| OUR HOUSE Rotheram Adviser by Charlie Graves |
| “The play revolves around his life as he grows up and falls in love with Sarah (Miria Parvin) and unfolds in two parallel story lines that dramatically change his life forever.And it is these two in the lead roles who turn in very creditable performances. Difficult to believe, in fact, that this is Carswell's professional debut. He takes on the demanding role as the teenage tear away with commendable maturity. And he is ably supported by Finnish-born Parvin who, despite being a petite little thing, has a surprisingly strong voice” |
OUR HOUSE |
| “The central love story is utterly believable, helped by the two young leads who invest so much energy and freshness into the proceedings. Miria Parvin makes an excellent heroine, heartfelt and devoted but at the same time feisty and strong.” |
| OUR HOUSE Stagebeauty.com by Diane Parkes |
| “Miria Parvin, on the other hand, as Joe's on/off girlfriend Sarah is perfect in the role. A stunning blonde with a beautiful voice she provides one of the shows highlights with her powerful and touching rendition of "NW5", as well as sharing one of the show's most tender moments with Carswell in the aforementioned duet "It Must Be Love" |
| OUR HOUSE Birmingham101.com by Clive Fuller |
| “The principal actors Chris Carswell, making his professional debut as Joe Casey and West End experienced actress Miria Parvin as Sarah both made a huge impact with the audience and deserved the standing ovation which they and the whole show received.” |
| FOOTLOOSE Manchester Evening News by Natalie Anglesey |
| "The entire cast must be congratulated particularly Miria Parvin who plays Ariel, Ren's love interest..." |
| FOOTLOOSE Messenger Newspaper by Rick Bowen |
| "...Sherlock plays the main love interest who ends up hooking up with the small town's preacher's daughter, Ariel Moore, played by the lovely Miria Parvin. But this lady is not just a pretty face - she has one of the best voices you'll hear anywhere." |
| FOOTLOOSE Evening News (Edinburgh) by Martin Lennon |
| "The performances where outstanding, in particular Miria Parvin, easily the sexiest dancer of the cast as Ariel..." |
| FOOTLOOSE Yorkshire Post by Liz Coggins |
| "Miria Parvin, as Ariel, creates the transition from the sugary sweet-preacher's daughter to a feisty tempestuous teenage temptress with some slick, sexy dance routines." |
| FOOTLOOSE This Is Nottingham by Andy Smart |
| "Miria Parvin as Ariel not only sings numbers like Holding Out For A Hero superbly but touches hearts with acting skills which, it has to be said, not everyone was able to match" |
| FOOTLOOSE Stoubridge News |
| "However, beautiful Miria Parvin, as preacher's daughter Ariel, was impressive. She is a natural dancer with a fabulous voice and she had great chemistry with Boulton (Ren)." |
| SIDE
SHOW Spotlight on Musicals |
Meet the Siamese Twins Their colleagues who appeared in Side Show were blessed with a much better musical. Based on the true story of Siamese Twins Violet and Daisy Hilton, the show needs to be handled with great skill and sensitivity if it is not to descend into the type of freak show where the twins began their lives. The cast, all graduating from GSA Conservatoire this summer, showed a polish and maturity of performance that was a pleasure to behold. Theatrical agents who made the trip to Guildford would certainly have been able to add many young performers to their casting lists for future West End and touring productions. As the twins, Miria Parvin and Harriet Shore were brilliant as they sang and danced their way through the show seemingly joined at the hip. Although looking and dressing alike the two sisters had different personalities and each fell for a different man, parts needing sensitive acting skills which were displayed here in fine fashion. Adam Pearce and James Bisp were in good form as the two men who managed the girls? careers and became emotionally involved with them.. And as their life long friend Jonathan Payne combined a strong acting performance with his fine singing voice. Harriet Shore and Miria Parvin and the Hilton twins The progress of the twins from a sordid side show to the finest American vaudevilles circuits and Hollywood gave director/choreographer Gerry Tebbutt [who is Head of Performance at the school] ample scope for some dazzling and creative dance routines which were a joy to watch and amply displayed the talents of the full cast. This is an interesting musical with a great score. It deserves to be seen more often. It was a brave choice for the students of a theatre school but they handled it brilliantly. All of them could step straight into a West End production and grace it with their presence. |
| SIDE SHOW Ann St.Clair-Stannard |
This is a curious story about female Siamese twins born in 1908 who were sold by their unmarried mother to act as a sideshow, touring with circuses and carnivals from the age of three. There can be no doubt at all that this production is a smash hit, although when it was first presented on Broadway in 1997 it only played 112 performances. Perhaps this production is better or maybe in 1997 the time was not right. I would equate the music by Henry Krieger and the book and lyrics by Bill Russell with the work of Stephen Sondheim where almost the entire piece is sung. It cannot have been easy for the two young actresses, Miria Parvin [Violet] and Harriet Shore [Daisy], to give the impression of being joined at the hip throughout the show, but they achieved a tour de force with their enchanting singing voices and dancing skills. Surely the musical theatre course at the GSA Conservatoire must be the best, or at least one of the best, in the entire country. The dancing which Gerry Tebbutt also choreographed, was crisp and seemingly effortless. Costumes were lavish and sets were changed seamlessly by students doing their production course at the school. We are indeed fortunate to have this treasure house of theatrical talent in our midst. |
SIDE SHOW |
A musical about Siamese twins joined at the hip? It sounds distinctly non PC, not to say tasteless. And yet GSA Conservatoire's production of Side Show at Guildford Yvonne Arnaud Theatre was moving, entertaining and hugely theatrical. From the disturbing opening chorus of Come Look at the Freaks to the moving finale it's completely absorbing. Based on a true story, it covers a brief period in the lives of Siamese twins Daisy and Violet and their escape from the freak show into Vaudeville. More like an opera than a musical, Side Show has no dialogue and tells the story through song. One of the great strengths of the GSA Conservatoire lies in its ensemble work, and the chorus in this show is excellent, each character an individual and the sound they make in the concerted numbers is an impressive one. The two girls who play the conjoined twins are amazing, even managing to look identical. You expect musical theatre students to be able to dance, act and sing. Miria Parvin and Harriet Shore so all three beautifully, even managing a few dance routines while firmly attached to each other. Impressive performances both. The staging is imaginative and the costumes a riot of colour, spangles and sequins with one exotic number which has the chorus wielding so many feathers it looks like an explosion in an ostrich farm. From its disturbing opening chorus to the muted and sad finale Side Show was a winner. |
| SIDE SHOW Michael Moore, Head of Acting at GSA Conservatoire wrote on Side Show |
| Beautifully sustained work - technique, insight and ability well intergrated into a performance that sounded few if any false notes. This performance could hardly have been bettered and was without a doubt of a professional standard. |
I LOVE YOU, YOU'RE
PERFECT, NOW CHANGE! |
| Let's start with the Bridesmaid number - a tour de force! A study of painful pent-up frustration beautifully released at the climax of the number. This was just one of a set of hilarious characters presented to us by Miria. For every single one, she inhabited the part totally, on a technical level, accents, steps etc. Extremely accomplished and effortlessly done or at least that's how it appeared. Miria's intelligent , instinctive, sometimes wonderfully ‘off the wall' approach helped deliver a performance of exceptional variety and depth. On top of this ,what makes this actor even more special, is her ability to listen. In the scenes where she wasn't doing the talking she was giving some of her best work, and it was captivating to witness. Exceptional work |
CANDIDE |
| Miria always took her time, listened extremely well and was always completely focused. A truthful, lovely personality. |
I
LOVE YOU, YOU'RE PERFECT, NOW CHANGE! |
…this show brings together a cast of four to journey through the social fault lines of love and life. We get a frank excursion into the first date which included ‘ A Stud and A Babe' and ‘Single Man Drought', followed by a deceptively smooth examination of break- up' Hey there, Single Gal/Guy' with Lindsey Lauer and Nathan Kiley; Miria Parvin grabbed attention with ‘Always a Bridesmaid' while Samuel Reeves brought compelling focus to ‘ Shouldn't I be Less in Love With You'. The material provided by Di Pietro and Roberts makes differing demands on a young cast - fine when exploring optimism but arguably less so when revealing eroded self- confidence or quiet despair, elements which might be obscured with too much enthusiasm or an acrylic gloss coating. Director Russell Labey however, usefully melded high energy with choreographer Jill Francis but also brought contrasting maturity and stillness to a production that has genuine heart. I enjoyed the evening. I am told it is part of a Degree assessment. For cynical me I have to award First Class Honours. |