On March 22, a visitor from outside might have been surprised by seeing an array of students in costume, ranging from Pinocchio to the Ugly Sisters and many other disparate characters from childhood stories and nursery rhymes, wending their way to the Vale Verde International School’s theatre.
The connection was a very lively staged production of ‘The Jolly Postman’, an interactive children’s book of the 1980s. The students, ably and patiently directed by Mr. Victor Torcato, put on a first-class bilingual performance, all the more impressive given the mix of nationalities where in many cases, neither English nor Portuguese are the mother tongue.
Ralph Keenan as the postman fulfilled the role with clear diction and energy. There was a rousing chorus from the cast of the Humpty Dumpty Rap whilst Marianna Clarke playing The Donkey gave a beautiful rendition of ‘I believe I can fly’.
During the interval, the Year 7 Band entertained the audience with a variety of instrumental items and some very robust singing.
In the second part of the production, Years 5+6 gave a splendid performance of Lewis Carroll’s ‘Alice in Wonderland’. This ageless classic was tackled with verve and enthusiasm by the whole cast and whilst it would be impossible to mention the strengths of all those who took part, Kristina Torcato proved excellent in the role of Alice both in her acting and singing.
After the performance, proud parents mingled with their children for refreshments.
