Film & Theatre, Reviews | Posted on February 20th, 2026 | return to news

REVIEW: Kipps the Musical

Flash, Bang, Wallop – what a show! ‘Kipps, the New Half a Sixpence Musical’, performed by Ringwood School, The Barn.

By Sarah Graham

On Saturday 7 February, we went to go see ‘Kipps, the New Half a Sixpence Musical’ performed by Ringwood School at The Barn in Ringwood. Overall summary? Wow!

On many occasions throughout the show, we ‘forgot’ that this production was put on by a school and its students. The standard of the show was incredible high — it easily could have been a professional touring company!

Starting with the tech, set and music. The Barn itself is an impressive venue — in the daytime it is the school hall, but in the evening it was transformed into a theatre, largely down to the impressive lighting system and raked seating.

All the sets and tech were managed by students at the school — a big shout out to them for their impressive work, clever scenery (including magic panels which were swapped seamlessly) and efficient stage management. The band was also excellent, bringing a level of grandeur with live music.

With over 70 student performers on stage, ranging from Year 7 (11 years old) to Year 13 (18 years old), this show had some impressive all-cast numbers — my favourite being the brilliant ‘Flash, Bang, Wallop!’. Each performer put in their all, with brilliant performances throughout.

The principal cast was exceptional, with impressive singing, acting and dancing from everyone. Notable shout outs to Seb Long who played the comic character Chitterlow brilliantly with wit and enthusiasm, getting many big laughs from the audience. Henry Taylor was convincing as the villain, James Walsingham, with impressive comic touches, especially when ‘playing’ the organ.

The three main actors, Jack Hosking-Ellis who played Kipps, Amber Stimpson who played Helen, and Amelia Stewart who played Ann Pornick, were also brilliant — their incredible singing, dancing and acting really stole the show.

We happened to go on awards night. You could see that every single cast member had put their hearts and souls into this production and how proud they were. Musical Director Ian Hawkins and Choreographer Helen Herson did an amazing job — what a show! We can’t wait for next year’s production.