Simply brilliant performances ofHastings variety

John and Vanessa Pohlhammer together with 76 of The Hastings Stage Studio students showcased a dazzling show of dance and singing. Everything from Funk, to Tap, Ballet, Tango, Rock and more. And did we all love it!

John and Vanessa Pohlhammer drew on their extensive professional experience to create, direct and choreograph this jewel of a show. The costumes were superb and the backstage team must have really sweated to provide the slick and flawless costume and stage changes.

The stars of the evening were all the wonderfully talented young performers. From little children to the seniors, they were all well rehearsed and didn’t miss a step. Their singing and dancing skills were electric and far exceeded my expectations. Such dedication and hard work under the professional direction and highly creative efforts of John & Vanessa Pohlhammer were a perfect match.

All the performers deserve praise, but I especially enjoyed the Nintendo characters, Grandma’s Feather Bed, Chicago, Time to Say Goodbye, Newsies, Steam Heat, Hard Knock Life, We Came to Play, and the superb finale Lord of the Dance. I loved the rich harmonies throughout the show, and all of the solo vocalists were superb in both the stand-alone numbers as well as the solos within larger groups. A highlight of the show for me was 11-year-old Brandon Pohlhammer and his father John Pohlhammer tap dancing and singing ‘Me And My Shadow’ as a duo. Simply Brilliant!

You don’t have to go to London to experience top talent. Hastings is lucky to have its own jewel in The Hastings Stage Studio for our young people to enjoy and develop their skills and confidence. By M. Meakings