Local Theatre Observations

The Ladykillers Zelman’s 90th

● ● ● ● Sam Howard (Louis) at left, Aaron Wilson (Harry), Jim Thomson (Major Courtney), Gavin Baker (One Round), John Cheshire (Professor Marcus), Joan Moriarty, Annie Woodward, Catherine Christensen, Lynne McGregor (Mrs Tromleyton) and Julie Arnold (Mrs Wilberforce) (standing).

■ Heidelberg Theatre Company’s production of The Ladykillers by Graham Linehan was a tale of two halves on its opening night, with laughs aplenty in the first half not mirrored in the second.

The play sees a gang of five oddball criminals rent lodgings pretending to be classical musicians. Their landlord is a sweet octogenarian, Mrs Wilberforce, who unwittingly helps them rob a bank. Mayhem ensues when she becomes aware of their ruse and thus becomes a thorn in their side.

Graham Linehan is the playwright, having adapted William Rose’s screenplay of the 1955 Ealing film of the same name.

Linehan is a well-known TV comedy series writer (for example, Father Ted, Black Books) who has kept pretty faithful to the original screenplay.

The emphasis is on getting laughs from broad caricatures in farcical situations. To my mind though this is a weakness of the script for it’s far from being a “timeless classic” and shows its age.

Given this I think the relatively large cast of eight (with five guest performers in addition) do a good job, putting in dedicated energetic performances even if, at times, the acting is forced or strained leading to miscues and a lack of believability.

The key characters, Professor Marcus, played by John Cheshire and Mrs Wilberforce, played by Julie Arnold, act as the lynchpin for the play’s action.

The director of The Ladykillers is Chris McLean who gets the basics right in terms of staging the frequent comings and goings typical of a farce.

Still, good timing, that critical key to the success of comedy, is unfortunately a hit-andmiss affair, especially in the second half. Chris shares a production credit with Melanie Belcher and the two do a fine job with limited resources.

Overall then The Ladykillers, despite being dated in its humour, is an entertainment that should grow into a more consistently enjoyable production over the course of its season.

Venue: Heidelberg Theatre, 36 Turnham Ave, Rosanna

Performance Details: Until March 4

Duration: 2 hours (not including interval)

Tickets: $22-$27

Bookings: www.htc.org.au

- Review by Peter Murphy

Media Flashes

■ Jonathan Williams has left Network 10 after more than 15 years as a Sports Presenter / Producer. He first joined the broadcaster in 2007.

■ Samantha Healy has been appointed Regional Real Estate Editor for News Corp Australia's Queensland and Northern Territory titles.

■ Amber Schultz has started at The SunHerald (NSW) as a Reporter, covering general news. She joins from Crikey, where she had been an Associate Editor and Investigative Reporter.

■ Mamamia has announced the appointment of Elfy Scott as Editor.

■ Foundry (formerly IDG Communications), has announced the closure of its CMO Australia brand.

■ SBS has introduced First Nations place names in the nightly national weather forecast of its flagship news bulletin.

- Telum Australia