In a bold move, director/producer Tim Marriott and musical director Graham Jones opened auditions to all ages for this high-energy and exacting show which mixed music, mime, cabaret and pantomime. The result was a glorious gathering of talent from Years 9 to 13 who performed to packed houses for five nights. Cat Alchin and Paul Turner’s simple but slick set gave the band a stunning mezzanine floor, festooned with New York street signs, which freed up the stage for the more than forty performers. Suzanne Procter’s choreography and David Force’s musical arrangements combined to deliver a wonderful feel-good factor while vivid costumes, lavish lighting and technical excellence from the sound crew gave the whole show a quality not out of place in the West End.

George O’Brien as Jesus and Charlie Edgcumbe-Rendle as Judas held centre stage but the beauty of the event was the company behind them and as the big numbers rolled out ('Day by Day', 'Light of the World'…) there was a seemingly endless array of top-class talent. The finale saw the audience on stage to celebrate not just one of the great stories of all time but a superb rendition of it.