I went to see Now That’s What I Call a Musical at the New Theatre, Oxford. It starred Nina Wadia and Sam Bailey, and there was a guest performance by Carol Decker of T’Pau. Also in the cast was Maia Hawkins ex-Reading Theatretrain student. This was her first professional tour, and boy, did she perform!
There wasn’t much of a story in this jukebox show of hits from the 80s. It was loosely built around a class reunion with all its fears and revelations of changed lives. It was also a pure soap opera in that you could never quite believe the storyline with all its twists and turns. The story focused on two school friends, Gemma and April, and two actresses played each character 20 years apart. So there were lots of opportunities to have the younger older actresses look back on themselves. Hit after hit came with some brilliant staging of numbers that connected with the plot. For instance, Video killed the Radio Star was crazy fun, with robotic actors wearing TV sets on their faces.
Maia played the young April, and as soon as she entered the stage, you knew she was going to nail it – confident, self-assured and vivacious. She had a powerful, lyrical belt voice, which she used early on with Girls Just Wanna Have Fun. By the interval you thought this girl is going places!
I asked Tiffany, Company Director at Theatretrain Reading, for any memories of Maia as a student.
She said, “I spotted her voice and performance quality way back when I was a judge for ‘Has Reading Got Talent’ – so I offered her a scholarship. We enjoyed her incredible work ethic and, most importantly, her generosity and her desire to push and be part of the ensemble onstage and off. Maia always threw herself in with 100% commitment and energy and a smile! She worked hard, and in her final show with us, she auditioned successfully for a solo at The Royal Albert Hall, singing part of the song ‘Go the Distance’ in the 2015 show!”
The show has now moved on to Bristol and will finish at the New Wimbledon Theatre in London. I predict a bright future for Maia – she definitely has a sprinkle of that stage presence on stage. You want to watch her and she attacks what she does with passion. Well done on your debut Maia.
