Legally Blonde: The Musical - WAAPA (6 September 2024)

In his program notes, director Crispin Taylor mentions that for this production "Over 100 students and staff are involved from 10 different departments." This is perhaps WAAPA's greatest strength as a training academy - the breadth of disciplines that are offered. The yearly "major musical" is a fine example of how all these departments work together to present as close to a professional experience as possible, not only for the students but for the audience as well. 

There's no doubt Legally Blonde is a big, crowd-pleasing musical with catchy songs, a riot of colour and movement, with comic flourishes and heart. It also imparts key messages around the power of self-belief and being true to yourself... plus the importance of good hair maintenance, taking care of your pets, and the mystic allure of all things Irish. 

I can't possibly mention all 100 people involved so let's cut to the chase - the opening night performance was sensational in all aspects. I'd tell you to run and buy a ticket, however, it's been sold out for weeks and on the evidence of opening night, deservedly so. Instead, I'll go through the highlights...

Music students take a bow. The 16 piece orchestra under Musical Director Glenn Hogue played superbly. I love that the musicians came onstage for the curtain call and were met with thunderous applause. I couldn't work out where they'd been though with no pit and the full stage space in use. I found out after the show but we'll come to that shortly as... 

The sound design by Michael Fletcher and his team is excellent. There are some big voices in the cast and with the orchestra in full swing getting the balance this spot on would have been tricky. I loved the speakers under the top of the proscenium arch that gave such oomph to the score and the bigger numbers. I'm told the musicians were playing in a room some 100 metres away from the stage. If so, it's almost miraculous how good the overall sound was. All the dialogue and lyrics were crisp with only one mic pack failure in one number which will be quickly remedied.  

Then there's the work of the Production and Design students and staff. The show looks fantastic and moves like a well oiled machine. Set Designer Bryan Woltjen, who excelled last year with Footloose, has crafted a set that is built for slick transitions with elements flying in with precision. Woltjen utilises the full depth of the Geoff Gibbs stage and embraces the clash between the colourful aesthetic of Elle's persona versus the more 'serious' nature of the Harvard setting.  

A key element to the look of the show is the work of Costumer Designer, student Elisa Von Perger and her team including Wardrobe Supervisor Lauren Wroth and Dressing Supervisor Liana Karkar. From the explosion of pink to the Delta Nu cheerleader vibe over to the more sombre lawyer attire, there is a vast array of costumes which dazzle, especially when the full company is onstage. Wigs play an important part with brunettes turned into blondes and vice versa amongst the cast along with a couple of impressive 'perms' that are crucial to second act plot shenanigans.

Lighting Designer Jay Covich, another student, adds vibrancy and colour but also atmosphere to quieter moments such as the beautifully lit and staged title number. Shout out to the Props department and especially puppet makers Maisy Williams (Props Supervisor) and Joshua Horgan who created two charming surprises that were an immediate hit with the audience. 

To the performances and this graduating cohort has a cohesiveness that's been apparent from their very first public show, Godspell, last year. It's palpable in every production and Legally Blonde caps off a stellar year. Choreographer Jayne Smeulders taps into this special alchemy with a cheekiness to the big dance numbers that the cast attacks with real joy. Opening number Omigod You Guys and, shortly thereafter, What You Want set the tone and the production hits the ground not so much running as sprinting and never lets up. 

Within that group chemistry there are terrific individual performances starting with Emma Caporaso as Elle Woods. Caporaso's Elle is smart, capable, and determined right from the get go. I never doubted the character would triumph - there's no ditzy blonde here. She sings wonderfully, looks amazing in a series of spectacular outfits, and handles the comedy beats well. It's her work with Ben Goldsbrough (Emmett) that is particularly affecting and is the emotional heartbeat of the story.

Goldsbrough brings real empathy and a genuineness to Emmett that I found charming and quietly compelling. It's an impressive performance and, as mentioned, the duet Legally Blonde is an emotional highpoint.  

Jake Binns is like a 90s boy band idol as Warner breaks Elle's heart in Serious. The open shirt look, the smooth vocals, the effortless glide around the stage. Katie Green is bitch perfect as Warner's new love interest Vivienne until the character undergoes a change of heart and becomes an unexpected ally of Elle's deep into the second act. Which is when Green unleashes one of those powerful voices that is a feature of this class.  

Kathryn Desmier, Christina Anastasiadis (understudy for Jayda D'Agostino), and Asha Kerr play the Delta Nu trio of Margot, Serena, and Pilar who later become the Greek chorus in Elle's head. Always a fun and energetic presence, they ratchet it up a notch with the cheeky Bend and Snap, such a fun sequence. 

Adam Pavis makes an immediate impression as Professor Callaghan in an authoritative Blood in the Water. He later tackles the unsavoury side of the character with equal authority making Callaghan's abuse of his status somehow even more shocking. 

Ellen Ebbs commands the stage as Paulette with Ireland a standout. Ebbs showcases not only her superb vocals but an expressiveness that is riveting to watch. Her Paulette is a convincing voice of reason to Elle while also devouring the comic potential of the interactions with Samuel Austin's strutting delivery man, Kyle. They both play up to the mischief of it all with Austin a hoot as the seemingly oblivious object of desire. 

Tabitha Galluccio is another who has excellent stage presence as Enid Hoops. Galluccio brings the rap within The Harvard Variations and it's her facial expressions and deft comic timing that makes a mark as she subtly crafts a quirky counterpoint to the other interns. 

Geena Hutton slays Whipped Into Shape as Brooke Wyndham, the full on skipping assault whilst belting out the song. Harrison Ion and Blake Douglas lap up the theatricality of There! Right There! as Nikos and Carlos while Madison Randl brings the big hair and duplicity as Chutney Wyndham. 

You sense Taylor knew he'd been handed the keys to the Ferrari and he's let it rip in a fabulous show that is enormous fun and a great way for this graduating class to end their year. 

Photos by Stephen Heath Photography

All Shook Up - Hama Productions (8 July 2023)

All Shook Up seeks to answer that age old question posed by wise men and fools alike – what happens when you bring together two cultural icons, separated by an ocean of time and geography, to 1950s small town USA? The answer is a hip swivelling jukebox musical featuring the songs of rock and rock pioneer Elvis Presley with all the trappings of a William Shakespeare comedy – unrequited love, requited love, quite the love, and a character in gender swapping disguise.

Into this potent brew add an excellent group of performers, from the leads to every member of the ensemble; the type of high energy choreography that will knock your bobby socks off; a set that glides and slides into place with Mecano-like precision; a band that will have you tapping your feet to guitar driven classics; and a visual style through lighting and costume design that will make you wonder if you’re in an episode of Happy Days. You get the strong sense that first-time director Vincent Hooper, in an auspicious debut, has been given free rein to deliver a rousing, feel-good musical which was met with thunderous applause as the cast took their bows. 

Hooper's put together a murderer's row of creative and performing talent starting with Set Designer Bryan Woltjen, fresh off his stunning work on Footloose, creating another striking set. This time it's a remarkable array of double-sided flats that depict a small town where most of the action takes place in Act One; followed by an interlocking set of stairs that form the centrepiece of the disused fairgrounds in Act Two, augmented by rear screen projections of the various attractions. The cast and crew move these into place in seamless transitions where Hooper smartly uses other performers to distract the audience's eye. 

Woltjen's work is complemented by Lighting Designer Lucy Birkinshaw who provides colourful backdrops and sets a bright and breezy tone as she highlights the cast especially in the big dance numbers such as C'mon Everybody. The tone is apparent straight away as the show bolts out of the gate with Jailhouse Rock and it's clear the audience is in for a rollicking good time. In this, Choreographer Thern Reynolds plays no small part. Yes, there are the iconic hip swivels and pelvic thrusts along with high energy dance routines that cement the sense of time and place. And most of all, fun. There's nothing like a large cast sinking their teeth into a big dance number as they sing an iconic song like Heartbreak Hotel or tear up the stage with closer Burning Love.

Musical Director Harry Oliff  marshals a rocking twelve piece orchestra that has the pleasure of drawing on Presley's extensive catalogue of songs, most of them stone cold classics from the early days of rock and roll. Given this, the guitar work of Rick Webster, Jarrad Van Dort and Paul Pooley (bass) and drumming of Daniel Susnjar is prominent, though the big sound appropriate for an artist of Presley's reputation is enhanced by a selection of woodwind and brass instruments. Sound Designer Sam Goodsell ensures the balance is spot on between orchestra and performers with songs and dialogue clean and crisp. Costume Designer Nicole Marrington nails the period with the male Greaser look, and vibrant outfits for the female cast.

And what a cast it is!

John Berry does well in what is a tricky role as the stranger who rides into town, not with a six shooter but a six string and a broken down motor cycle. Not only does Berry have to capture the spirit and vocal stylings of Elvis, no small feat, but his roustabout character Chad has to be cool, a little dangerous, a little goofy when he falls head over heels in love, then change up when his he accepts an unexpected new love. He looks the part and has that certain strut but it's the poignant ballad I Don't Want To that is a highlight, though the vulnerability and confusion is undercut by a few, perhaps unnecessary, comedic flourishes.

While all the women swoon, it's Mia Simonette's Natalie that crushes hardest on Chad to negligible effect until the Shakespeare of it all comes into play as she disguises herself as Ed to get closer to him. Simonette has an outstanding singing voice but the show doesn't work if she can't convincingly sell the plot mechanics that drive the comedy and ensuing romantic chaos. This is where Simonette excels, giving a wonderful performance as the lovelorn Natalie and the blokey Ed. When she sings Fools Fall In Love deep in the second act it hit me that this is a leading lady we'll be seeing on stage for a long while to come. It's a star making turn.

Tate Bennett has carved out a niche as the comic foil in musicals and there's no doubt he does that well here again. What impressed me though is that Bennett imbues his oft neglected Dennis with a sensitivity that is reflected in his singing and acting, making him the moral compass of the story. His rendition of It Hurts Me was moving and heartfelt as an early highlight of Act Two. 

Then there's Paula Parore as Sylvia who has a stupendous voice, which she wields to devastating effect, and a commanding stage presence. She quickly becomes an audience favourite and is utterly riveting every time Sylvia makes an appearance. Fair to say she knocks There's Always Me out of the park and then some. Parore more than holds her own against that doyen of the local musical theatre scene, Brendan Hanson, who brings the charm as the widower Jim who finds his second wind. 

Josh Firman and Jade Baynes make for a lovely couple fighting against parental and societal prejudice with It's Now Or Never a beautifully sung and brilliantly staged number in Act One. Emma Haines gets to play the female object of desire, Miss Sandra, initially as aloof, then increasingly besotted as she's wowed by Ed and has a great moment with Let Yourself Go in a gorgeously costumed sequence on a fabulously presented museum set. 

Other highlights - the Act One closer Can't Help Falling In Love builds to a crescendo that showcases the breadth of singing talent on hand. Taneel Van Zyl (Mayor Matilda Hyde, no relation) and the ensemble had me wondering if I was watching an excerpt from The Sound of Music on acid with a kookily playful (You're The) Devil In Disguise; Clay Darius' Sheriff Earl's surprise contribution; and the closing numbers as we careen towards a happy ending for most of our characters. 

Indeed, remarkably for an opening night, the entire second act totally works without a hitch from the title number to final bows. The whole company seemed locked in and everything just clicked. Wonderful to see and there was much jubilation as the cast waltzed off stage at the end. 

This is a high-quality, crowd-pleasing production, full to the brim of exciting local talent and is highly recommended. Playing at the Crown Theatre until Sunday 23 July.