Isle of Wight's Monster Mayhem Shanklin Theatre review

Act One followed two friends who had lost their way and wandered into what they thought was a monster-themed costume party.

Instead, it was the secret annual celebration of the creatures of the night – codenamed Mayhem. Here, the cast members played various roles as zombies, werewolves and vampires.

I loved the dance with the heads and there was a great choice of songs in Act One.

Act Two was the monster cabaret with a different line-up of acts in each of the two performances. Here, the performers chose their own pieces to showcase their talents – and the cabaret was hosted by Carl Harvey and Dominic Pope on both nights.

I saw Tuesday night’s performance and I thought all the performers were good, but I particularly liked Sam Michie singing Shiny, as well as Wendy Todd’s dance to Orinoco Flow.

First Act solo singer, Joanne Draper. (Image: Contributed.)

Everyone in the audience was clapping along when Trish Kent danced to Rivers of Babylon; and I thought Aaron Danvers Jukes’ martial arts demo was a perfect example of balance and poise.

It is always a pleasure to see Sarah Louise McEvoy dance and Catherine Coeshott enchanted the audience with an elegant dance routine, which included full splits.

Kim Reader did well with the song Love Me For A Reason, as did Matthew West with Just The Way You Are and Maggie Murthwaite with her rendition of My Way.

First Act's Sarah McEvoy and Jade Hornbuckle. (Image: Contributed.)

Audience participation is key, and Rachel Stone and Dominic Pope stirred up the audience with the Ping Pong Ball song.

The whole cast delivered a mammoth finale in the shape of the song, I’m In Love With A Monster.

Although the cast members face a range of physical and mental challenges, they transform on the stage with the help of a dedicated team of able-bodied helpers, who guide them through some of the more complex scenes to produce a fun-filled show.