Theatregoing Year in Review - 2024 (Part Two - Practitioners)

Part of my evolution as a reviewer is continuing to learn more about all the technical roles that go into making a show work at an optimal level. My background is as a screenwriter so I have a pretty good handle on story and acting, however, at times, it leaves me a little weaker in other aspects. No, I'm not a theatre kid! Which, I believe, actually works in my favour in terms of being an outsider with no direct ties to the theatre world other than going to lots of shows and trying to write honestly about the experience.  

Thank you then to sound designer Michael Fletcher who met with me earlier in the year to give me a better insight into all the factors he needs to consider in making a production sound great. I also appreciate him taking the time to talk me through specific challenges like when he saw me at a tech rehearsal for Carrie.

Speaking of Carrie, thank you to now graduated stage management student Elysia Harris who I sat with to write a story for the Friends of the Academy before watching her call that tech rehearsal (and subsequent performance run) as deputy stage manager. Another insight into the makings of a great show.

I'm now probably going to disappoint you both by naming a lot of actors... but I'm trying to better understand the offstage aspects, I promise!

I also have an apology to make. I sometimes get tied up in faux rules about how to do these end of year write-ups which means I left off someone I shouldn't have last year which has subsequently nagged at me. Belated apologies to Patrick Volpe who had a sensational 2023 playing the title role in Sweeney Todd, Chuck Cranston in Footloose, and my favourite feline miscreant, Macavity, in Cats.  

To this year's theatre practitioners who caught the eye!

Kieran Ridgway (Director) - Evil Dead The Musical (Wanneroo Repertory)

What an auspicious directorial debut with Ridgway presenting an ingeniously over-the-top experience that clearly showed a deep affection for the material. 

Tara Oorjitham (Musical Director) - Young Frankenstein (Darlington Theatre Players)

Silhouetted at the rear of the stage, many patrons still believed it was a music track playing which is how good the orchestra was under Oorjitham's baton.

Solonje Burns (Performer) - Top Girls (GRADS)

A superb performance in a demanding role where Burns was nothing less than full tilt as she kept "running up hills" of the character's imagination and own circumstances. 

Anna Head (Performer) - The Deep Blue Sea (Melville Theatre Company)

"What a performance. Full of layers, complexity, and contradictions. Head plays her at times as bursting with emotion verging on the melodramatic and, at others, as repressing her true feelings whilst putting on a brace face."

Amy Fortnum (Performer/Producer) - She Loves Me (Western Sky Projects) 

Displaying very good comedic chops and a superb singing voice, Fortnum leads the standout show of the year with grace and class whilst impressing at the aftershow Q&A with her producer hat on.

Matthew Jones (Performer) - Dracula: A Comedy of Terrors (Koorliny)

If you ever doubted how powerful a tool an actor's voice is then Jones' performance as Mina and Van Helsing would set you straight right quick. His vocal command and variation was exceptional and drove a lot of the comedy here. 

Yvette Drager Wetherilt (Wig Design) - Dracula: A Comedy of Terrors (Koorliny), Young Frankenstein (Darlington) & The Addams Family (Roleystone)

Wetherilt went on a tear with horror themed shows where her wigs were an integral part of the look and tone of those productions including a sequence in Dracula that was inspired lunacy. 

Amberly Cull (Performer) - Same Time Next Week (Presented by Nick Pages-Oliver & Scott McArdle) 

"...special mention goes to Amberly Cull who is extraordinary as Drew, Freya, and the startling puppet incarnation of Lady Morinth. While the others give a good account of themselves in the singing department, Cull is superb vocally."

Alexandria Henderson (Performer) - Nora: A Doll's House (WAAPA)

"Alexandria Henderson excels as a modern woman trapped by circumstances she can't control. Henderson's emotional responses are exquisite especially when Angelo Torres' Daniel imparts shattering news." 

Paige Fallu (Performer) - Hairspray (HAMA Productions) 

The pandemic meant I never saw Fallu whilst she was a student at WAAPA but she sure made an impression as Tracy Turnblad here, singing beautifully and radiating such an enthusiastic stage presence.

Kate Naunton Morgan (Performer) - Emma (ARENA Theatre Productions) & Antigone (GRADS)

Freshly graduated from Curtin University and straight into lead roles as diverse as the two titular characters here. A delight in Emma, it's in Antigone, however, where Morgan soars as the tragedy unfurls and she rises to the heightened emotional state needed. 

Mahali (Performer) - Come From Away (Koorliny) 

Showcasing a powerhouse voice and empathy to burn, Mahali is absolutely riveting to watch. The long foreshadowed reveal, when it comes, is still devastating because you feel the intensity of her emotion.

Tadhg Lawrence (Performer) - Come From Away (Koorliny) 

I'll confess, it took me a good twenty minutes to figure out where I knew Lawrence from - Iago in Othello! I did not know he had such a wonderful singing voice and in a superlative ensemble he makes his presence felt with an assured performance.  

Ben Clarke (Performer) - The Drowsy Chaperone (Stirling Players)

You couldn't ask for a better stage debut. He has the audience in the palm of his hand as Man in Chair and immediately sets the tone for the antics to come. 

Ben Goldsbrough (Performer) - Legally Blonde (WAAPA) & Pinocchio (Zealous Productions)

"Goldsbrough brings real empathy and a genuineness to Emmett that I found charming and quietly compelling." (Legally Blonde)

"Goldsbrough is terrific as the comic foil quickly winning audience empathy with his deliberately bad puns and dubious pizza making skills. It's such an assured performance for his first professional gig." (Pinocchio)

Ellen Ebbs (Performer) - The World Goes Round & Legally Blonde (WAAPA), Pinocchio (Zealous Productions)

From the moment Ebbs strode onto the stage and blew the roof off the Roundhouse Theatre in the Kander & Ebb revue show; to her stellar turn as Paulette in Legally Blonde; and then as Pinocchio in the big Christmas panto, it's been clear that she has an enormously bright future. A major new talent to watch. 

Georgia Unsworth (Performer) - Sydney II: Lost and Found (Theatre 180) 

A good music theatre performer, Unsworth caught me totally by surprise with a fantastic dramatic performance opposite two seasoned actors. Her vocal command, accent work, and portrayal of different ages - including a young boy - was excellent and had me buzzing afterwards. 

Ones to Watch For Next Year:

Iris Warren (Writer/Deviser/Performer) - Femoid (WAAPA)

I was super impressed with the quality of Warren's writing in Femoid and keen to see how the extended version turns out. 

Kimberly Rose (Performer) - Carrie The Musical (WAAPA) 

Rose gives the lynchpin performance as Carrie's mother that makes the whole show work tonally. Scary good in such an intense role. 

Pippin Carroll (Performer) - The Laramie Project (WAAPA)

It's difficult to define that elusive quality some actors have but when Carroll started his first scene I exchanged a look with the person I was with and it was clear we could both feel it. Need to see more next year but it was a tantalising glimpse. 

That's me done for the year. Back to my screenwriter's lair to work on my own projects for a while. 

Have a great festive season all and see you at the theatre in 2025!

Richard Hyde 

   

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 

Othello - The Graduate Dramatic Society (6 December 2023)

William Shakespeare is celebrated for the sheer number of phrases and idioms he contributed to the English language, many of them still in common usage. One of the most memorable is "green-eyed monster" from Othello which is a more striking depiction of his "green-eyed jealousy" from The Merchant of Venice almost a decade earlier. That monstrous form of jealousy ripples throughout Othello, ending in tragedy for all it ensnares. The play also gives us "I will wear my heart upon my sleeve" as Iago seemingly confesses his treachery. 

And what treachery it is as Iago conspires to bring low his military commander, the Moorish general Othello, by stoking the flames of irrational jealousy over the supposed misdeeds of Othello's wife, Desdemona. Misdeeds Iago has carefully constructed through cunning deceptions and the ownership of a handkerchief - an inelegant plot device but one that features heavily. It is, as one audience member exclaimed, "very Shakespeare... everyone dies in the end." Not quite true though also not a "spoiler" for it is, indeed, a Shakespearean tragedy so blood will inevitably be spilled. 

All this under the stars on a beautiful summer's night at UWA's New Fortune Theatre, a reconstruction of the Elizabethan era Fortune Theatre where The Bard's plays were originally performed. Of course, there is the added bonus of being serenaded by the resident peacocks who display prodigious projection skills though questionable dramatic timing. It also means that the elevated stage is wide and deep with nary a place to hide for the performers with no sets and only those glorious words under the lights and gaze of audience and peafowl alike.    

Director Thomas Dimmick has made many key choices in his adaptation of the play. Several traditionally male characters - notably Cassio, Roderigo, and Brabantio - are played by Krysia Wiechecki, Tarryn McGrath, and Meredith Hunter respectively. It adds an interesting spin to the power dynamics throughout the play with subtle shifts in perspective such as it now being a mother's scorn and concern for her daughter as Hunter's Brabantio condemns Desdemona's marriage to Othello. There still lingers a distasteful sense that her objections, and the treatment of Othello in general, are because he is a Moor who therefore could only have beguiled the senator's pristine daughter with magic.  

Dimmick also uses modern costuming and props - the military "men" are dressed in camouflage pants, army boots, olive green t-shirts and dog tags; the civilians in dresses, suits, or jeans. Then there's Patrick Downes' Clown who is a mixture of both styles coming across as a larrikin Cockie who happens to have stumbled into a Shakespeare production which adds well-timed and executed levity. Costume Design by Merri Ford.

The only significant set design as such is the introduction of the marital bed late in the second half where monstrous deeds shall be committed. The upstairs balcony is used judiciously when those 'on high' address their subordinates. Otherwise, sound design of battle and hubbub adds to the sense of scope; anachronistic music choices to the sense of revelry; with effective lighting design that casts our skulking villains in shadow when required and highlights touching scenes such as Emilia braiding Desdemona's hair whilst discussing marital infidelity. Lighting Design by Fiona Reed.

The play is propelled by an excellent performance from Tadhg Lawrence as Iago, the duplicitous ensign who "hates the Moor" for promoting Cassio over him. Though, it should be said, Iago's true motivations are somewhat slippery as he seems to have various grievances, real or imagined, against many of the other characters. This makes him fascinating and his schemes even more heinous. Lawrence plays him with great energy, cunning, and an affability that was disarming as he addressed the audience. I loved the confidence of his eye contact in those moments and while the standing order appeared to be "if a peacock squawks, wait" Lawrence would often use his own excellent projection to contest said fowl. 

Erik Bibaeff certainly brings a physical stature to Othello and there's no doubt there is a sense of brooding menace in the second half. However, I found him a little stiff and one note as the titular character, mainly relying on an increase in volume to denote anger and telegraphing his emotions rather than convincingly conveying them to us and the other characters. There is a gasp-worthy burst of violence that he handles well and the physical threat to Desdemona is clearly established.  

Krysia Wiechecki gives a lively performance as Cassio before expertly recalibrating after the Vodka-induced fight with Montano (Jarrod Buttery), another of Iago's schemes. This sees Cassio fall foul of Othello's good graces and Wiechecki brings a keen sense of the import of such a loss of reputation. 

The program announces this is Anna Weir's first community theatre production which makes her portrayal of Desdemona even more remarkable. She lent such decency to the woman who is beset by innuendo and doubt while unfairly pilloried as a 'whore' and 'strumpet' for totally fabricated infidelities. One unpalatable conclusion is that Desdemona is being punished for having the audacity to marry a Moor. Weir brings a sweetness and dismay that heightens the impact of Desdemona's fate.   

Tarryn McGrath also enacts a clear action change as her Roderigo morphs from a hapless pawn of Iago's scheming to reluctant participant whose sense of unease and demise is perhaps more poignant now. Downe's adds jocularity and easy charm with an Aussie flavour; Hunter is relentless as the aggrieved mother early on in the play; and Grant Malcolm brings a crisp authority to Lodovico in the second half.  

Then there's Grace Edwards whose Emilia, Iago's wife, emerges in the second half as a force to reckon with. Faithful to Desdemona as her maidservant and loyal to her husband, Emilia comes to learn of her unwitting part in Iago's scheme as the ramifications careen towards a bloody conclusion. For all the talk of 'honesty' in the play, it's Edwards who imbues Emilia with the most honest reaction to the outrages that have occurred and those to come. The rage she summons at both Othello and Iago is justified and utterly compelling. For mine, Desdemona and Emilia are the two most tragic figures, unfairly caught up in the petty machinations of men. I was unmoved by Othello's ultimate fate as, even though he was manipulated, his response is so massively over-the-top and abhorrent that I have no pity for him whatsoever. But that's one of those wonderful gifts of a Shakespeare play - the discussions afterwards.

This is a great opportunity to see a classic tragedy at a wonderful venue where much care and attention has been taken by the cast, crew and creatives. There are five more performances on 8, 9, 14, 15, 16 December at the New Fortune Theatre in the Arts Building at UWA.

Photos by Grant Malcolm.