convincingly has been a real challenge for the students.
“However, they have risen to the challenge and portray the changing ages convincingly.”