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. 

An Evening With Vincent Hooper - 3 December 2022

The last time I saw Vincent Hooper perform in Perth he was gaining awwww-inspiring sympathy for his portrayal of the put-upon Amos in the excellent Chicago: A Musical Vaudeville. While Amos would make a heartfelt cameo in this evening’s one-off show, there was no chance Hooper was going to receive anything other than a rousing reception from a largely ‘theatre kid’ crowd. Yes, we believe too.

And that belief was more than repaid as Hooper, backed by a cracking seven-piece band, delivered an evening of original songs from his album Here Today, Gone Tomorrow, along with jazz and musical theatre numbers documenting a colourful career onstage. That experience was immediately evident with an easy charm and stage presence that I found authentic and soothing. As he referred to, outside the world may be in chaos, but inside this theatre, on this night, there was a bubble where music and song reigned supreme.

There were glimpses of a personal narrative as songs were introduced with a sense of context in time and place in relation to Hooper’s career. Somewhere, a high school drama teacher’s ears will be burning in shame for rejecting our aspiring star. That early setback clearly stung but such things do provide motivation for future heights… and the original song How Much Do You Want It?

If anything, I would have liked to have spent a little more time hearing about such tales given the intimacy established between performer and audience. Interestingly, our host finds his artistic confidence increasingly an issue as he gets older but, on the evidence of this night, I suspect any doubts will hopefully have been assuaged.

Hooper has such a warm and expressive voice that it really was a delight to hear him sing everything from upbeat numbers to character driven musical tunes to crooning unrequited love songs. He slipped into character (and accent) so readily for Mister Cellophane from Chicago and If You Were Gay (Avenue Q) while relishing the bigger numbers such Don’t Rain On My Parade as he barnstormed his way to the end of the show and two encores. There was even time for a little cruise ship-style interlude with Can’t Take My Eyes Off You and So Many Stars.

In all this he was superbly supported and enhanced by a band displaying first rate musicianship. They were bold and brassy when the occasion called for it; laid back and chill in the quieter moments; and playful when bouncing off Hooper in character during musical theatre numbers. The highlight of the show for me was a perfect synthesis between singer and band in the original song Don’t Cry, Dragonfly which featured Hooper’s cousin Matt Smith on trumpet that made me feel like I was in a smoke-filled club at two in the morning sipping my fourth or fifth bourbon.

The band was comprised of Joshua James Webb on keyboard, Jack Duffy (drums), Lucy Browning (bass), Jarrad Van Dort (guitar), Smith on trumpet, Alex Parkinson (trombone), and Oliver Taylor on sax/reeds. Bravo to all.

In many ways an early highlight, I Believe, summed up the show. Funny, local lyrics had been substituted in but there was also clear (and deserved) snark over how the industry had been mugged by the pandemic response and how difficult it is to sustain a livelihood let alone a career. It is fortunate indeed that a performer of Hooper’s calibre can be lured back to Perth for shows such as this and Chicago. The slideshow of photos that played during intermission is testimony to the range of roles he has played. I suspect that presentation will continue to grow.

One final thought. Hooper observed that everyone on stage was a WAAPA graduate before recognising a doyen of that institution in David King who was present. It was a classy moment during a show full of talent and much charm. Alas, after it finished, I had to leave that glorious bubble and return to the chaos waiting outside…

Sincerely Yours... A New Musical - Fringe World 2016 (18 February 2016)

How often are we given a second chance? Do we recognise it when we’re presented with that opportunity? Do we have the courage to pursue it or are there things, or perhaps more crucially, people from the past that stop us from moving forward?

That’s the premise of Sincerely Yours, an original new musical written by and starring current and recently graduated WAAPA students. Interestingly, for a show created by Australian twenty somethings, it is set in America during the early to mid-70s with the Vietnam War providing a significant backdrop.

In its musical style and structure it reminded me of The Last Five Years in that there are two timelines at play, one in the present of what I took to be 1975 and three years earlier when James (Andre Drysdale) and Sarah (Megan Kozak) first meet. These timelines are intercut as we move back and forth, the focal point being Sarah’s emotional state. Unlike the Jason Robert Brown musical, however, this is a three hander where Sean (Jason Arrow) becomes a surrogate for James in the ‘present day’ scenes as Sarah deals with the aftermath of her earlier relationship.

The story starts with Sarah, a talented painter, who is struggling to finish a portrait. A letter is slipped under the doorway to her apartment. She hopes it was James, who she hasn’t seen in some time, at the door.  Flashback three years and we have the ‘cute meet’ as the two children of army personnel meet one New Year’s Eve. James has experienced tragedy in his immediate family and this influences his decisions, notably in regard to Vietnam. The two fall in love but the war and James’ sense of duty to his family eventually comes between them. Three years later and Sarah is still coming to terms with what happened and why, assisted by Sean who encourages her to move on.

This is the third show I’ve seen Megan Kozak in at Fringe. I know her as a fine singer with a real flair for playing comic or quirky characters, particularly in her graduating year at WAAPA with standout performances in the musicals Urinetown and Legally Blonde. What was terrific to see here was Kozak sinking her teeth into a dramatic role where there was real heartache and loss. She acquitted herself admirably which bodes well for an already bright future. There’s no doubting her vocal talent but well rounded acting chops add another dimension.

Jason Arrow, who wrote the Book and Lyrics, has the trickiest role as the third wheel to the central relationship. His character flirts with being unlikeable as Sean takes matters into his own hands at one point. We wonder what the character’s true motives are. It’s a non-singing role so Arrow has to rely solely on his acting skills which, apart from being a little busy with hand gestures at times, is effective as his Sean nudges and gently cajoles Sarah into seeing her second chance.

The revelation though is Andre Drysdale who is superb as James. Not only does he have an exquisite voice that was showcased to great effect in several songs, his acting was first rate. This is helped by being given a clearly defined arc that initially maximised a sense of nice guy charm that he handled effortlessly that then crumbles into recrimination and misplaced anger. It is an impressive launching pad into his third year at WAAPA and I’m keen to see how he does in their upcoming musicals.

The music by Kohan van Sambeeck and Arrow was very good indeed. Predominantly piano and cello driven it heightened the emotional nature of the production and was very well played by Joshua James Webb (piano and conductor), Krista Low (cello), Campbell Ellis (guitar), Samuel Gibson (bass) and Ben Cremer on drums. The only thing I would say is that even with Kozak and Drysdale mic’d up, the more drum heavy elements tended to drown them out in the relatively small space. This meant that some of the lyrics were lost especially in the early going as the story was being set up. 

There were a couple of technical hitches - Kozak’s microphone was giving noticeable echo and times when a performer was left in darkness with the lighting design. Some adjustments to get the sound clean and balance right would enhance what was a lovely score and character driven songs.

I did have some issues with the Book. The phrase ‘a second chance’ was overtly referred to far too many times. That’s the theme and would be better utilised as subtext. The overuse as text ultimately watered down its impact. There was a reference that the war was going to start but of course America (and Australia) had long been in Vietnam before the decade started. I didn’t believe that Sarah could possibly be the bearer of bad news at one point given how such things would be handled by the military. They’re minor things but tended to wrench me out of the story. There was also a critical scene between Sean and Sarah where the former takes something from the latter and ruins it. While I understood the intent it’s a tricky sequence that didn’t quite work and flirts with damaging Sean as a character.

Those things aside this was a mature and accomplished piece of musical theatre with an excellent score and well delivered songs that had some great moments of genuinely affecting dramatic acting. It’s a pity that the song titles weren’t included in the otherwise nicely presented programme. 

Sincerely Yours by Stray Cats Theatre Company and Mad Cats Theatre Company is on at Studio 411 (formerly the Drama Workshop) at Murdoch University for only two more performances, 7pm Friday and Saturday.

Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street - Fresh Bred Productions (31 October 2015)

What a way to spend Halloween night – attending a production dripped in revenge and obsession where a “demon barber” slits the throat of unsuspecting customers who end up being the filler for meat pies! Of course, this gruesome tale is blessed by the sublime music and lyrical dexterity of Stephen Sondheim with a dark-hued book by Hugh Wheeler.  

My first impressions as I wandered into the venue were, “what a spectacular theatre!” quickly followed by “what a cast!” as I looked through the programme. Indeed, St. Hilda’s Joy Shepherd Performing Arts Centre is a wonderfully appointed 940 seat theatre with all the mod cons – large performance space, orchestra pit, immaculate seating, all the high-tech gadgets, and beautiful lobby and facilities. It was impressive in every way.

As is the cast director Craig Griffen has assembled. I was immediately encouraged on seeing Ian Cross’s name - the standout in a recent production of Oklahoma! - in the lead role. His Jud from that musical was also a dark, tormented character whom he played with great intensity and menace. He excels here with another tightly coiled turn as the eponymous character showcasing a powerful voice and bringing a fierce energy and gruffness to the role. This is occasionally leavened by a softer approach in regard to Todd’s daughter, Johanna (Madeline Crofts), and a vein of jet black humour with his landlady and partner in crime, Mrs. Lovett (Elethea Sartorelli).

Sartorelli, who won a Finley Award last year for a supporting role in the musical Xanadu, is the perfect foil to Cross. Her Mrs. Lovett is cheekily amoral yet caring when it comes to young Tobias (Pete Martis). She sings beautifully, Cockney accent and all, and brings so much black humour to proceedings. Cross and Sartorelli work well together, the first act closer, A Little Priest, a highlight as they gleefully cavort while singing the gloriously mischievous song replete with trademark Sondheim wit and wordplay.

Michael MacCuish, who was good in a non-singing role in Spring Awakening, reveals a tremendous voice as Anthony, the sweetness of which works well in counterpoint to Cross. I enjoyed the sincerity he gives the love-struck sailor, another contrast to all the duplicity swirling around the character. Crofts displays yet another standout voice with Green Finch and Linnet Bird an early highlight as she stands perched upon a step ladder like a beautiful, fragile bird herself. Again, another pairing that works well with Kiss Me a memorable moment that is reprised in snippets throughout.

Martis plays Tobias with suitable naivety until the character stumbles upon the truth leading to an escalation of events. His Not While I’m Around with Sartorelli is quite effecting as the bleak subtext of the moment cuts right through the sweetness of the ballad. This is where Sondheim’s genius lies – another gorgeous song, Johanna, is sung so earnestly while Sweeney is dispatching men with his razor. The jarring contrast of lyrics and music with the brutal actions onstage makes such sequences layered and compelling.

It’s fair to say every character is well cast with singing ability at the forefront. Kimberley Harris makes for an ultimately tragic Beggar Woman who gives some cackling cheek as she intersects with various characters along the journey. Another strong voice, her warning cries in song become increasingly desperate as events spiral out of control. 

Cal Silberstein is carving out quite a niche with memorable, comic inspired characters. Here it is with Adolfo Pirelli whom Todd bests in a shaving competition and ultimately condemns to the meat grinder of the bakehouse. There’s a mischievous attitude about Silberstein’s performances that make them stand out no matter how brief.

Rounding out the principal cast is Simon Brett who gives Judge Turpin a creepy, obsessive air of his own and has a showpiece moment of self-flagellation in Johanna: Mea Culpa; Daniel Kirkby as Beadle Bamford who joins in the fun with Parlor Songs on the “partly singed harmonium”; while Thomas Owen is briefly featured as a doctor in the asylum where Judge Turpin hides his beloved Johanna whom he intends to marry despite her being considerably younger and his ward. There really are some disturbing aspects to this story beyond the murders!

The Ensemble is also in very fine voice as they reprise The Ballad of Sweeney Todd throughout and act as silent witnesses to events or incidental characters such as the asylum inmates. They are: Stee Andrews, Rebecca Cole, Jordan Dunne, Olivia Everett, Jackson Griggs, Crystal Haig, Niamh Nichols, Emily Semple, Shannon Whyte, Sam Widenbar, and Lauren Kingham.

Then there is the nine piece orchestra under conductor Joshua James Webb who play the challenging and exceptional score extremely well. From the opening Organ Prelude they are in fine form and the sound balance is spot on between performers and musicians. Indeed the sound design is excellent for such a large venue. I overheard Webb’s mentor talking to the director after the show and he was effusive in his praise of the musical quality. There is no doubt this is a superbly sung and played production. Well done Simone Bishop, Ben Hogan, Tadgh Pedder, Krista Low, Andrea Sitas, Blake Howieson, Laura Halligan, Tahlia Denn, and Ben Albert.

To the staging and the set is quite sparse with a lot of use of smoke and haze effects. This gives great atmosphere with the lighting often used to cast the performers in partial shadow to add to the eerie tone. I did have some quibbles – the use of scene locations – for example ‘Mrs. Lovett’s Pie Shop’ or ‘Sweeney Todd’s Tonsorial Parlor’ on large white sheets that descended into place tended to undercut the unsettling tone as they felt too obvious. This was also the case with the ‘19th Century London’ that unfurled at the start of the show to some mirth. These struck me as redundant as the spaces were clearly delineated by the props and the performances themselves.

It also felt a curious choice when the impressive lighting array was lowered to just above head height at the start of the show for one of the ensemble to literally ‘plug things in’ after which it would rise and descend for various scenes. This was a little distracting as if too eager to show off the technology but after a while settled down to a more traditional configuration.

In all, this is a fine production of a tremendous piece of musical theatre. I understand months of preparation and rehearsal have gone into making this show a reality and it shows. Congratulations to all involved on taking a risk with such a huge undertaking for independent theatre and pulling it off.

Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street is directed by Craig Griffen with Musical Direction by Joshua James Webb from a Book by Hugh Wheeler; Music and Lyrics by Stephen Sondheim and is on at the Joy Shepherd Performing Arts Centre in Mosman Park next Friday and Saturday the 6-7th November. 

Spring Awakening - Fresh Bred Productions (10 April 2015)

Hot on the heels of the performance of Frank Wedekind’s 19^th century play at Curtin University last month comes the Tony Award winning musical adaptation, presented by Fresh Bred Productions. Fresh Bred hit the scene in February last year with the Patrick Marber play Closer which was followed by their first musical, The Last Five Years, in August. They appear to have found a home at UWA’s Dolphin Theatre and a niche in mounting ambitious musical theatre productions with Sweeney Todd up next. Even Closer betrayed their intentions with an original score composed by regular musical collaborator Kohan Van Sambeeck.

Having seen the source material only a month ago certainly helped my understanding of the story but what struck me most was this: how audacious it was to take a play written in 1891 and turn it into a rock musical. It is testament to the thematic potency of the original even though some of the darkest aspects have been toned down for the different format. There’s still plenty of honest and uncomfortable examination of teenage sexual awakening in its various forms married to a superb set of songs.

Here lies the strength of this production. The orchestra, led by Musical Director Joshua James Webb, was terrific throughout. The music by Duncan Sheik is an impressive yet eclectic mix of strings and more rock oriented elements – electric guitars and drums - with Webb on keyboards. This collection of musicians certainly knew how to rock when required – The Bitch of Living and Totally Fucked for example – but was perhaps even sharper when providing the mood and atmosphere to numbers like Whispering and Touch Me. Situated at the back of stage behind the gauze stripped ‘trees’ representing the German woods, they were tight and focussed with the only blemish a false start at the beginning of the second act but that appeared to be related to a backstage issue. Well played Van Sambeeck (percussion), Hanna Lee-Smith (Violin/Guitar), Cristina Filgueira (Viola), Beren Scott (Cello/Violin), Tim Perren (Electric Bass), Ben Griffith (Guitar) and Webb (Piano/Conductor).

Matching the musicians was the vocal talent on display. This really was a strong cast from a singing perspective – the featured vocalists excelled and were given tremendous support from the ensemble. I had not come across Madeline Crofts (Wendla) before but she set the tone from the beginning with Mama Who Bore Me and sang beautifully throughout with Whispering a highlight. Finn Alexander (Melchior) unfortunately had a dead microphone for the opening sequences which cruelled All That’s Known but once that technical problem was rectified he too showcased a fine voice, notably in songs like Touch Me. Both impressed with their acting skills especially in two pivotal scenes – the beating of Wendla with the switch and the now more ambiguous sexual congress that ends the first act. 

Cal Silberstein played Moritz with an exuberance that marked the character’s incarnation here as most recognisably a musical theatre construct as distinct from the more sombre version in the original play. He did it well in the first act driving a lot of the comedic energy but this gave way to darker hues at the end of the first (And Then There Were None) and into the second that provided a nice arc. Kimberley Harris, another fine singer, was an almost ever present observer as Ilse with a featured scene with Silberstein in Don’t Do Sadness/Blue Wind. The musical started with the teenagers seemingly listening to Ilse intently and that configuration was reprised at the end as if she was relating the tale just witnessed. Indeed the whole company was almost always in sight with the ensemble in the wings and actively watching when not in a scene. The Ilse character also appeared to take on aspects of the Masked Man who has been otherwise excised from the adaptation.

Naomi Denny (Martha) had a notable moment with The Dark I Know Well and the effective welt makeup on her shoulder elicited an appropriate audience response when revealed before that song. Sven Ironside made for a charismatic, mischievous Hanschen and his work with Andrew Longo (Ernst), particularly during The Word of Your Body (Reprise) was playful but hauntingly beautiful as well. I really enjoyed the acting work of Michael MacCuish who added real authority and presence in the ‘Adult Men’ roles, and Nat Burbage played a mix of stern adult female authority figures and the more emotional mother roles.

The set harked back to the setting of the source material with the woods and classroom represented in minimalist style before we switch to the Reformatory and graveyard in the second act. There was an interesting use of glow sticks during the raucous Totally Fucked which gave a real sense of energy but jarred a little stylistically. The cast was buoyant during The Song of Purple Summer and final bows. Having been in rehearsals since November the hard work and preparation was evident in particularly the musical and vocal quality on display.  

Adapted from the Frank Wedekind play with Book and Lyrics by Steven Sater and Music by Duncan Sheik, Spring Awakening is directed by Craig Griffen with Musical Direction by Joshua James Webb. It stars Finn Alexander, Cal Silberstein, Madeline Crofts, Nat Burbage, Michael MacCuish, Pete Martis, Daniel Kirkby, Sven Ironside, Andrew Longo, Shanice Palfrey, Olivia Everett, Naomi Denny and Kimberley Harris. There are two more shows at UWA’s Dolphin Theatre, 17-18 April.