Best Bits - WAAPA (5 September 2015)

Almost 18 months ago I went along to the Enright Studio to see the first public performance of the then second year musical theatre class. As is the WAAPA way this inaugural outing isn’t a musical at all. In this case it was an abridged version of the sprawling Australian play Beach. Twenty brand new faces. Twenty performers you’ll slowly get to know as you watch their potential blossom over the coming months. It’s an exciting time as the next crop of talent is unveiled. From my review at the time:

“Talking to the director afterwards, this was the acting debut of many of the students in front of a paying audience. There is some singing – enough to be excited for future musical productions – but this is mainly a mix of comedy, drama, and skits. I’m not sure it entirely worked for me as a coherent play but it did showcase the talent of the second year musical theatre class. Everyone had an opportunity to shine and the production went without a hitch.”

Fast forward to today where that excitement and talent has developed into a stellar graduating class. Best Bits is a fun show because it celebrates their joint achievements, lampooning the four musicals they go on to perform after that initial introduction. It also gives us a glimpse into the enormous amount of work and training they undertake outside of the public eye. Each performer - now 19 in total - has a featured moment and the vocal talent across the board is superlative. Above all it’s funny, entertaining, and has a looser, raw feeling that is very engaging. The latter is by necessity as their final musical finished only a week ago – spontaneity breeds creativity.

Appropriately, the show opens in homage to Beach as the group takes to the stage in bathers before each individual gives us a snippet of a song I’m assuming they performed in their very first week on campus (“O-Week Audition Medley”). Chris Wilcox and Taryn Ryan, reprising their roles as Officer Lockstock and Little Sally from Urinetown, act as hosts of sorts as they guide us through a selection of songs interspersed with mischievously condensed versions of Children of Eden, Urinetown, Legally Blonde and Carrie the Musical. In comparison to last year's show there isn’t as much focus on dancing but, as mentioned, the singing ability reverberates around the intimate Roundhouse Theatre as do the acting chops in the more interactive numbers.

Sondheim was certainly a popular source of songs with Joel Granger and Rosabelle Elliott performing Kiss Me; Morgan Palmer taking on Not While I’m Around; while Daniel Ridolfi excelled with Epiphany (all from Sweeney Todd); with Taryn Ryan tackling Getting Married Today from Company with aplomb. A special mention to Timothy How who accompanied the group on piano and only received the sheet music the day before. “Too much Sweeney Todd” he lamented afterwards but his playing was a highlight.

A few of the other highlights (among many) for me were: Kate Thomas reminding us how good she was as Elle Woods with the title number from Legally Blonde; Tayla Jarrett (who also showed a deft comic touch throughout) on piano singing The Hill from Once; two beautifully sung numbers by Harry Prouse (I, Who Have Nothing) and Callum Sandercock (Music of the Night); the original crowd pleasing cabaret piece Bath by Matthew Hyde; and a sultry Call From The Vatican by Baylie Carson.

I also enjoyed Matilda Moran's Maybe I Like It This Way; Heather Manley's Papa Can You Hear Me?; and Alex Thompson's How Glory Goes. Chris Wilcox continues to exhibit a sly sense of humour that is captivating (as well as getting his U2 on) and I really like Joel Granger's and Taryn Ryan's stage presence from an acting perspective.

Megan Kozak showed off some fine yodeling talent with Roll in the Hay and Jess Phillippi had me tapping my feet along happily to I Can Do Better Than That from The Last Five Years. Jacob Dibb gave a playful rendition of Rosemary and Joe Meldrum cut a fine figure during Easy Street from Annie. 

 

It's safe to say everyone was impressive and the sheer talent across this group is a delight. As is their obvious chemistry with, I have to say, a lot of snogging going on and great comic timing. Look out for a very funny running gag in the Carrie sequence.

It all ends with the entire class singing In The Beginning from Children of Eden, a fine dropping off point as thoughts turn towards Showcase, graduation, and a professional career in musical theatre. That’s all still to come, however. For now though, this was a relaxed, funny, and entertaining look back at the last three years for an exceptionally talented group of young performers. I wish them all the very best and look forward to seeing them on stages across the country in the near future.

Best Bits starred the 2015 graduating class of Alex Thompson, Baylie Carson, Callum Sandercock, Chris Wilcox, Daniel Ridolfi, Harry Prouse, Heather Manley, Jacob Dibb, Jess Phillippi, Joe Meldrum, Joel Granger, Kate Thomas, Matilda Moran, Matthew Hyde, Megan Kozak, Morgan Palmer, Rosabelle Elliott, Taryn Ryan and Tayla Jarrett with Timothy How on piano.

There are two more shows - Sunday 6 September at 2pm and 6pm. Ticket sales at the venue.

Children of Eden - WAAPA (13 October 2014)

There is no better feeling than being totally surprised by a theatre production. I had no idea what to expect with Children of Eden. It was the WAAPA second year musical theatre students’ first standalone musical after their public debut earlier in the year (the play Beach) and sterling support of the third years in West Side Story. I am not a religious person so the prospect of an overt retelling of sections of the Bible left me somewhat cold. The Enright Studio is also my least favourite venue at the Mount Lawley campus tending, on occasion, to be a little cramped seating wise.

I’m happy to report that any reservations I had disappeared almost immediately in what turned out to be a spectacular production. The second years were uniformly excellent; it is a beautiful score with wonderful songs; and the venue was comfortably configured and used to maximum effect. I walked away with a real sense of the ‘wow’ factor hence my delighted surprise.

The story is familiar even to someone as unschooled in the Bible as me – the First Act is Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden who are subsequently cast into the Wasteland when they defy ‘Father’ and eat fruit from the Tree of Knowledge. The Second Act is Noah and the great flood. What I didn’t expect is how much good-natured humour there is throughout. The themes of free will versus (parental) control, unconditional love, compassion, forgiveness and ultimately letting go so that your children, however you want to define that term, can exercise their own choices are universal and there is nothing preachy at all here. It is a joyous recounting of iconic tales that have survived for two millennia.

I particularly liked the parallels as first Adam then Noah assumes the de facto ‘Father’ mantle of their respective families and the hard earned lessons that lead to forgiveness and love. Another key aspect is that a completely different cast of performers is featured in each Act which gives everyone a chance to shine. And shine they do…

Father is played by Matthew Hyde, a towering figure in a sharp white suit who is genial and kind to his children Adam (Daniel Ridolfi) and Eve (Baylie Hemming) as they discover the joys of the Garden. That benevolence turns to consternation then wrath as they defy him. Hyde plays both sides of that coin well and is aided in his rage by great lighting and sound effects as he curses Cain and later in the Second Act brings the thunder and rain.

Hemming is the impulsive ‘spark of creativity’ as she quizzes Father relentlessly and is first to fall to the seductive charms of the Snake and partake of the forbidden fruit. She does well with the difficult The Spark of Creation but it’s in the final number of the First Act, Children of Eden that Hemming excels.

Ridolfi is a warm Adam with a lovely singing voice who calmly and implacably believes Father will return to take them away from the Wasteland. A World Without You where he proclaims his love for Eve even if it means joining her in exile is a highlight.

We soon meet a playful young Abel (Harrison Prouse) and a sullen young Cain (Joe Meldrum) subsequently played as teenagers by Morgan Palmer and Chris Wilcox respectively. Wilcox, in particular, gives a physical and forceful performance as he challenges Adam and ultimately Father. He exploded into action in the second half of the First Act and added a rock flavour in his singing and posture. The death of Abel at his hands is well handled and the darkest point of the tale.

The other significant presence is the Snake, a sensational six-headed ssynthesissss of sensuousnesssssss and sssssslinkinessssss as sssimulated by Tayla Jarrett, Taryn Ryan, Kate Thomas, Rosabelle Elliott, Jess Phillippi and Megan Kozak. Their tempting of Eve is downright playful and sexy.

After the interval Megan Kozak warms up the audience as she’s featured in the boisterous Generations. Then it’s time for Noah (Jacob Dibb) to assume the father mantle as he guides his wife Mamma (Heather Manley) and sons Japeth (Joel Granger), Ham (Callum Sandercock) and Shem (Alex Thompson) through the perils of arranged marriage and, of course, the building of the ark. Japeth incurs the wrath of the family when he chooses to wed Yonah (Matilda Moran) who is marked as the line of Cain and therefore seen to be utterly unsuitable.

Granger and Moran’s duet In Whatever Time We Have echoes A World Without You and is another highlight. Moran also features with Stranger to the Rain and was most impressive in the acting stakes as Yonah becomes the unlikely catalyst for compassion and healing as the situation becomes desperate on the ark. In fact this whole sequence is nicely acted with Dibb’s work pivotal and Rosabelle Elliott and Jess Phillippi rounding out the main cast as Aphra and Aysha respectively.

Then there’s Heather Manley who blew the doors off the joint with a blistering rendition of the gospel flavoured Ain’t It Good. Even the ensemble seemed impressed as they were all smiles responding to the vocal fireworks. It ends with the entire cast singing In The Beginning which was a fitting and emotional finale to a great show that had so many other highlights even in small moments like Sandercock’s vocal work as Adam and Eve enter the Wasteland.

I must mention the atypical setup that had three rows of seating along both of the long walls of the Enright Studio facing each other. This meant the performers were in very close proximity as they used the entire length of the narrower stage space. At times they were even behind those rows singing in what I overheard one audience member describe as “surround sound” – a nice effect. Finally, the band of Derek Bond (piano), Alex Barker (bass) and Ellenor Pereira (drums) who were tucked away in a corner was excellent and I really enjoyed the beautiful piano driven score.

Directed by Adam Mitchell with a Book by John Caird, Music and Lyrics by Stephen Schwartz, Musical Direction by Derek Bond and featuring the second year musical theatre students and the three piece band of Bond, Barker and Pereira, Children of Eden is a wonderful piece of musical theatre that is uplifting and beautifully delivered. A must see with only 5 more performances until 18 October 2014.