Hairspray - HAMA Productions (18 September 2024)

There's a reason Hairspray won 8 Tony Awards in 2003 including Best Musical. The songs are terrific, it has an upbeat tempo, a crowd-pleasing ending, and positive messages about inclusion, body image, and speaking up for what is right no matter what the odds. I first saw it on stage in 2012 at the Mandurah Performing Arts Centre and it quickly became one of my favourite musicals.

That community theatre production went on to win four Finley Awards and is notable for a couple of other reasons - it featured a certain Jason Arrow as Seaweed who would later originate the Australian role of Alexander Hamilton in the mega-hit musical; and Tate Bennett, in the ensemble here, was Finley nominated for his portrayal of Corny Collins.    

Twelve years later and the show is getting a lavish staging at the Crown Theatre. In the lead up to the run I watched all the announcements on social media with growing interest as a stellar roster of performers and creatives was being assembled under Vincent Hooper who directed last year's All Shook Up at Crown. This is an exceptionally talented company and, significantly, the number of people who are either from WA or trained here is impressive. 

Perth doesn't get all the big touring shows - the aforementioned Hamilton has literally been everywhere else but Perth - so the importance of producing a local show that can credibly fill the spacious Crown Theatre can't be understated. It showcases our homegrown talent, entices expatriates to come back, and signals to the professionals recruited from interstate that there are viable opportunities westwards. 

The show is deep into its run and there are no signs of any of the early teething problems that may have been evident on opening night. The sound balance between vocals and orchestra is good though I would have liked a little more volume in the big, set piece numbers. Lyrics are concise, set transitions slick, and the production feels like it's in a comfortable rhythm.  

With a big venue comes the need for big production values and it's clear that the instruction has been to dial everything up to eleven - big performances and big hair with a larger-than-life look in everything from costuming to lighting design and the set itself. 

There's no doubt this is a visual treat. I may be colour blind but Lucy Birkinshaw's lighting bathes the performers with such vibrancy and sheer style that even I was gawking with approval. The set by Michael McVeigh is a marvel of highly detailed and functional trucks and other elements that put us in this stylised version of 1962 Baltimore. The studio where the Corny Collins Show is aired feels like a fairy-tale land; visually and, more importantly, thematically as the views and values of the Von Tussles are at odds with the reality of a diverse America. Costumes and wigs by Marina Del Basso are bold and bright though I'm not sure about the exaggerated bouffant that adorned the head of Corny Collins. That one felt too over the top for mine but it's a minor quibble. 

Choreographer Thern Reynolds joins forces with Hooper once more and the results are again outstanding. Movement and dance styles are an integral part of the story and the delineation is done well before it all comes together in the toe-tapping finale. The 13 piece orchestra under Musical Director Harry Oliff does tremendous justice to the Tony-winning score which is infectious.

What struck me at today's matinee is how well matched pivotal pairings are throughout the show. First and foremost is Paige Fallu who is simply tremendous as Tracy Turnblad. Fallu sings beautifully, radiates enthusiasm, and has genuine chemistry with John Berry's Link Larkin. Berry has all the moves and matinee idol looks in a role that subverts the expectations those attributes bring. Their work together is excellent as the backbone of the show.

Chelsea Plumley and Elaina O'Connor are the presumptive villains of the piece, Velma and Amber Von Tussle. Plumley delights in chewing the scenery while O'Connor is increasingly honing her fine comic instincts to enhance genuine leading lady talent.

Rob Palmer, in what may pass as celebrity casting, is more Travolta than Fierstein as Edna Turnblad. He gives a good account of himself and his rendition of (You're) Timeless To Me with a suitably goofy Brendan Hanson as Wilbur develops into a funny and charming highlight with both performers revelling in the audience response. 

Bella McSporran and Jacob Steen increasingly become a potent combination as Penny and Seaweed. That 'transgressive' relationship is well handled and greatly appreciated by a modern audience who audibly gasped at many of the supposed societal norms from over sixty years ago.

Then there are two standout performers who bring the charm in Joshua Firman's Corny Collins and the vocal authority in Paula Parore as Motor Mouth Maybelle. Firman plays the host to perfection while Parore starts slowly with the best number - I Know Where I've Been - building until it flowers into an irresistible powerhouse of an anthem. 

Outrageous talent abounds in smaller parts and the ensemble with performers such as Bennett as well as Ethan Churchill and Tory Kendrick who only a few months ago were playing the leads in Saturday Night Fever. Adding to the embarrassment of riches are local luminaries Elethea Sartorelli and Tim How in a multitude of roles.  

Vincent Hooper, producers Marina Del Basso and Hamish McSporran have assembled a first class company in all aspects. The show is bright, entertaining, bold, and sounds terrific. I suspect that after this and All Shook Up, an annual Hooper directed musical might become a Crown tradition. Here's hoping...

Hairspray is on at the Crown Theatre until 28 September. 

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.