Romeo and Juliet - Class Act Theatre (6 September 2014)

This show marks the end of a twenty year association between Perth and Class Act Theatre, founder and driving force Angelique Malcolm deciding to head eastwards at the end of the year. Class Act has always been notable for making the great Bard’s works accessible to a wider audience and this is no exception.

Here, Will.i.am Shakespeare’s famous tragedy is given a re-imagining with a decidedly hip hop flavour which will no doubt catch the attention of a younger audience. It’s an interesting stylistic choice and one that infuses the play with an energy and playfulness that works surprisingly well in the first act before largely disappearing in the second. As it must as the tragedy unfolds. I’m still undecided about this as I enjoyed the first half so much and missed the unusual flourishes as a more traditional rendering occurs in the second act.

The set is littered with milk crates, a shopping trolley, and refuse as two homeless people watch the action (Malcolm and Stephen Lee, both of whom also play the Sister and, most amusingly, the Nurse respectively). The Capulets and Montagues loiter in the wings. At the rear of the stage is a torn white sheet where the occasional narration of (Perth based lyricist) Ryan ‘Trooth’ Samuels is projected. The upper tear in the sheet will provide the setting for the iconic balcony scene.

What follows is the use of certain passages of text performed as rap with recorded musical support by the aforementioned Trooth and Loftee Beats who are co-musical directors.  Lucas Marie adds impressive interludes of breakdancing or 'bboying' as it’s referred to in the program. The cast are attired in modern clothing that reflects the hip hop aesthetic.

The standouts in the early going are Daniel Buckle as Mercutio who adds a real sense of mischief while Jessica Messenger is a feisty Benvolio. Lee initially provides comic relief as the Nurse and his song and dance number was all kinds of brave and funny.

Nick Pages-Oliver plays Romeo with a twinkle in the eye and there is a lot of sly humour here. The well-built Rubeun Yorkshire makes for a menacing Tybalt and the rap-style fight between the two works well. Our Juliet is Maja Liwszyc who was excellent in the last Class Act production I saw (Frames) and excels again here. She conveys strength in opposition to her mother and father’s wishes (Katya Shevtsov and Zane Alexander) while displaying a real sweetness and joy in her love for Romeo. The cast is rounded out by Josh Walker as the rival suitor, Paris.

What adds to the first act working so well is that the actors are never off stage and add spontaneous laughter and catcalls from the wings that enhanced the sense of play. The company had genuine chemistry with ‘in the moment’ interactions. I was really enjoying the humour and fresh take on such well known material. Again, by necessity, the chorus falls silent after the intermission.

I confess I enjoyed Act One more then the second and this is a long play. The fusion of the classical text with rap and hip hop was an interesting one and I thought worked well. Its absence was all the more notable because of its uniqueness. That’s not to say the second half isn’t without its moments with Liwszyc in particular strong.

Directed by Helen Doig, hopefully this production will attract a new generation of young audience members who will become acquainted with one of Shakespeare's masterpieces. I also wish Angelique Malcolm all the best as she braves new frontiers in Melbourne.

Romeo and Juliet is on at the Subiaco Arts Centre until 13 September and then down at the Mandurah Performing Arts Centre 18-19 September.  

This Is Not A Love Song - The Blue Room Theatre (2 September 2014)

Everybody has a soundtrack to their own lives. It doesn’t matter what kind of music or from what era(s), it is part of who we are. That is the wonderful quality of music – it can evoke a memory, an emotion, a singularly genuine response with an ease unmatched by any other medium. Of people, of places, of times good and bad; the soundtrack we fashion provides signposts to the highlights and occasionally the low points of our lives.

Filmmakers have known this for decades with perhaps the two greatest practitioners of the movie soundtrack being Martin Scorsese and Quentin Tarantino who use it to powerful effect. Here comedian Greg Fleet (in his playwriting debut) has created his own soundtrack filled with an eclectic mix of songs sung by him, the two other actors who populate the world of his play, and musician Michael de Grussa.

Indeed music is the essence that attracts then binds Jimmy (Shane Adamczak) and Sophie (Tegan Mulvany who also directs) as they fall in then ultimately out of love. Watching this as if a ghost in his own apartment of days gone by, is Fleet’s older Jimmy who reflects on the joy of a new relationship then watches, commentates, and briefly interacts as it slowly unravels. He has revisited this youthful period countless times and the same mistakes he made leading to the same outcome gives him a world weariness and air of wistful regret. But this is Greg Fleet so there is plenty of comedy to go along with the wry observations.

He is an engaging presence and there is an honesty here that is compelling as he addresses the audience who are literally a part of the canvas of this tale. However, this is a story not only about the arc of a relationship but how we remember such things. Memories can be unreliable or altered to suit our purposes and, as we learn yet already know, people lie. Fleet does get up to some mischief, in particular with the second tale about what happened to Jimmy’s father delivered with deadpan deceit.

The teller of the first tale (which is equally cheeky) is Adamczak who is very good as the pot smoking, video game playing boyfriend whose ambition is to be ambitious. Yes, Jimmy may be going places but not very fast. That his estimation of Sophie goes up a notch when she bests his record collection is all geek charm of the highest order, a trait Adamczak nails. He also has a strong singing voice, crucial here given the number and significance of the songs.

Mulvany shines as Sophie and her chemistry with Adamczak is excellent. The arc of the relationship is nothing less than credible with subtle flourishes that make us believe these two are madly in love before complications later arise. Mulvany matches her co-star for singing chops but where she really impresses is with two tales that are utterly authentic, so much so I would not be surprised if they are someone’s actual recollections – a tragic event that happens one day while Sophie is on the bus; and a devastating conversation she has with her mother at a café. Both beautifully delivered. 

The cast is rounded out by de Grussa who plays keyboards and sings in the corner of the set and occasionally interacts with the characters. It’s a nice conceit having him so visible and he provides excellent musical support… which brings us to the songs.

Anybody who has the moxie to open the batting with a Wings number and uses the middle section of said song (thereby concealing its identity from younger audience members) gets full points in my book. There follows a selection of songs chosen for lyrical and emotional relevance from such bands as Yazoo, The Beatles, ELO, Split Enz, Men At Work, Australian Crawl, Warren Zevon, Buffalo Springfield, The Pretenders, and The Motels (told you it was eclectic!). But it is Daryl Braithwaite who features because, as everyone knows, his classic The Horses could solve world strife! There was only one song I didn’t recognise but it sounded punk in origin which was never my thing. Yes, music is nothing less than personal, each with our own guilty delights (I’ll live with the disappointment of there being no Do You Really Want To Hurt Me by Culture Club).

I really enjoyed this show – the writing and acting is very good, the songs well delivered (at times I felt like clapping at the end of a number though This is Also Not a Musical) and the humour is genuinely funny amongst the underlying tone of regret. The set was nicely done with the iconic Dark Side of the Moon cover art prominent on one wall, CDs and honest- to-god real vinyl albums (Google it young people) everywhere, with the illusion of the apartment enhanced by the back and side walls painted to show domestic items. The play ends on a strong line delivered by Fleet that was an understated punctuation point.

It is an auspicious debut.

This Is Not A Love Song is directed by Tegan Mulvany, Written by Greg Fleet and stars Fleet, Mulvany, Shane Adamczak and Michael de Grussa. There are 5 more shows at The Blue Room Theatre but only tickets available for 6pm, Saturday 6 September so you're fast running out of opportunities to see this one!     

Concussion - Ellandar Productions (29 August 2014)

Take a bow Ross Mueller. Yes, before we discuss the work of director Sarah McKellar and her excellent cast we have to talk about the writing. This is nothing less than what I call a “writer’s play” with sly references and nods to the writing process itself and, oh my, Mueller is having a grand old time with it. Word play galore, fractured timeline narrative, intersecting character storylines, a faux mystery, characters breaking the fourth wall and even suggesting scenes, and the mocking of clichés associated with this style of story as the characters are all very self-aware about the tale they’re in. 

It’s deliciously clever, subversive and funny. Even the somewhat overwrought shouting match at the end I took to be a poke at the expectations usually contained within this type of tale. As a writer myself this was absolutely in my wheelhouse and I loved the cheekiness and audacity of the script.

When you give such great writing to the talented cast McKellar has assembled, well then, we’re off to the races. Those actors are Richard Mellick as the cop Caesar who has been bashed on his way to court with seemingly no memory of events leading up to that moment; Nichola Renton as his girlfriend Julia who is also an emergency room Doctor and dealing with her needy ex-husband James Jnr Jnr played by Ian Bolgia. 

Then there’s Paul Grabovac as James Jnr Jnr’s brother, James Jnr (I told you Mueller was having fun!) who is melancholic and very anti-accordions. Russya Connor plays Katerina who is Caesar’s legal advisor, the source of James Jnr’s moping, and (stay with me here) is having sex with Caesar’s 15 year old son, Sergio (Danen Engelenberg) who blogs about their sexual exploits having been ostracised from Facebook by his schoolmates.

Initially I thought we were going to see two mysteries solved over the course of the play – the reason for the bashing; and the resolution of the relationship drama between Caesar and Julia. To be honest, the first is really a device to give a major reason for these characters to collide in surprising and unusual ways and it’s that exploration that is fascinating not the mystery itself which remained fairly oblique.

Renton who is excellent as the caring Julia gives an inkling of what’s to come with an early monologue directed at the audience where she indicates that this will not be another tragedy and that their landscape is comedy. There is also repeated mention of the cerebral meeting the physical and that it is actions that define us not words - amusing when so many fine words are being deployed here. She grounds the play with a well measured, sympathetic turn as the woman supportive of her partner and striving to free herself from her ex.

Bolgia gives a wonderfully boisterous performance as a man who tries to win his wife back but uses words as a weapon even beseeching others to guess what he is thinking by giving them the word count and number of syllables. Grabovac is suitably morose by comparison as he loses his job to his brother; is censored on air, not for his ideas but because he used foul language; and who struggles with the loss of his girlfriend.

Mellick gets to inhabit two completely different sides of Caesar – the bewildered bashing victim who muses about Bob Dylan, Osama bin Laden and various other pop culture figures to amusing effect; and the last good cop in town who refuses to lie in his statement to the court about a celebrated war veteran who was murdered at “2am, in the morning, at night”. Writer’s gags everywhere.

Connor is all feisty and sexy as the lawyer and has several raunchy moments that are well staged with Engelenberg as the horny teenager who doesn’t understand the ramifications of his actions and the trouble his blog will cause. He has a standout moment delivering an hilarious monologue that is as explicit as it is downright funny.

McKellar keeps the pace crackling along and I was having a fine time with this. The playing with timelines means that the major revelations when they are come are well crafted with the ending of the play a nice surprise yet totally in sync with what has been set up. Impressive writing that is directed and acted with impressive skill.

Concussion is on at The Blue Room Theatre with only one more show, 7pm Saturday 30 August. Written by Ross Mueller and directed by Sarah McKellar, it stars Richard Mellick, Nichola Renton, Ian Bolgia, Paul Grabovac, Russya Connor and Danen Engelenberg.

Narrow Graves - Second Chance Theatre (28 August 2014)

Narrow Graves is the third production I have seen by Second Chance Theatre this year after the atmospheric Bye. Gone and the apocalyptic relationship drama Coincidences at the End of Time. All three were written by Scott McArdle who is nothing less than prolific with his debut musical Extra Ordinary People due to hit Murdoch University’s Nexus Theatre in November. This one is at the Drama Workshop also on the Murdoch campus.

McArdle is a young writer with great potential and he’s certainly not afraid to explore provocative and dark subject matter such as in this play. That he does so with wit, insight, and at times brutal realism is testament to his writing ability – a skill that might take him to NIDA and beyond, all things being equal later in the year. Not content with being the author, he also does the lighting design and acts, notably in this one, naked for a large portion.

He is joined on stage by his Coincidences co-star Emily David (as Charlotte) who plays a newly arrived ‘guest’ at a facility whose previous owner was one A. Hitler. We quickly learn things haven’t changed much as this unnamed place indulges in the kind of experiments that would not be out of place in those evil times. David has an eminently watchable quality that is powered by a stillness and calmness in her acting. This works to the play’s advantage as her character is perhaps the only sane person in a bunch that includes fellow ‘guests’ Juliet, a partially lobotomised, childlike presence; and Ethan, stoically played by McArdle who stands naked in a bucket of water as a form of ritual humiliation.

Charlotte’s guide, Benjamin (a doctor of some sort), is played by Rhys Hyatt who obliquely explains the rules of this strange world. Hyatt portrays the character with a mix of condescension and smarminess to amusing effect though we soon discover a much darker side as he takes advantage of Juliet (Jade Galambosi) for his own sexual gratification. Galambosi is sweet and tragic as the damaged soul stuck in this horrid place.

The final character is The Warden, a strong performance by Laughton Mckenzie. This is the charismatic yet unhinged ‘visionary’ who demands complete obedience yet is unaware of the chaos his actions reap. Which is ironic as chaos is the very thing he wishes to eliminate and the entire purpose of this facility. A chaos brought about by emotion, love and sex, all sins to be removed from the unwilling guests. Exercise time is a euphemism for joyless sex as Charlotte and Ethan are forced to couple every day under the watchful eyes of Benjamin and the Warden. The unwanted results of such ‘experiments’ can be terminated with a syringe.

It’s all bleak and unrelenting but this appears to be McArdle’s intention. A world without love, emotion and sex leaves people a gibbering mess in the corner of a very dark place indeed. It is a cautionary tale regarding the rise of conservatism in places such as Australia where governments seek to control aspects of our lives that really are none of their business. Ultimately though I wasn’t sure what the takeaway from this is as the cycle repeats itself as even Charlotte crumbles in the face of such heartless brutality. This was after an act of perverse kindness that did surprise me and was shocking in its ruthlessly efficient staging.

There is black humour throughout to leaven this nightmarish vision and it was interesting watching the power structure at play. This hierarchy is most noticeable with Benjamin who lords over the guests but is obsequious and subservient to the Warden. The performances are all strong but pitched very differently with Hyatt and Mckenzie given licence to have the showier roles while David, Galambosi and McArdle drive the emotional punch of the play. The set is simple yet effective with good use of lighting guiding us through scene changes.

This is SCT’s most overtly political piece and it’s certainly not for the fainthearted. The creative team and actors are to be applauded for producing a play that will make you think and wasn’t without its own share of adversity in bringing to the stage. There are three more shows; tonight at 7.00pm sharp (there is a lockout) with a matinee and evening show on Saturday. 

Great Expectations - WAAPA (27 August 2014)

In the early going of Great Expectations there is a bare knuckled fight between a young Pip (Adam Sollis) and Herbert (Harry Richardson) started by the latter, won decisively by the former. They much later become fast friends. I mention this because it prompts the thought that I have been watching a World Heavyweight Title Fight all year between the respective third year musical theatre and acting classes at WAAPA. Two evenly matched opponents slugging it out and what a bout it has been!

If West Side Story is the crowning achievement of the musical theatre class in the red corner then the acting cohort in the blue corner have replied in stunning fashion with this production. To extend the boxing analogy, I had a ringside seat, front row centre, at the Geoff Gibbs Theatre. And what a view it was - a brilliant adaptation of the great novel, inventively staged and directed, with superb performances across the board.

The cast of seventeen actors are all given moments to shine as the adaptation features the use of a rotating chorus who vocalise Pip’s innermost thoughts and provide ancillary characters as well as, amusingly, such things as dogs and gargoyles. The cast is in constant movement and this gives the play great energy and a unique treatment to one of the classics of Western literature.

But it’s in the featured roles where impressive performances are everywhere:

Firstly, I doff my cap to Adam Sollis as Pip who is tremendous. From frightened young boy, to disgruntled apprentice, to eager suitor, to a gentleman in London living the high life, to a man whose newfound world crumbles around him as the revelations pile up in the second act, he gives such a likeable and convincing performance in the demanding central role.

Jonny Hawkins is wonderful as Joe Gargery, the simple blacksmith with a big heart. I spoke to him briefly afterwards to congratulate him on the show and his blistering performance in Festen and he said the trade-off for playing the devil in Festen was to play Joe, the complete opposite. He was in high spirits and clearly had fun in the role generating a lot of good-natured humour.

Emma Diaz is radiant as Estella, the object of Pip’s affection. Pip is constantly asked by Miss Havisham if Estella is pretty and yes, Diaz is every bit the beauty here but plays the cold and heartless creature of Havisham’s creation very well.

Alexis Lane is unrecognisable as Miss Havisham with grey, bedraggled hair, dirty wedding dress and stark make-up. She appeared to be relishing the role of the manipulative old woman whose heart was broken at the altar with a mischievous gleam in the eyes that was compelling. 

Jane Watt shines as the (male) lawyer Jaggers and after final bows almost danced off stage and so she should be happy with her authoritative performance. Harry Richardson plays Herbert with a straightforward earnestness that I really enjoyed and Stephanie Tsindos is an honest, straight talking Biddy.

Alex Malone is a vigorous Mrs Joe and really propels the play in the early scenes. Likewise, Julio Machado provides an early comic turn as Pumblechook that sets up the lighter tone that is throughout the play though not so much in the latter stages of the second act as we get down to business with a series of revelations that actually require a lot of exposition and even the odd ‘flashback’ scene, one done very effectively in silhouette behind a white sheet.

Aleks Mikic is brutally in your face as the convict in the opening and has a much bigger presence in the second act as Magwitch makes his presence known to Pip. While a changed man and the source of Pip’s good fortune, he can’t help but be who he was conditioned to be as he attacks his nemesis Compeyson (Alexander Frank) to seal his downfall. Liam Maguire is suitably creepy and resentful as Orlick with Harriet Davies (Wemmick), Henry Hammersla, Joel Horwood, Kirsty Marillier, and Felicity McKay rounding out the cast in various roles and as part of the chorus.  

The buzz at intermission and after the show was one of real excitement. I was talking with three young actors who have aspirations to go to WAAPA and how could you not be but inspired on the evidence of this outing. That and the fact there were two other high quality performances going on in the nearby venues. It was also great to see such good crowds all three nights that I have been at the Mount Lawley campus this week.

Directed by Andrew Lewis (also in high spirits after the show), Adapted from the Charles Dickens novel by Nick Ormerod and Declan Donnellan and featuring WAAPA’s graduating acting class, there is only one show remaining at the Geoff Gibbs Theatre, Thursday 28 August at 7.30pm. If you can get a ticket definitely go and see it - a highlight of 2014. 

The Grapes of Wrath - WAAPA (26 August 2014)

There are basic human rights that we accept as a given (though under threat from time to time) such as a roof over your head, access to food, the ability to work, and protection by the law. This story is one where all of those things are taken away from a family and how they struggle to survive in the face of such unthinkable adversity. Yes, the extended Joad family are kicked off their farm in 1930’s dustbowl America and forced to travel to California on the promise of work. Along the way they discover all kinds of hardship and people who would take advantage of an over-abundance of labour during the Great Depression.

On the surface this is a bleak tale but it is the indomitable will of the mother, Ma Joad (an authoritative performance by Megan Wilding), that defies all assaults on her family and the calamities that beset them that resonates so strongly.

Our tale begins with newly paroled Tom Joad (interesting casting choice but one where Elle Harris excels) returning to the family farm. On the way he discovers ex-preacher Jim Casey (Andrew Creer) who is no longer moved by the spirit of the Lord as he once was. Seems young Tom spent four years inside for killing a man who had attacked him, a crime he does not regret. On learning of the family plight the decision is made to travel westwards where orange handbills promise plenty of work picking grapes and other fruit in the lush California valleys.

Three generations of the Joads including a reluctant Grampa (Luke Fewster), Granma (Harriet Gordon-Anderson), Ma and Pa Joad (Dacre Montgomery), Al Joad (Bevan Pfeiffer), Uncle John (Seamus Quinn), the pregnant Rose of Sharon (Becky Gulia), the two children Ruthie and Winfield (Brittany Morel and Jessica Paterson), Tom and Casey all pile into an old truck. This is amusingly yet effectively portrayed by a plush couch with the ‘children’ holding torches to signify headlights. There are two tragedies and warnings along the way that they are chasing fake dreams of a better life. But what else is there for them to do?

Once they get to California there are all manner of people willing to prey on their desperation. Seems those handbills have been more than effective in attracting families like the Joads which means the employers can slash wages to grossly unfair levels. Then there are the run-ins with the law whose officers have an aggressive attitude to all the ‘immigrants’ flooding into the State. The parallels to modern day situations in various parts of the world are obvious. Those confrontations see Casey on the run and Tom subsequently reprising his crime as he checks a commotion outside a work camp one night only to find the worst kind of trouble. As he leaves the family he vows to fight the injustice that is rife all around them. The play ends with a storm, a birth, and an act of charity that is well handled and moving.

The production is in the black box theatre of the Enright Studio and director Sandie Eldridge has chosen to have her actors stay in the space eschewing exits and entrances. They lurk in the wings when not in scenes. With such a simple set it’s the use of various props that creates the world – blue plastic sheet representing water/river; use of a door held upright then placed on the stage floor; the couch which is utilised in various ways; and the sort of detritus and assorted possessions that such a family accrues.

A Narrator (Stephanie Panozzo) periodically reads descriptive passages from the novel and observes the action while occasionally playing the harmonica. She also guides characters who have perished into the wings like some guardian angel. This allows us to accept why the dead are suddenly up and about as they have to get off the primary stage space.

The acting is good (as are, generally, the American accents) with Wilding and Harris featuring but I also liked Creer’s good-natured performance as Casey and Montgomery as a somewhat bewildered Pa Joad. Props go to Gordon-Anderson and Fewster playing characters well beyond their years. Gulia comes into her own in the later stages as her character goes from tragedy to offering an unusual and potent gift of generosity.

I wasn’t a fan, however, of the use of music that only had the effect of wrenching me out of the drama. I understand the temptation of the lyrical association of songs such as Do You Know the Way to San Jose and (a rock version of) California Dreaming but those songs are at least 30 years after the time period being depicted as were a couple of even more modern tracks. There was a great dance sequence full of energy and fun amidst the gloom of the family predicament and it worked well when the actors were performing The Clapping Song which is based on a 1930s number. But when the modern version is played over the top it again dissipated my immersion in the world.

Other than that this is the first time I have seen the second year acting students and they acquitted themselves well in an iconic American tale.

Directed by Sandie Eldridge, Written by Frank Galati based on the John Steinbeck novel, and featuring Elle Harris, Dacre Montgomery, Andrew Creer, Bevan Pfeiffer, Seamus Quinn, Megan Wilding, Becky Gulia, Stephanie Panozzo, Brittany Morel, Jessica Paterson, Harriet Gordon-Anderson, Claudia Ware, Shalom Brune-Franklin, Luke Fewster, Rian Howlett, Ben Kindon and Lincoln Vickery, The Grapes of Wrath has two more performances, 7.30pm 27-28 August at the Enright Studio. 

Merrily We Roll Along - WAAPA (25 August 2014)

What a year - Hair, West Side Story and now Stephen Sondheim’s Merrily We Roll Along. From the 300 seat Geoff Gibbs Theatre to the 1100 seater at the Regal to the intimate confines of the Roundhouse (fast becoming my favourite theatre venue) WAAPA’s third year musical theatre students have been outstanding. In the words of Sondheim himself, “Here’s to us. Who’s like us? Damn few.”

Indeed, the story of three talented friends who rise from humble beginnings to achieve their artistic dreams on Broadway, in publishing, and beyond is an apt one. This graduating class is in the early phase of realising their own dreams and the talent on display bodes well for the future. But Merrily We Roll Along posts warning signs along the way about how ambition and expediency can erode artistic integrity and, perhaps more importantly, alienate those who matter most - the friends, loved ones and collaborators who helped make the journey possible.

The dramatic conceit here is that the story is told in reverse chronological order. We see these characters at their worst at the beginning of the musical before exploring how they arrived at such an emotionally barren place. When the show first opened on Broadway in 1981 it was a flop. It’s almost hard to believe as the score is excellent, the lyrics witty and perceptive, and there’s surely a resonance for anyone who has harboured an artistic dream of some sort. The structure is complex but not prohibitively so as we move backwards from 1976 to eventually land in 1957 (a year I should have realised the significance of) where the final scene is beautifully constructed and thematically perfect. It signals a time where anything was possible, where ideas could change the world, where artists could make the papers and musicals were popular and could raise important themes. A time when three people meet who will become friends, collaborators, and take the world by storm... but at what cost?

This is why the reverse timeline works – there is such idealism and hope in the final sequences of the production that we largely forgive where these characters ended up. That they fail in life by becoming so successful in their chosen professions is also down to the sort of human frailties we can easily identify with.

The three friends, Composer (and subsequent Hollywood producer) Franklin Shepard, lyricist Charley Kringas, and writer/critic Mary Flynn are played by Jack Van Staveren, Ben Adams, and Rebecca Hetherington respectively. Van Staveren is excellent as the one who craves success and fame as he chases first Broadway then Hollywood. Along the way he loses his wife Beth (Sophie Cheeseman) and ends up marrying Broadway star Gussie Carnegie (Chloe Wilson) who was enamoured of his musical talent. I have to admit it’s such a likeable performance that I never really felt he was the ‘villain’ in the early going. Adams is the perfect foil and has a highlight moment during Franklin Shepard, Inc. as Charley expresses his disappointment and anger at how Franklin has sold out for the money thus ending their friendship. The two are convincing as friends and long-time collaborative partners which makes their falling out (retrospectively) more potent.

But the standout for me is Hetherington who gets to play the faithful friend in love with Franklin and who wears her heart on her sleeve even trashing the opening sequence party in his honour with some harsh home truths. Not only is her acting impressive but vocally she shines, particularly during Not A Day Goes By (Reprise) as Mary comes to terms with the fact she will never be with Franklin as he marries Beth.

Of the supporting cast, Chloe Wilson plays the diva Gussie with great confidence and sass. There was a moment in the opening sequence where she slipped (on strewn lettuce) and fell hard to the audible gasps of the audience but didn’t miss a beat as she picked herself up, blood nose and all, and confronted the newest object of her husband’s affections, Meg (Miranda Macpherson). If anything, it added to the drama of the moment.

Sophie Cheeseman plays Beth with a southern accent and trusting innocence that is charming but always destined for tears and she is great with the young child performer Sebastian Coe who plays Frank Junior. Nick Eynaud comes into his own as Gussie’s husband Joe Josephson the further we go back in time. He has an amusing moment telling Franklin and Charley they need to write more hummable tunes, the reason Sondheim wrote Merrily in the first place in response to critics of his work. The rest of the cast is, as is to be expected, strong vocally and look terrific in an assortment of costumes appropriate to the different time periods.

After the big, elaborate musicals of the last few days over in Melbourne this show was a pleasant reminder that a stripped back production such as this in an intimate setting with talented performers and musicians can be just as entertaining and memorable. And yes, Mister Sondheim, I was tapping my feet more than once!

Directed by Jason Langley, Musical Director David King, Music and Lyrics by Stephen Sondheim with a Book by George Furth, Merrily We Roll Along stars WAAPA's third year musical theatre students and has six more shows until 30 August at The Roundhouse Theatre.