Christmas Show – Ho Ho! – An evening of sparkle with special guests Go Vocal and Junior FR
by Julia Macnamara
The excitement had been building for weeks as Fascinating Rhythm, the ladies’ a cappella singing group, prepared for their Christmas show.
Teamwork was key as the 40-strong chorus worked seamlessly to bring the show together, which included performances from their friends in the Gloucestershire-based group Go Vocal and the wonderful Junior Fascinating Rhythm (JFR).
So much work had gone on behind the scenes to bring this kind of show together, from planning the set to managing the PR—designing posters and organising distribution, along with plenty of social media activity to raise awareness.
Joint-Chair Anne-marie Collier had great fun creating mini videos for a “12 Days of Christmas” countdown, which were faithfully shared on social media every day leading up to the big day. Anne-marie said,
“We had a fun evening dressing up and taking photos and videos for our social media campaign. It was a pleasure putting the videos together. We received so much great feedback from people who saw them—and I hope my work, along with all the other PR efforts, paid off because, on the night, we had a full house!”
Meanwhile, Kitty Davies created amazing visuals to accompany the performances. These visuals, projected throughout the evening to introduce acts and songs, encapsulated the essence of the songs and acts beautifully. The addition of a glitter ball brought even more sparkle and Christmas cheer to the event!
Thanks to Carole Waters and her team, the stage looked magnificent, decked out with lights, Christmas crackers, wonderful presents, and even a snowy fringe along the edge.
A Grand Draw and refreshments were a must, and a dedicated team worked hard to ensure snacks and drinks were available during the interval. The Grand Draw prizes were stunning and beautifully arranged by Ali Jack, with donations from the chorus and local businesses. Proceeds from the draw amounted to nearly £700—a fantastic sum that will be donated to Off the Record, a Bristol and South Gloucestershire-based charity supporting children and young people with mental health difficulties.
Joint-Chair Jane Sawyer said,
“Well done, everyone—this was a great night with so much to be proud of. The staging looked fabulous, and so many people congratulated FR on their singing—I was even asked when the next concert would be!”
Anne-marie added,
“We are very grateful to everyone who worked so hard to make the evening run smoothly and to our audience who contributed so generously towards our fundraising for OTR.”
The first half of the show allowed Fascinating Rhythm to showcase some of their favourite songs, including the lively opener “Don’t Stop Me Now” by Queen, “City of Stars” from La La Land, and “Sway” by Dean Martin.
Go Vocal joined us on stage for a joint performance of “One Day Like This” by Elbow. It was no mean feat fitting nearly 100 people on stage, but the audience loved it and even joined in singing at the end—it felt almost like Glastonbury! They then went on to sing a selection of popular songs, which delighted the audience.
Next, Junior Fascinating Rhythm (JFR) performed a shortened version of Roald Dahl’s Cinderella. A full performance of this wickedly funny musical had been performed by the group in October. It was directed by FR’s Deputy MD Wendy Howse, with producer support from Anna and Derek Marshall (a JFR parent). The group delivered a magnificent performance. There’s so much talent in the group; they held the audience in the palm of their hands and left the stage to rapturous applause and a standing ovation.
Wendy said,
“What a concert—I will never forget that standing ovation. The girls were amazing; they just owned it and fed off the audience, who were laughing all the way through.”
She added,
“Anna, you are truly a legend—writing an abridged version, shortening the songs, and providing the backing track with Derek’s support for JFR and Go Vocal. We are so lucky to have you—thank you from the bottom of my heart!”
In the second half, Go Vocal opened with a moving tribute to one of their members, who had sadly passed away very recently. They performed three more songs, including Elton John and Ed Sheeran’s “Merry Christmas,” with JFR joining them for the chorus. The audience were now well and truly warmed up due to the energy of Go Vocal’s performance and superb direction from Linda Corcoran (MD). There was plenty of audience participation, and they provided a truly sparkling performance to open the second half.
JFR then performed three beautiful Christmas songs, again captivating the audience with their harmonies.
As the evening drew to a close, Fascinating Rhythm returned to the stage for their Christmas set. They performed nostalgic carols and festive songs, including a fun rendition of “The Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy,” arranged by Jeff Funk, which involved hilariously bobbing on the word “plum.”
The chorus debuted two new carols: “Silent Night,” beautifully arranged by Pete Nugent (Nooj), and “The Holly and the Ivy,” a lively arrangement by Kirby Shaw, which had the audience tapping their feet merrily.
The evening ended with “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas,” sending the audience home full of warmth and Christmas cheer.
One audience member commented the next day,
“You can always tell a good concert when the evening just flies by—thank you to you and all your lovely ladies. It was brilliant!”
MD Jo Thorn summed it up perfectly, saying,
“A wonderful evening with wonderful people—well done, everyone!”
