WAAPA Music Theatre Showstoppers (9 February 2015)

Take the cast of Les Miserables, half of whom are WAAPA graduates; their musical director Geoffrey Castles along with four other members of the orchestra; throw in a little star power with event patron Ben Elton; add the enthusiasm and organisational skills of Eponine herself (Kerrie Anne Greenland) and you end up with what can only be described as a spectacular fundraising concert at the Geoff Gibbs Theatre. The sheer magnitude of talent on display was breathtaking.

The number 30 was a significant one for the evening. WAAPA’s world renowned musical theatre course turns thirty this year and what a way to kick off yearlong celebrations by showcasing so many of their graduates. 2015 also marks the 30^th anniversary of the original West End production of Les Miserables. Obviously the only sensible thing to do was to celebrate 30 years of musical theatre with a roster of thir--, um, 16 songs. (I suppose 30 songs was asking too much!)  

The fundraising aspect involves WAAPA hosting the Musical Theatre Educator’s Alliance Conference in the middle of this year, the first time it has been held in the southern hemisphere. What with the launching of the Jackman-Furness Foundation last year and now this conference it’s an exciting time for the Academy.

To the show and we are greeted by our hosts Kerrie Anne Greenland, Lara Mulcahy, Rodney Dobson and Ben Hall with a rousing rendition of Live in Living Colour from Catch Me If You Can. The tone is set early with plenty of light-hearted banter, Mulcahy in particular proving adept at the witty one-liner and adroit comic timing. A post musical theatre career as a stand-up comedienne beckons!

There then followed a series of songs which was quite the eclectic mix with musicals as diverse as Phantom of the Opera to City of Angels, and Parade to Dr. Zhivago represented. What I loved though is that members of the ensemble were given equal opportunity to shine and you quickly come to realise the firepower a production like Les Miserables has. Every member of the cast is a fabulously gifted performer in their own right. The show as a whole was brilliant across the board but some of my highlights were:

Lisa Sontag and Matthew Heyward worked wonderfully well together in a funny performance of That Face from The Producers. This is given a reprise of sorts when Lara and Ben decide to interview them about what it’s like to be an understudy on Les Mis. Oh the jealousy you have to endure, Lara, the jealousy!

Mischana Dellora Cornish and Ben Hall crushed Rita’s Confession from The Lucky Stiff with Cornish especially impressive in a virtuoso performance.

While the ensemble cast members were relishing the spotlight Simon Gleeson and Hayden Tee reminded everyone why they are the headline stars of Les Mis (as Jean Valjean and Javert respectively) with a superb rendition of Lily’s Eyes from The Secret Garden. The power and control from both is simply first class.

Joshua Robson followed with a powerful Bui Doi from Miss Saigon backed by some eleven of his male colleagues. The massed voices made for a riveting aural experience.

Likewise, Chloe Zuel was supported by her female colleagues as she brought plenty of sass to a boisterous performance of Raise Your Voice from Sister Act.

Patrice Tipoki gave the penultimate performance with a stirring Defying Gravity from Wicked before Ben Elton was called onstage to share his thoughts about the importance of WAAPA in developing future generations of musical theatre stars.

It was therefore a treat to see the second and third year students onstage for the finale of One Day More. What was even better was when they moved to the front of the stage as if being anointed by their celebrated predecessors. The combined might of the Les Miserables cast plus some forty students singing the crowd pleasing song ensured a standing ovation as the show closed.

Some other thoughts:

The five piece orchestra was excellent. Well done to Geoffrey Castles (Piano), Laura Tipoki (Keyboard), Katherine Gillon (Keyboard), Anna Pokorny (Cello) and Bronton Ainsworth (Drums). 

  

The humour and genuine camaraderie throughout the show elevated this to something quite special.

I am contractually obligated to mention (because I told her I would!) that Kerrie Anne Greenland gave a “Cher-like performance” with at least 6 costume changes on the night.

It was a delight to briefly talk to some of the performers afterwards including Kerrie Anne, the elegant Elisa Colla, and Simon Gleeson who simply can’t shake Javert forced to sing opposite him even in concert! 

Likewise, it’s always a pleasure chatting to some of the WAAPA students whose year commenced today. What an inspiring and perhaps daunting experience tonight was for them. This is the bar they have their sights set on as they continue the extensive, world class training at the Academy.

This was a magical night and a timely reminder of the power of musical theatre at its very best to move and enthral us.  

Gasp! - Black Swan State Theatre Company & Queensland Theatre Company (25 October 2014)

Excited chatter went around the Heath Ledger Theatre as people realised that Ben Elton was in the audience for the opening preview of his play Gasp! The director Wesley Enoch gave a brief introduction including the right to stop the play at any stage if there were technical difficulties. Thankfully this wasn’t required as the performance went smoothly with opening night scheduled for this Wednesday.

Gasp! is a reworking of Elton’s first professional play (originally called Gasping) and has been reimagined specifically in an Australian context. It is a satire about the absurdity and ethical vacuum of big business as even air is commodified for profit. Great for those who can afford this designer air, not so good for the poor who slowly suffocate. 

The cast is made up of Greg McNeill as Chifley Lockheart, head of a resources company that has mined most of Australia and sent it offshore to the Chinese. Steven Rooke plays a seven figure executive, Sandy, who toadies up to the boss at every opportunity and lords over the six figure number two, Phillip (Damon Lockwood). Phillip has his heart set on asthma-ridden Peggy (Lucy Goleby) whose respiratory ailments give him the idea for Suck ‘n’ Blow, a device that sucks in the air, purifies it, and blows it back into classy establishments. But as Caroline Brazier’s high powered marketing executive, Kirsten, excels in selling this designer air, suddenly consumers are hording it until finally oxygen itself is just another product. The power of global market forces ensures it quickly becomes out of reach of the masses to devastating consequences.

The cast is excellent. Lockwood impresses as the man who wants to prove himself not only in the company but to the girl he tried to kiss ‘on the oval’. I have some issues about his character’s arc but this is otherwise a very engaging performance. McNeill has great fun as the blustering corporate heavyweight and gives a cheeky turn in more ways than one. Rooke has a difficult role as his character is largely a device to generate conflict and obstacles for Phillip but he does it well. Brazier gives the ballsy ad executive an air of supreme confidence and sexiness that works in direct contrast to perhaps the key role, Goleby’s Peggy. She plays the moral compass of the play with a natural charm that grounds proceedings as every other character deals in hyperbole and one-upmanship.  

Enoch’s curious introductory remarks make much more sense when you see the technical ingenuity of the set where sliding sections of stage floor meant scene changes were quick, seamless, and inventive. There is also a large screen on the back wall where images and charts are projected to give this a real visual flair. The recreation of an executive steam room was particularly well done. There was only one moment where Lockwood was left in darkness at the beginning of a scene a few beats too long but being most adept at improvisation his winking nods to the audience kept things moving nicely. There were some minor timing issues but that will shake out over the run as the cast adjusts to where unexpected or prolonged laughs and spontaneous bursts of applause land.

Then there is the writing. Blackadder certainly was a formative sitcom as I was growing up and that style of humour is replete here, especially throughout the first act. Witty and cutting asides on topics and persons of derision are trademarks but at times it felt like Elton was too eager to please a hometown audience. The local references are fast and furious and there is an immediacy that instantly dates this version. The mining industry and figures such as Gina Rinehart, Clive Palmer, Twiggy Forrest and Rupert Murdoch are easy targets as is the obligatory Abbott jab. Then there’s a host of pop culture references including the Kardashians, the Minogues, and even a Russell Crowe gag. Sure, it’s funny but at times felt strained.

Enoch had also mentioned that the creative team would be watching audience reactions as they calibrated the show and performances. This becomes notable in the second act where there was an early sequence where the humour became questionable especially in relation to women and there was an outburst regarding indigenous Australians that had me gasping but for all the wrong reasons. It was in keeping with the character’s viewpoint but the fact it went unchallenged was a concern. The mood of the audience noticeably shifted and it was an uncomfortable stretch for a while.

The second act is problematic because the dilemma set up for Phillip is whether he’ll stay beholden to the company or follow his conscience as pricked by Peggy. At times he seems to resist the manipulations of Lockheart but then is complicit in the larger horror of the ruthless extension of the air industry. So Phillip’s moral compass wavers all over the place whereas it called for a more natural progression. Peggy’s fate is dealt with in perfunctory fashion which felt odd as she should have been the moral bedrock in any decision Phillip made. The ending acts only as that – an end to the play. It comes out of left field and is thematically disturbing – the only action to take in the face of a rapacious and out-of-control business conglomerate is one so extreme as to be horrifying on many levels. Yes, this is satire but it was too much of a dark twist for mine. In the words of the play, it needed another ‘dog turd’ to bring out the absurdity in the fabric of the premise.

Having said that, there is a lot to like here - very strong performances, a great set and, especially in the first half, the trademark sense of humour that has made Ben Elton a household name. However, it will be interesting to discover whether Messrs’ Enoch, Elton and co were indeed listening to the mood of the audience early in the second act as the lady sitting next to me openly pondered as the lights came up.

Gasp! opens on Wednesday night at the State Theatre Centre and runs until 9 November. Written by Ben Elton and Directed by Wesley Enoch it stars Damon Lockwood, Greg McNeill, Caroline Brazier, Lucy Goleby and Steven Rooke.

Blackadder the Third - Serial Productions (5 October 2014)

Serial Productions and the Old Mill Theatre appear to have concocted a cunning plan, more cunning than a fox that has majored in cunning and decided to enact a plan so full of guile and cunningness that it would stump a master criminal. Following last year’s by-all-accounts successful run of Blackadder Goes Forth these clever chaps have decided to put on the Third iteration of the popular sitcom. At this backwards rate, 2017 should see a stonking good production of Not The Nine O’Clock News. Yes, I have been a fan of Rowan Atkinson’s for some time. Throw in a little Ben Elton - though size isn’t all that important here - and some Richard Curtis and you’re pretty much guaranteed to have more fun than that time Hugh Laurie used to be a comedian.

Edmund Blackadder, the scheming, conniving butler in early 19th century London who suffers in the service of a Regent so foppish he makes Hugh Grant’s hairdo look like a crew-cut, labours away doing what he does best – scheming and conniving with trademark acerbic wit. He is assisted in this by his dogsbody Baldrick in much the same way engine failure assists aircraft fly. The acting Regent, George, the Prince of Wales, really is a decent chap though he is a few swizzle sticks short of a jolly good cocktail party. Together they navigate the treacherous waters of anarchists, overblown actors, transvestite highwaymen, destitution, and the Duke of Wellington’s wrath among other things.

Okay, down to business. Blackadder is an iconic character and Atkinson’s shoes are formidable ones to fill. I wasn’t convinced at first but Joe Isaia slowly won me over and is very good as the narky butler. The putdowns and snide remarks are all there and Isaia uses a lot of the same inflections but didn’t quite nail the scorn behind the words. No shame there – Atkinson is the absolute master of the cutting aside. Isaia is front and centre pretty much for the whole four acts and works particularly well with Rodney van Groningen’s George.

And what a George it is. Originally played by Hugh Laurie in the television series this is another challenge for any actor but van Groningen, who was excellent as Bottom in A Midsummer Night’s Dream earlier in the year, is the standout here. His George is preening, childlike, naïve and stupid with some lovely moments of physical comedy as well. Keith Scrivens’ Baldrick, however, was oddly a little flat for me. His infamous “cunning plans” (yes, thank you to the gentleman sitting behind me on pointing them out lest the audience and I were under the misapprehension we were attending some strange re-imagining of The King and I) didn’t elicit the sort of craftiness and glee that I had hoped.

In support was Jacqui Warner as Mrs. Miggins with Natalie Watson and Brendan Tobin in minor roles. Michael Lamont played several characters, notably Samuel Johnson and the mad Scot, McAdder while Clare Fazackerley Wood had fun with the duality of Amy Hardwood, initially the source of George’s misguided affections who is later revealed to be a notorious robber. Finally, the director himself, David Gregory has a featured role as the Duke of Wellington in what was the last and best of the four acts, Duel and Duality.

This is where the source material is paramount – this isn’t a coherent play with a single through line narrative, rather four episodes of the show presented as individual acts. Even the running order has been changed – episodes 4 and 5 presented as Acts 1 and 2 with episodes 2 and 6 performed after intermission. The production lands on a suitable ending though the episodic nature detracts a little from the overall experience.

The other stars are the costumes which are fabulous and appropriately gaudy for the period where needed; and especially the set which is a marvel. Not one but TWO revolving sets, one taking up a third of the stage, the other twice the size. I may be no mathematician but that pretty much covered the entire available space. They worked so smoothly like rotating things that revolved on their axis in a circular motion creating the illusion of multiple sets and quick transitions. It really was well thought out and executed most impressively.

This is a slick presentation of a beloved television show, one that really hits its stride in the second half. Directed by David Gregory and written by Ben Elton and Richard Curtis, it stars Joe Isaia, Keith Scrivens, Rodney van Groningen, Jacqui Warner, Michael Lamont, David Gregory, Clare Fazackerley Wood, Brendan Tobin and Natalie Watson and is on at the Old Mill Theatre in South Perth until 11 October.