CONSIDERING she only joined the show three weeks ago after a pupil dropped out, Jess Lloyd turned in an impressive performance as Bloody Mary in the Queen Elizabeth High School's ambitious production of South Pacific.
Quite apart from her memorable screaming, she also demonstrated a sweet singing voice in her rendition of Bali H'Ai.
Megan Evans, as Nurse Nellie Forbush, is on stage through much of this well-known Rodgers and Hammerstein musical, which is set during the Second World War, and kept up an admirable American accent throughout.
Her singing was also generally very good, particularly in I'm In Love With A Wonderful Guy, one of the highlights of the show, and I'm Going To Wash That Man Right Out Of My Hair, complete with on-stage shower.
Ambitious choreography is a feature of the show, which was at its best when the whole chorus was on stage.
During their solo singing some of the boys gave the impression that they would rather have been somewhere else, although Tim Davies, as Emile DeBesque, put in a whole-hearted effort, particularly in his performance of Some Enchanted Evening.
Max Lilley, when not being asked to sing, had real stage presence as Lt Joseph Cable.
With 70 of the school's 380 children involved in the production, it is a real team effort and a huge success.
NICK HOWELLS
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