Bugsy brings mafia wars to Limassol

July 3-4, 2010-Limassol, Cyprus

The size of a place need never be a limiting factor in how much talent is nurtured there. It isn’t more true of any place than of Limassol. It is so relatively small but the rich cultural amalgam that you get to witness here through the year is comparable to the best cities in the world.

Even in this context, a great production by a new theatre arts school last weekend soared over the horizon and swept the audience off their feet.

Ms Lucy Georghiou‘s “Limassol Theatre Arts School” , started only last October, has children from 6-16. It produced a stunning open performance last month , left the UK examiner open mouthed with the high standard of its students and this weekend in July gave a ‘west-end’ like production of the musical “Bugsy Malone”. The performance had all the spices to make a brilliant production; all the style, simplicity, slickness traditionally associated with this eccentric musical. The unbelievable acting, singing and dancing had the audience riveted and applauding throughout the play.

What stands out about this theatre school is that it makes the theory of innate talent redundant and ridiculous. Each child is nurtured and groomed till it becomes a performer. The ‘Bugsy” production had scope for only a handful of principal characters but every one of the forty or so children found a role to shine in. Every one got a chance to star and had a place in the spotlight. The casting was so perfect that it was as if, long before those tiny actors were born the writer , Alan Parker, had them in mind when he created those characters.

A legendary ‘west-end’ production is not easy to replicate. This one was a fantastic job. ‘Bugsy’ is a spoof on the mafia gang wars of 1920’s Chicago. As such it demands the actors deflate serious issues like crime and bloodshed by making them amusingly light and almost like children’s games. The children, all acting for the clichéd grown part their role was modeled on, were not just acting on the physical level but led their audience through the whole gamut of emotions, humor and sarcasm. Ms. Georghiou has definitely tutored her students well; they have been taught to feel and believe everything they are performing. And at the same time they have been taught to enjoy what they are doing.  From the gun totting, sinister, conspiring mobsters of the fist act, by the finale flinging custard pies at each other, they were just a bunch of happy kids having a great time.

Full credit to the never tiring Director Susan Ionnides as well as the choreographer Lucy Georghiou. The polished performances and the highly entertaining song and dance routines could not have come from lesser professionals. They are such a win- win team that in times to come, their productions are sure to be on the must watch list of any self respecting Limassol theatre lover.

It was obvious that a lot of love and feeling had gone into the production. It can be explained by Ms Georghiou’s background on the West End as a lead actress herself and the passion she feels for the genre. She says in her flier note “As a child one of my fondest memories on stage was playing Tallulah in a UK touring production of Bugsy Malone alongside a Bugsy played by Anthony Cotton (now in ITV's Coronation Street), a Blousey played by Suzanne Shaw (now in Yorkshire TV's Emmerdale) and a Bangles played by Natalie Casey (5 pints of lager and a packet of crisps, ex-Hollyoaks). We have since giggled and remembered the superb times we shared in this unique company of an all - kid cast! In choosing our first musical production for our new youth theatre company, I therefore immediately thought of Bugsy Malone - hoping the kids would love the music, style and 'sass' of this 1920's musical together with the hilarious slapstick comedy - as much as I did!”

Van G