The Salopian Summer 2023

SCHOOL NEWS
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Clara Garavini played the prime suspect, a doctor with a
shocking case of nerves and a dark history of alcoholism.
She is the most obvious choice as murderer, and Clara
found clever ways to underline this while, at the same
time, leaving open the real possibility that she is just
another frightened victim.
This being Agatha Christie, there is a smorgasbord of eccentric
supporting characters. Gravitas came from an impressively
mature performance from Will O’Hagan as Sir Lawrence
Wargrave, a judge familiar with death sentences. Hattie
Attwood was suitably purse-lipped and judgemental as the
sanctimonious Miss Brent. Henry Clark brought an endearing
vulnerability to the gruff bluster of General Mackenzie,
lamenting his departed wife. No murder mystery is complete
without a policeman, and Massimo Wyatt was excellent as
retired CID man, William Blore. Tom Daly’s spoilt petrolhead
and Isla Britten and Poppy Godsal’s put-upon maids provided
the comic relief.
The play’s tension was highlighted by Sam Ludlam’s lighting
design, which became increasingly chilly and menacing
as the murderer grew closer. The story unfolded against
the backdrop of a beautiful 1930s-inspired set, built by
our resident technicians Bradley Fenton and Stuart Myles.
Those who saw A Midsummer Night’s Dream the previous
week may have suspected that the transformation from one
outstanding set to another was the result of fairy intervention;
there was definitely magic at work.
Legally Blonde: The Musical
Our second EPQ production of the year played to rave
reviews, as Daisy Scott took on the enormous challenge
of directing and choreographing an extract from the
hit West End and Broadway musical, Legally Blonde.
For those of you who know the film, the premise is
simple – a ditzy Californian fashion-major ditches the
sunshine and Manolos in an effort to demonstrate to her
snobbish boyfriend that she is sufficiently ‘serious’ to be
considered wife material. Along the way, she realises
that she has a brain as well as a pretty face; she ends
up as the Valedictorian of Harvard Law School while the
erstwhile boyfriend drops out to become a model. She is
accompanied along the way by a Greek Chorus of sorority
girls – played here by a hugely talented group of students
from the Third and Fourth Forms.
Hattie Attwood was brilliant as Elle, delivering a
performance that was both hilarious and vulnerable. It is a
hugely challenging role musically and Hattie demonstrated
fantastic technique, particularly in the powerhouse first
act closer So Much Better. Billy Gardiner and Oscar Niblett
played the men in her life – her pompous ex-boyfriend
Warner, who tells Elle he wants ‘less Marilyn, more Jackie’,
and the hapless but sweet-natured junior lawyer, Emmet.
There were a series of brilliant cameos throughout the
production, including two for whom this was their final
performance on the Ashton stage. Isla Britten was fantastic
as the hopelessly romantic beautician Paulette, who
pines after the handsome UPS delivery man (Tom Daly),
while Kate Woodman played Brooke Wyndham, a fitness