As Editor of this newspaper and it being so new it was exciting and daunting to be offered the chance to review a show like this! The responsibility to do it justice and to give my junior writers the best support was scary. Luckily Dramacube made it easy. The show was set in a lovely theatre in Hampton Hill and the kids all felt the buzz from outside in the lobby. The show concluded and the writers  approached me with notes some lengthy some less but overall all agreeing the show was worth the wait and the journey which for some was as far as East London.

Reports from all parents stated that the car rides home were a flurry of laughter, quoting lines and giggling at Grandma. I had asked all the kids to write their reviews asap so not to forget their incredible experience, but I need not have worried. The show was clearly something that captured their minds and hearts as  even one week on the laughter I am told persists and the quoting goes on.

- Ashleigh Kelly, Editor in Chief

Alexis Burvill - 12 Years

Moana Jr was a pleasure to watch in a cute small, local theatre. A brilliant cast who were a mix of ages from 8 to 12 year olds. Some with more experience in either the acting or vocals. In the one hour they were able to explain the Moana story well. Four of the cast members playing the main characters of Moana and Maui had exceptional singing voices, and I found myself intrigued at how they played the characters with some comedy and lots of smiles. In fact, all the cast brought something to the show. Especially HayHay, who was exceptional and funny. There were a few scenes that were amazing, and they got the songs right. The three girls acting as the crab were funny, and Tika was a cute, little girl she was very good at showing her character and express the character very well. The grandma was funny. The costumes and set design were impressive, adding to the overall enjoyment of the performance. The passion and energy of the young performers were contagious, making it an unforgettable experience. I would definitely recommend watching their performance.

Lara Burvill - 14 Years

Moana was a very fun and entertaining show. The kids who played in Moana Jr where very passionate about what they were doing and seemed to be having a fun time on stage. They had amazing voices, and their acting was incredible. It was performed in a beautiful local theatre, and I had so much fun watching it. The children playing Tamatoa (the giant crab played by Eddie Izzard in the movie) were so funny to watch and so the crab was definitely my favourite character, but Everyone played their roles so well and it was a very good show to watch. Moana and Maui where spot on and they were so funny on stage that I can’t wait to see what show they have next!

Tommy Goddard - 12 Years

The Moana Jr show at Hampton Hill Theatre is something I would recommend to anyone who has seen the original Moana. During my time there they were able to reenact the Moana movie despite being so young (ages 8-14).They seemed to have a limited budget but even so, it didn’t ruin the show in any way. They were still able to create scenery that fit the entire performance and they used lights and different sounds/music to give each scene a completely different feel. One thing I thought was a shame was that sometimes you couldn’t hear the children well over the music, but it didn’t stop me from enjoying the show.

My favourite thing about the scenery was the waves. To create them,  the cast held pieces of material attached to a piece of wood (similar to a ribbon) and they were using this like a fan to represent the waves. The magic came when they began fanning slow and closer to the ground when the waves were slow and gentle, yet big and faster when the waves were roughs.

 I liked the cast and how well they could sing as all the main characters and the narrators could sing and talk very confidently. Some of the other characters weren’t as confident in how they sang so there were some nerves to start singing. Out of all the characters my favourite one was the grandma, mostly because when Moana asks her grandma to stop being so weird grandma replies “I’m the village crazy lady, it’s my job!”  The character that I think was the best dressed was the crab and the character I think sang the best was both Moana’s. Overall, I really enjoyed the Moana Jr show and I can’t wait to see the next show.

Samira Dumbuya - 15 Years

My experience watching the Moana performance was absolutely one of my favourites! Seeing kids around my age and younger on stage, performing, singing, and dancing, was simply mesmerising. I was amazed at how no one forgot their lines and the confidence they exuded while speaking. It was clear they knew exactly what they were doing and had prepared meticulously.

I was particularly impressed by how they managed to perform the entire movie, which is 1 hour and 47 minutes long, in just 1 hour without missing a single scene. The creativity in their stagecraft was outstanding—especially the way they created waves with fabric. When the waves intensified, you could really feel the energy. I thought that was incredibly unique and smart.

Another standout moment was when they switched main characters in the middle of the show. It’s not something that usually happens, but it added a refreshing twist and variety to the performance. Overall, this Moana performance was a captivating and unforgettable experience!

Linh Le - 11 Years

Moana Jr at Hampton Hill Theatre is a great show producing aversion of Disney’s famous animated movie Moana. The best quality about the show is the teamwork and how when someone was a bit nervous or forgot something they helped each other out which really made the show enjoyable.  It’s full of laughter and it had me let out a few laughs as well, which I had noticed had made everyone on the stage smile.

The props, scene-work and lighting were very good, but my overall favourite was how they portrayed the waves with paper hand fans with a pleated blue and white gradient fabric and then waving them up and down for the fabric to then flow. A nice thing I had also noticed was how the helpers backstage would move Moana’s boat as the actors playing as Maui and Moana started to venture to Tamatoa and to Te Ka (who is also Te Fiti).

The children seemed very passionate about their performance and effort and ended up really pleased with themselves at the end of the show as well as the people who went to watch it when they were leaving. Their acting was marvellous and the way everyone was saying all their lines and singing was full of enthusiasm.

I recommend watching this show as it really brings out how committed and eager kids can be about acting and performing on a stage.

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