Livin’ La Vida Loca At Poole Lighthouse Review

Reviewed by Helen O

I jumped at the opportunity to watch and review the LeAF Studio School and Sixth Form’s performance of Livin’ La Vida Loca at the Poole Lighthouse, as although it’s not the sort of theatre production I would ordinarily watch, the school is just up the road from me and I was keen to support the local community. The LeAF Studio school is renowned locally as a home to Performing Arts and Sport specialism programmes and I’d heard rave reviews about previous performances.

Each summer the school produces either a musical production or variety showcase, with this year’s offering being Livin’ La Vida Loca, which is a celebration of the School’s 10 year anniversary, with performers from year 9 to Sixth form showcasing their talents, so I had high hopes for the performance.

We were seated in seats T25 and T26, which were located quite near the back of the auditorium, but in the middle, which gave a brilliant view of the stage and we could see everything. There was plenty of leg room, to allow a comfortable viewing of the performance, so we just had to sit back and enjoy the show. The show was a sell-out, which must have given the cast such an amazing lift and made all the hard work so worthwhile!

The show started promptly at 7pm with approximately a 20 minute interval after about an hour and a quarter, which was ample to allow a quick refreshment/ comfort break.

Well, what can I say?! From the outset the show was absolutely amazing; the energy on the stage, from the very first moment was incredible and maintained throughout the duration of the entire show. At times it was hard to believe that I was watching, what is in essence, an amateur performance. The young performers were phenomenal and should be so proud of their achievements. The show opened with the cast dressed in brightly coloured costumes, as they burst onto stage dancing and singing to a medley of upbeat songs, including Ricky Martin’s Livin’ La Vida Loca, which I’m so glad they performed right at the beginning. What an entrance; it really set the tone for the rest of the evening’s entertainment.

There was literally something for everyone – dance, singing, musical theatre all incorporated into a show which was the best part of 3 hours- I truly believe they could have gone on all night, given the chance. An energy, that I could only dream of!

It’s difficult to pinpoint just one stand out moment from the show, as there were so many brilliant performances. I was captivated by the version of Beauty & The Beast depicted. Particularly by the young man playing Lumiere, who had a wonderful French accent, comic timing and great voice. As for Belle, her voice was exquisite.

Then there was the phenomenal Tina Turner portrayal, which was played so wonderfully by 2 of the young ladies. I could have watched them all night, absolutely stunning. What a way to end the first half!

The second half opened with an equal level of energy to match the first half, dancing to the Rhythm is Going to Get You, by Gloria Estefan. Followed by some contemporary dance to ‘Oh My God’ by Adele, a personal favourite of mine. Then there was a beautiful version of Stand by Me, by Ben E. King. The musical choices and arrangements were fantastic and made the evening all the more enjoyable.

As it was the 10th anniversary year, there was some time dedicated to ‘Bring it back’ which was a reworking of some of the favourite numbers which have been performed over the past 10 years of shows. This section of the show didn’t disappoint, that’s for sure.

There were some brilliant nods to musical theatre, with homages to Moulin Rouge, Cabaret, Wonderland, Newsies, Mamma Mia and Grease. Each giving different performers the opportunities to showcase their talents, which they did admirably. I’m sure that this won’t be the last we see of some of the young performers; a bright career beckons for them, I have no doubt.

The costumes were mind-blowing. Each different number had a different costume, but not your average school-production costume, these were absolutely stunning and each and every one matched to add such a professional feel to the performance. I dread to think of how many costume changes were made during the entire show, but it was all done seamlessly and in super-quick time!

The finale of ‘Thank you for the Music’ by ABBA was an absolutely perfect way to end the show, with all the cast appearing on stage. You could see in their faces how proud they had been of the amazing show they had just performed. Well done to all involved.

The atmosphere in the audience was electric, most likely as the majority of it was made up of relatives of the young performers, cheering them on at every opportunity. Culminating in a standing ovation for the encore, which was richly deserved.

I would absolutely recommend the performance to everyone. It was such an uplifting experience and wonderful way to spend a wet and windy summer evening.

Rating: 5 out of 5

RRP: Tickets cost £21.45 for adults and £18.15 for under 18’s, which I think is great value for such a high quality evening’s entertainment.

Livin’ La Vida Loca is showing at the Poole Lighthouse, 21 Kingland Road, Poole, BH15 1UG on Friday 14th and Saturday 15th July 2023 and tickets can be booked at: www.lighthousepoole.co.uk/book-online/648001/