Ipswich Remembers review: A unique musical and theatrical experience

Wayne Savage

Published: 3:46 PM March 19, 2018 Updated: 8:53 PM October 11, 2020

Ipswich Remembers, performed by Ipswich Choral Society and DanceEast. Picture: MATTHEW CLARKE - Credit: Archant

A fair number of hardy souls braved the wintry conditions and attended this unique production.

Ipswich Remembers, performed by Ipswich Choral Society and DanceEast. Picture: MATTHEW CLARKE - Credit: Archant

A multimedia and inclusive event, it was a collaboration between Ipswich Choral Society and DanceEast, recalling in this centenary year the contributions Ipswich made to Queen and country in the 1914-18 conflict.

Thus we heard songs and poems new and old, interpreted for us in a number of dance styles from contemporary to Morris. I feel sure I was not the only one who shed a tear during the anthemic Abide with Me, which closed the first half of the performance.

After the interval, Ipswich Choral Society performed Howard Goodall’s Requiem, but with a difference. The music and text were simultaneously interpreted in movement, adding another dimension to an already rich theatrical experience.

ICS continues to flourish under the baton of Robin Walker, providing an impressive vocal blend, good technique and a great deal of musicality.

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I suspect not enough people know what a gem we have in DanceEast and the impressive work it does. The choreography of Mary Davies and her team matched the music most effectively, with a fine emotional charge. The whole was a musical and theatrical experience unique in this writer’s experience.

Congratulations to all who took part in this most exciting piece of theatre.