THEATRE lovers were transported back to a Prohibition speakeasy for an immersive performance to remember.
The audience was at the centre of the action as Barnard Castle School students staged the musical Bugsy Malone.
Four packed houses had to dodge the splurge guns as the performers fought bitter gangland battles in the Alan Parker classic.
Young actors had just three weeks to rehearse during one of the school’s busiest terms as they shared their time with exams, foreign visits, sports fixtures and other productions.
Director Scott Edwards said: “It’s a miracle the show went as well as it did given the cast’s other commitments. But it is something I have always wanted to stage as it was my first ever leading role when I was 14 and has always held a special place in my heart.
“It has been a mammoth task and the students have really risen to the challenge. It was cast in January but we only began rehearsals three weeks ago, but their unbridled enthusiasm more than carried them through and the audiences loved the shows. Some of the students even performed in the orchestra, in a pit at the back of the speakeasy, but then appeared as characters on stage.”
