Wise Children - WAAPA (9 September 2023)

"What a joy it is to dance and sing!"

What a joy it is indeed as the graduating actors close out the year with a sumptuous theatrical treat. The first thing that dazzles your eyeballs on taking your seat in the Roundhouse Theatre is the amazing set. The amount of detail is quite astonishing to recreate a lodgings for wayward performers and the backstage of a theatre itself. Bedecked with lamps, costumes, and all manner of practical items and curios, set designer Sarah Halton and props supervisor David Packer have truly excelled. Spread over two levels, with the musicians nestled at the top, it is one of the best I have seen at this venue.

It is enhanced by outstanding lighting design by Michaela Gosby under the mentorship of professional lighting designer Lucy Birkinshaw who is well-known to Perth audiences for her work with Black Swan State Theatre Company and Barking Gecko amongst others. With such a rich canvas to highlight, the lighting adds colour and vibrancy in line with the more theatrical moments, with shadows and silhouette used when the action skews far darker. The Trinity Test in the movie Oppenheimer isn't the only impressive explosion you'll see this year. Then there's a "chandelier" that might rival Phantom's for visual impact early on in proceedings. It's bloomin' great! 

But wait, there's more! Sarah Halton again, this time as costume designer, has crafted a bevy of costumes to cover the various time periods of the story for a cavalcade of mainly over-the-top performers, echoing vaudeville, Shakespeare, with even a hint of Monty Python thrown in. Fair to say this production is a feast for the eyes. 

All this is in aid of a quite complicated story which, in its essence, is highly theatrical in nature, drawing on the aforementioned Bard. Embracing this, director Adam Mitchell has pushed the students to perform 'large' and there's ribaldry and plenty of shtick to go around. This is aided by the work of choreographer and movement coach G Madison IV who puts the cast through their paces with mock fighting, dancing, and pratfalls. But there are also beautifully crafted moments of tragedy; one where blood is spilled and another that changes the fate of a character forever.  

That story is the tale of the Chance sisters, twins Nora and Dora, who come to terms with an entangled parentage as they pursue a career as showgirls with their actual father who has disowned them. The telling of the tale with all its twists and reveals is framed around an upcoming birthday party that is the catalyst for a deluge of memories. We will see not one but three iterations of the sisters over the course of the show - as 75 year old women reminiscing on the past; as young girls oblivious to what fate has in store for them, and as teenagers who blossom both sexually and as performers in their own right. There is a swirl of characters around them, notably Grandma Chance, their real father Melchior Hazard, his brother and their legal father Peregrine Hazard, and Melchior's wife Lady Atalanta with whom he has two children, Saska and Imogen Hazard. That will suffice as a rough sketch as to expand it further would spoil all kinds of machinations.

To the performances and Edyll Ismail and Lauren McNaught are our narrators as the elder Nora and Dora Chance. There is a warmth tinged with sadness here that draws us in early with likeable turns that have the weight of a long life in the theatre and emotional trenches. Elyse Phelan and Lucinda Smith play the youngest iteration of the twins with convincing childlike mannerisms and impetuous behaviour. The showgirl versions are perhaps the most clearly delineated with Estelle Davis portraying Nora with bawdy confidence and impulsiveness while Tess Bowers' Dora is more reserved and yearning. 

Kelsey Jeanell grabs the spotlight early as Estella and later as the spiteful Saska. Ruby Henaway is an audience favourite as Gradma Chance; her blunt characterisation is a hoot and if you thought the surprise waiting in the tunnels of the horror movie Barbarian was shocking wait until you get a load of Grandma's antics! By contrast, Aida Bernhardt makes for a most elegant Lady Atalanta. 

Will Lonsdale (younger) and James McMahon (older) play the famous Shakespearean actor Melchior with amusing vanity and slippery obliviousness to the harm Melchior has caused. Tyler Redman (younger) and Joseph Baldwin (older) tackle a tricky role with skill as Peregrine is a character whose arc is not as clean-cut as we'd been led to believe. Tre Maclou ends up a slightly tragic figure as his comedian, Gorgeous George, is reduced to the fringes of society while Jesse Vasiliadis and Harrison Gilchrist get to vamp it up with some gender-swapping flair.  

To add to this entertaining brew we also have plenty of songs with musical direction by Joshua James Webb. I was particularly taken by the use of xylophone which contributed a dreamlike quality that was entirely appropriate. While the actors may not be up to the quality of the musical theatre students when it comes to vocals there were some very effective moments - Estelle Davis singing The Way You Look Tonight; the Girls Will Be Boys song by Davis and Tess Bowers that skewered Shakespearean plot antics; a sunglasses clad Lucinda Smith crooning away on the upper level; and the massed vocals on the closing number that was, well, fun. Plus there's an eighties classic I haven't heard in many a year for the performers to cavort to. 

In all this was an outstanding way for this cohort to end their public performance slate at WAAPA. It was big, entertaining, challenging and a triumph for all the disciplines involved. The work of the Production and Design students this year has been exemplary and what a space they provided for the actors to play in. One they seemed to acknowledge and relish. 

Ladies Who Wait - Off The Wall Productions (17 August 2023)

My apologies King Henry VIII but the zeitgeist has well and truly turned against you. Taylor Swift's Eras Tour is elevating her to global icon status; Barbie is girlbossing the box office with Greta Gerwig and Margot Robbie's stars on the ascendancy; and the Matildas have captivated the hearts of a nation. No time for your beheading histrionics, Your Majesty! And so it is with the original black comedy Ladies Who Wait where Henry is but a painting on the wall as three of his wives, two of his offspring, and the most unlikely duo of ladies-in-waiting take centre stage.   

Playwright Yvette Wall has taken what started life as a 10 minute short play and developed it into a full two act production which is to be commended. I can't say that it entirely worked for me as the humour is very broad, however, there are elements that I enjoyed and with further tweaks the play will continue to evolve. 

There's a nice premise here - two Baldrickesque figures are foisted on, firstly, Anne Boleyn (Emily Howe) the day before her execution and, some twenty years later, they attend to Queen Mary 1 (Jennifer McGrath) who struggles to give fake birth to a fake baby (fake news!). Along the way they are assailed by the ghost of Catherine of Aragon (McGrath), and visited by Jane Seymour and later Lady Elizabeth, soon to be Queen Elizabeth I, both played by Maree Cole. Oh, and there's the Ken of his day, the guard Roger (David Wall) who, on occasion, shuffles in and out mostly bewildered by antics far above his pay grade.  

Which is where a lot of the comedy is generated as our two presumptive heroines Alice (Colleen Bradford) and Agnes (Fiona Forster) play lowly commoners who by happenstance come to be in the presence of royalty with all its politics, pretence, and false grandeur. Nothing like a sharp tongue and tart retort to burst the bubble of the high and mighty. 

There's no doubt Bradford and Forster work exceedingly hard to generate laughs but it felt somewhat hit and miss for mine with a bit too much repetition. There are plenty of crass gags, fart jokes, modern slang, swearing for shock value, and a fair amount of shrieking. They bounce off each other well - Forster with such an expressive face and Bradford playing it a little more slyly - but it's so over-the-top at times that I wanted some introspection or quieter moments of astute observation. More dagger than cudgel or, in the vernacular of the play, more long sword than blunt axe. I did like their old age make-up, wig, and costumes in the second act which were quite striking and sold the time difference well. 

Emily Howe gives her Anne Boleyn a suitably regal air which is aided immeasurably by a clear, theatrical voice which I was quite struck by as the play begins. She plays it mostly straightlaced until Anne is cajoled by her ladies-in-waiting to give the baying crowd some what for. 

Jennifer McGrath is given free rein by director Gino Cataldo to play both Catherine and Mary as larger-than-life figures - the former as a haughty Spanish ghost with an impressive monobrow; the latter as overly needy and whiny. Again, with Agnes, Alice and Catherine/Mary all pitched at such heightened levels the play can be overwhelming, especially if you're sitting in the front row where you're only a metre away from the screeching at times.

Then there's Maree Cole who shines in both her roles with an eye-opening transition from her oblivious Jane Seymour in the first act to the practical and forthright Elizabeth in the second. Cole brings a lovely, light touch to Jane which makes the character instantly likeable and supplies the variation in comic delivery that was welcomed. It's her Elizabeth though that is a standout and changes the dynamic of the production. I loved the robust costume which reinforced the sheer competence and, well, Protestant nature of Elizabeth who calls out her half-sister's nonsense as Mary pretends to give birth. 

There's a stretch when things settle down and Elizabeth and Mary engage in a truly dramatic exchange that caught my attention. This encapsulates what is a pivotal moment in British history as the half-sisters - one Protestant, the other Catholic - battle for the soul of their nation. It's the highlight of the play for mine, in terms of performance and the potential for developing the premise further.

All that's left is for our heroines to enjoy their strawberries and wine as Elizabeth departs to become another global icon for the ages.

Mentions to lighting designer Virginia Moore Price for the nice flourish accentuating moments of suggested violence; the costumes from Hustle and Bustle Costumes and Colleen Bradford; the set artwork of Ursula Kotara, in particular the paintings of Henry and (amusedly altered) Catherine; and it's an unusually classy program by White Mouse Design. 

The play runs until 26 August in the Studio space at the Subiaco Arts Centre. In heartening news for an independent production of an original script it is sold out for the rest of its run.  

A Chorus Line - Drew Anthony Creative (4 August 2023)

The key element to the theatregoing experience for me is how a show makes you feel. Does it move you, make you laugh or cry or both. Maybe it's thought provoking or confronting. Oftentimes it could simply be entertaining in a toe tapping, sit back and relax kind of way. How we respond to a production also depends on what we bring to the table. Our mood, our life experiences, whatever happens to be rattling around in our brain at the time. Then there's that ingredient that I always crave in a live performance of any kind - that moment of magic you weren't expecting and didn't see coming that plasters a grin all over your face.

I say all this because opening night of A Chorus Line made me feel so damn comfortable. Not because the seats at the Theatre Royale are so comfy (they are) or that the venue is ideal for an intimate viewing experience (it is) but because I immediately knew that I was in good hands. Trying to put it into words in the lobby after the show I equated it to sitting at home watching a prestige television series where you simply know that everything is going to be first rate and reward your attention. It was and it did. Then there's this - there's not one but TWO moments of magic that had me tingling with joy in a way only theatre can make you feel. More on that later.

It's easy to see why A Chorus Line was the longest running show on Broadway until toppled by a bunch of spandex clad felines getting all jellicle about, um, jellicle things. It's a brilliantly written and constructed piece of theatre that won a truckload of Tony Awards and a rare Pulitzer Prize. It's also, surprisingly and delightfully, a fully blown character study... of some 17 characters! Those characters are dancers auditioning for a director to be in, you guessed it, the chorus of an upcoming Broadway production. 

This adds a whole other 'behind-the-scenes' layer that theatre lovers will recognise and appreciate. I felt like I just happened to be in that 'room' sitting in on the auditions. I'll admit, especially in the latter stages, that discussions in song and dialogue about being an artist, needing a gig, handling rejection, worrying about what happens next all hit hard based on my own recent and ongoing experiences as a screenwriter. There's a truth here will resonate with anyone undertaking a creative endeavour. It's a potent cocktail.

The show starts before you really kind of realise it as performers slowly make their way to the stage and do warmups. The thing that immediately struck me was the camaraderie on display. Then G Madison IV makes his entrance as the director Zach with a commanding voice that had a lady sitting near me exclaim "Oh!" and sit bolt upright. That voice and his physical presence are immediately captivating. I believe he is the demanding director who will brook no argument and I witness the cast believe it too. Madison spends a large portion of the show behind us in the top deck of the theatre somewhere so the power of his voice is critical to hold us and the cast in thrall.   

It's here that I should mention the sound design and quality. It is impeccable. Every lyric, every line of dialogue is crisp and easily discerned. The balance with the backing music is spot on; both vocals and score in perfect harmony. Kudos to Jordan Gibbs (Audio Design/Operator), Josh Mills (Audio Operator) and Music Supervisor Joe Louis Robinson. 

We quickly get to the character study of it all as the director asks each character to tell him/us something about themselves. The creative way this is handled in the writing, the staging by actual director Drew Anthony, in costuming choices (Dani Paxton), and by the performers is quite glorious. Based on real life interviews with performers as the show was being conceived there is, again, a ring of authenticity about these tales, from childhood memories to adult musings. They're funny, shocking, tragic, poignant, and in many ways, totally relatable. This is enhanced by how they're delivered - in song, in dance, in dialogue, or a mix of all three. Each character is sharply drawn and delineated and we get to know them quickly which is no mean feat in such a big cast. 

Highlights, in a show full of them, include Ethan Churchill dancing up a storm as his Mike describes how he first became involved with dance (I Can Do That); the trio of Elethea Sartorelli (Sheila), Emma Haines (Maggie), and Ciara Taylor (Bebe) giving a powerful vocal rendition of At The Ballet; Rosemary Spelman (Kristine) and Jamie Papanicolaou (Al) showcasing exquisite timing in the very clever Sing!; Will Basson (Mark) bringing the funny with Hello Twelve, Hello Thirteen, Hello Love; and Lucy Goodrick, all swagger and attitude as her Val recounts a transformation from afterthought to success with a not so little enhancement in Dance: Ten; Looks: Three.

The show then does something really interesting as it narrows its focus to the major dramatic conflict of the piece between Zach and Cassie (Morgan Cowling) who attempt to work through their differences before Cowling launches into dance and song with another highlight, The Music and The Mirror. The acting is impressive by both, indeed this is a true triple threat show. The singing is excellent across the board (Glenn Hogue, Vocal Director) and the dance numbers are nicely calibrated from the 'learning' phase to rehearsing to full blown, slick production number at the finale. There's everything from tap to classic Broadway chutzpah, hats and all, which is always fun to watch with a massed cast onstage. Terrific work by Choreographer Jessica Ashton and Assistant Elysha Atwell. 

Which gets us to our first piece of magic. The audacity to stop and deliver a long, affecting monologue by youngster Zak Bresland as Paul. Earlier I had silently wished the spot operator would shine a little light my way so I could check the program to work out who was playing Paul after I thought to myself "Who the hell is that!" after an impressive piece of singing. He may be too young, ideally, to be playing the role but he nails a harrowing tale that slowly builds to an emotional outburst and holds the stage, alone, for several minutes. That's no small feat. I also liked the softening of Zach's character in response and at a later incident regarding Paul.    

The second piece of magic is kicked off by Sophie Psaila-Savona whose feisty Diana tackles perhaps the most well-known song from A Chorus Line, What I Did For Love. It's what happens next that I didn't expect (and won't spoil here) that is one of the reasons I love going to the theatre. When I twigged to how Anthony was staging this showpiece number I literally did grin from ear to ear. A fitting high point for the production and all involved. All that's left is to bring out the glitz and glamour as the cast take their bows to the reprise of that other famous number, One.  

The set design is simple - bare stage and a projected back screen to denote the space - which keeps the focus, rightfully, on the performers. Lighting Design by Luke Scatchard highlights the ensemble and picks out individuals as appropriate before dazzling with the finale. 

There are so many small details that I loved - the "non-hat work" of Allen Blachford (Bobby), himself an award winning choreographer; his by-play with Sartorelli which is imbued with a history of many performances together; the subtle digs and blocking between characters as unstated rivalries play out; and so on. It is a true ensemble piece so mention must be given to the work of Jamie Rolton (Don), Greg Jarema (Greg), Lana Freeman (Judy), and Gemma Hanh (Connie) who added so much texture and life to their characters. 

This production has no interval which apparently surprised some but it flew by for me. I was in my comfort zone and they had me from the get go. A Chorus Line is on until 20 August at the Royale Theatre in Northbridge and is recommended for anyone who loves brilliantly written, staged and performed theatre.  

The York Realist - Garrick Theatre (23 July 2023)

I admit that at the start of the matinee production of The York Realist I wasn't listening properly. This wasn't helped by the unfortunate late arrival of two patrons who eventually found their seats, noisily. After they finally settled I concentrated on the scene before me to slowly come to the realisation that it wasn't what was being said but rather everything that wasn't. The first half of the play in particular, written by Peter Gill, is a masterclass in subtext. The surface level dialogue certainly establishes a strong sense of time and place and the characters who populate this tale but there's so much more simmering away underneath. 

That time and place is the early 1960s in a cottage in York where a "love that dare not speak its name" grows in tentative fashion between country farm labourer George (Alex Comstock) and London assistant theatre director John (Sean Wcislo). Both men are drawn to each other but due to circumstance and the vastly different worlds from which they come their longing is fraught with complication. None more so than the fact that such a consummated love was still illegal in Britain. 

There's another strand that is subtly communicated whereby George's mother (Lis Hoffmann) is in poor health which anchors George to the family home despite his desires. Then there's George's sister Barbara (Louise Plant), Barbara's husband Arthur (Phil Bedworth), George's nephew Jack (Keaton Humphreys), and family friend Doreen (Roxanne O'Connor) all of whose interactions give an authentic sense of family and community. These are decent, hardworking people who go to chapel, work the land, and look out for each other.  

Once I understood the play's framework I began to see what was happening rather than trying to glean meaning from the 'domestic' conversations taking place. In this director Barry Park excels with an elaborate choreography between Comstock and Wcislo as their characters come to terms with such intense feelings. 

I was fascinated in the space between them onstage, how that changed, who was moving forward, who was retreating, who was initiating contact, who was declining or accepting it. There was also the clearly delineated persona of each character - Comstock makes his George far more animated in a very likeable performance. We feel George's sense of frustration, of duty, of longing to break away from the strictures of his lot in life. 

Wcislo, by comparison, is mostly still, very upright, with his arms straight down his sides, hands palm down. It's as if his John is literally in an emotional straight jacket. Their work together is very good indeed. Helped by another layer - the oft mentioned play within the play that is John's excuse to be there and George's excuse to initially hide. George is, in fact, a good actor; a man pretending to be someone else. The relevance is not lost on the audience. 

There is a significant tonal shift after intermission with the opening scene playing in almost sitcom fashion as the family discuss John and George's play. It's genuinely funny, especially Hoffmann's Mother expressing disbelief that her son George could be so nasty. We have another time jump and again everything is so beautifully revealed instead of any direct exposition in the writing and the performance of such. It's here where the other cast members really shine - Bedworth has an affecting moment as his Arthur refuses to go have a pint with George. This comes shortly after a surprise revelation that skitters off into the ether with hardly a ripple other than to set the possible context for Arthur's response.

Plant's Barbara comes to the fore as brother and sister bicker, their love and concern for each other clear but strained. There is an emotional truth that resonates in these moments of heightened sibling drama. O'Connor imbues her character with a gentle comic streak as Doreen remains largely oblivious to what's really going on. Humphreys, remarkably only 15, is a likeable Jack. His projection wasn't as good as the vastly more experienced actors around him but given his age it's a minor quibble. Hoffmann provides the glue for the family interactions with sly humour, genuine parental concern, and nuanced signs of Mother's frailty.  

The final moments of the play are rightfully between John and a George who, in theory, has become untethered from a son's duty and loyalty to place. Yet these men are both trapped in their own worlds and more importantly the greater world's expectation of who they are meant to be and how they should act. There is no coincidence that 'realist' is in the title. 

Immeasurably aiding the authentic nature of this production is the set design (Barry Park), the depth of which I loved. There is a real sense of a lived in cottage; spatially, how it's dressed, and working elements such as the running water in the kitchen sink. Mark Nicholson's lighting design reinforces this by giving the illusion of both the interior and exterior of the cottage, bigger than you might expect with Garrick's narrow stage. Nyree Hughes' costume design isn't showy which suits these characters down to the ground. Finally, at no point did the Yorkshire accents pull me out of the story so kudos to dialect coach Phil Bedworth. 

The York Realist is a very well written play that has a lot going on under the surface. It is sensitively directed by Barry Park with excellent performances across the board. This is mature theatre of a high standard that is well worth a look. There are two more performances in the extended season on at 7.30pm, 27th and 29th of July at the Garrick Theatre in Guildford. 

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.

We Will Rock You - Platinum Entertainment (7 July 2023)

Before we begin, some context - Queen was one of the formative bands of my youth. We're talking the early eighties so the albums The Game, Flash Gordon soundtrack and yes, the oft derided Hot Space (Cool Cat featuring a beautiful falsetto by Freddie is still one of my favourite Queen songs) were my introduction. I listened to them via a strange plastic device called a cas-sette which often required maintenance using a pen-cil. They were simpler times. I quickly discovered the rest of the catalogue including the terrific Live Killers double album before growing with them into their later work. 

All this is to say that if you're going to mount a musical using over twenty songs from one of the most theatrical of all rock bands then who am I to argue? Certainly, you can approach We Will Rock You as a pseudo concert as hit after hit are performed with lyrics and riffs that have entered the public consciousness long ago. However, this show at the Regal Theatre in Subiaco not only honours the music but also that sense of theatricality and flamboyance with a no expenses spared, stunning production. 

The multilevel set is spectacular - framed by a lattice of metalwork that invokes the sense of a mainframe which is germane to the plot, such as it is. Overhead is a circular metallic structure that holds a whizzbang array of state-of-the-art lighting technology augmented by other lighting sources. The curved back wall/screen of the stage is used for rear projection of various locations and visual effects with startling clarity and occasionally live video images of the performers. It reminded me in some ways of a theatre version of The Volume, famously used in The Mandalorian to recreate immersive worlds. 

To add even more flavour there is a revolve with a separate outer ring to give momentum and movement to sequences as if the choreography and physical performances aren't already enough. Then there's the costuming which is suitably bright and gaudy with no sequin spared for our Killer Queen in particular. In short, the show is a visual treat. 

The sound quality is also incredibly high with crisp vocals and a good balance between performer and a white-hot band (Chris Travaglini, Glenn Hogue, Shayne Savic, Jon Clements, Manoli Vouyoucalos & Kieran Murphy) who were in fine form. The show is LOUD as befits a band of Queen's rock and roll stature so sometimes dialogue during the raunchier numbers is harder to decipher. 

Which brings us to the plot. In the future, where music and personal expression has been banned, the Global Soft corporation fights the Bohemians until a chosen one, Galileo Figaro, who hears the old songs in his head, um, rediscovers rock and roll through the power of Queen's music. Or something. It doesn't really matter and pretty much all pretence of a coherent storyline is abandoned when we get into the homerun stretch of three of Queen's biggest hits so by that stage the audience is clapping in time and stomping their feet so who cares? And clap and cheer they do including a spontaneous call and response sequence which highlights the ubiquity of Freddie Mercury's iconic live performance style. 

Ben Elton's updated book mines most of its comedy from references to well-known lyrics from a wide array of artists; the use of famous musical names in strange ways for odd characters; and a lack of understanding of the old ways and technology. The performers sell it and Luke Hewitt (Buddy) especially makes great hay in the latter stages of the second act with a knowing wink and nod.  

To the performances and from the start let me say the singing talent on display is exceptional. No one is going to mimic Freddie Mercury's legendary vocal range but Nicholas Cruse is a hell of a likeable Galileo and belts out a Queen song with gusto including the immortal number that closes the show. He works well with Kelsey Skinner's feisty Scaramouche and the show finds its groove in the first act with their duet of Under Pressure. They also share another highlight with Who Wants To Live Forever in the second act. The 'quieter' songs were often more notable for mine as they carried greater emotional heft. 

The other significant pairing is standout Holly Denton (Oz as in Ozzy Osbourne) and Courtney Murphy as Brit (as in Spears). It's an odd duo which is why it works so well. They rock out to I Want It All and Denton nails No-One But You as a lovely tribute to those rock stars who died far too young including Australia's own Michael Hutchence. 

A gloriously vampy Dean Misdale makes an indelible impression as Killer Queen including a killer stretch in the second half with Fat Bottomed Girls, an unfortunately truncated Don't Stop Me Now (though what a note by Blake Williams that indeed stopped Misdale in his tracks), topped off with Another One Bites The Dust. Take that as a triple threat! Indeed, it's such a good sequence that the show falters somewhat with the subsequent Hammer To Fall and These Are The Days Of Our Lives marking time even though the latter is a strong vocal moment for Hewitt. The aforementioned Williams plays the henchman of the piece as Khashoggi who can also belt out a song when called upon. 

To top things off there are a host of dancers, notably the Gaga Kids who open each act with Innuendo and One Vision respectively, and the Yuppies who bring a little sass and slinkiness to numbers such as Crazy Little Thing Called Love.  

In all it is a cracking evening's entertainment which had the audience on opening night begging for an encore. The applause was deafening when their wish was granted in the only way possible. 

Directed by Trevor Patient (who also did the lighting design), with Musical Direction by Chris Travaglini, Choreography by Una Genuino & Ashleigh Perrie, Artistic Director & Costume Design Katrina Patient, Sound Design Jordan Gibbs, Visual Effects Design Rory Henderson, and Wig Design by Axel Richards & Dean Misdale, We Will Rock You runs until 15 July at the Regal Theatre.

Catch Me If You Can The Musical - Koorliny Arts Centre (14 June 2023)

The suit jacket. Elegant, refined, a mark of status and authority in the sixties. With the right jacket, well, you could be most anyone. A substitute teacher, an airline co-pilot, a doctor, a lawyer, even an FBI agent. After you served a few years in jail for bank fraud of course. It also helps if you have charm, confidence, and the ability to churn milk into butter, mouse-like. This is the tale that awaits us in the musical adaptation of the movie Catch Me If You Can, itself an adaptation of the book written by our charming protagonist Frank William Abagnale Junior. A young man who conned his way across America and beyond, cashing forged cheques that eventually totalled in the millions.

It is significant then that costuming plays a prominent role in this production staged at the Koorliny Arts Centre. Frank Jr. (Joshua Firman) is coming to us Live In Living Colour where his attire marks his progression from teenage runaway to notorious ‘paperhanger’ and all the professions he brazenly inhabits. By contrast, his nemesis, FBI agent Carl Hanratty, and his associates are doomed to don “black and white” as Hanratty doggedly pursues the con-man until the bitter end. It is a lovely touch when Firman sheds the garb of jacket (and tie) once Frank Jr’s goose is cooked and all pretence has finally been dropped.

The ensemble, even more so, is given a wonderful array of colourful and sixties-styled costumes from sleek airline hostess outfits to the risqué nurses’ uniforms in the Act 2 attention grabber Doctor’s Orders which sets young Frank’s heart all a flutter and jolts the audience out of any post-intermission lull. Excellent work by Head of Wardrobe Lyn Leeder and Costume Assistant Neroli Sweetman.

But back to our story. I rewatched the Spielberg movie starring Leo DiCaprio, Tom Hanks, and Christopher Walken a couple of nights ago to familiarise myself again with the plot. I wondered how certain aspects would translate into a musical. The answer in the Book by Terrence McNally, Music by Marc Shaiman, and Lyrics by Shaiman and Scott Wittman is to break the fourth wall, go meta and turn the whole thing into a ‘show’ and blast through exposition in the early musical numbers. It is all so breezy, fast paced, and cheeky that the conceit works an absolute treat. In this it is helped immeasurably by a swinging 60s-themed score, stylish choreography by Kate Leeder, and the substantial stage presence of Joshua Firman in the lead role.

Firman brings considerable charm, acting chops, and the best singing voice I have heard at Koorliny if not in all the community theatre shows I have attended over the years. He soars vocally in the penultimate song Goodbye and sings throughout with such joy that it is palpable. There is a twinkle in his eye which hints at the childlike wonder Frank Jr. feels when he lucks into his next con. But there is also the hurt over the failure of his parents’ marriage which is a contributing factor in Frank Jr’s behaviour.

He is well-matched with two other important performances. Chris Gerrish is excellent as the FBI agent determined to get his man, Carl Hanratty. Interestingly, a lot of the pathos in the tragic figure of Frank Sr. played with understated brilliance by Walken in the movie, is transferred to Hanratty in the musical. This is most apparent in the blues-infused number The Man Inside The Clues. Gerrish also excels leading the showy Don’t Break The Rules. The closing number Stuck Together (Strange But True) sees Firman and Gerrish play off each other to great effect and it’s clear that there is a real onstage camaraderie at work here.

The other performance is by Matilda Jenkins as Brenda Strong who appears as the love interest in the second act. Jenkins makes for a forthright and competent Brenda and has a show stopping moment with her wonderful solo Fly, Fly Away which echoed another Shaiman & Wittman song, I Know Where I’ve Been from Hairspray.

John Taylor gives a perfectly fine performance as Frank Abagnale Sr but the role as written somehow feels diminished. Here, Frank Sr. is pitched more as a man who falls into booze after his wife betrays him rather than a far more complicated and tragic figure in Frank Jr’s life. He shares a heartwarming father-son duet with Firman in Butter Outta Cream and, similarly, the confrontation between Frank Sr. and Hanratty turns into the buddy number Little Boy Be A Man.  In both cases the feel-good mood dictated by the overall tone of the musical undercuts the troubled nature of a man Frank Jr. looked up to and wanted to make whole again.

Other performances that caught the eye include Catherine Archer’s classily staged Don’t Be A Stranger and Rp van der Westhuizen’s bumbling agent who reminded me of an exaggerated version of Oscar Wallace played by Charles Martin Smith in The Untouchables.  

This is a show with a magnetic lead performance, an excellent supporting cast, and an ensemble who all look the part and play up to the inherent fun and sexiness of their multi-faceted roles. The numbers are breezy and well sung (Musical Director Kate McIntosh) with Director Katherine Freind delivering a high energy, brisk production that looks and sounds fantastic.

I would not be surprised if this show features heavily in Finley Award nominations at the end of the year. It is a shining example of the best of community theatre in Perth.