Come From Away - Koorliny Arts Centre (15 November 2024)

Where were you when...? 

The question that is asked when something of global significance has happened, usually catastrophic. The terrorist attacks on 11 September 2001 - 9/11 - changed the world forever. It led to three wars - Afghanistan, Iraq, and the so-called 'War on Terror'; ushered in mass surveillance of citizens under the Patriot Act with far-reaching implications beyond the US as Edward Snowden's revelations revealed; dramatically changed air travel protocols; with certain political elements using it to ratchet up anti-Muslim sentiment and the 'othering' of so many innocent people that continues to this day.

It was a Tuesday night in Perth when those planes hit the World Trade Center. They cut into an episode of The West Wing no less to report on the developing story. The images were, and remain, unspeakably shocking. 

Imagine if the answer to "Where were you when...?" was sitting in a plane diverted to Canada as the FAA shut down US airspace. Or, a resident of the town of Gander in Newfoundland where that plane and 37 others were incoming with some 7000 passengers. This is the true life premise for Come From Away. 

Why this is so compelling is that amongst the swirl of massive geopolitical implications that would define the beginning of a new century, a quintessentially human story is told. A story about compassion and empathy; about fear and uncertainty; about grace under pressure; about finding humour and connection even in the darkest of circumstances. It is in many ways a joyous story which has, by necessity, an underlying sadness. These are ordinary people - from around the world - caught up in an extraordinary moment.

Enough of the preamble as I'm burying the lede. Koorliny won the rights to stage the Western Australian amateur premiere and it's clear they know how special this property is. The attention to detail and execution on opening night is exceptional. I had not seen Come From Away before but knew something memorable was brewing after thunderous applause by a capacity audience greeted the end of opening number Welcome To The Rock. 

From there the production moves at a relentless pace. Yes, a fire alarm caused a brief show stop. By then the cast, musicians, and all involved had built up such good will that it didn't dampen the audience's enthusiasm at all. Well done to co-director Katherine Freind for clearly explaining what had happened to put everyone at ease. Then we were off again on a rollercoaster of emotions which culminated in a spontaneous standing ovation at final bows and raucous appreciation of the band as they played us out. I've not seen a surge of genuine affection like that in a long, long time. 

Thing is, they deserved it and then some. 

Let's start with the band. The band! They played the hell out of the infectious score that had me toe-tapping along happily. Take a bow Musical Director Kate McIntosh (Keyboard) and musicians Ben Clapton (Fiddle), Talitha Broughton (Whistles & Flute), Emily Ranford (Guitar), Christian Ingram (Bass Guitar), Nikki Gray (Drums & Percussion), and Dylan Randall (Ugly Stick). The music informs and enhances so much of the emotion and humour, played with such spirit. I loved that Clapton, Ranford and Randall were onstage during certain numbers adding a sense of community and vitality. 

All the production and design elements. The rustic set design (Stephen Carr) that captured the unusual and remote feel of Gander. The lighting design (Kat Brieden) that focussed my attention and highlighted characters and moments with clarity, so important with such a frantic pace. The sound design (Jonathan Hoey) that allowed that score and vocals to shine while letting scenes of high emotion breathe. The choreography by co-director Allen Blachford using diverse configurations of wooden chairs to depict everything from planes to buses to the interior of various town settings. An elaborate dance that was precise and playful when it needed to be. Costume consultant Melissa Kelly not only having to distinguish between locals and 'plane people' but plotting the hand-off of costume elements with the cast playing multiple characters. Prop designer Rebecca Foottit adding quirkiness as well as all the practical elements as the townsfolk realise the scope of what needs to be done. A cohesive team effort that created an awesome space for the cast to perform.

And perform they did. The cast of twelve hit the ground running and don't let up. There is an enthusiasm that is palpable from the opener and a respect for the stories based on real people. Strands and pairings slowly emerge along with featured roles. This is only a snippet of all the characters the cast bring vividly to life - Diane (Gillian Binks) and Nick (Colan Leach) starting a tentative yet sweet relationship; Beulah (Lucy Eyre) and Hannah (Mahali) forming a bond over their firefighter sons; Kevin (Tadhg Lawrence) and Kevin (Bailey Bridgman-Peters) whose relationship is buffeted by different reactions to their predicament. Maree Cole's Bonnie who's concerned with the welfare of the animals that were on those planes; Neil Young as the Mayor powering through to do what must be done; Phoebe Tempra's Janice as the novice reporter overwhelmed by the magnitude of what's happened; Rea Selepe's Bob who is initially more worried about being in 'redneck' territory; and Jason Nettle as Oz, a police constable on the island. Shannon Payette Seip is the trailblazing airline pilot Beverley Bass. They are all excellent - acting-wise and vocally while working seamlessly together as a company.  

Highlights are everywhere from the opening number to Mahali's superb rendition of I Am Here to Prayer led by Lawrence; Payette Seip's Me and the Sky; Young leading us into Screech In and so on. 

Directors Katherine Freind and Allen Blachford have crafted a marvellous production in all facets. It's the best community theatre musical I've seen since 2015's A Man of No Importance. A must see.

Come From Away is on at the Koorliny Arts Centre in Kwinana until 30 November. 

Cast pictures by Outatime Pictures 

Sleeping Beauty - Zealous Productions (20 December 2023)

On the drive home after a fun night at the theatre my mind wanders to two topics. One is how savvy Zealous Productions and Founder/Creative Director Dixie Johnstone are when it comes to staging these big, end-of-year pantomimes; the other is the wonderful impact they have on their audience. The two go hand in hand and there's no doubt that the Christmastime panto is making a mark on the Perth theatrical scene. Let's start with the savvy...

First and foremost they feature top line talent both onstage and off. Yes, the shows may be silly in nature but the creative skill involved is formidable. Then there's the commitment to local talent but also nurturing the next generation of stars with a willingness to cast performers who've only graduated from WAAPA mere weeks ago in key roles. In this case, Cameron Taylor who plays Prince Frederick the First of Fremantle... son of King Kevin the Kourageous of Kwinana, obviously. 

Stage the shows at the Regal Theatre in Subiaco, a big venue that will attract big crowds as the quality of the production makes itself apparent with the right content at the right time of year. Ratchet everything up to eleven from the choreography (Allen Blachford) to the lighting (Richard Timms), the costuming (Katie Elizabeth Williams) and wigs & makeup (Manuao Teatonga), the choice of musical numbers, the eagerness to embrace the silliness and engage an audience of all ages, and, perhaps most notably, have fun doing it. In all this Sleeping Beauty is a major success. 

The roster of talent is undeniable and there's clearly a core group of trusted creatives and performers the company keep returning to. For good reason. They're bloody good at what they do. Brendan Hanson who played one of the 'ugly step-sisters' in Cinderella two years ago is back as director this time. He knows the rhythms and key beats of any good pantomime and plays up to those elements with aplomb. The call and response is set up early. The positioning of key items on stage and their significance is made clear. The good and evil of it all is established with clarity. Hanson also sets up the eighties vibe from the get go with a Cyndi Lauper classic that acts almost as a mission statement for the show. Girls, goblins, princes, fairies, evil sidekicks, and Cameron from the front row all just wanna have fun.  

Musical Director and Arranger Joshua James Webb runs with the retro theme to deliver the perfect mix tape of well-known songs tailor made for the vocal talent he has on hand. And, oh my goodness, what voices they are, crisply presented with sound design by Michael Fletcher. Amongst all the zaniness there comes a time when a gem emerges and here it's A Thousand Years by Christina Perri that is beautifully sung by Taylor and Joshua Firman. But such interludes of quiet introspection are rare because there are aisles to be danced in and wands to be waved to a diet of classics such as You Can't Hurry Love, The Loco-motion, a wonderful mashup of Aretha Franklin's Think and Respect by the duelling fairies Fairy Nuff (Maree Cole) and Carabosse (Elethea Sartorelli), Time Warp, Holding Out For A Hero, and many more before we end with a Wham classic (don't worry Whamageddon devotees, you're safe) and a Christmas staple. My favourite was the arrangement of I Put A Spell On You, a song perhaps made most famous by Nina Simone, that Sartorelli makes her own in the most delightful of character driven ways.

There is an embarrassment of riches with the whole cast - Amy Fortnum looks and sounds divine as Princess Beauty and has a wonderful sequence with Firman during a quintessential 80s movie song. Maree Cole establishes and maintains the fun tone immediately with her good fairy. Sartorelli is glorious as the evil fairy who reminded me of Frau Blucher from Young Frankenstein... if Blucher held a twenty one year old grudge and owned a schpinning veel. Firman is a crowd favourite as the loyal court jester who mysteriously turns into John Howard a hundred years hence before regaining his vim. Timothy How revels in one of pantomime's great traditions playing Queen Doreen with imperious scorn, never more so than when puns fall flat which is bound to happen when they're being fired off with machinegun regularity. Taylor prances around as any brave prince should while Tate Bennett slinks in evildom as Lurgy. They're supported by an excellent ensemble that enhance the energy and crowd interaction. Props too for ZP's regular band of Webb, Jarrad Van Dort, Tommi Flamenco & Alex Barker. 

As for the second part, the impact? This is where a little magic happened. I ended up talking to a lovely woman from a remote country town in South Australia who had brought along her young daughter to see the show. They were in Perth for a fortnight and had never been to a theatre production before. To watch her daughter dancing in the aisle, waving a fairy wand (purchased at interval), and to see the beaming smile on her face was absolutely priceless. She wanted to meet the cast and outside I saw her having a picture taken with Sartorelli and Cole, still in character, in another smart move by the company. There was a long queue down Rokeby Road of children with their parents waiting to do the same. What a gift for that young girl and what memories she might always retain. That is why shows like this are so vital and alive. I hope you remember it for a long time, Letty!

Sleeping Beauty runs right up until Christmas Eve with 1pm and 6pm shows each day. 

Ladies Who Wait - Off The Wall Productions (17 August 2023)

My apologies King Henry VIII but the zeitgeist has well and truly turned against you. Taylor Swift's Eras Tour is elevating her to global icon status; Barbie is girlbossing the box office with Greta Gerwig and Margot Robbie's stars on the ascendancy; and the Matildas have captivated the hearts of a nation. No time for your beheading histrionics, Your Majesty! And so it is with the original black comedy Ladies Who Wait where Henry is but a painting on the wall as three of his wives, two of his offspring, and the most unlikely duo of ladies-in-waiting take centre stage.   

Playwright Yvette Wall has taken what started life as a 10 minute short play and developed it into a full two act production which is to be commended. I can't say that it entirely worked for me as the humour is very broad, however, there are elements that I enjoyed and with further tweaks the play will continue to evolve. 

There's a nice premise here - two Baldrickesque figures are foisted on, firstly, Anne Boleyn (Emily Howe) the day before her execution and, some twenty years later, they attend to Queen Mary 1 (Jennifer McGrath) who struggles to give fake birth to a fake baby (fake news!). Along the way they are assailed by the ghost of Catherine of Aragon (McGrath), and visited by Jane Seymour and later Lady Elizabeth, soon to be Queen Elizabeth I, both played by Maree Cole. Oh, and there's the Ken of his day, the guard Roger (David Wall) who, on occasion, shuffles in and out mostly bewildered by antics far above his pay grade.  

Which is where a lot of the comedy is generated as our two presumptive heroines Alice (Colleen Bradford) and Agnes (Fiona Forster) play lowly commoners who by happenstance come to be in the presence of royalty with all its politics, pretence, and false grandeur. Nothing like a sharp tongue and tart retort to burst the bubble of the high and mighty. 

There's no doubt Bradford and Forster work exceedingly hard to generate laughs but it felt somewhat hit and miss for mine with a bit too much repetition. There are plenty of crass gags, fart jokes, modern slang, swearing for shock value, and a fair amount of shrieking. They bounce off each other well - Forster with such an expressive face and Bradford playing it a little more slyly - but it's so over-the-top at times that I wanted some introspection or quieter moments of astute observation. More dagger than cudgel or, in the vernacular of the play, more long sword than blunt axe. I did like their old age make-up, wig, and costumes in the second act which were quite striking and sold the time difference well. 

Emily Howe gives her Anne Boleyn a suitably regal air which is aided immeasurably by a clear, theatrical voice which I was quite struck by as the play begins. She plays it mostly straightlaced until Anne is cajoled by her ladies-in-waiting to give the baying crowd some what for. 

Jennifer McGrath is given free rein by director Gino Cataldo to play both Catherine and Mary as larger-than-life figures - the former as a haughty Spanish ghost with an impressive monobrow; the latter as overly needy and whiny. Again, with Agnes, Alice and Catherine/Mary all pitched at such heightened levels the play can be overwhelming, especially if you're sitting in the front row where you're only a metre away from the screeching at times.

Then there's Maree Cole who shines in both her roles with an eye-opening transition from her oblivious Jane Seymour in the first act to the practical and forthright Elizabeth in the second. Cole brings a lovely, light touch to Jane which makes the character instantly likeable and supplies the variation in comic delivery that was welcomed. It's her Elizabeth though that is a standout and changes the dynamic of the production. I loved the robust costume which reinforced the sheer competence and, well, Protestant nature of Elizabeth who calls out her half-sister's nonsense as Mary pretends to give birth. 

There's a stretch when things settle down and Elizabeth and Mary engage in a truly dramatic exchange that caught my attention. This encapsulates what is a pivotal moment in British history as the half-sisters - one Protestant, the other Catholic - battle for the soul of their nation. It's the highlight of the play for mine, in terms of performance and the potential for developing the premise further.

All that's left is for our heroines to enjoy their strawberries and wine as Elizabeth departs to become another global icon for the ages.

Mentions to lighting designer Virginia Moore Price for the nice flourish accentuating moments of suggested violence; the costumes from Hustle and Bustle Costumes and Colleen Bradford; the set artwork of Ursula Kotara, in particular the paintings of Henry and (amusedly altered) Catherine; and it's an unusually classy program by White Mouse Design. 

The play runs until 26 August in the Studio space at the Subiaco Arts Centre. In heartening news for an independent production of an original script it is sold out for the rest of its run.