Stage Whispers May/June 2015

8

In this issue

Caroline O’Connor .................................................................................. 8 Australia’s international triple threat returns for Anything Goes Australian Plays Excite Audiences ........................................................... 12 A new wave of local plays are pleasing audiences and critics A New Brad And Janet .......................................................................... 16 Stephen Mahy and Amy Lehpahmer join Rocky Horror Play Us The Music ................................................................................. 18 The inside story from Australia’s top Musical Directors

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A Festival Of Fabulous Firsts .................................................................. 22 Barry Humphries’ first Adelaide Cabaret Festival Stunning New Prison Theatre ................................................................ 26 Bendigo Gaol recycled as a stunning new theatre Christchurch’s Heritage Isaac Theatre Royal Reopens ............................. 34

34

22

The Colosseum ...................................................................................... 36 Theatrical secrets of grand Roman amphitheatre revealed Community Theatres Stage Challenging New Shows.............................. 38 Introducing Australia’s Matildas ............................................................ 40

40

Light And Sound Feature ....................................................................... 41 Lighting Opera on the Harbour, new products and more

Regular Features Stage Briefs

46 66

74

73

4 Stage Whispers May - June 2015

6

Stage On Disc

28

London Calling

30

Broadway Buzz

31

Stage To Page

32

Amateur Stage Briefs

51

On Stage - What’s On

54

Auditions

65

Reviews

66

Musical Spice

92

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Simon Gleeson, Jean Valjean in Les Misérables, currently playing at Sydney’s Capitol Theatre, checks out the March / April edition of Stage Whispers.

Photo: Lightbox Photography.

Editorial

Dear theatre-goers and theatre-doers, When friends see news of the theatre I’ve seen, and the performers I’ve chatted to, they often say I have the best job in the world.

It’s hard to disagree as I look at the photos on this editorial page.

Ahead of opening night for Les Misérables I popped along to the media call at Sydney’s Capitol Theatre, saw previews of three showstoppers, then met cast members including Simon Gleeson (Jean Valjean), pictured top right reading our March / April edition. The exhilaration of opening night and a trademark Cameron Mackintosh bash at Sydney Town Hall followed.

The Rocky Horror Show has finally found a theatre in Sydney, so I was invited along to a sneak preview, where I had the pleasure of interviewing our new Brad and Janet, Stephen Mahy and Amy Lehpamer (pictured middle right). Personal memories of the original Australian production (I saw it 17 times 40 years ago at the New Art Cinema in Glebe) flooded back then, and on opening night at Sydney Lyric, wandering off into the night with my red feather boa.

With John Frost and Opera Australia again joining forces, to produce Anything Goes, I jumped at the chance to chat with the wonderful Caroline O’Connor for half an hour in John Frost’s boardroom, having my photo taken with our fabulous international triple threat (pictured lower right) to make my Facebook friends envious.

So yes, despite the blood, sweat and tears of editing a theatre magazine and website, I wouldn’t swap this job for anything.

It’s great to know you’re enjoying our work too. Thanks to everyone who has ‘liked’ our Facebook page. We were thrilled to receive our 11,000th ‘like’ during April.

Yours in Theatre,

Neil Litchfield Editor

CONNECT

Cover image:

Caroline O’Connor stars in the new Opera Australia / John Frost production of Anything Goes which opens at Melbourne’s Princess Theatre from May 27, with Brisbane and Sydney seasons to follow. See our interview on page 8. www.stagewhispers.com.au Stage Whispers 5

 Emerging Australian musical theatre leading lady Patrice Tipoki has released her debut album A Musical Heart, celebrating her journey across a broad range of musical genres. This album features songs from many of the musicals Patrice has appeared in since making her musical debut at the age of 7 in The King & I, following her career all the way through to her current starring role in Les Misérables.

A collection of popular musical theatre tunes, A Musical Heart includes songs from Les Misérables - ‘I Dreamed a Dream’, Wicked - ‘Defying Gravity’, Beauty and the Beast ‘Beauty and the Beast’, We Will Rock You - ‘Somebody to Love’, West Side Story ‘Tonight’, The King & I - ‘Shall We Dance’, Anyone Can Whistle ‘Anyone Can Whistle’ and Songs For a New World - ‘I’m Not Afraid of Anything’. www.patricetipoki.com

Photo: Kurt Sneddon.

 Silvie Paladino, Christie Whelan-Browne, Rhonda Burchmore and Kirby Burgess are among the divas who will appear in The Production Company’s Jerry’s Girls (Nov 21 - Dec 6). The season also includes West Side Story (July 11 - 19) and Nice Work If You Can Get It (Aug 15 - 23).

Photo: Jim Lee.

6 Stage Whispers May - June 2015

ďƒ¨ Hayley Mills, Maxwell Caulfield and Juliet Mills, touring nationally in Legends, beginning at QPAC on May 28.

Stage Briefs

Photo: Greg Gorman.

www.stagewhispers.com.au Stage Whispers 7

Cover Story

Australia’s international triple threat Caroline O’Connor has returned to star in the John Frost / Opera Australia production of Anything Goes. She spoke to Neil Litchfield ahead of rehearsals.

Caroline O’Connor’s earliest stage experience included performing imitations of Ethel Merman for her dog. Now she’s about to play one of Merman’s great roles, Reno Sweeney, in the new Australian production of Anything Goes.

Between those bookends Caroline has starred in a diverse range of musical theatre roles and musicals on stages around the globe, from Broadway to London’s West End and Paris.

Sitting in the Sydney Boardroom of the Gordon Frost Organisation, surrounded by theatrical posters reminding us of John Frost’s greatest hits, I settled in for a lively chat with our elfin, effervescent triple threat.

The vivacious all-singing, alldancing role of Reno Sweeney, brimming with great Broadway standards to belt out, strikes me as a perfect fit for Caroline. Has it been high on her bucket list forever?

8 Stage Whispers May - June 2015

Caroline O’Connor as Velma Kelly in Chicago.

Photo: Joseph Feil.

“I suppose secretly it has,” she tells me. “I’ve never really said it out loud. I never do about shows I really want to do; you jinx it a bit.

Ever since doing the film De-Lovely, especially, I’ve felt the music feels like a good comfortable pair of shoes. With some roles - you don’t want to make it sound like it’s going to be easy, but you just look at it and you think, yeah, I feel good about that.

“You’ve got to be honest with yourself about roles that you’re right and wrong for, and that’s served me well so far.”

There have been so many great Renos. What is Caroline’s take on the role?

“Every production I’ve seen, including Elaine Paige and Patti Lupone, though sadly I didn’t get to see it with Ethel, the Renos are always a little bit different; they can be different ages and looks. I suppose mine will be a little bit more like me, probably a little bit feisty and I’d like to have fun with it.

“Todd (McKenney) keeps telling me how funny the show is, because he’s had so much fun doing it. My intention is that I will have fun playing her, but also be guided by Dean (Bryant) as to how he wants it to go - you’ve always got to look to the captain of the ship when you’re doing a show, excuse the pun. She’s

kind of spunky and fun, and a little vulnerable. At times she can come across as a little sad. She wants to be loved, and she’s putting on a bit of a front, as many of us do when you feel that way. It’s very attractive to see those inner qualities of the character on stage - not just the broad strokes the underlying colours as well. I’d like to be able to try and find that with her, right from the get-go, rather than her just singing songs very loudly.”

Depth of characterisation isn’t something 1930s musicals were renowned for, I suggest.

“I don’t know how deep you can go, but we shall see. Also, because it’s a farce, you don’t want to be dragging the ship down … I can’t stop with all the punning - I keep saying welcome on board to people - all these things come out about the show. I think it’s in my subconscious.

“You don’t want to suddenly be doing Chekhov; it’s not meant to be like that. There’s just hints and nuances, little moments of her showing that she’s a sensitive person, because it’s more interesting. But it’s a

“Tap was involved in my first show in London. That was in 1984, and I didn’t tap at all, apart from a little bit of soft shoe tap in Follies and Chicago, until I was in Christmas Story on Broadway in 2012.

“So imagine, between 1984 and 2012, not tapping. You do all the training for it, and then it depends which shows come along whether you use it or not, and it’s not something I do in my cabaret - I don’t just whip on some tap shoes. But I love tapping.

Caroline and Todd.

“When I saw the last production on Photo: Kurt Sneddon.

Broadway, the tapping was just so farce … like the American Noises Off, sensational. And Andrew Hallsworth on a ship, with songs. I don’t know (choreographer) is fantastic at tap. He there’ll be as much door slamming, but did Gypsy, and we did West Side Story there’s certainly a lot of fun. I haven’t together as youngsters.” done a farce before, so I’m looking How hard was getting back to forward to it, because it’s tricky - it’s tapping after all those years, I asked. about timing.”

“I thought those days were over, I One variation between the various thought I could put my tap shoes performers who’ve played Reno is away, safe and sound, and start whether they’ve led the tapping in big playing the little old lady roles, but I production numbers, full on from the was an Irish dancer from the age of front, I suggest. four, and my muscle memory is good, “I can’t wait. I’m hoping I get to so it’s just there. The other day I went tap the morse code. I love tapping.

(Continued on page 10)

www.stagewhispers.com.au Stage Whispers 9

Caroline O’Connor.

Photo: Kurt Sneddon.

(Continued from page 9)

to try on some new shoes for rehearsal, and as soon as I put them on I couldn’t stop tapping. I’d forgotten how much fun it is.

“Prior to Christmas Story I did have to do a little bit more practice because I hadn’t touched tap for years. I was doing Assassins in Milwaukee when I got the call, so I went to the wardrobe department and said, ‘you don’t have a pair of tap shoes in here in size 6 by any chance?’ They went out the back and they did. Then I went to the props department and said could you whip me up a tap board I can put in my dressing room? They made me a round board out of wood, so I used to come in to work early every day and tap 10 Stage Whispers May - June 2015

before the show, just to start getting ready and get my rhythms.

“Then one of the guys in Assassins said, you wouldn’t teach me tap would you? And we started having tap classes before the show at night, doing Assassins, which is really heavy, and doing a 42nd Street in the dressing room.”

There has been talk that Anything Goes seems like something of a stretch for Opera Australia, I suggested.

“Many opera companies overseas do musicals.

Maybe Anything Goes isn’t one you’d expect, but I’ve done Street Scene and On the Town with the English National Opera. At the Châtelet in Paris we did On The Town, and Sweeney Todd, which is possibly more operatic. But they certainly do musicals. This year they’re doing Singin’ in the Rain at the Châtelet.

“The difference is that they use their opera chorus in them, sometimes in leading roles. So perhaps in the future they might marry the two companies together here - it makes the production even grander, of course.

“It didn’t seem incongruous when I did Showboat with a combined musical theatre and opera company at Leeds Opera, then at Stratford Upon Avon for the Royal Shakespeare Company. It works because of the demands of the singing. Of course the only people that did eight shows a week were the musical theatre performers.

“I was Ellie Mae Shipley, so I would sing it every night, but the opera singers playing the leads were only doing four performances a week. I was a replacement doing Showboat, for someone who had a nervous breakdown.

“So I’m sitting in the dressing room, and I’ve got my costume on. I only had four days to learn the show, and it was

the three act version too. I was young in those days and very fast. So I’m sitting there and I’ve got my stocking cap on, my wig ready, completely dressed, and I’m waiting and waiting for the sound people. I’m sharing a dressing room with Fiona Kimm, a wonderful opera singer, and I said to her, when are the sound people coming, it’s only about ten minutes till curtain. She said, ‘Darling, there are no sound people, we’re just singing it live.’

“I said, ‘Are you kidding? Over that huge orchestra?’ So I whipped the wig on and went on. I couldn’t believe it.

But then they’d do what they did in the old days. They would take the music down when you speak, and they would swell the music when the chorus came in. They did exactly what the composer intended. It was incredible, and the audience could hear every word we said.”

In the end, the impetus for this production of Anything Goes came, not from Opera Australia, but from one of the musical theatre stars.

“Todd (McKenney) is responsible. I’ll keep saying it, because he admits it himself. He did the show for The Production Company a few years back, and he said that the audience loved it.

Because he’s been working with John Frost recently, he said to him, I really think it’s due. Todd has incredible instincts, so, fingers crossed.

“I was just so delighted when I got the call from John asking if I wanted to do the show. The timing wasn’t great at the time, so we had to put it off a little while. But now it’s just worked out, and I hope the timing is right.

Now the opera company is on board, which is exciting, and gives us more support.”

As Momma Rose in Gypsy for The Production Company, another great Ethel Merman role, and Caroline O’Connor’s most recent Australian performance, she shared the limelight with a small pet dog, Chowsie, and now in Anything Goes a Pomeranian called Cheeky provides a gag or five.

So much for W.C. Field’s most famous quote ‘Never work with children or animals,’ as it relates, or not, to the shared experiences of our great musical theatre divas.

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Australian Plays Excite Audiences

Inset and above: Masqe rade.

Photos: Jamie William s.

There’s a new sense of optimism. After going through what one writer describes as a crisis it’s getting easier, albeit slightly, to produce new plays.

The healthy crop of new works being performed around the country is proof of the advances being made. Peter Gotting reports.

Suzie Miller’s new play Caress/Ache hit a nerve for audiences at Sydney’s Griffin Theatre. It may have been the startling timing: the play, which deals with the death penalty, premiered just as two Bali Nine drug smugglers were transferred to an Indonesian prison to be executed.

Griffin’s Artistic Director Lee Lewis says the response was remarkable, with many audience members contacting the theatre to say how the play has affected them. “Audiences are responding to the big emotion of the play,” she says. “People have really enjoyed being able to think about current events and connect to them in ways that they perhaps hadn’t considered.”

The play has sold well for Griffin.

But it has also highlighted a problem 12 Stage Whispers May - June 2015

for Australia’s theatre companies in how they weigh up the success of new works.

Most companies are locked into subscription seasons to provide a level of financial security. But that means they have little flexibility. “You don’t get to find out if a play can run for eight weeks or if it will run two years,” Lewis says. “It doesn’t matter if a play does moderately well or even if it sells out, it’s hard to get a sense of how long it could run.”

Theatre is not an easy business and the economics of new plays is particularly difficult. Australia has

relatively few theatres, at least when compared to the powerhouses of the UK and the US. But we’re slowly learning not to compare ourselves to those powerhouses, which benefit from significantly larger populations and tourist numbers.

“I think there’s a movement to more courage on behalf of theatre companies and a greater willingness to put on new work,” says theatre director Iain Sinclair, who’s also resident dramaturg at Playwriting Australia. “And there’s a move to putting on work with diversity.”

There are more plays by female writers, indigenous playwrights and theatre makers of diverse backgrounds: names including Nakkiah Lui, Mayu Kanamori, Kylie Coolwell, Future D. Fidel and Ash Flanders. This is providing hope after the dominance of director-led revivals of classics in recent years.

Playwright Reg Cribb says many writers have struggled to attract

attention as major companies have focused on names such as Anton Chekov, Tennessee Williams, Arthur Miller, Samuel Beckett and of course William Shakespeare. Local writing has been going through a “slight crisis”, he says. But some of the strongest work is emerging from the fringe. “It’s populated by young, hungry theatre makers, who won’t just write, they’ll direct and produce it because they want to put it on. What

that should do is trickle down into the mainstream scene and create energy and bravery.”

Of particular note for Cribb is the strength of indigenous stories. He’s just finished a rehearsal draft of a new work, Country Song, for Queensland Theatre Company, weaving the story of singer Jimmy Little together with other indigenous music stars in a new play. It was conceived with Michael Tuahine, who will star as Little, and will be staged in July.

“We bandied it about to a few people and they all thought it was a good idea,” he says. “But getting it to the stage that we’re actually going to commission it and we’re going to put it on - that’s always the battle.”

While there may be some signs of progress in this battle, Cribb believes more needs to be done. Those stories on the fringe are often staying there.

Melbourne’s La Mama has long provided a launching ground for important Australian artists and writers (Continued on page 14)

Some highlights among new Australian plays this year

This image and inset: Caress/Ache.

Photos: Brett Boardman.

Masquerade by Kate Mulvany, Griffin Theatre Company and State Theatre Company of South Australia, Sydney 9-17 Jan; Adelaide 20-31 May. Kill the Messenger by Nakkiah Lui, Belvoir St, Sydney 14 Feb - 8 Mar. Timeshare by Lally Katz, Malthouse Theatre, Melbourne, Apr 23 - May 17.

The Waiting Room by Kylie Trounson, Melbourne Theatre Company, 15 May - 27 Jun. Battle of Waterloo by Kylie Coolwell, Sydney Theatre Company, 1-27 Jun. Country Song by Reg Cribb, Queensland Theatre Company, 4 Jul - 8 Aug. Seventeen by Matthew Whittet, Belvoir St, Sydney, 1 Aug - 13 Sep. The Fever and the Fret by Jub Clerc, Yirra Yaakin, Perth, 24 Aug - 12 Sep. Prize Fighter by Future D. Fidel, La Boite, Brisbane, 5 - 26 Sep. A Sri Lankan Tamil Asylum Seeker’s Story as Performed by Australian Actors Under the Guidance of a Sinhalese Director by Dhananjaya Karunarathne, Merrigong Theatre Company, Wollongong, 16 - 26 Sep. Extinction by Hannie Rayson, Black Swan, Perth, 19 Sep - 4 Oct. Blood Bank by Christopher Harley, Ensemble, Sydney, Oct 16 - Nov 22.

www.stagewhispers.com.au Stage Whispers 13

(Continued from page 13)

but too often their works are not being picked up elsewhere.

Cribb says mainstream theatre companies need to spend more time and money on development. “A lot of new Australian works are shot in the foot because they’re not ready to go on,” he says. “It’s the same as film and TV.” But for producers it’s the age-old problem: money. Griffin’s Lee Lewis says she can only commission “one and a half” new plays each year, although she’s finding ways to make that money go further. “With partnerships I can stretch that out to three commissions a year.”

Hence why co-productions between companies across various Australian cities are proving increasingly popular.

Julia-Rose Lewis’s Samson, Kate Mulvany’s Masquerade and Angela Betzien’s Mortido are some recent examples, allowing theatres to pool resources and give a new work an important second showing.

There are other ways that theatre companies are making headway too.

Melbourne Theatre Company’s Neon

14 Stage Whispers May - June 2015

season, which links with independent producers, has been “outrageously successful”, Sinclair says.

Opportunities are emerging at new venues such as the Eternity Playhouse and Hayes Theatre Company, at least for restaging local works if not premieres. Melbourne’s Red Stitch, which started in 2002, is also being recognised for its work - some of which is new - and Perth’s Aboriginal theatre company Yirra Yaakin has made its mark, not only at home but with tours as well.

The Griffin, which focuses on new Australian writing, has been around since the late 1970s. But Lewis says subscriptions have increased 90 percent over the past three years. “We are now better at reaching people, clearer about the type of work we are doing - and telling our audiences about it.”

Playwriting Australia is optimistic that opportunities will only improve.

“The Australian population is growing and our cities are exploding - and with people who aren’t necessarily of Anglo Saxon descent,” Sinclair says. “It’s promising on just that demographic, mathematical level.”

The strength of new plays has long been cyclical but there are hopes we are seeing signs of a renewed focus on local work. “At the moment there’s a trend towards director based theatre,” Cribb says. “But there’s still a lot of new Australian writing going on this year and a lot of work that’s in development. I’m optimistic.”

According to Sinclair, the wave of director-led adaptations and stagings of classics could benefit all playwrights in the long run. He says the success of classics proves that audiences are “hungry” for plays that are well structured and well written. “What’s happening now is that dramaturgy is being transferred into our new work as well.” Playwrights such as Kit Brookman and Declan Greene are becoming more adventurous in their subject matter, he says, as their dramaturgical discipline develops.

It may be too early to tell if 2015 will be a good year but premieres of local plays have been well received by critics and audiences (alongside Caress/ Ache, Masquerade and Kill The Messenger have been highly praised).

The test though will be time: which plays are staged again. And while coproductions are giving many playwrights an important second production, it’s still a huge challenge for writers to create plays which will be performed in five, ten or hopefully a hundred years.

But as Lewis points out, it’s hard to match the potential power of a new play. “When you are making a work from nothing, when it actually connects with an audiences, it’s so electric,” she says. “There’s a connection that will happen which you are never going to get with a work from elsewhere. It’s ours and for that we should celebrate.”

This image and opposite page: Kill The Messenger.

Photos: Brett Boardman

www.stagewhispers.com.au Stage Whispers 15

A New Brad And Janet When their car blows a tyre in Sydney and Melbourne this year in The Rocky Horror Show, a brand new Brad and Janet will apprehensively approach Frank’N’Furter’s creepy castle.

Stephen Mahy and Amy Lehpamer spoke to Neil Litchfield during rehearsals.

across the line,” Amy says. “We’re also good at teasing each other …”

“Deep down we’re just big dags,” Stephen chips in. “We hang out together, we fall over things, the door slams behind us … both of us always catch other out doing little things like that, and if we do that in front of each other then it’s going to come out on Stephen Mahy and Amy stage.”

As the laughter subsides, nods of Lehpamer may have rekindled their working relationship as the agreement are shared, and Amy virginal young couple Brad and admits, “We both look like we should Janet, but it isn’t the first time be a lot more co-ordinated than we they’ve shared a stage kiss. are.”

“It’s always interesting when you’re “My very first show was having to be a couple on stage,” Follies for The Production Company (2008), so I was Stephen suggests. “You forge this relationship very quickly, you have to Young Phyllis and Stephen was my Young Ben,” Amy drop all your insecurities, and I’m says. “We worked opposite thankful that Amy is really open and friendly, and smiles, even though she’s each other, and he was my probably hating some moments. It’s very first professional stage kiss. He was very nice to me, having that ability to fail in front of each other and feel supported at the because I was terrified.”

“And she was fantastic,” same time.”

Were Stephen and Amy pleased to Stephen adds, his double discover they would be working entendre causing both to together again? dissolve into laughter, “Thrilled!” Amy exclaims. “I’m a tall sharing the joy of a friendship which is obvious lady and Stephen is a very tall man, so he makes me look very good. In the and natural.

“I have very fond memories wedding cake coupling we do very well - we’re good figurines. I was excited of that show,” Amy about that. I knew that I’d be allowed continues. “We were part of this ridiculous cast with to wear high heels.

Judi Connelli, Nancye “It’s always nice to know that you’ll be working with someone who’s open, Hayes, Debra Byrne, Anne and open to doing good work and not Wood, John Diedrich and having a fixed idea about a character,” Philip Gould. It was just says Amy, “and Stephen is about crazy.”

What did Amy and Stephen getting to the essence of making something good and new, that can enjoy about working sustain us both for eight shows a together in Follies, which week. Brad and Janet do so much they’ll bring to Rocky Horror?

“We’re both hard workers, quite together throughout the show, they’re sort of a unified force, and you want to dedicated to getting stuff right, be able to look the other person in the so we kind of drag each other

Online extras!

Brendan Irving and Amy Lehpamer in The Rocky Horror Show.

Photo: Brian Geach.

16 Stage Whispers May - June 2015

Check out the cast performance of I’m Just A Sweet Transvestite by scanning the QR code or visiting https://youtu.be/yy3kj269iTg

eye and know that they’ve got your Will Stephen and Amy bring back.” something of themselves to their Not only are Amy and Stephen new characters? to the roles, they’re not over-familiar “I don’t know if you can ever play a with the show. character that isn’t somewhere a little “The opening night in Brisbane last bit you,” Amy says, after the quietest year was the first time I’d ever seen the pause in our conversation. “But yes, show,” Amy admits. “Being an and no. In this version we’re playing it opening night, they’re always so in a true sense of being in the fifties, exciting and over-the-top, and you’ve when everything’s perfect and Janet got friends in it, and you have so many wants a white picket fence. emotions, that I wasn’t watching it “I think we can all relate to the thinking one day I’m going to be Janet. show, in a sense of being thrown on a I was mainly struck by the electricity journey, and the twists and turns you between the audience and the don’t expect, and having to adapt and performers, because it seems like the change. That’s just life really, especially audience have their own character. I’m in show business, when you don’t learning the show in a whole different know what’s going to happen next. way, with fresh eyes.”

That’s what we’re doing in a very “I’ve seen different characters pop out at fancy dress parties,” Stephen adds, “but I didn’t have an emotional attachment to it. I saw a production in 2008, and since then every other production has been touring around while I’ve been touring around elsewhere. So, like Amy, I’m coming in and giving it my own take.”

Does being less familiar rather than more actually help?

Stephen and Amy with Craig McLachlan in “For Janet it The Rocky Horror Show. definitely does, because Photo: Brian Geach. going into it she doesn’t know what is going on, and compressed amount of time; showing what’s around the next corner, so I’m these people who are going through playing it pretty honestly. When I’ve crazy changes.” got a Phantom, or Craig, in my face, “I’m certainly a little more it’s definitely not coming from a place streetwise than this ‘50s couple are,” of knowing, it’s a place of ‘What’s Stephen says, “but you still bring an going on? What’s going to happen element of yourself.” next?’ “ After 40 years ago, what is the “With any show, coming in with a continued appeal of Rocky Horror to fresh perspective will help you,” new generations?

Stephen suggests, “you’re not trying to “We’re not yet in a society which is do a carbon copy of somebody else. entirely accepting of difference - of These iconic characters are there, yes every creed, colour and sexual there is a formula, the text is still the preference,” Amy says, as our same, but you still have to give it your conversation takes a sudden reflective own flair.” turn. “Unfortunately we’ve still got a long way to go, to that world of Rocky Horror where you are allowed to be as

you are, and your desires are not impure. We’re still working against very conservative ideals in our everyday lives. This show is saying let your hair down, be who you want to be, leave the shame at the door and just have a great time.”

“The book is quite extraordinary for its time,” Stephen says. “It’s the message, the writing, and there are iconic songs that people love.

“Absolutely, and rock and roll will never die,” Amy adds.

What are Amy and Stephen most looking forward to about the show?

“The audience!’ says Amy. “That is going to be such an unpredictable factor, and every single night the show is going to be different. We always say that in show business, but that roller-coaster from night to night is going to be extraordinary, and something as a performer that I’m sure I’ll treasure forever.”

“People dress up in costume to go and see it,” says Stephen, “and so they’ve obviously had hours beforehand, before they’ve gotten to the curtain call. It will be fascinating to come out of the stage door and see the diehard fans who are so into it. I’d love to ask questions like where do you guys come from, what do you do?”

Any advice for young couples whose cars break down outside a creepy mansion on a stormy night?

“Go in!!” is the unison response.

“I think this show is about the spirit of adventure and self-discovery,” Amy suggests. “Going into the castle means go into yourself, explore those things, and ask a few questions of yourself, and your partner.”

“Though you have to think about being safe, and looking after each other,” Stephen says, adding a note of caution.

“Absolutely!” Amy agrees. “Rocky Horror is a place where you can be different, and it’s awesome if you are.” www.stagewhispers.com.au Stage Whispers 17

someone to play in the pit for A Little Night Music.”

It was only a couple of years before he was musical directing his first show. what they are now doing. Somehow “It was The 20’s And All That Jazz, fate, and the muses, had other ideas - a small show that somehow ended up and steered them towards their true playing at The Maj in Melbourne then calling. Kellie studied science; Guy and touring the capital cities and even Michael both started law degrees; doing seasons in Hong Kong, Bangkok Peter was a performer, on stage every and Dubai. That came about through night in JC Williamson’s Irene, knowing John Diedrich, as I had played watching Noel Smith conducting in the for his production of Minnie’s Boys pit when it dawned on him that he while I was still at high school. We met wanted to be the man with the baton. again when I began with Williamson’s So how did they get from there to and it all flowed on from there.” here, and what does Musical Theatre mean to them?

Michael Tyack was 19 when he came to work as my MD/pianist in a theatre restaurant. He was quite shy, inexperienced, but brilliant at the piano. He had only had one other professional job in music - in the pit for A Little Night Music for Williamson’s. Sondheim is a baptism of fire for a teenage pianist.

“I’m afraid there was no-one musical in my family. It was my next door neighbours that kindled my interest in the piano and taught me to read music at a very young age,” Michael told me. “I started formal lessons at the age of six, so by the time I reached university age I didn’t feel a great urge to do a music degree. I decided to do Law. That didn’t quite last two years and I realized my only other interest was playing the piano, so I approached JCW, Peter Casey, and below leading his orchestra. who happened to need

Play Us The Music As lovers of Musical Theatre, we all have our ideas of the most important person in any production. Coral Drouyn talks to four super talented people, without whom the show couldn’t go on.

The Musical Director is that rarest of creatures, a mostly invisible - almost mythical - and usually anonymous creature who holds a whole show together; not only does he / she conduct the orchestra and take auditions, but often works with the composer and takes the singing rehearsals. So, when I got the chance to interview four of our top musical directors, naturally I was excited, particularly since they have over a century of experience between them.

Michael Tyack (or MyTy as he is known in the profession), Peter Casey, Guy Simpson and Kellie Dickerson represent the crème de la crème when it comes to Musical Directors - all four are working on major musicals as we speak, with Guy conducting The Phantom of The Opera in Istanbul (Turkey) and Kellie working with composer Frank Wildhorn on the early stages of Jekyll and Hyde, while Michael is working with both Kellie on auditions and Peter on rehearsals for Anything Goes.

The first thing that was obvious was that not one of them had set out to do

18 Stage Whispers May - June 2015

Kellie Dickerson.

On the other side of the world, in England, Guy Simpson had remarkably similar beginnings.

“There are no musicians in my family. I started playing the piano (by ear) on my granny’s neighbour’s piano when I was nine in my home village in England. My family emigrated to Australia when I was 12. I never considered music to be a possible career, so I started a Law / Economics degree at Sydney University. I had auditioned at the Conservatorium for a piano performance degree and was accepted, and turned it down. I started the Law degree and had a call from the Con asking where I was … realised that I really wanted to pursue music and so changed.”

But, at that stage, Musical Theatre wasn’t on the agenda.

“In the 4th year of my degree Richard Gill asked me to audition for an MD job at Marian St Theatre, Killara (now closed). I asked him ‘What is an MD?’ I had no idea of what musical theatre was. I had seen Jesus Christ Superstar and loved it but it didn’t even cross my mind that this was what I would do for a living. I was a very serious pianist.” His first show as MD was a tour of My Fair Lady with the late, great Stuart Wagstaff, before taking over The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas. It wasn’t a great experience it was a big show, he was just 23 years old, and he was thrown in the deep end.

“It took a year of travelling overseas and wonderful encouragement from Michael Tyack and Peter Casey to reintroduce me to musical theatre, assisting them on Company and Cats. I then took over as MD on Cats for the Melbourne season in 1987.”

Already you can see the pattern of how closely connected these special musicians are.

“But my most important show has been The Phantom of The Opera and I am so grateful to Brian Stacey. I was his assistant in 1990 and he really taught me to conduct properly.”

Peter Casey was a country boy from NSW. “I was brought up in a musical community, which was inspired by my parents’ love of music. My mother was a singer and my father also sang and played the drums. My parents organised regular concerts which all of

Michael Tyack.

my relatives performed in, and I soon discovered a great passion for music and singing, and, in particular, for musicals, which my mother used to take me to. When I was a child my parents gave me a toy piano, which became my connection to the music I loved, and which eventually fuelled my interest in arranging music.”

But Peter’s entry into show business was as a singer, after the family moved to Melbourne.

“I began appearing as a performer and session singer on television programmes and in 1970 I became a member of the singing group ‘The Young Australians’, who travelled to Osaka, Japan, as Australia’s representatives at Expo ‘70. When I (Continued on page 20)

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Guy Simpson leads his orchestra.

(Continued from page 19)

returned to Australia my fascination for arranging and orchestrating led me to seek guidance from some of Australia’s leading arrangers and orchestrators, including Ivan Hutchinson, who was Music Director of Channel 7 in Melbourne, and Maestro Tommy Tycho, who was an inspiring and generous mentor to me for many years.”

Peter’s first job as Musical Director was Man of La Mancha.

For Kellie it was a similar story.

“There’s a lot of music in my family, but not professional musicians. My father taught guitar and my grandparents ran a music shop in the country city where I grew up. My parents went to a lot of effort to make sure I could have strong musical training by travelling a lot to larger regional conservatoriums. I stopped focusing on music when I was in senior high school as the curriculum didn’t offer any advanced studies in music, being a country high school.

“At Uni I found a whole new world of singers to accompany, Uni revues to arrange for, and of course live performances to listen to. I was playing to the extent that I thought I’d audition for the university as a performance major in music, and if I

20 Stage Whispers May - June 2015

musicals in short bursts, was Wicked, and her reputation was made.

Of course there were so many questions I wanted their take on, even if they didn’t agree.

Coral: Is it possible that a world hit musical will originate in Australia?

Peter: We have the talent, there’s no question … we are world class, grounded, and never less than 100%.

But it’s a question of finding an altruistic producer - and the right size theatre.

Michael: It’s more likely that someone like Mathew Robinson, who is super talented (and there are lots of others) will have success on or off Broadway and then bring the show Guy Simpson here. We don’t have medium size got in I’d put everything into it for a theatres - 500 to 800 seaters - and few years and see how it turned out. that’s what you need to really develop “I do remember the first time I new works. went to a live musical theatre show as Kellie: The development process is part of a school performance troupe so long, and every single member of trip - it was Guys and Dolls in the Maj the creative team has to be on the in Sydney, with David King conducting, same page. It’s a long-term investment Nancye Hayes as Miss Adelaide and and if we had medium sized theatres, Anthony Warlow as Sky, amongst a a producer might at least have a stellar cast. I remember looking down chance to break even. We need one in from the gods and thinking that the Melbourne and one in Sydney at the man in the centre of all that wonderful very least. Even then it will take years. sound had the best job in the world, Coral: So are we destined to only and I wanted to be there.” have small intimate, possibly new, Kellie’s first show in complete shows, or huge blockbuster revivals charge, after working on a plethora of that originated elsewhere?

Kellie: We have to acknowledge the good that revivals do. If a million kids see The Lion King, and fall in love with Musical Theatre, that love could last a lifetime and that’s where our future audiences will come from.

Michael: A lot of audiences are suspicious of musicals they don’t know, have never heard. But once you fall in love with Musical Theatre, you’re far more likely to accept the unfamiliar. Going to musicals in the 60s and 70s was easy - you could let it wash over you. There’s much greater risk for everyone, even the audiences, now.

Peter: Someone will come along who takes musicals to the next stage - like Rogers and Hammerstein did with narrative, and Sondheim did after them.

Coral: How important is Sondheim to Musical Theatre? Is he the definitive composer/lyricist of the last fifty years?

Guy: I love Sondheim and as a lyricist - yes. I haven’t done enough but I’m doing West Side Story in a couple of months (for The Production Company) with an orchestra of 31, and I’m very excited.

Kellie: Sondheim has totally changed the face of Musical Theatre, no question about it. His work is so intelligent and that makes some audiences afraid.

Peter: He has pushed all the boundaries and, most importantly, he has given new composers permission to do that, to be different, to not settle.

Michael: His work is sophisticated, but it’s not dry, like some people think. It’s full of passion and emotion but it needs commitment from everyone including the audience. When we’re young, we think the music and lyrics are beyond us…but Sondheim is a composer you grow into.

Coral: Finally, what’s the Best Thing about being a Musical Director?

Guy summed it up for all of them. There is nothing quite like the power and passion of a pit full of musicians!”

Play us the music, Maestros! www.stagewhispers.com.au Stage Whispers 21

A Festival Of Fabulous Adelaide Cabaret Festival 2015 Brimming with world firsts, a strong Australian flavour and a pinch of Fwords, Barry Humphries’ 2015 Adelaide Cabaret Festival will be a smorgasbord of fabulous music, wit and comedy. Lesley Reed previews Humphries’ inaugural curation of an arts festival anywhere in the world.

Barry Humphries has laughed heartily at his own joke since his potstirring announcement that the first rule of his 2015 Adelaide Cabaret Festival program would be a ban on the F-word. Perhaps we should have guessed right away that he was simply being his cleverly cryptic and impish self.

“This game of cabaret has no rules,” he said more

recently, “in fact cabaret loathes, abhors, excoriates, detests and ignores rules - as do I.” Not surprisingly then, There Are No Rules is now the theme of this year’s Adelaide Cabaret Festival and wouldn’t you know it, Humphries has anointed it with a few F-words of his own: funny, frisky, fabulous, fantastic and of course, fedora.

For me, though, the word that seems to underpin Humphries’ 2015 Festival is ‘first’. Not only is this the first time the iconic artist has ever curated an arts event, his June 5-20 Adelaide Cabaret Festival is chock-full of firsts, with eighteen world premieres, six Australian premieres, fifteen Adelaide premieres and six Adelaide exclusives.

Humphries’ program says much about a man who brought us such Aussie superstars as Dame Edna Everage

Online extras!

Watch as Barry Humphries discusses his love of cabaret. Scan the QR code or visit https://youtu.be/-utxKLLmdUg 22 Stage Whispers May - June 2015

and Sir Les Patterson. There are of course superb overseas-based acts, but as one might expect there is an overwhelmingly Australian tone, particularly amongst its world premieres.

Christie Whelan Browne is one Aussie artist to have come up with a world-first show for Adelaide. She told me that Pure Blonde has evolved into a performance about actors in musical theatre.

“The characters are all at different stages of their careers,’ she said. “One just starting out and one giving their farewell speech to the industry. So I am drawing on myself to a certain point and on much that I have seen in my ten years of working in musicals. I love what Dean (Bryant, the Director) has done with the piecing together of this show.”

Famous for his shows featuring the songs of Madonna and Annie Lennox, Michael Griffiths explores the legendary and enduring songs of Cole Porter in his world premiere of Cole.

“It sounds like such a cliché,” he said, “but Cole Porter was always in trouble with censors and in many ways was far ahead of his time as an artist, and in the way he lived his life. It certainly makes for wonderful story telling. I’ve long admired Cole Porter but haven’t sung his songs before. The

Firsts music is far more chromatic and sophisticated compared to the recent pop songs in my previous cabarets.”

Tenor Daniel Koek is returning home after playing Jean Valjean in the West End production of Les Misérables and will premiere Daniel Koek: Bringing Him Home with His West End Story.

I suggested to Daniel it must be a daunting task to condense a decade of leading roles into one production.

“It is a bit,” he said. “I think when you’re telling your story through music it helps to choose songs that have touched or inspired you along the way, also, music that appeared at a certain time of your life, a crossroad or challenging path perhaps. You can introduce a whole lot of new music to an audience when telling your story, but at some point you have to add some tunes that make them smile and go ‘awww’”.

‘Aww’ or possibly ‘awesome’ will surely be words heard more than once in Adelaide as the world premieres continue. Barry Humphries has curated and will narrate one such show himself. Starring Teddy Tahu Rhodes and South Australian soprano Greta Bradman, Peter & Jack is a tribute to legendary Australian exponents of 20th century song, Peter Dawson and Jack O’Hagan.

Other firsts include Meow Meow’s His Master’s Choice, Christa Hughes’ Oz Rockin’ the Ladies Lounge and The Front, which is a celebration of Aussie humour shining through the brutality of war.

Marney McQueen’s Hair to the Throne and John O’Hara’s Dedications also stand out in the tempting Australian mix of brand new shows, as do My Vagabond Boat, Opera Burlesque, 27 Club, Class of Cabaret and Brazil/Australia’s Jobim. Steve Sheehan and Norma Knight star in Tristan & Isolde and for the first time ever at the Adelaide Cabaret Festival the show also features a miniature horse.

Above: Daniel Koek.

Photo: Leo Holden.

Main image: Eddie Perfect.

Photo: Julian Kingma.

Below: Christie Whelan-Browne.

(Continued on page 24) www.stagewhispers.com.au Stage Whispers 23

(Continued from page 23)

The local and ‘first’ flavor of this year’s Cabaret Festival also includes Trevor Ashley’s I’m Everywoman and Eddie Perfect’s Songs from the Middle. Eddie hilariously and sometimes heartbreakingly explores what can be devastating in real life, such as not belonging, leaving home and how much it hurts to go back.

Every artistic venture worth its salt needs a wildcard and in this year’s Festival that card is Adelaide’s David Gauci. Well regarded by his home town theatre community for his music teaching and directorial support of young musical theatre talent, David has a first of his own - he performed in the inaugural Adelaide Cabaret Festival. His professional history outside of Adelaide stretches across a dozen years, most recently including understudying Edna in the Australian Premiere cast of Hairspray and as one of the Male Authority Figures, staged in Melbourne and Sydney and directed by David Atkins.

“The irony is that interstate audiences have heard me sing professionally,” David said of his Cabaret Festival world-first show It Was Worth The Weight, “but it’s never happened in Adelaide, my home town. It’s so much more exciting to do this show first in Adelaide - it’s been worth the wait.”

Sir Les Patterson was a controversial Aussie knight decades before Tony Abbott got in on the act and now Sir Les has been given the nod by his manager Barry Humphries to headline a season finale second to none; a world-first, no rules, open slobber… er, slather… celebration of cabaret, Love Songs for Sir Les. Cabaret lovers, hold on to your fedoras.

Once the curtain goes down for the last time on the 2015 Adelaide Cabaret Festival, whatever F-word Barry Humphries decides sums it up for him, you can be sure it will have been a fortnight of frolic; a fabulous and funny sensory explosion of firsts.

24 Stage Whispers May - June 2015

Meow Meow.

Photo: Karl Giant.

Michael Griffiths as Cole Porter.

Photo: Nicholas Purcell.

Stuart Wagstaff first came to Australia in 1958 to appear in the JC Williamson production Not in the Book, after a successful early career in England In 1959, JC Williamson’s put Stuart Australia’s theatre into the original My Fair Lady community came production with which he was together in March to associated for the next four and a half years, the last two and half playing celebrate the life of Professor Henry Higgins, through all actor Stuart Wagstaff. the Australian and New Zealand capital A public memorial cities. service was held at the His successful television career began in In 1964 and spanned thirty Theatre Royal, Sydney, years including appearances on The for this multi-talented Tonight Show, Beauty and the Beast, entertainer who drew his Celebrity Squares and Blankety Blanks. final breath on the 10th of March aged 90.

The late 1980s and the 1990s saw The Royal was a Stuart on stage in tours of Noises Off, fitting choice, as this was where he to fulfil his final wish by purchasing the Black Comedy, The Winslow Boy, Lend celebrated his “first love, the theatre,” order of service as a donation.

Me A Tenor and in the Gershwin performing musicals including Crazy The memories were punctuated by musical Crazy For You. More recently, Stuart appeared in for You and Rocky Horror on the very a heartfelt performance of “Time To stage which displayed his beloved the role of Old Cookson in Pan at the Say Goodbye” by Marina Prior. armchair and a stack of books as a David Campbell then concluded the Capitol Theatre, as well as taking on tribute. the role of Mr Brownlow in Cameron service with a rendition of “We’d The service was in lieu of a funeral, Grown Accustomed To His Face”, Mackintosh’s production of Oliver! as explained by Wagstaff himself in the Wagstaff’s favourite song to perform Stuart Wagstaff actively supported program: “I have donated my tired old after playing Professor Henry Higgins in many charities, most notably Variety body to the Anatomy Department of and the Actors benevolent Fund..

My Fair Lady, despite confessing that the University of Sydney,” joking that Stuart was created a Member of the he “couldn’t sing a note”. Yet this he “’finally got into uni!’

Order of Australia (AM) on the 26th man’s charm and great acting talent It was evident that he loved to joke, led him to perform in more than ten January 1998 in recognition of this service to the community. “the dirtier the better”, according to musicals.

MC John Mangos. _____________ Emma Squires and Michelle Guthrie.

Mark Kristian offered the example from an interview with Wagstaff on Rockhampton’s Morning Show where he was asked, “You were in the Navy?” to which he replied “or vice versa”.

Wagstaff’s fellow performers, friends, and family laughed, cried, sang and applauded as they remembered his “inspirational” life.

Mark Kristian reminisced upon his frank offerings of wisdom. “Never worry about what you think other people may think about you, because chances are they are not thinking about YOU at all.”

Theatre and film personalities John Frost, Georgie Parker, Maggie Tabberer and Noeline Brown were among other speakers to comment on his wit and generosity of spirit.

Brown mentioned the Actors Benevolent Fund as a “cause very close to his heart” and urged the audience

Audiences Applaud Stuart Wagstaff One Final Time

www.stagewhispers.com.au Stage Whispers 25

Bendigo’s Stunning New Prison Theatre

Launching a new theatre is a daunting enough challenge, but try doing it inside a former prison, while premiering a new musical about Australia’s most notorious bushranger at the same time. David Spicer reports.

In the middle of the 19th century the streets of Bendigo were virtually paved with gold. A grand and gracious city sprung up as the modern day equivalent of nine billion dollars of the precious ore was extracted underneath the town near Melbourne.

Just over a century and a half later the civic leaders are working to engineer a new boom, this time in the performing arts.

It’s come because a few bright sparks put their heads together. The Bendigo Senior Secondary College was gifted the town’s decommissioned prison to give students some desperately needed space. The school principal Dale Pearce was granted eight million dollars to ‘play with’ to turn the prison grounds into an educational facility.

So he gave the local theatre manager David Lloyd a call to see if they could make something more of it.

Eight million became 26 million and an extraordinary fusion of theatre, education and heritage was created.

“We now have this range of facilities - a 953 seat theatre with the largest stage in regional Australia, a 485 seat theatre, a black box studio and the connection to the school,” says the beaming marketing manager Anne Henshall.

“The school has music rooms, a drama and dance studio, a teaching kitchen, an alfresco café…as well as access to the theatre itself for school assemblies.”

There is also a high wall around to keep the students inside, but the barbed wire is no longer needed.

To enter the Ulumburra Theatre requires a walk through the dark past of the town.

“The entrance is a grand staircase down the centre of the two cell blocks. Each cell block is still in original condition apart from a number that we interfered with to put in a box office and a cloak room.

“You come down to the central

26 Stage Whispers May - June 2015

guard tower (in the middle) and step through arches into a grand open foyer and the theatre.”

The theatre itself is connected to the former prison by a glass roof. There is a tunnel between two upstairs foyers and a staircase that runs right to the roof of the prison.

“You can put your foot on the top of a jail door that had its razor wire on it and look straight out at the guard tower.”

Another spooky feature is the hangman’s gallows, that look ready for action. There is the wooden beam and trap door underneath that was used for a small number of executions.

Can you hang critics? “Absolutely,” she laughs.

Not content with having fabulous new facilities, Bendigo now wants to entice producers to stage their shows in the town and also try out new productions.

When the theatre heard that a Bendigo local Adam Lyon was working on a new musical about the life and times of Australia’s most notorious bushranger, he was commissioned to premiere the show in the new theatre.

He says the prison theme for the theatre is perfect for his musical Ned, which he describes as being a fusion of Irish and rock music.

“I was at the Victorian College of

the Arts studying Opera and at a piano where I improvised a song about an Irish father talking to his son. This morphed into the first song in the show. I then wrote a second chorus number, ‘Such is David Lloyd Life’. From there I approached some writers and quickly realized that this was something special,” he said.

“We are bookending the story with aspects of his childhood, from him as a young man in prison the last time, to his death.”

Key scenes include the massacre at Stringybark Creek and the siege at Glenrowan.

To stage these properly you need a decent sized cast.

Thanks to a donation of $400,000 by some local ‘angels’, a fully-fledged try out of the musical will take place in May at the new theatre.

Whereas most commonly new Australian musicals have small casts, this production has 27 paid actors on stage, including ten chorus members from local Bendigo theatre companies.

“Others productions get locked into trap of being hamstrung because of forward thinking about touring. We are focussing on what does the story need.”

Adam says he is walking on air after attending the first rehearsal and delighted at the atmosphere created by the venue.

This is not the first new musical that Adam Lyon has been involved with of late.

He played Carl Denham in King Kong.

He notes the irony that his musical has had more opportunities to be workshopped and refined along the way than King Kong, which had an astronomical budget.

Anne Henshall is hoping to make Bendigo the out of town try out capital of Australia.

“We now have a range of facilities in a town that is only an hour and forty minutes out of Melbourne.”

And now the Ulumburra Theatre is being launched with a baptism of fire on stage.

www.stagewhispers.com.au Stage Whispers 27

Stage On Disc

mother role of Bea and belts “Never Get Married” to a socko climax, whilst David Josefsberg is wonderfully greasy as a Lounge-singer on “When You Say Vegas” and a sensational Elvis impersonator on “Higher Love”. 

Miss Saigon (Claude-Michel Schönberg /Alain Boublil/ Richard Maltby Jnr) (Polydor/First Night 602547023018 2 CD). The new recording of Cameron Mackintosh’s 2014 London production of Miss Saigon is a five-star emotional knockout. Recorded live over 8 performances using 75 microphones to capture the orchestra (45 for the percussion alone), the listening experience is tantamount to being front-row centre in the theatre. With a cast every bit as good as the original, Boublil and Schönberg’s classic score has never sounded better. Eva Noblezada is a stunning Kim and together with Alistair Brammer’s passionate Chris, their duets “Sun and Moon” and “The Last Night of the World” are achingly beautiful. Brammer’s “Why God Why” is very moving, while Noblezada and Tamsin Carroll (as Ellen) are magnificent on “I Still Believe”. Carroll also gets to sing the new song “Maybe”, which replaces “Now That I’ve Seen Her” in the second act. Jon Jon Briones is a smarmy and smooth Engineer and brings a zillion gravitas to the score’s eleven-o -clock number “The American Dream”, whilst Hugh Maynard’s John thrills on “Bui Doi”. American lyricist Michael Mahler is responsible for some minor updates of the lyrics, which only enhance the original and make the work more contemporary. The recording and mixing are exemplary and the audio quality is superb. 

The Last Five Years (Jason Robert Brown) (Ghostlight 0726). Jason Robert Brown takes centre stage again with the soundtrack of the movie version of his autobiographical song-cycle The Last Five Years, a show that has been called a “modern masterpiece of the American musical theatre”.

The forward/reverse concept where Jamie’s songs take us from the beginning to the end of the relationship, while Cathy’s songs move from the end to the beginning is still in place in the film, which features the same number of tracks and in the same order as the original cast album. It’s a refreshing change to find a movie duplicating a Broadway score extant and it’s beautifully realised. Jeremy Jordan (Jamie) and Anna Kendrick (Catherine) are perfect as the two lovers whose five-year relationship falls apart. Kendrick gets the laughs on summer-stock hell in the witty “A Summer In Ohio”, and tenderly essays “Still Hurting”, whilst Jordan is a hoot in “Shiksa Goddess”, and sensitive on “If I Didn’t Believe in You”. Brown’s mix of string-quartet and piano in the orchestrations are just as affecting as they were in the offBroadway original. Highly recommended 

By Peter Pinne

Anthony Newley Sings The Good Old Bad Old Days (Anthony Newley/Leslie Bricusse) (Stage Door STAGE 9038)/Jack the Ripper (Ron Honeymoon in Vegas (Jason Robert Brown) (Ume Pember/Denis De Marne) B0022410-02). Jason Robert (Stage Door STAGE 9039).

Brown’s score for this new Stage Door have dug deep Broadway entry is big-band into the vaults of British musicals to come up with jazz reminiscent of the Frank Sinatra sound of the late two rare West End entries fifties and early sixties and from the 70s. The first has miles away from his score Anthony Newley wearing his composer and performer hat, for the recent The Bridges singing the entire score to his and Leslie Bricusse’s 1972 of Madison County and The Good Old Bad Old Days, with a more complete song list than the original cast album. The hits are still there, “It’s Parade. It’s brassy and swinging with clever lyrics that at times are laugh-out-loud a Musical World”, “The People Tree”, and the title tune, but funny. Based on the 1992 almost-cult movie, the plot it also includes the cut songs “And Women Must Wait”, revolves around a nice Jewish boy who loses his fiancé in a “Hell of a Night”, “It’s a Funny Old World” and “Mustn’t bet to a gangster in Las Vegas. Rob McClure is massively Grumble Can’t Complain”, plus an alternative version of “The Wisdom of the World”. There’s also a bonus track of appealing as the mother-dominated Jack and sets the whole show off with a splashy “I Love Betsy” routine, Tony “What’s the Matter God?” recorded live in the theatre on Danza as the gangster Tommy shows some impressive pipes the last night of the show’s 309 performance run, with a on “Out of the Sun”, while Brynn O’Malley as the girlfriend vocal by Paul Bacon. Newley is in good voice throughout laconically laments Jack’s lack-of-commitment in and the score sounds fresh. Of the cut material, the patter song “Mustn’t Grumble Can’t Complain” is unmistakably “Anywhere But Here”. Nancy Opel eats up the Jewish 28 Stage Whispers May - June 2015

Newley and Bricusse in Stop the World “littlechap” mode.  The second CD is the previously unreleased original London cast recording of Jack the Ripper, a musical that began at the Players Theatre in 1974 and then transferred to the Ambassadors and later the Cambridge Theatre.

We’re back in the Sweeney Todd and Sherlock Holmes territory of London’s East End of 1888. Set in a music hall of the time, the score by actor Ron Pember and Denis De Marne is definitely in the milieu of Lionel Bart’s Oliver!, which is not surprising as Pember was greatly influenced by Bart, having appeared in the West End production of Bart’s Blitz! It’s no world-beater but it is pleasant listening and the tunes are jaunty in the “kneesup” British style. “Saturday Night” is rousing and “Policeman’s Chorus” is fun when the coppers are dressed in drag to try and catch the infamous murderer. The cast includes Charles West, who played Don Quixote/Cervantes for two years in the original Australian production of Man of La Mancha. 

From Here To Eternity (Tim Rice/ Stuart Brayson) (Universal OVDDV2). This musical, which was filmed live in London’s Shaftsbury Theatre, will be very quickly consigned to the ‘B grade’ musicals graveyard. Tim Rice and Stuart Brayson’s adaptation of James Joyce’s best-selling novel about GIs and whores in Hawaii before and during the bombing of Pearl Harbour in 1941 lacks humour, characters we care about and a decent score. It felt like an eternity watching it. Army brutalisation, gay bashing, murder and rampant sexuality feature in this long and laborious musical with by-thenumbers choreography. The cast sing well, but what they have to sing is barely memorable. Best sequences, and both from the second-act, are Robert Lonsdale (Prewitt) and Darius Campbell (Warden) with “Ain’t Where I Wanna Be Blues”, and “The Boys of ‘41” sung by the girls against the backdrop of the Japanese bomber attack. The movie’s iconic nude scene on the beach between the Sergeant and the Captain’s wife is recreated as the first-act finale on what looks like roster covered in fake sand. It’s not the West End’s finest moment!  Rating  Only for the enthusiast  Borderline  Worth buying  Must have  Kill for it

www.stagewhispers.com.au Stage Whispers 29

London Calling

By Peter Pinne

John Heffernan has been called a “star-in-the-making” leading the ensemble cast in Tom Morton-Smith’s Oppenheimer, a play about the American physicist J. Robert Oppenheimer who spearheaded the Manhattan Project that developed the atomic bomb. Commissioned by the Royal Shakespeare Company, the play premiered at StratfordUpon-Avon and has now transferred to the Vaudeville Theatre, where praise has been unanimous for the 20-actor company. According to Dominic Cavendish in the Telegraph, Heffernan as “Oppie” was “every inch a commanding boffin…but very much the bright star with a cold core of iron” and among the happy women in his life, “Thomasin Rand shines as his alluring botanist wife Kitty, while Catherine Steadman impresses as his live-wire, halfabandoned Commie-lover Jean Tatlock.” Mark Shenton (London Theatre) felt “It could become a modern classic.”

Direction is by Angus Jackson.

While we’re talking about the RSC, it has just been announced that their Stratford-Upon-Avon production of Arthur Miller’s Death of a Salesman will transfer to the Noel Coward Theatre in London’s West End for a limited season from 9 May until 18 July. The cast is headed by Antony Sher as Willy Loman, Harriet Walter as his wife Linda, with Sam Marks as Happy and Alex Hassell as Biff. Direction is by Gregory Doran with designs by Stephen Brimson Lewis. The entire Stratford cast will make the transfer to London.

According to Doran,”Death of a Salesman is, without doubt in my mind, the greatest American play of the 20th Century and it has taken its rightful place, alongside Shakespeare, on our main stage in Stratford-Upon-Avon, to mark the centenary of Arthur Miller’s birth.”

Buyer and Cellar, the 2013 Off-Broadway hit set in Barbra Streisand’s private shopping mall in her basement, has made the jump across the pond with its star Michael Urie (Ugly Betty) repeating his acclaimed performance at the Menier Chocolate Factory. Jonathan Tolins’ one-man-

Michael Urie.

Photo: Sandra Coudert

30 Stage Whispers May - June 2015

show conceit, which is based on a line from Streisand’s 2010 coffee-table book, disses on fame, shopping and of course Streisand. While Urie’s performance has been called an “acting tour-de-force”, Michael Billington in The Guardian waspishly said, “To enjoy this one-man US import you need three things: a fetishistic fascination with Barbra Streisand, total immersion in showbiz and a love of high camp. If you possess all those qualities, you may have a good time.” So far there’s been no shortage of audiences.

Just when you thought rock opera was dead, along comes Richard Rocks. It’s a Swedish rock opera based on Shakespeare’s most infamous villain, and will have its World Premiere at the Great Hall of The People’s Palace, an ArtDeco theatre in London’s East End. With music by Peter Robsahm, book and lyrics by Maria Robsahm, and direction

by Staffan Aspegren, the opera features cutting-edge lighting, sound, and video and computer animation.

Inspired by Shakespeare’s Richard III and Al Pacino’s 1996 movie, Looking for Richard, the score has 35 original songs.

The cast of 28 will be led by Swedish musical theatre star Fred Johanson as Richard III. It’s booked to play a five-week season beginning October 3.

Gary Barlow (Take That) seems to be on a musical theatre roll with the recent Broadway opening of Finding Neverland, and a rehearsed reading in Burnstall, North Yorkshire (the place where it all happened) of his and longtime friend Tim Firth’s musical adaptation of The Girls.

Based on Firth’s Calendar Girls, the musical follows the same true story of a group of middle-aged women who pose nude for a fund-raising calendar. The Girls is due to premiere 14 November at Leeds Grand Theatre and play until 12 December before jumping over the border to Lancashire to play the Lowry, Salford, from 13 - 30 January.

As yet, no West End dates have been announced. Barlow is also developing a musical adaptation of Jules Verne’s classic novel Around the World in 80 Days, with his Neverland partner Eliot Kennedy and Neverland producer Harvey Weinstein. Former Pussycat Doll, Grizabella and X-Factor colleague Nicole Scherzinger are reportedly also on board.

Scherzinger, along with Barlow and James Cordon (Into the Woods), performed five songs from the musical at Weinstein’s pre-Oscar dinner on 20 February in Beverley Hills.

Richard Fleeshman (Ghost), Summer Strallen (Top Hat) and Sally Ann Triplett (Viva Forever) are to star in A Damsel in Distress at the Chichester Festival Theatre. The musical is based on a novel by P.G. Wodehouse, and has songs by George and Ira Gershwin. It was originally a 1937 RKO movie, which starred Fred Astaire and Joan Fontaine, and won an Oscar for dance director Hermes Pan. Set in London, the story and is about a dancing star who falls for an aristocratic heiress. Songs include “A Foggy Day (in London Town)”, “I Can’t Be Bothered Now” and “Nice Work if You Can Get It”. This new/old stage musical will be directed by American director/choreographer Rob Ashford, whose most recent hits have included the 2012 revival of Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, with Scarlett Johansson, and Macbeth, for the 2013 Manchester International Festival, with Kenneth Branagh and Alex Kingston.

B

roadway uzz

By Peter Pinne

With the New York Times calling it “smartly silly, hilariously impudent and sneakily compassionate”, and Variety chiming in with “a score of tongue-in-cheek ditties worthy of Avenue Q”, Australian brothers Paul and Michael Hodge’s Off-Broadway debut Clinton: The Musical is “the new smash hit”. A musical satire, it covers the Clinton presidency with a cast of characters that include Bill, Hillary, Dick Morris, Newt Gingrich, Monica Lewinsky and former Clinton special prosecutor Kenneth Starr. Two actors portray President Clinton: one plays the serious, presidential side, and the other plays the sleazy party animal and zipperchallenged side of the man. The idea sprang from a Hodge family outing in Brisbane to see Casey Benetto’s Keating! Both brothers wrote the book, while music and lyrics are by Paul Hodge. After premiering at the 2012 Edinburgh Fringe, where it was nominated for Best New Musical, it played several dates at London’s King’s Head Theatre, before making its U.S. debut at the New York Musical Theatre Festival in 2014.

In the current cast, Duke Lafoon plays Billy Clinton, Tom Galantich is W.J. Clinton, with Veronica Kuehn as Monica and Tony winner Kerry Butler as Hilary. Comedic influences are Arrested Development, The Simpsons and 30 Rock, while music styles are pop with nods to Britney Spears and Christina Aguilera. The earwig melody is Monica’s insanely catchy “I’m F***ing the F***ing President”, sung as she’s nuzzling Bill’s thigh. It’s a showstopper!

Steppenwolf’s production of Lisa D’Amour’s Airline Highway, which had an extended run at their Downstairs Theatre, Chicago, is currently playing an 8-week season at Manhattan Theatre Club’s Samuel J. Friedman Theatre, ending June 14. The play, set in the parking lot of The Hummingbird, a once glamorous motel on New Orleans’ infamous Airline Highway, brings together a group of strippers, hustlers and philosophers to celebrate the life of Miss Ruby, an iconic burlesque performer who has requested a funeral before she dies. As he did in Chicago, Joe Mantello directs. Heading the Broadway cast is Tony Winner Julie White as Miss Ruby.

London’s 2014 Olivier Award-Winning Best Play King Charles III is to transfer to Broadway, with previews October 10 for a November 1 opening. Tim Pigott-Smith will reprise his West End performance of King Charles III in the production directed by Rupert Gold. Mike Bartlett’s

brilliantly audacious and critically acclaimed play explores a scenario of what happens when Prince Charles, after a lifetime of waiting, finally ascends the throne. Questions of limiting the freedom of the press after the News International phone hacking scandal, the unwritten rules of democracy, and the conscience of the Royal family are also addressed.

When tickets went on sale for an upcoming Actors Fund Benefit concert of the musical Bombshell from the TV series Smash, they sold out in just over one-hour. The performance takes place at Broadway’s Minskoff Theatre, and will feature original Smash cast members Megan Hilty, Katharine McPhee, Debra Messing, Christian Borle and Will Chase. The musical explores the life of actress Marilyn Monroe and has songs by Marc Shaiman and Scott Wittman, composer/lyricists of Hairspray and Catch Me If You Can. The 44-week national tour of the 2014 Tony-winning musical A Gentleman’s Guide to Love and Murder kicks off September 19 at Proctor’s Theatre in Schenectady, New York. Based on the 1949 British movie Kind Hearts and Coronets, the plot involves the eighth heir to a noble family’s fortune bumping off all his other relatives to inherit the cash. The book and lyrics by Robert L. Freedman, and the music and lyrics by Steven Lutvak, both won Tonys as did the direction of Darko Tresnjak.

Paper Mill Playhouse, New Jersey, Tim Pigott is to premiere the new musical Smith in King Ever After for a four-week season Charles III. commencing May 21. The show is based on the 1998 Drew Barrymore film of the same name, and has music by Zina Goldrich and book and lyrics by Marcy Heisler. It tells the “real” story of Cinderella - her real name is Danielle and she’s friends with Leonardo da Vinci.

It stars James Snyder (If/Then) as Prince Henry, Margo Seibert (Rocky) as Danielle, with Christine Ebersole as Baroness Rodmilla de Ghent, Tony Sheldon as Leonardo da Vinci, and Charles Shaughnessy (The Nanny) as King Francis.

In March Signature Theatre took the wraps off a new musical from the pen of John Kander. The 88-year-old composer, still working and working well, has partnered with 36-year-old lyricist Greg Pierce on the new musical Kid Victory. With an original story by Kander and Pierce, the plot has a teenage boy returning home after having been abducted for a year by a child molester, coming to terms with his new home situation. Heavy material, but Kander is has previously explored dark themes in Cabaret, Chicago and The Scotsboro Boys. Critical reaction was mixed, not surprising given the subject matter. Christiane Noll, as the boy’s devoutly religious mother Eileen, was praised for her “touching performance” and for her songs “A Single Tear” and the powerful ballad “There Was a Boy”. Kander and Pierce had previously written the small-scale musical The Landing, which opened at Manhattan’s Vineyard Theatre in 2013 with Pierce’s uncle, David Hyde Pierce, in the cast. www.stagewhispers.com.au Stage Whispers 31

Stage on Page

Journey Into Night (2003), Orpheus Descending (1989), Vita and Virginia (1994) and Driving Miss Daisy (2010). She has made over 80 films and has been nominated for an Oscar 6 times, winning for Julia (1977).

In the 60s Redgrave joined the Labour Party but

By Peter Pinne found their ideology too “wishy-washy” for her so she quit. Later in the 1970s she VANESSA - The Life of Vanessa Redgrave and her brother Corin joined the Workers

by Dan Callahan (Pegasus Books Revolutionary Party, an organisation U.S.$20.80). described by one of its former members Vanessa Redgrave’s acting career has as a cult not unlike Scientology. She ran frequently been hi-jacked by her political for Parliament twice as a party member activism, but despite being ‘blacklisted’ but only received 700 votes the first time and out of favour at times, she remains and 500 the second. Her support for the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) the only British actress to ever win the Oscar, Emmy, Tony, Olivier, Cannes, saw her fired from a Boston Symphony Golden Globe and the Screen Actors Guild Orchestra performance. She promptly awards. Arthur Miller and Tennessee sued.

Williams called her “the greatest living Redgrave has had three major lovers in her life; film and stage director Tony actress of our times” and Dan Callahan’s book goes a long way to endorsing that Richardson, who was her first husband and claim. like her father was openly bi-sexual, Franco Born in 1937, the eldest daughter of Nero, her Camelot co-star, who she later Michael Redgrave, she originally trained as married in 2006 after an enduring 40-year a ballet dancer, but at 6 foot tall soon realised she was relationship, and a 20 year on-again/off-again affair with never going to make it in that field. She trained at the actor Timothy Dalton.

Central School of Speech and Drama in London, but quickly Throughout her life Redgrave has never done things by dropped out declaring it was not for her. She later did halves, always giving her all, even if her choices were likewise with the Actors Studio in New York. Her style of sometimes bizarre. She once picketed Actors Equity to performance therefore owes a little to both and a lot to her allow porn stars to become Equity members; during the run theatrical heritage. She had her first starring role in Robert of Orpheus Descending she decided on the whim of the Bolt’s The Tiger and The Horse (1960) in which she comoment to make her entrance fully-naked; and once whilst starred with her father. Her notable on stage performances filming Camelot and singing “Then You May Take Me To in London and on Broadway have been The Prime of Miss The Fair” she began to sing it in French. Director Joshua Jean Brodie (1966), The Aspern Papers (1984), Long Day’s

Stage Whispers Books Visit our on-line book shop for back issues and stage craft books www.stagewhispers.com.au/books 32 Stage Whispers May - June 2015

Rhapsody in Blue. Feinstein asserts that without Gershwin and Porgy and Bess there would have been no West Side Story or Sweeney Todd as both Leonard Bernstein and Sondheim were in awe of his achievement. Although Ira continued to write following George’s early death in 1937, and had later hits with Lady in the Dark (1941) and A Star Is Born (1954), Feinstein believes he never really got over the loss.

The book is full of anecdotes (Richard Rodgers was insanely jealous of Gershwin), but it paints astute THE GERSHWINS AND ME - A pictures of both men, who were Personal History in Twelve Songs by opposites in temperament and tastes.

Michael Feinstein (Simon & Schuster Along the way Feinstein also U.S.$45.00). manages to throw in some of his At the age of 20 in 1977 Michael own comments about Broadway Feinstein became Ira Gershwin’s musicals today (he likes Hairspray archivist, a position he held until the and Jersey Boys) and laments the acclaimed lyricist died 6 years later in loss of piano bars and clubs where 1983. This book is his personal tribute patrons can hear songs from the to Ira, George Gershwin and the “Great American Songbook”.

Gershwin legacy. By looking at the It’s a handsomely produced book creation and performance of 12 of their with lots of photos, sheet music most famous songs which include and program covers, and scrapbook musical sketches for “Someone To Watch Over Me”, “They Can’t Take That possible ideas for future songs. The most unique is the twoAway From Me” and “I Got Rhythm”, Feinstein not only fills stave sketch for “I Loves You Porgy”. There is no index but in their career highs and lows, but also manages to give an the book does come with a newly recorded CD of the 12 overview of the Broadway musical of the times - the 1920s songs, sung by Feinstein with piano accompaniment by and 1930s. Funny Face, Lady, Be Good, Girl Crazy and Oh, Cyrus Chestnut.

Kay!, were just some of the hit shows they wrote, and Gertrude Lawrence, Fred Astaire and Ethel Merman were Correction: In last issue’s review of Tennessee Williams among the performers who became overnight stars in their by John Lahr the quote “I have always depended on the shows. But the Gershwin legacy is overpowered by their kindness of strangers” was incorrectly attributed to The masterpiece, Porgy and Bess, and George’s groundbreaking Glass Menagerie instead of A Streetcar Named Desire.

Logan was horrified, but ultimately sanity prevailed and she did it in English.

Callahan is an obvious fan and his research is monumental, even documenting little-known cameos in obscure movies (some foreign) that had limited release and barely even made it to DVD. His prose at times is two notches above a New Idea expose, but the book does dot all the i’s and cross all the t’s in the life and career of this remarkable actress.

www.stagewhispers.com.au Stage Whispers 33

Theatre Jewel Amidst The Ruins As Christchurch slowly rebuilds after the devastating earthquakes of 2010 and 2011, its grand old lady is breathing back life into its theatrical soul. David Spicer trod the boards of the re-born Isaac Theatre Royal, which was the venue for the 55th Musical Theatre New Zealand weekend conference, party and AGM.

They restored the façade, the foyer, the marble staircase and auditorium interior walls and ceiling. Everything else is modern.

There was lots to admire - the painted scenes from A Midsummer Night’s Dream on the dome, Shakespeare’s plaster bust above the Royal Box and gilding in every nook and cranny.

The visual treats are admired best Moving around the centre of Christchurch on its historic tram is a little from the highest balcony seats. This was sad. The grand Cathedral is still in ruins, while there are numerous empty blocks, and condemned buildings are sealed off waiting for the bulldozer.

Many structures up and running have elaborate murals. The town’s brothel/ strip club sits conspicuously in an open field with a curled up naked lady painted on its side. But it was another lady I was pleased to see: the mural of the ballerina painted on the rear end of the newly restored Theatre Royal.

When the second earthquake struck a number of workers were lucky to have left the stage just before the proscenium collapsed. The theatre trust then had to raise a fortune, forty million dollars or so, to put the theatre back together again.

34 Stage Whispers May - June 2015

an irony not lost on the Theatre Trust’s Dr Anna Crighton, who was keynote speaker at the conference.

When it opened in 1908 the privileged sat in the dress circle whilst poorer members of the general public sat up in the highest level of seats.

“To reach the Gods, patrons had to climb an exterior steel staircase - an area that was considered dangerously steep even at that time. Patrons did not sit on seats then but on benches,” she said.

A more egalitarian interior with seats for everyone was not constructed until 1928.

The conference was held on the stage, which felt like it stretched forever with a soaring fly tower above.

The local theatre company Showbiz Christchurch was itching to get back on stage properly. It was a few weeks off its return with The Phantom of the Opera.

An intriguing silver haired gentleman (who you can see on the video) gave me the inside story on the club when he picked me up at the airport. Years back the old Christchurch Operatic (as it was known then) gave all of its assets to a trust managed by some shrewd investors. The right investment in shares has secured its future big time. Lucky they didn’t the put the cash on the horses.

Like many community theatres in New Zealand, Showbiz Christchurch has good real estate. The club reluctantly gave up its former building due to earthquake re-zoning.

The company gave us a tour of their new home base that cost upwards of 1.1 million dollars. We admired the shiny new rehearsal floors, sewing rooms, costume storage and plenty of places to lounge around.

The silvery haired gentleman was very pleased to show me a picture on the wall of him taken many decades previously, with his shirt taken off, as the strapping male lead in the popular operetta of the day.

The faces stare down from the walls, testament to a club that has been

Postcard From NZ

Online extras!

Check out our video report from New Zealand. Scan the QR code or visit https://youtu.be/X0Bm0z5-HeM entertaining its community since 1938 and now appears indestructible.

The musical theatre conference is always a mixture of business and pleasure - the highlight is their annual fancy dress ball. Formal attire from any era was this year’s theme.

But having attended most conferences over the last twenty years there is no mistaking that it is becoming a little more business than show.

According to a survey MTNZ released, the top twenty productions of the previous year sold 135,000 tickets. Seven of the productions sold approximately 10,000 tickets or more. The big ones were seasons of Mamma Mia! and The Phantom of the Opera. 75% of shows make a profit and 20% lose money.

The large theatre companies pool resources to tour a set around the country. It means many people earn

income out of community theatre.

Seventy percent of the groups pay their director and just over half pay musical directors and choreographers.

One in ten companies also pay some members of the cast.

By and large it is an Anglo-Saxon affair. Almost ninety percent of cast and crew are European. Women outnumber men 58 percent to 42. And there was no surprise that young people dominate the on-stage roles, leaving the older ones back stage.

On every conference desk was placed a glossy brochure called Musical Theatre New Zealand Strategic Plan 2015-2020.

There were all sorts of buzz words like “stakeholders”, “operational planning”, “financial sustainability” and “Educate, support and advocate”.

The only thing missing seemed to be lets have some fun putting on a show.

www.stagewhispers.com.au Stage Whispers 35

Theatrical Secrets Of The Colosseum

On a recent trip to Rome’s Colosseum, Michael Sutton discovered how this world famous icon functioned as a theatre, thanks to a team of German archaeologists. Underground halls were the wings where animals, scenery, performers and Gladiators stood by, and vertical shafts allowed the scenery and talent to rise instantly into the arena.

36 Stage Whispers May - June 2015

Built on the site of the tyrant emperor Nero’s former palace, the Colosseum was originally named the Flavian Amphitheatre (Amphitheatrum Flavium) in honour of the Flavian Emperors who built it. Emperor Vespasian started the building to erase all memories of the tyrant Nero. Upon Vespasian’s death in AD79, his son and heir Titus continued the building works

and inaugurated it a year later.

When Titus died in AD81 his brother and Vespasian’s youngest son Domitian became Emperor. He made additions to support the workings of the arena, including additional seating capacity in the form of a top gallery.

Estimates of the Colosseum’s seating capacity range from a conservative 50,000 up to a staggering 87,000 people. Even at 50,000 bums on seats, in today’s terms this is one seriously large theatre. There were 76 entrances for the general public and four reserved for the Emperor. Every spectator had a ticket indicating which entrances they had to use and where to sit. The tickets were free but were issued according to social rank. Each spectator reached their own section along a fixed route. As a point of interest to all of us who volunteer or work front of house, they claim they could load-in or empty the entire space in 15 minutes. Try that one in your local community theatre.

In 1996 a team of archaeologists from the German Archaeological

Institute began an investigation into the development and construction of the wooden arena flooring and the mechanisms used to produce staging effects. The design would sit comfortably in most of our venues today.

Eight years of measuring and hypothesizing later, the German archaeologists released a very detailed written report. They shunned the use of modern technology such as laser measuring devices, and computer aided design methods, insisting on crawling all over the place, measuring everything by hand. They touched everything they measured and totally immersed themselves in a tactile experience which they claim gave them a far deeper understanding of the structure and how it functioned.

Today, thanks to their good works, a portion of the floor has been rebuilt and there is a display featuring models of the scenery flying systems. The sophisticated conglomeration of ramps, pulleys and trapdoors, even some of the original counterweights, are on display.

To walk into the Colosseum at any time is a breathtaking experience. For me to walk in, after seeing the displays and reading the background notes on how the venue functioned mechanically, the place all of a sudden jumps to life.

Reading through the original German report is like being in an episode of one of the many CSI type programs on television today. Their deductions, based on the physical evidence and in some cases the lack of evidence, present very compelling reasons why something worked and how.

They pieced together a veritable puzzle, reconstructing a two level network of underground corridors, passageways and tunnels. Some connected to holding areas outside the arena. These underground halls were the wings where the cages of animals, scenery, performers and Gladiators were standing by beneath the arena floor before entering.

Over 28 vertical shafts were identified as locations where the scenery and talent instantly rose, flown into the arena. Contemporary accounts

Stage Heritage

described these entrances as “they appear as if by magic”. Very large capstans operated by trained slaves would supply the power to raise and lower the cages, platforms, scenery and performers on cue. One could only imagine what penalties would have applied for missing a cue or entry.

Larger hinged platforms would drop down allowing a range of animals, from lions all the way up to elephants and giraffes, to run in on cue.

With the pull of a lever, counterweighted scenery such as artificial forests, and even castles made of papier-mâché, would raise into the arena.

The Colosseum was obviously far more than what we usually imagine - a blood soaked gladiatorial killing field.

Events often went all day, with the emphasis on spectacular. The day began with a parade called a Pompa, presenting all of the participants. This was followed by hunts called Venationes in which the hunters tackled wild animals lurking among sets replicating the geographical contexts they came from.

During the lunch interval, executions ad bestias took place. The condemned, naked and unarmed, faced the wild beasts which would eventually tear them to pieces. During the intervals there were also

performances by jugglers, acrobats and magicians, as well as parodies and reenactments of ancient myths. Finally in the afternoon, the gladiatorial combats took place. Those who were defeated in a duel could hope to be pardoned by the emperor or by the audience.

Thanks to their popularity the day’s activities were often financed by politicians who hoped to curry favour with the public whereas intellectuals saw these spectacles as a cause of spiritual decadence. Food and drinks were served to spectators at their seats throughout the festivities.

Accounts from that time describe full days of lavish entertainment with a variety of pageants, classical mythology performances and mock sea battles scheduled around the gladiators.

Emperors’ reputations were enhanced by their ability to stage ever bigger, more extravagant and exotic events.

What I really liked about looking at it through theatrical eyes is the fact we can go and look at something made the best part of 2000 years ago, see how it worked and instantly recognize how we do the very same things, using the same bits and pieces or variations of them, in our own venues today.

The problem with having “a visit to the Colosseum” on my bucket list is now I can hardly wait to get back there! www.stagewhispers.com.au Stage Whispers 37

Gone are the days when the amateur musical circuit could be considered repetitive and stagnant. Brave companies are taking on complex big-budget productions including the likes of Mary Poppins and Chitty Chitty Bang Bang. Less complex on the surface, but still a big challenge, new shows like Saturday Night Fever The Musical are also brightening local stages. Sally Alrich-Smythe reports.

Only released to certain societies, Mary Poppins is a dip into a vast talent pool. “We’re very lucky in Canberra. favourite, almost guaranteed to rope in large audiences. So We have some very strong dance schools here and a lot of people have come with specialised musical theatre far, only (‘pro-am’) companies have staged it. Canberra’s Free Rain Theatre Company enjoyed a successful season, training.” but producer Anne Somes revealed just how much Simply, real performance ability is ry Poppins Free Rain Theatre’s Ma this show is “not for the fainta must to be in a show like this hearted”. one. “It’s not a place where you “It’s an enormous can hide as a performer at all,” undertaking. If you’re looking Anne says. for a show that has every Something that may not initially possible component, Mary occur to a company considering Poppins is definitely it! Every Mary Poppins are the 200 plus component? She’s half-joking, props needed. Anne said it’s the “most ‘proppy’ musical” she has but short of directing animals ever been involved in. about the stage (Annie, Oliver! …), she’s not half wrong!

Then there’s the set, which Free There are many Rain built from scratch. The sets overwhelming aspects. The were cleverly designed to pack casting demands two down so that they may be shipped off anywhere (in two certified containers), giving exceptionally talented children to play Michael and Jane Banks (and if you’re smart like Free Rain, probably two other companies the opportunity to hire them (via more as swings). Mary and Bert are huge roles with a depth www.freeraintheatre.com). of character which demands stage presence and dramatic Then comes the real nitty-gritty part of the production ability, alongside complex singing and dancing. There’s also the flying. The company deemed it impossible to budget for Mary to fly over the audience, a feature we all remember a bunch of smaller roles which still demand triple-threat status. fondly from the professional production, and instead built a “It’s the most wonderful choreographer’s dream … rig that travelled across the stage. “Those things are just ‘Supercalafragalisticexpialadocious’ is a sensational stage challenges that you have to meet.” number and then you’ve got the seven and a half minutes of ‘Step in Time’… you have to make sure you cast an Or do you? I pondered this question out loud when in conversation with Regals Musical Society’s Paul Morrison, exceptional cast!”

Being pro-am, Free Rain was secure in its two who was about to head into production week for their professional leads, Alinta Chidzey as Mary, and Shuan upcoming show, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang. It was his view Rennie as Bert. They were everything they needed to be for that a company should always face these kinds of fears and the roles and more, praised in most reviews as total ‘triple not let the prospect of a “scary tech” scare them away. He threats’. Location could make the casting process harder, talks in reference, of course, to the pressures they’ve particularly if paying for talent is not an option. Anne could encountered with Chitty, the flying car. “I wouldn’t 38 Stage Whispers May - June 2015

underestimate the ability of an audience to draw themselves into an environment merely using suggestion.

You don’t necessarily have to have the car physically fly.

You don’t need to have a boom lift to make the car go off the ground… companies should be reassured there are other techniques out there”.

Whether this is the case or not, I have been assured Chitty will fly in Regals’ upcoming production. Like Mary Poppins in Canberra, it will not be flying over the audience.

That “would have cost hundreds of thousands of dollars which we don’t have. If we had of thought of that alone we would have been too scared to go near this show… But I like to think we’ve thought outside of the box, and made it all work.”

Paul threw a spanner in the works when he gently reminded me the show actually requires five vehicles: the main chitty car (which flies!), the chitty wreck, the Baron’s car, the Child Catcher’s cage and a motorcycle. Calmly, he told me it’s safe to assume this has been the key budget focus. The most beautiful part of community theatre, the committed membership, steps into the story here, when I am told Regals are lucky enough to have a lot of people with engineering skills. It has been a straight three months, maybe more, of design and construction of these vehicles, with their combined efforts.

Paul seems quietly confident Chitty Chitty Bang Bang will not backfire. With a cast combining a nice blend of new faces and old, including some previously ‘retired’ life members, audiences can expect the perfect hallmark event for The Regals’ 70th year.

Saturday Night Fever The Musical also had its community theatre premiere in 2015. It too is a big challenge. Redcliffe Musical Theatre hosted the World Amateur Premiere as their suburb was the childhood stomping ground of the Bee Gees themselves. Madeleine Johns, the director, said “people remember John Travolta, the famous pose, the music… they don’t necessarily remember the tough story that comes with it.”

Companies staging it have been given a script that gives them the option of leaving out swearing and tones down the darker scenes.

The biggest challenge is casting. “Not only do the leads have to be able to dance well, but they have to be able to tell a very difficult story, sing well, and look the part,” says Madeleine.

Describing herself a ‘tough’ director, Madeleine was not willing to accept a cast that was anything short of perfect for the show, and the result “didn’t happen overnight”. In fact, their 19-year-old lead, Adam Goodall as Tony Manero, was originally cast as an understudy. Madeleine simply said that he “wasn’t quite where he needed to be” during the audition process and that she wasn’t prepared to give him the role if she thought she was “setting him up for failure”.

The role was left open with the intention of watching how Adam developed over the rehearsal period. Though the preference is obvious, Madeleine tells me the company was willing to source someone and pay them if the level stayed simply where it was at during the first auditions. An

Redcliffe Musical Theatre’s Saturday Night Fever The Musical.

Online extras!

Check out the World Community Theatre Premiere of Saturday Night Fever. https://youtu.be/KumEGtMtbsg absolute credit to Adam Goodall, the university student worked tirelessly before being promoted. Members of the audience were stunned to learn that he had never danced before.

“As with anything in the performing arts, it’s 90% the work you put in. He worked really, really hard on his dancing and particularly the characterisation. He put hours into the accent and I think he plays the role really well.”

It’s not just the role of Tony Manero that might daunt future casting directors. Finding four leads around that age who can sing, dance and act is really a tough feat especially if your society is plagued with the all to common ‘no-males-at-auditions’ syndrome.

Casting aside, companies looking to put on this show need to prepare themselves for a challenging set. There are 42 scenes in Saturday Night Fever. “Not even scenes,” Madeleine corrects herself, “little snapshots….transitions…”

Stage Whispers TV’s video (see link) shows how the company used a fusion of video and a framed two level scaffolding set with stairs on either side of the stage, which our reviewer Peter Pinne described as “extremely effective”.

The top level doubled as the disc jockey platform and the bridge. On the stage two small sets for the family home were wheeled on from either side. The company did not build a coloured disco floor, but used lights for the nightclub scenes.

There was praise too from Peter Pinne for the 70s wardrobe with lots of hip-hugging flares and platform shoes.

Reflecting on the casting process in particular, Madeleine let out an exaggerated sigh. Slightly bemused I asked her what she was thinking about. Sitting in the car on her way to the theatre, in preparation for the final weekend of their Saturday Night Fever season (extended for an extra week due to ticket demand) she used the same words Anne Somes had said about Poppins only hours earlier, “it’s really not a show for the faint hearted”. www.stagewhispers.com.au Stage Whispers 39

The new stars of Matilda The Musical.

Australia’s Matildas After auditioning over 1000 kids, Georgia Taplin, Bella Thomas, Sasha Rose and Molly Barwick have been cast to share the title role in the Australian premiere of Matilda the Musical. Based on the beloved novel by Roald Dahl, it is the story of a five year old genius who dares to take a stand and change her own destiny. Emma Squires caught up with the four girls and producer Louise Withers to find out the X Factor that won these girls the role.

This will be a professional stage debut for all of them, so the girls and their families are very new to the industry.

There were no stage mums there today.

The girls agreed they are most excited to share the moral of the story with audiences. “I love Matilda’s courage in saying that if it’s not right I have to put it right myself,” said Rose.

Now they’ve got a three month rehearsal process ahead of them, which is three times as long as you’d rehearse a normal show, as they have to rotate the cast. “We’ve got 29 kids in total, including four Bruces and three sets of the other kids, and one adult cast.” said Withers.

As the biggest child role in musical theatre since Annie and Billy Elliot, Withers said: “We had to look for a bit of Matilda The Musical will make its Australian Premiere at the maturity behind their years and the ability to focus. These Sydney Lyric Theatre on July 28. girls are on stage for a lot of time so they had to have really special qualities that would hold the audience’s attention.”

The girls range in age from 9 to 11 and come from very different backgrounds. “A couple of them are musicians, a couple of them are sports lovers and a couple of them are doing some dance training.”

So what was the X Factor that all four girls shared?

“Composure mixed with life underneath, which is really Matilda,” said Withers.

Their life underneath definitely shone through with the girls unable to contain their excitement. “I feel like a firework exploding,” said Barwick.

They were especially excited as they were finally allowed to reveal the good news to family and friends, previously not having been allowed to tell anyone apart from their parents. “I think it’s one of the best secrets that you’ll ever keep,” said Thomas.

40 Stage Whispers May - June 2015

Actors Centre Australia Sydney’s Cartography.

Photo: Lucy Parakhina.

www.stagewhispers.com.au Stage Whispers 41

looking into a slightly-raked stage 30 metres by 30 metres, and a backdrop comprising the twinkling lights of Sydney’s CBD high-rise.

A nightmare to light?

Not so, says Lighting Designer Matt Scott. “It probably wasn’t as complicated as it might seem. We worked very closely with the group from Chameleon Touring Systems, who have loads of experience in kitting out very large and complicated productions. We gave them a “wish list” of what we wanted to do, and despite the logistical difficulties, it came together.”

Believe it or not, the stage lighting comprises only about 180 fixtures (there are another couple of hundred lamps, or more, being used in lighting the surrounding areas, the audience and access areas). Nearly all the fixtures Photo: Lightbox Photography. are automated (motorized), It is hard enough to stage quality opera Allow for camels! Don’t forget the significantly reducing the need for in a purpose-designed venue with pyrotechnics barges behind the stage! separate fixtures.

Essentially, the rig comprises clean sight-lines, in-built lighting and Oh, and don’t forget the orchestra lighting towers on both sides of the acoustics. Try doing it in the open air where do you put them? stage, and a massive construction in with ferries motoring by, bats Then add the magic of Sydney front, behind the centre track of Harbour, the Bridge and the Opera screeching, the occasional helicopter seating. Specialist lighting upstage (for cruising overhead and the ever-present House providing the backdrop. specific purposes) creates particular That’s the spectacle which is the threat of rain. Steve Wimmer explores Australian Opera’s production of Aida, effects, while six different follow-spots the lighting challenges of staging are used to pinpoint and locate the the fourth in the HANDA Opera on Grand Opera on Sydney Harbour. principals at various times on the Sydney Harbour series (known as massive stage.

Each year Opera Australia needs to HOSH), in March/April 2015. The Matt says that each of the followbuild every piece of the stage, lighting location is “in the harbour”, just off the spots (four on the down stage rig and Fleet Steps at Mrs Macquaries Point. rigs, cast facilities, audience seating, one each on each side, on platforms Lighting a stage as vast as this is a and public amenities, then add the which are 17 metres from the edge of requisite bars and eating places and huge challenge. 3001 patrons, across the stage on their own pontoons), are fulfill all the safety requirements. an auditorium about 90 metres wide, a massive 4K watts each. They have to manage a throw of up to 45 metres.

Each is separately operated, with individual operators fading in and out.

Each has a colour magazine which is manually changed. The follow-spots are also cued separately to the general lighting plot, with the head follow-spot operator calling the cues.

The statue of Nefertiti is generally the focus of the atmospheric lighting, highlighted in the various scenes with washes of stark colour. There is nothing subtle about the hues being used - subtlety would be lost in the general haze of open air and with the distances involved.

A highlight, though, is a general shimmer effect, thrown onto the head

The Impossibility Of Aida

42 Stage Whispers May - June 2015

Online extras!

Discover the spectacle of Aida on Sydney Harbour. Scan the QR code or visit https://youtu.be/FPtygEb6f74

of Nefertiti - intended to resemble reflection from moving water - which has been ingeniously designed by throwing light through various gobos layered one on top of another, each one from a slightly moving fixture.

One of Matt’s favourite effects is that from twenty-or-so moving “sharpies” around the base of Nefertiti, creating the effect of searchlights into the air, adding to the water concept merging the stage into the harbor (I didn’t make the connection, and so wondered about the significance and value of it).

Matt acknowledges that the impact of the effects lighting - the various washes on Nefertiti, the shimmer, etc., - is very dependent on both the weather conditions and the location from which it is being seen.

Understandably, the statue is a significant 3-dimensional object, some 18 metres high, and light doesn’t go round corners! The colour is not as obvious as the photographs suggest (also as a result of digital photography) from angles, not straight on.

This is very evident in the final scenes, where Aida and Radames are entombed. The photo shows shafts of light emanating from below the stage, back-dropping the performers. This very eerie effect results from light thrown through prisms and through smoke. But if the wind is uncooperative and the smoke doesn’t do what it is supposed to do, the effect is really only visible to the audience immediately in front.

Again, the trial scene (see photo) uses an essentially 2-dimensional “goalpost” which rises pneumatically from flat on the stage. This clever device, which frames the action on stage, is, of necessity, lit mainly by side lights so as not to blind either the audience or the performers. Very effective, including a general blue wash and an intensely blue-lit Nefertiti, it loses significantly when seen from an angle.

Matt explains the additional complications - every lighting fixture, including the LEDs used for the nonstage areas and surrounds, had to be

Sound & Light Photo: Lightbox Photography.

weather-proof, the follow-spots (and their operators) completely covered.

There is no doubt that without the sound and electrical teams working on the production, and being as committed as they are, this type of open-air production, and Aida in particular, would not have worked.

About a dozen electricians (with head electrician Alex Celi) work on the show with six or seven present for each performance. And Matt and Jason Fripp worked well into the night for over two weeks to get the programming right, on a Grand MA II desk (with an MA Lite as backup, and a Network desk as a second backup).

Because of the vast challenges we get to experience those spine-tingling moments of glory when they come off.

This isn’t the best way to experience Opera, but it a great way to experience the overall spectacle of it. The audience is carried away by the totality of mindboggling costume, creative and clever design, and technical command. A hell of a job, combining to create a once-in -a-lifetime total experience. www.stagewhispers.com.au Stage Whispers 43

Actors Centre Australia Sydney’s Cartography.

Photo: Lucy Parakhina.

Lighting Up The Stage Performing Arts Courses showcase some recent productions.

Custom made vision content included intersecting lines, star constellations, hand drawn coordinates Actors Centre Australia Sydney and compass dials. Most of this was Production: Cartography bold white shapes on transparencies to A show that invited the audience to avoid any obvious projection edges. navigate and traverse the terrain of our The coordinates, which appeared as existence, Cartography looked at ideas if they were being drawn in chalk across the whole space, were hand of home, understanding and journey, the intimate exchanges and mapping draw by the cast on the iPad and that make us who we are. projected across all the surfaces.

A black scrim was used along with the cyclorama as a projection surfaces, hanging light globes behind the scrim were used to create the effect of cast appearing and disappearing.

A central chandelier piece was created using 16 vintage style hanging globes, around the octagonal shaped centre bars. These were distributed across 4 dimmers to create fade effects.

The performance evoked atmospheric dimensions which the cast could move in between. This resulted in an audience experience that created a strong sense of reflection, which provided a landscape for the rich and poetic dialogue to live inside of.

44 Stage Whispers May - June 2015

Technical Standard house lighting rig and 4 projectors, 3 Qlab systems, 21 individual light globes, ETC element console.

3 laptops running Qlab and network linked, provided the vision content and audio for this performance. One machine was the show master, with the other two receiving their cues from this over Ethernet. Lighting and vision designer: Matthew Osborne. Directed by Anthony Skuse and Samantha Chester.

Devised by ACA 2016 Graduating Company.

Adelaide College of the Arts Production: The Threepenny Opera Designed by technical production graduate Aaron Herczeg, The major themes (of the play) include epic theatre and film noir. A monolithic blackboard wall with a reflective floor was built by Adelaide College of the Arts set construction students.

There were two hot-spotted acclaim Fresnels at 45 degrees up-lighting the downstage actors’ faces with Lee 156

Sound & Light

Adelaide College of the Arts’ The Threepenny Opera.

Photo: Aaron Herczeg.

Chocolate; this colour has a very strong muddy skin tone to create a heightened sense during songs.

Upstage actors were side-back-lit with Lee 132 Medium Blue for a surreal feeling while maintaining presence for performers. The harsh side angle of source is to minimise light bounce off the reflective floor, taking into account University of Tasmania’s Attempts On Her Life.

the angle of incidence to avoid spill into the audience.

In epic theatre convention, the colour red on the blackboard wall signifies corruption; placement of these fixtures was difficult as to not impact on any other acting space while still having enough intensity on the wall.

The calmness of blue on the cyclorama behind gives a strong contrast with the red wall, while connecting with the performers on stage. The cyclorama was lit from both above and ground rows, creating a gradient effect around the wall, enhancing the monolithic black hole feeling.

University of Tasmania Production: Attempts on Her Life What once seemed a solid back wall is opened to reveal a garage punk pussy riot-esque rock protest group “Putin and the Pussies” with full ‘Rock ‘n’ Roll’ show set up complete with a blinder wall.

The catch is that this set up is in keeping with the band’s genre status of ‘garage’; everything, though spectacular, is pieced together from found materials. The blinder wall was achieved through domestic festoon lighting looms, domestic globes and aluminium baking trays.

There were two circuits built into the baking tray blinder wall (top and bottom) to manufacture the feeling (Continued on page 46) www.stagewhispers.com.au Stage Whispers 45

(Continued from page 45)

and movement of a larger scale light show by stepped chasing between the two circuits in both a synchronized and syncopated fashion.

The key aesthetic of a blinder wall in a ‘rock show’ is its uniform grid nature for bodies to stand out in silhouette against. This uniformity and spectacle of an arena show was an important feature to retain - coupled with a feeling of a no-budget homemade performance that could possibly be occurring in a garage, warehouse or other found space.

The overall design for this production of Attempts on Her Life had the essence of an abandoned strip club, complete with raised T-junction catwalk. This abandoned nature asked for the use of older technologies like Strand S/64 battens, p743’s, manually operated Jands EVENT plus, manual followspots, home-made snow/glitter bag drop, rope lighting used under the raised catwalk in order for it to look like it was floating above the ground rather than sitting upon it, and a creaking mirror-ball constantly turning overhead.

Standard fixtures such as Pacific profiles, fresnels were used as the back -bone of the design with the aforementioned older technologies used as feature points peppered throughout.

Chris Jackson, Technical Director (MFA student) and Lucy Pullen, Lighting Designer (Honours Student) TCotA Theatre, University of Tasmania.

examined and considered the angle of more than 150 lighting instruments to find a compromise between artistic and practical demands of the production. She then used extensive geometry to calculate the impact of each lighting instrument. She then looked at the lighting system as a whole to best create the overall look and feel needed for each scene.

Another interesting lighting NIDA challenge was the need to create Production: Wolf in the River the illusion that a character was Wolf in the River was performed in traversing a rope at a considerable the round where the audience sits in a height. The student discovered that the 360 degree circle around the stage. key to creating this sense of height was Normally lighting designers alter an to light the subject without lighting the audience’s perception by changing the space above or below. This created the sense that the character was floating in direction and nature of the light, however it becomes more tricky when space, which helps the audience the audience is on all sides of the suspend their disbelief. To achieve this, performance. the student used side-lighting and lowFor this production, third year NIDA angle lighting, so that the overspill of Technical Theatre and Stage light that shoots past the character Management student Kirsty Walker didn’t light anything (such as a wall or needed to consider different aspects of set item) until it was well outside the lighting design such as how to light audience’s visual field. the performance for one side of the Director: Adam Rapp. Lighting audience without blinding the other.

Designer: NIDA student Kirsty Walker To conquer this, the student carefully NIDA’s 2014 production of Wolf In The River.

Photo: Heidrun Lohr.

46 Stage Whispers May - June 2015

NIDA’s 2014 production of Kandahar Gate.

NIDA Production: Kandahar Gate NIDA Staging students had the challenge of creating the set, giant sand dunes, involving the use of both old and new technology.

Firstly, the model was scaled by the students at 1:25. They then photographed it from all 360 degree angles and those photos were fed into a 3D solid modelling program which composed a 3D mesh - a collection of vertices, edges and faces that defined the shape. The students then imported the mesh into a computer-aided design (CAD) program where it was sliced into segments to map out which profiles (parts) of the design needed to go

Sound & Light

where on stage. The profiles were then fed into a computer guided cutting machine (CNC router) which was able to carve the correct profiles out of 17mm plywood.

After using cutting-edge technology to develop the first stage of the design, the students then reverted to older staging techniques. The profiles were then lathed (originally a boat building technique) with 3 layers of 7mm ply strips to create a walkable surface. The students framed all the profile sections using 70 x 35 pinewood to establish a solid base for the structure. To avoid having to build a huge amount of subframing, the students used pallet racking (similar to what is used in

warehouses to store materials on pallets) to create a base structure.

The students then applied split pool noodles onto the structure to recreate the natural look of corrugations on a sand dune. It was then covered with a layer of muslin fabric and PVA (synthetic resin) to cement the surface together.

The students then added the final touches of scenic colour and a drizzle of real sand and voilĂ - the sand dunes were complete.

Director: Jeff Janisheski. Sets Supervisor: NIDA students, Tony Pierce and Lynsey Brown. Set Crew: Joseph Gleeson

www.stagewhispers.com.au Stage Whispers 47

Sound & Light

Hot New LED Releases

From JANDS www.jands.com.au ETC ColorSource PAR In a sea of cheap LED fixtures, the ColorSource™ family of luminaires stands out. After years of research and testing, ETC has developed a stateof-the-art, budget-friendly LED PAR luminaire.

The ColorSource PAR benefits from ETC’s extensive experience in LED colour-mixing, by using the proportionate recipe of red, green, blue, a twist of lime and an extra dash of red.

The unique blend adds depth, making a more natural, flattering light. Plus because it’s made by ETC, you get the industry leading quality and support that worldwide customers have come to know and love over the years.

From Resolution X www.resolutionx.com.au The ResX team is raving about the newly introduced Hercules battery LED washes.

These units have a lot going on inside a small body. They’re ideal for outdoor applications and are equipped with a 24v lithium battery, which means they can run completely wireless for up to nine hours.

While the Hercules is the perfect outdoor LED, the sleek design and ability to hang it means it’s equally at home in a ballroom or function space. The versatility of a manual zoom (15-30°) makes the Hercules a light that can accent a feature or wash a wall in ever changing colours.

“After 3 years of searching we’ve finally found something we like,” said Tim Hall, Managing Director of Resolution X. 48 Stage Whispers May - June 2015

So You Want To Shoot An Actor?

Creating a realistic bullet hit on stage has always been a challenge.

Hitting a ziplock bag with a hand sometimes works, or starts to leak well before the effect is required, providing a surprise for both the actor and the audience.

Standard pyrotechnic bullet hits require a suitably licensed person to rig and fire, plus there is the potential of shrapnel from the bullet hit itself.

A far safer way is the use of Air Squib Systems. These use compressed air to make an extremely realistic or way over the top Tarantino effect.

Anyone can use these systems.

Rigs are strapped to the actor and in most cases can be fired by the actor at the required moment. Sound effects add the “bang”. No need for ear plugs.

Geelong Fireworks stock a range of air squib units, from single shots, to front entry and back exits or shotgun shots. Larger units hold up to 2 litres of blood mix. They also supply a great blood mix for theatre or movies. Some units can also be used to “shoot” dust, polystyrene foam for collapsing walls and allow you to “break” flower pots or vases etc.

Contact Steve at Geelong Fireworks on (03) 4210 9113 or visit www.geelongfireworks.com.au

Comfortable Bums On Seats

Her Majesty’s Theatre, Adelaide.

Thinking of new theatre seats? Roger M Pratt from Hadley Australia has some tips on keeping the posteriors of your audience members happy.

When the time has come to replace your old theatre seats or to select seats for your new venue, it pays to take some time to evaluate what is being offered.

Uncomfortable seating is what is remembered by your patrons and is a big factor in their future ticket buying decisions.

A theatre chair should be firm with good lumbar support and hold you well. A chair that has squishy foam seems on a quick try to be the most comfortable, but is not for the duration of a performance.

Also a soft foam doesn’t last (think airline seats !) and has to be replaced frequently.

Often when a chair is being selected, a number of them will be presented to a selection committee who only sit for a few seconds in each one. Narrow the choice down, take these home and watch a couple of hours TV before you decide.

Obviously look for a long guarantee on both the chair and the fabric.

Also check the chair envelope (front to back measurement with the seat up) as the smaller the envelope the more egress there is in the row.

The seat cushion should be quickly changeable by the usher without tools.

The cushions should have zip off covers so they can be quickly changed if soiled/vandalized.

The strongest chairs have inner metal frames (not plastic) encased in moulded foam with no voids.

Tipping should be silent and by gravity, not springs. Springs squeak and break over time.

Timber arms look more upmarket than upholstered arms and maintain their look much longer - no fabric to wear out.

LED aisle lighting is preferred - they give a long life without heat and are dimmable.

The building code has now changed in most states so that the foam has to be fire rated to AS 1530 pt 111 as does the upholstery fabric. It is important to have this certification as for a major fire your insurance company may not pay out.

Check out the weight rating of the chair being offered, the higher weight capacity the more abuse it will take and the longer the life expectancy.

Can the PWD removable seating be handled by one staff member?

For a new build, always select your chair early so that the acoustic ratings can be given to the Acoustic Consultant to incorporate into his calculations. This way you get the acoustic results that you want.

Remember the cost of the chair will quickly fade; the comfort enjoyment remains long after. So choose well.

For more advice contact Roger M Pratt from Hadley/Series Australia Pty Ltd 0412 435 089 www.hadleyaustralia.com.au www.stagewhispers.com.au Stage Whispers 49

Sound & Light

WAAPA’s 2014 production of West Side Story.

Photo: Jon Green.

Perth as a lighting technician. Over 30 years later, Howett has two Helpmann and two Green Room Awards to his credit, spanning the genres of opera, theatre, dance and concert production.

On the international front he has worked with the Auckland Opera, Royal National Theatre, The Royal Opera at Covent Garden and lit numerous productions in London’s West End. Howett’s lighting designs have graced many of the world’s most famous stages. Cloudstreet, which won Howett the 2002 Helpmann Award for Lighting Design, toured nationally throughout Australia before transferring to Washington and New York.

Next up for Howett is a collaboration with internationally acclaimed choreographer Arlene Phillips on A Man Called Lee, an original musical based on the life of the martial arts legend Bruce Lee. After living in Berlin for the past Mark Howett is an award-winning lighting designer, director and designer eight years, which he describes as having been the perfect base for his who has worked in theatre, film and work in Europe and Britain, Howett opera around the world.

His career began in 1979 when he plans to move back to Perth early next started working at the National Theatre year.

Leading Designer Lights Up WAAPA In the lead-up to WAAPA’s mid-year musical last year, lighting students were privileged to work with one of Australia’s top lighting designers on their production of West Side Story.

Time To Tango With New Intercom Tango is Riedel’s first fully network-based expandable communications platform supporting both the RAVENNA/ AES67 and AVB standards. With Tango, Riedel is extending its intercom product line with a comms platform that is suited for small to mid-size installations. The platform can easily be turned into a flexible, cost-efficient, and cuttingedge solution for a variety of communications uses.

With more and more broadcasters leveraging existing network infrastructures for signal delivery and management, Riedel has been working hard to provide products that let users choose the standards that they prefer. RAVENNA/AES67 and AVB compatibility has been the first step in giving customers plug-and-play simplicity on the standard of their choosing.

Tango also features two integrated Riedel Digital Partylines, two AES67 and AVB-compatible ports, two 50 Stage Whispers May - June 2015

Ethernet ports, an option slot, and redundant power supplies.

Tango is equipped with a high-resolution, full-color, TFT display that ensures perfect readability at all times. The unit’s intuitive front-panel controls simplify the recall of presets and adjustment of audio levels while its powerful hardware allows the system to grow through future applications.

By running different Riedel software solutions/ applications on the same hardware, users can reduce operational costs, augment their workflow efficiency, and create more networking opportunities. Together, these benefits make for more powerful production and delivery environments.

For more information visit www.riedel.net

Stage Briefs

 The cast of the Melville Theatre Company (WA) production of Equus: Lauren Henderson, left, Cary Hudson, Elouise Eftos, Oliver Kaiser, Abbey McCaughan, Sean Bullock, Alan Kennedy and Jay Shaw, playing May 8 - 23. www.meltheco.org.au  Something’s going down - down in CREEPYTOWN!” Want to creep out your audiences? Here’s a new musical crawling with vampires, witches, zombies, werewolves.

When a shy, vegetarian vampire meets an adventurous, outgoing human, she sees a chance to realise her dreams of escaping her crazy vampire world and her monstrous parents. Meeting at the dental clinic recently opened by Jane’s square and well-meaning parents, the two make plans to escape Creepytown forever! When her evil Stepfather and his gang of henchmen discover their plan, they must act quickly to thwart the uncompromising villains. Will they find their route to freedom and adventure? With an 11-track original musical soundtrack Creepytown is also certain to send make-up departments into a frenzy of creepy creativity! Rights, online ordering, and free song, music and script samples at www.maverickmusicals.com www.stagewhispers.com.au Stage Whispers 51

 Willoughby Theatre Company’s production of Evita plays from May 22 - 31. Pictured, Eva Peron, Virginia Natoli on the steps of the Concourse in Chatswood, unveiling the dress to be worn as she sings ‘Don’t Cry for Me Argentina’ on the balcony of the Casa Rosada in Buenos Aires.

Bookings at ticketek.com.au or theconcourse.com.au

 Gold Coast Little Theatre in Scarborough Street, Southport presents Jerry’s Girls, featuring the music and lyrics of Jerry Herman (Hello, Dolly!, Mame, Mack & Mabel and La Cage Aux Folles), from May 15 - June 13.

Bookings: 5532 2096.

52 Stage Whispers May - June 2015

Stage Briefs

 Robbie Smith (Bert) and Rosa McCarty (Mary) in the CLOC Musical Theatre production of Mary Poppins, playing at the National Theatre, St Kilda, from May 15 - 30.

Bookings: 1300 362 547.

 Regals Musical Society, one of Sydney’s oldest musical societies, celebrates its 70th birthday with the NSW Amateur Premiere of Chitty Chitty Bang Bang at Rockdale Town Hall from May 1 - 16.

Bookings at www.theregals.com.au

www.stagewhispers.com.au Stage Whispers 53

54 Stage Whispers

Just $40 a month to reach thousands of theatre goers. Contact Stage Whispers for details.

On Stage A.C.T. The Crucible by Arthur Miller.

Canberra Repertory Society.

Until May 16. Theatre 3. (02) 6257 1950.

A.C.T. & New South Wales

Peter Rowsthorn, Damian Walshe-Howling & Will O’Mahony in Black Swan’s Glengarry Glen Ross from 23 May to 14 June.

Photo: Robert Frith.

Le Noir - The Dark Side of Cirque. Canberra Theatre Centre, Simon Painter and Tim Lawson. May 6 - 10. Canberra Theatre. (02) 6275 2700.

The Importance of Being Miriam. Starring Miriam Margolyes and John Martin.

Devised by Peter J Adams.

Andrew McKinnon. May 6 - 9.

The Playhouse, Canberra Theatre Centre. (02) 6275 2700.

Fortuity. Mirramu Dance Company. May 9 - 17. The Courtyard Studio. (02) 6275 2700.

Spider’s Web by Agatha Christie. Tempo Theatre Inc. May 15 - 23. Belconnen Theatre, Swanston St, Belconnen, ACT. www.canberraticketing.com.au All This Living! By Camilla Blunden. May 20 - 31. The Street Theatre. 6247 1223.

Giselle. The Australian Ballet.

May 21 - 26. Canberra Theatre.

(02) 6275 2700.

Melbourne International Comedy Festival. May 29 & 30.

Canberra Theatre. (02) 6275 2700.

Storm Boy. Sydnet Theatre Company / Barking Gecko Theatre Company. June 3 - 6.

The Playhouse, Canberra Theatre Centre. (02) 6275 2700. 18 - July 4. Theatre 3. 6257 1950.

My Fair Lady by Lerner and Loewe. Queanbeyan Players Inc. Kelly by Matthew Ryan.

Jun 5 - 13. The Q. 6285 6290.

Queensland Theatre Company.

Jun 24 - 27. The Playhouse, Fault Lines. Sara Brodie and Canberra Theatre Centre. (02) China’s Sichuan province-based 6275 2700.

Leshan Song & Dance Troupe.

Jun 15 & 16. The Playhouse, Canberra Playback presents an Canberra Theatre Centre. (02) original improvised 6275 2700. performance. Jun 26. QL2 Theatre, Gormon House, Ainslie Cassanova by Russell T Davies.

(ACT). Tickets at door. Enquiries: Canberra Repertory Society. Jun playbacktheatrecanberra@gmail.com

New South Wales The Rocky Horror Show by Richard O’Brien. Howard Panter and John Frost. Until June 7.

Sydney Lyric Theatre. 1300 795 267.

Les Misérables. Music by Claude -Michel Schönberg. Lyrics by Herbert Kretzmer. Original French text by Alain Boublil and Jean-Marc Natel. Cameron Mackintosh. Capitol Theatre, Sydney. Ticketmaster.

Advertise your show on the front page of www.stagewhispers.com.au

Jumpy by April De Angelis.

Sydney Theatre Company / Melbourne Theatre Company.

Until May 16. Drama Theatre, Sydney Opera House. (02) 9250 1777.

Endgame by Samuel Beckett.

Sydney Theatre Company. Until May 9. Sydney Theatre. (02) 9250 1777.

Blue Italian & Nil by Sea by Katie Pollock. Presented by Peter Fray.

Stage Whispers 55

56 Stage Whispers

Just $40 a month to reach thousands of theatre goers. Contact Stage Whispers for details.

On Stage Leichhardt Town Hall. Until May Productions. May 1 - 31. The 17.

Hayes Theatre Co. (02) 8065 7337 Disney’s Beauty And The Beast Jr. Music by Alan Menken, lyrics Chitty Chitty Bang Bang by

by Howard Ashman and Tim Jeremy Sams. Music and lyrics Rice, book by Linda Woolverton. by Robert B Sherman and Young People’s Theatre. Until Richard M Sherman. The Regals.

May 23. Young People’s May 1 - 16. Rockdale Town Hall.

Theatre, Hamilton (Newcastle). www.theregals.com.au (02) 4961 4895.

The Truth by Sir Terry Pratchett.

Deathtrap by Ira Levin.

Glenbrook Players. May 1 - 9.

Darlinghurst Theatre Co. Until Glenbrook Theatre, Corner of May 10. Eternity Playhouse. (02) Ross Street and Great Western Highway, Glenbrook.

8356 9987. www.glenbrookplayers.com.au Boys Will Be Boys by Melissa Bubnic. Sydney Theatre In the Heights. Music and lyrics Company. Until May 9. Wharf 2. by Lin-Manuel Miranda, and a (02) 9250 1777. book by Quiara Alegría Hudes.

Penrith Musical Comedy Rent by Jonathan Larson Company. May 1 - 9. Joan (Musical). Wyong Musical Sutherland Performing Arts Theatre. Until May 9. Wyong Centre, Penrith.

Grove Theatre, Wyong. 1300 www.pmcc.org.au 366 470.

Role Play by Alan Ayckbourn.

Lear by William Shakespeare.

Arts Theatre Cronulla. May 1 Wollongong Theatre Co. Until June 13. Arts Theatre, 6 Surf May 7. Project Contemporary Road, Cronulla. (02) 9523 2779.

Artspace, 255 Keira St. 0411 505 487.

The Wizard of Oz. After L. Frank Baum. Director: Adena Jacobs.

Hairspray. Music: Marc Belvoir. May 2 - 31. Upstairs Shaiman. Lyrics: Scott Wittman, Theatre. (02) 9699 3444 Marc Shaiman. Book: Mark O’Donnell, Thomas Meehan.

Oklahoma! by Richard Rodgers Parkes M & D Society. Until May and Oscar Hammerstein II. 16. The Little Theatre, Parkes.

Richmond Players. May 2 - 30.

Richmond School of Arts. (02) Storm Boy by Colin Thiele.

8006 6997.

Adapted for the stage by Tom Holloway. Sydney Theatre Cactus Flower by Abe Burrows.

Newcastle Theatre Company.

Company and Barking Gecko Theatre Company. Until May 17. May 2 - 16. Newcastle Theatre Wharf 1 Theatre. (02) 9250 Company, 90 De Vitre St, 1777.

Lambton. (02) 4952 4958 (Mon - Fri 3pm - 6pm).

Dolores by Edward Allan Baker.

Old Fitzroy Theatre. Until May 9. Black Coffee by Agatha Christie.

(Late Night Show).

Pymble Players. May 6- 30. Cnr Bromley Ave & Mona Vale Rd, The School for Scandal by Pymble. MCA Ticketing 1300 Richard Brisley Sheridan. New 306 776.

Theatre. Until May 30.

Samson by Julia-Rose Lewis.

Gaslight by Patrick Hamilton.

Belvoir / La Boite Theatre Maitland Repertory Theatre, 244 Company. May 7 - 31.

High Street, Maitland. Until May Downstairs Theatre, Belvoir. (02) 16. (02) 4931 2800.

9699 3444 Dogfight. Music and Lyrics by The Naked Magicians. May 7 Ben Pasek & Justin. Paul Book 9. Concert Hall, The Concourse,

by Peter Duchan. Neil Gooding Chatswood. (02) 9020 6966.

New South Wales Don’t Dress for Dinner by Marc Camoletti. Campbelltown Theatre Group Inc. May 8 - 23.

Town Hall Theatre, Campbelltown. www.trybooking.com.au

The Redgum Centre, Wentworthville. 0497 051 798.

Camp Rock. Players Theatre Inc, Port Macquarie. May 8 - 31.

33A Lord St, Port Macquarie. www.playerstheatre.org.au

Curtain Up on Murder by Bettine Manktelow. (Murder Mystery/Thriller). Hunters Hill Theatre. May 15 -30. Hunters Hill Theatre, 13 Margaret St, Woolwich. (02) 9879 7765.

Annie. By Charles Strouse, Martin Charnin and Thomas Meehan. Orange Theatre Company. May 15 - 24. Orange West Side Story. Book by Arthur Civic Theatre. Ticketek Orange Laurents, Music by Leonard (02) 6393 8111.

Bernstein, Lyrics by Stephen Happy Birthday Wanda June by Sondheim. Roo Theatre Kurt Vonnegut. Lismore Theatre Company. May 8 - 23. Roo Company. May 15 - 24.

Theatre, Cnr Addison & Rochdale Theatre, Goonellabah, Wentworth Sts, Shellharbour.

Lismore. (02) 6621 8169 (02) 4297 2891.

Ruddigore by Gilbert and Anything Goes by Cole Porter.

Coffs Harbour Musical Comedy Sullivan. EUCMS. May 15 - 30.

Eastwood Uniting Church Hall, Company. May 8 - 31. Jetty Lakeside Road, Eastwood.

Memorial Theatre, Coffs www.eucms.org.au Harbour. (02) 6652 8088.

The House of Ramon Iglesia by José Rivera. Mophead. May 12 Lovers at Versailles by Bernard June 6. Old Fitzroy Theatre.

Farrell. Woy Woy Little Theatre.

Legally Blonde The Musical.

May 15 - 31. Peninsula Theatre, Music and Lyrics by Laurence Woy Woy. (02) 4344 4737.

O’Keefe and Nell Benjamin, The Book of Everything by Book by Heather Hach.

Richard Tulloch: Guild Theatre, Engadine Musical Society Inc. Rockdale. May 15 - June 13.

May 13 - 17. Sutherland Guild Theatre, Cnr Walz and Entertainment Centre.

Railway Streets, Rockdale. (02) 1300616063.

9521 6358.

Rotunda. The New Zealand The Shoe-Horn Sonata by John Dance Company. May 13 - 16.

Misto. Ensemble Theatre. From Riverside Theatres, Parramatta.

May 15. (02) 9929 0644.

(02) 8839 3399.

Reefer Madness by Kevin Monsieur Goes A Hunting by Georges Feydeau. Muswellbrook Murphy. Phoenix Theatre. May Amateur Theatrical Society. May 15 - 23. Phoenix Theatre, Coniston. 0407 067 343 14 - 23. Muswellbrook Shire Library.

RetroSpectacular! Concert/ Cabaret. A look back at the great songs, composers and artists of the 20th century.

Strathfield Musical Society. May 15 - 17. The Latvian Theatre, Strathfield. (02) 8007 7785

The House on the Lake by Aidan Fenessy. Griffin Theatre Company. May 15 - Jun 20.

SBW Stables Theatre. (02) 9361 3817.

The Last Resort by Judith Prior.

Cameo Theatre Company. May 16, Kingsgrove Uniting Church Sweeney Todd. Music and Lyrics Hall, cnr Kingsgrove Rd and

by Stephen Sondheim. Book by Moreton Ave, Kingsgrove; May 22 - 24, Sutherland Memorial Hugh Wheeler, from an School of Arts, East Parade, Adaptation by Christopher Sutherland; May 31, Camden Bond. Holroyd Musical and Dramatic Society. May 15 - 23. Civic Centre, Oxley St, Camden

Advertise your show on the front page of www.stagewhispers.com.au

Stage Whispers 57

On Stage

New South Wales

Bring It On The Musical has its Australian Premiere at NIDA Theatres, Kensington from 27 June to 9 July. www.bringitonthemusical.com.au

58 Stage Whispers

Just $40 a month to reach thousands of theatre goers. Contact Stage Whispers for details.

On Stage & Jun 13, Moss Vale Services Club. (02) 9579 4591.

Trial By Jury and Cox and Box.

By Gilbert and Sullivan and Burnand and Sullivan. Rockdale Opera Company. May 30 - Jun 7. Rockdale Town Hall. www.tickets4me.com.au

Evita by Tim Rice and Andrew Lloyd Webber. Lithgow Musical Society. May 17 - 30. Union Theatre, Lithgow. lithgowmusicalsociety@gmail.com Leading Ladies by Ken Ludwig.

Nowra Players. May 30 - Jun 13.

Summer of the Seventeenth Doll Players Theatre, Meroo St,

by Ray Lawler. May 19 - 24.

Bomaderry. 1300 662 808 Glen Street Theatre. 9975 1455. (Shoalhaven Visitors Information Educating Rita by Willy Russell. Centre).

Ensemble Theatre. From May Battle of Waterloo by Kylie 21. (02) 9929 0644.

Coolwell. Sydney Theatre How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying by Frank Loesser and Abe Burrows.

Ashfield Musical Society. May 22 - 31. Concord RSL Club, Nullawarra Ave, Concord West.

(02) 9793 1331.

Dial M For Murder by Frederick Knott Wollongong Workshop Theatre. May 22 - Jun 6. (02) 4225 9407 The Mikado by Gilbert and Sullivan. Berowra Musical Society. May 23 - 30. Berowra Community Centre, The Gully Rd, Berowra. www.bmsi.org.au

Company. June 1 - 27. Wharf 1.

(02) 9250 1777.

Four Seasons in One Night.

Bobby Fox. Jun 2 - 7. Glen Street Theatre. (02) 9975 1455.

B-Girl by Craig Ilot and iOTA. Featuring iOTA and Blazey Best.

June 3 - 21. (02) 9250 7777.

One Act Play Festival. Players Theatre Inc., Port Macquarie.

Jun 5 - 8. Lord St, Port Macquarie. www.playerstheatre.org.au

My Fair Lady. Book & Lyrics by Alan Jay Lerner, Music by Frederick Loewe. Queanbeyan The Who’s Tommy. Blue Players. Jun 5 - 13. The Q Mountains Musical Society. May Theatre, 253 Crawford St, 27 - 31. Evan Theatre, Penrith Queanbeyan. (02) 6285 6390.

Panthers. www.bmms.org.au The Leader of the Pack - The Australian One Act Play Festival. Ellie Greenwich Musical. A Wyong Drama Group. May 28 - musical with liner notes by 30 (Tour to Follow). The Wyong Anne Beatts and additional Grove Theatre. 1300 655 600. material by Jack Heifner, music

by Ellie Greenwich, and lyrics by Beyond the Neck by Tom Greenwich, Jeff Barry, Phil Holloway. Epicentre Theatre Spector, George “Shadow” Company. May 29 - Jun 13.

Morton, Jeff Kent, and Ellen King Street Theatre, 644 King Foley. Canterbury Theatre Guild.

Street, Newtown. 0415 123 Jun 5 - 14. Bexley RSL. 169 / www.canterburytheatreguild.com www.epicentretheatre.org.au Venus in Fur by David Ives.

Darlinghurst Theatre Co. May 29 - Jul 5. Eternity Playhouse.

(02) 8356 9987.

Frankie and Johnny in the Claire de Lune by Terrance McNally.

Castle Hill Players. Jun 5 - 27.

Pavilion Theatre, Showground Road, Castle Hill. (02) 9634 2929.

Spider’s Web by Agatha Christie. Tempo Theatre Inc. May 29 & 30, The Shed Theatre, Mother Courage and Her Cootamundra Arts Centre. (02) Children by Bertolt Brecht.

Translation: Michael Gow. 6942 4773.

Belvoir. With Paula Arundell and Robyn Nevin. Jun 6 - Jul 26.

New South Wales & Queensland Upstairs Theatre. (02) 9699 3444

Disney’s High School Musical On Stage. Carillon Theatrical Society. June 25. Bathurst Misterman by Enda Walsh. Siren Memorial Entertainment Centre.

Theatre Company in association (02) 6333 6161 with Red Line Productions. Jun 9 - 27. Old Fitzroy Theatre.

Bring It On The Musical by LinManuel Miranda, Tom Kitt and The Diary of Anne Frank by Amanda Green. Supply Frances Goodrich and Albert Evolution. Jun 27 - Jul 9. NIDA Hackett. New Theatre. Jun 9 Theatres, Kensington. 132 849.

Jul 11.

Footloose. By Dean Pitchford Alice in Wonderland (and back and Walter Bobbie, based on again) by Randy Wyatt, based the screenplay by Dean on the books by Lewis Carroll.

Pitchford. Music by Tom Snow Maitland Repertory Theatre, 244 (and others), lyrics by Dean High Street, Maitland. Jun 9 Pitchford. Gosford Musical Jul 5. (02) 4931 2800.

Society. Jun 30 - Jul 4. Laycock Street Community Theatre, Fault Lines. Sara Brodie and China’s Sichuan province-based North Gosford. (02) 4323 3233.

Leshan Song & Dance Troupe.

Queensland Jun 11 - 16. Roslyn Packer Class Of ‘77 by David Hines.

Theatre, Walsh Bay. (02) 9250 Mousetrap Theatre, Redcliffe.

1999 .

Until May 9. (07) 3888 3493 Altar Boyz. Music & Lyrics by Gary Adler & Michael Patrick The Taming of the Shrew by Walker. Book by Kevin Del William Shakespeare. Phoenix Aguila. Miranda Musical Ensemble, Beenleigh. Until May Society. Jun 12 - 21. Sutherland 16. (07) 3103 1546.

Memorial School of Arts, The Little Mermaid by Alan Sutherland. (02) 8814 5827.

Menken & Howard Ashman.

Arts Theatre, Brisbane. Until The Pirates of Penzance by Gilbert and Sullivan (Essgee May 30. (07) 3369 2344. version). Singleton Theatrical The Host by Natalie Weir.

Society. Jun 12- 27. Civic Theatre Queen Street, Singleton. Expressions Dance Co. www.singletontheatrical.com.au Cremorne Theatre, QPAC. May 1 - 9. 136 246.

Lady Windermere’s Fan by Oscar Dimboola by Jack Hibberd.

Wilde. Newcastle Theatre Wasted Space Productions. May Company. Jun 13 - 27.

Newcastle Theatre Company, 90 1 - 31. Ocean International De Vitre St, Lambton. (02) 4952 Hotel (Spinnaker Room), Mackay.

4958 (Mon - Fri 3pm - 6pm).

Closure by Ron Bilcq. Centenary Through The Looking Glass. A Players. Chelmer Community musical based on the novel by Lewis Carroll with Book & Lyrics Centre. May 2-30. 0435 591 720.

by Chris Blackwood and Music

by Piers Chater Robinson.

NUCMS. Jun 13 - 27.

Normanhurst Uniting Church, Buckingham Ave, Normanhurst. www.nucms.org The Dog / The Cat. The Dog by Brendan Cowell / The Cat by Lally Katz. Belvoir. Jun 18 - Jul 12. Downstairs Theatre. (02) 9699 3444

Advertise your show on the front page of www.stagewhispers.com.au

The 39 Steps by Patrick Barlow.

Arts Theatre Brisbane. May 2 Jun 20. (07) 3369 2344.

Dial M For Murder by Fredrick Knott. Ipswich Little Theatre.

May 6-23. (07) 3281 0555.

La Traviata by Verdi. Opera Q. Lyric Theatre, QPAC. May 7-16.

136 246.

Stage Whispers 59

On Stage

Queensland

English Gents in La Soirée.

Photo: Prudence Upton.

La Soirée. QPAC and La Soirée Australia. May 7 - 24.

Playhouse, QPAC, South Bank, Brisbane. 136 246 Never The Sinner by John Logan. Nash Theatre Merthyr Road Uniting Church, New Farm. May 9-30. (07) 3379 4775.

Rabbit Hole by David Lindsay Abaire. Javeenbah Theatre. May 15-30. (07) 5596 0300.

The Wizard of Oz. Based on the book by L Frank Baum, adapted

by John Kane. Music and lyrics

by Harold Arlen and E. Y. Harburg. Spotlight Theatre. May 15 - Jun 6. (07) 5539 4255.

The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas by Carol Hall, Larry L. King and Peter Masterson. Griffith Musical Theatre Students. Burke Street Studio Theatre, Woolloongabba. May 16-23.

(07) 3735 3224.

60 Stage Whispers

Jerry’s Girls by Jerry Herman.

Gold Coast Little Theatre. May 16 - Jun 13. (07) 5532 2096.

The Home Front by John Broughton / Repercussions Of The Great War by J.M. Barrie.

Lind Lane Theatre, Nambour.

May 22-30. (07) 5441 1814.

Songs From Broadway. Tweed Theatre Co. Jun 26 - Jul 28.

1800 674 414.

Dirty Dancing by Eleanor Bergstein. Lyric Theatre, QPAC. From May 27. 136 246.

Legends by James Kirkwood.

John Frost. Playhouse, QPAC. From May 28. 136 246.

Mary Poppins. Music & Lyrics: Richard M. Sherman, Robert B. Sherman, George Stiles, Anthony Drewe. Book: Julian Fellowes. Empire Theatre, Toowoomba. May 28 - Jun 7.

1300 655 299.

Barefoot In The Park by Neil Simon. SunnybankTheatre Group. May 29 - Jun 13. (07) 3345 3964.

Medea by Euripides. La Boite.

Roundhouse Theatre, Kelvin Grove. May 30 - Jun 20. (07) 3007 8600.

The Music Man by Meredith Willson. Qld Musical Theatre.

Schonell Theatre. Jun 3-8. queenslandmusicaltheatre.com Ginger Mick at Gallipoli by C.J. Dennis. Villanova Players. Mt Gravatt TAFE College. Jun 5-20.

(07) 3899 9962.

Sleeping Beauty by Natalie Trengrove & Jim Fury. Arts Theatre Brisbane. Jun 6 - Aug 15. (07) 3369 2344.

Quartet by Ronald Harwood.

Toowoomba Repertory Theatre.

Jun 12-27. (07) 4632 8058.

Miss Saigon by Claude-Michel Schönberg & Alain Boublil.

Toowoomba Choral Society.

Empire Theatre, Toowoomba.

Jun 18 - 21. 1300 655 299.

Peace Train: A Tribute to Cat Stevens. June 18. Church Theatre, Toowoomba. 1300 655 299; June 19, The Tivoli, Fortitude Valley, (07) 3852 1711; June 20, Caloundra Events Centre, (07) 5491 4240.

Australia Day by Jonathan Biggins, Christine Harris & Hit Productions. Gardens Theatre.

Jun 25-26. (07) 3138 4455

Funny Money by Ray Cooney.

Cairns Little Theatre. Rondo Con2 The Cabaret. Griffith Theatre, Cairns. Jun 26 - Jul 4.

Musical Theatre Students. Burke 1300 855 835.

Street Studio Theatre, Woolloongabba. Jun 12-27.

(07) 3735 3224.

Just $40 a month to reach thousands of theatre goers. Contact Stage Whispers for details.

On Stage

Queensland & Victoria

Peter Pan. Ballet by Trey The Crucible by Arthur Miller.

Olsen, Too Close for Comfort McIntyre. Qld Ballet. Playhouse, Malvern Theatre Company. Until and Something Old, Something New by Chris Hodson & QPAC. Jun 26 - Jul 11. 136 246. May 9. 1300 131 552.

Somewhere in the Middle of the Victoria The Flick by Annie Baker Night by Daniel Keene. Eltham Directed by Nadia Tass. Red Little Theatre Inc. May 7 - 16.

Strictly Ballroom by Baz Stitch. Until May 23. (03) 9533 Eltham Performing Arts Centre, Luhrmann and Craig Pearce.

8083.

Research. 0411 713 095.

Global Creatures. Her Majesty’s Theatre, Melbourne. 132 849 Sylvia by A.R. Gurney. Cathouse Rotunda. The New Zealand Players Inc. May 1 - 9. Kyneton Dance Company with Darebin The Lion King. Music & Lyrics: Mechanics Institute. 0448 371 City Band. May 7 - 9. Playhouse, Elton John & Tim Rice.

623.

Arts Centre Melbourne. 1300 Additional Music & Lyrics: Lebo 182 183.

M, Mark Mancina, Jay Rifkin, The Three Sisters by Anton Julie Taymor, Hans Zimmer.

Chekhov (trans. by Julius West). Driving Miss Daisy by Alfred Regent Theatre, Melbourne.

Heidelberg Theatre Co. May 1 - Uhry. Sherbrooke Theatre Co. 16. (03) 9457 4117 May 8 - 23. 1300 650 209.

This Is Where We Live by Vivienne Walshe. HotHouse Madama Butterfly by Giacomo Legally Blonde - The Musical.

Theatre. Until May 9. Butter Puccini. Opera Australia. May 4 Music & Lyrics: Laurence Factory Theatre, Wodonga.

- 30. State Theatre, Arts Centre, O’Keefe & Nell Benjamin. Book: Melbourne. 1300 182 183.

Heather Hach. La Trobe Theatre As You Like It by William Shakespeare. Bell Shakespeare. Oedipus Schmoedipus. Created Company. May 8 - 23. Latrobe Performing Arts Centre, Until May 10. Fairfax Studio, by post (Zoë Coombs Marr, Traralgon. (03) 5176 3333.

Arts Centre, Melbourne. 1300 Mish Grigor and Natalie Rose).

182 183.

Arts House, Belvoir and post.

Don Giovanni by Mozart. Opera May 6 - 10. Arts House, North Australia. May 11 - 28. State Visiting Mr Green by Jeff Baron. Melbourne Town Hall. (03) Theatre, Arts Centre, Williamstown Little Theatre Inc. 9322 3713.

Melbourne. 1300 182 183.

Until May 9. (03) 9885 9678.

Frame of Mind - Quintett Fluvial. Arts House & Speak Timeshare by Lally Katz.

(William Forsythe) & Frame of Percussion. May 13 - 17. Arts Malthouse. Until May 7. (03) Mind (Rafael Bonachela) Sydney House, North Melbourne Town (03) 9685 5111.

Dance Company. May 6 - 16.

Hall. (03) 9322 3713.

Southbank Theatre, The A Month of Sundays by Bob Sumner, Melbourne. (03) 8688 Endings. Arts House, Tamara Larbey. Mordialloc Theatre Co. 0800 Saulwick & Insite Arts. May 13 Inc. Until May 9. Shirley Burke 17. Arts House, North Theatre, Parkdale. (03) 9587 A Season of One Act Plays.

Melbourne Town Hall. (03) 5141.

Dreams of Justine by Michael 9322 3713.

Advertise your show on the front page of www.stagewhispers.com.au

Lennon Through A Glass Onion.

Written and performed by John Waters and Stewart D’Arrietta.

May 13 - 16. Playhouse, Arts Centre Melbourne. 1300 182 183.

Working: The Musical. From the book by Studs Terkel, adapted

by Stephen Schwartz and Nina Faso, with additional contributions by Gordon Greenberg. Songs by Craig Carnelia, Micki Grant, LinManuel Miranda, Mary Rodgers and Susan Birkenhead, Stephen Schwartz and James Taylor.

Griffith University Queensland Conservatorium. May 13 - 16.

Chapel off Chapel. (03) 8290 7000.

The Waiting Room by Kylie Trounson. Melbourne Theatre Company. Arts Centre Melbourne, Fairfax Studio. May 15 - Jun 27. (03) 8688 0800.

Mary Poppins. Music & Lyrics: Richard M. Sherman, Robert B. Sherman, George Stiles, Anthony Drewe. Book: Julian Fellowes. CLOC. May 15 - 30.

The National Theatre, St Kilda.

1300 362 547.

Nobody’s Perfect by Simon Williams. The Basin Theatre Group. May 15 - Jun 6. 1300 784 668 (7pm-9pm only)

Stage Whispers 61

On Stage

Victoria

The St Petersburg Ballet’s Swan Lake.

Rusty Bugles by Sumner Locke Elliott. Playhouse Players Inc. May 16 - 30. Richmond Theatrette. 0469 917 450.

The Rivers of China by Alma De Groen. Theatre Works and Don’t Look Away. May 20 - 30.

Theatre Works, St Kilda. (03) 9534 3388.

The Exonerated by Jessica Blank and Eric Jensen. May 20 - June 7. Chapel off Chapel. (03) 8290 7000.

Bring It On The Musical by LinManuel Miranda, Tom Kitt and Amanda Green. Stage Masters.

May 20 - 24. The Alex Theatre, St Kilda.

Don Carlos by Giuseppe Verdi.

Opera Australia. May 20 - 29.

State Theatre, Arts Centre, Melbourne. 1300 182 183.

A Skull in Connemara by Martin McDonagh. Torquay Theatre

62 Stage Whispers

Troupe. May 21 - 30. 5261 4219 Caught in the Net by Ray Cooney. Brighton Theatre Co. May 21 - Jun 6. Brighton Arts & Cultural Centre. 1300 752 126.

Theft by Eric Chappell.

Strathmore Theatre Arts Group.

May 21 - 31. (03) 9382 6284.

Secret Bridesmaids’ Business by Elizabeth Coleman. Lilydale Athenaeum Theatre Co. Inc. May 27 - Jun 7. (03) 9735 1777.

Semaphore. Arts House & Kate Neal. May 27 - 31. Arts House, North Melbourne Town Hall.

(03) 9322 3713.

The Book of Everything by Richard Tulloch. The 1812 Theatre, Upper Ferntree Gully.

May 28 - Jun 20. (03) 9758 3964.

Dreamgirls. Music by Henry Krieger and lyrics and book by Tom Eyen. StageArt. May 28 Jun 14. Chapel off Chapel. (03) 8290 7000.

The King and I by Rodgers and Hammerstein. Babirra Music Theatre. May 29 - Jun 7. The Whitehorse Centre, Nunawading. (03) 9262 6555.

North by Northwest. Adapted for the stage by Carolyn Burns.

Melbourne Theatre Company.

Arts Centre Melbourne, Playhouse. Jun 1 - Jul 4. World Premiere. (03) 8688 0800 Love Love Love. Australian Premiere By Mike Bartlett Directed by Denny Lawrence.

Red Stitch. Jun 2 - Jul 4.

A Super Brady Cabaret. Jun 3 13. Chapel off Chapel. (03) 8290 7000.

The Dream. Australian Ballet.

Jun 4 - 14. State Theatre, Arts

Centre, Melbourne. 1300 182 183.

Birdland by Simon Stephens.

Melbourne Theatre Company.

Jun 6 - Jul 11. Southbank Theatre, The Sumner. (03) 8688 0800.

Shush by Elaine Murphy. Peridot theatre Inc. Jun 12 - 27.

Unicorn Theatre, Mt Waverley.

1300 138 645.

Rust and Bone by Caleb Lewis.

Daniel Clarke in association with Theatre Works. Jun 18 - 28.

Theatre Works, St Kilda. (03) 9534 3388.

Cinderella. Australian Ballet. Jun 19 - 27. State Theatre, Arts Centre, Melbourne. 1300 182 183.

Swan Lake. The St Petersburg Ballet. Presented by Andrew Guild & Simon Bryce. June 20.

Plenary, Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre. 136 100

Just $40 a month to reach thousands of theatre goers. Contact Stage Whispers for details.

On Stage Hotel Sorrento by Hannie Rayson. Mordialloc Theatre Co. Inc. Jun 26 - Jul 11. Shirley Burke Theatre, Parkdale. (03) 9587 5141.

Tasmania A Murder is Announced by Agatha Christie. Hobart Repertory Theatre Society. May 1 - 16. Playhouse Theatre. 6234 5998.

Twelfth Night by William Shakespeare. PLoT Theatre Society. May 1 - 8. 6234 5998 Her Story - drama in the purpose built institution intended to reform female prisoners. May 1 - Jun 30.

Female Factory, South Hobart.

6233 6656 All Shook Up - the musical comedy inspired by the music of Elvis Presley. Book by Joe DiPietro. The Devonport Choral Society Inc. May 15 - 30. The Devonport Entertainment and Convention Centre. (03) 6420 2900.

Iolanthe by Gilbert & Sullivan.

The Gilbert & Sullivan Society of Tasmania. May 21 - 30.

Playhouse Theatre. 6234 5998.

Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte.

Hobart Repertory Theatre Society. Jun 19 - Jul 4.

Playhouse Theatre. 6234 5998.

South Australia You’re A Good Man Charlie Brown by Clark Gesner, based on the comic strip Peanuts by Charles M. Schulz. The Hills Musical Company (HMC). Until May 9. Stirling Community Theatre. 0466 118 153.

Much Ado About Nothing by William Shakespeare. Adelaide University Theatre Guild. May 216. The Little Theatre, University of Adelaide. www.adelaide.edu.au/theatreguild The Wiggles-Rock & Roll Preschool by The Wiggles. May 6. Hopgood Theatre.

Victoria, Tasmania, South Australia & W. A.

www.hopgoodtheatre.com.au 08 700 944 00.

CATS by Andrew Lloyd Webber.

The Metropolitan Musical Theatre Company. May 7-16.

The Arts Theatre. www.metmusicals.com.au 131 246 or 8264 3225.

Steppin Out by Sue Oldknow.

Noarlunga Theatre Company.

May 8-16. Port Noarlunga Arts Centre. 0499 870 929.

Jesus Christ Superstar by Andrew Lloyd Webber & Tim Rice. South Coast Choral and Arts Society. May 8-23. Victor Harbor Town Hall. www.trybooking.com/124797 The Good Son by Elena Carapetis. The Other Ones. May 8-25. Bakehouse Theatre. www.bakehousetheatre.com The Enquiry. Venture Theatre Company. May 15-23. Trinity Uniting Hall. 0487 772 273.

My Fat Friend by Charles Laurence. Tea Tree Players. May 20-30. Tea Tree Players Theatre. ttp@teatreeplayers.com The Wedding Singer by Chad Begulin and Tim Herlihy. Marie Clark Musical Theatre. May 2230. Arts Theatre. tickets@marieclark.asn.au This Is Where We Live by Vivienne Walshe. Country Arts SA. Jun 1. Hopgood Theatre. 08 700 944 00. School bookings education@statetheatrecompany.com.au

The Queens of the City. Country Arts SA. Jun 7. Hopgood Theatre. www.hopgoodtheatre.org.au or 08 700 944 00.

It’s Just Sex by Jeff Gould.

Adelaide Repertory Theatre. Jun 18-27. The Arts Theatre. www.adelaiderep.com California Dreaming -The Mamas & Papas. Country Arts SA. Jun 26. Hopgood Theatre. www.hopgoodtheatre.com.au or 08 700 944 00.

Peace Train: A Tribute to Cat Stevens. Jun 27. Dunstan Playhouse, Adelaide Festival Centre. 131 246.

Western Australia The Confidence Man by Zoe Pepper and Adriane Duff. Perth Theatre Company and Side Pony Productions. Until May 10.

Audience members become part of action. Studio Underground, State Theatre Centre of WA, Northbridge. 132 849.

Wicked by Stephen Schwartz and Winnie Holzman. Gordon Frost Organisation. May 3 - Jul 18. Crown Theatre, Perth.

Ticketek 132 849.

6-21. Australian comedy.

Marloo Theatre, Greenmount.

9255 1783.

Aladdin. Newman College. May 7-9. All ages entertainment.

Subiaco Arts Centre. Ticketek 132 849.

The Rainmaker by N. Richard Nash. KADS. May 8 -30. KADS Town Square Theatre, Kalamunda. Bookings Lucky Charm Newsagency, Kalamunda Shipping Centre 9257 2668.

The Wedding Singer by Matthew Sklar, Chad Beguelin and Tim Herlihy. Murray Music and Drama Club, May 8 -23.

Pinjarra Civic Centre. 0458 046 414.

Equus by Peter Schaffer. Melville Theatre Company. May 8-23.

Melville Theatre, Stock Rd, Palmyra. 9330 4565.

Bengal Tiger at the Baghdad Zoo by Rajiv Joseph. Playlovers.

May 8-23. Pulitzer Prize nominated play. Hackett Hall, Floreat. 0415 777 173.

26 Storey Treehouse by Richard Tulloch. CDP Theatre Producers.

May 12-17. Family theatre adapted from the book by Andy Griffiths & Terry Denton. Heath It’s My Party (And I’ll Die If I Ledger Theatre, State Theatre Want To) by Elizabeth Coleman. Centre of WA. Ticketek 132 Darlington Theatre Players. May 849.

The Goodbye Girl by Neil Simon.

Therry Dramatic Society. June 313. The Arts Theatre. 8358 3018 from 11 May. 8410 5515 from June 1. Also Trybooking or BASS. Adelaide Cabaret Festival. June 5 - 20. www.adelaidecabaretfestival.com.au Night Fever- Tribute to Bee Gees. Country Arts SA. Jun 6.

Hopgood Theatre. www.hopgoodtheatre.com.au or (08) 7009 44 00.

Advertise your show on the front page of www.stagewhispers.com.au

Stage Whispers 63

On Stage

Western Australia & New Zealand

Assassins by Stephen Sondheim and John Weidman. Midnite Youth Theatre Company. May 13-23. Musical directed by Gregory Jones. Subiaco Arts Centre. Ticketek 132 849.

The Temperamental Artist by Mitch Brian. Dark Psychic Productions. May 28 - Jun 6.

Australian comedy. Phoenix Theatre, Memorial Hall, Hamilton Hill. 9255 3336.

Embraceable You. Choreographed by George Balanchine. West Australian Ballet. May 15-30. Celebration of Balanchine. His Majesty’s Theatre, Perth. Ticketek 132 849.

The Confidence Man by Zoe Pepper and Adriane Duff. Perth Theatre Company and Side Pony Productions. Apr 30 - May 10.

Audience members become part of action. Studio Underground, State Theatre Centre of WA, Northbridge. Ticketek 132 849.

Evita by Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice. Koorliny Arts Centre. May 16-30. Koorliny Arts Centre. 9467 7118.

Glengarry Glen Ross by David Mamet. Black Swan State Theatre Company. May 23 - Jun 14. Modern drama about greed, desperation and ambition.

Heath Ledger Theatre, State Theatre Centre of WA. Ticketek 132 849.

Swan Lake. St Petersberg Ballet, Andrew Guild and Simon Bryce.

Jun 3-4. Traditional Russian ballet. Boardwalk Theatre, Mandurah Performing Arts Centre. 9550 3900.

Prepare to Meet Thy Tomb by Norman Robbins. Garrick Theatre. Jun 4-20. Sequel to Tomb With a View. Garrick Theatre, Guildford. 9378 1990.

The Song Was Wrong by Melissa Cantwell. Perth Theatre Company. Jun 4-20. Epic love story spanning generations.

Studio Underground, State Theatre Centre of WA, Northbridge. Ticketek 132 849.

The Real Thing by Tom Stoppard. GRADS and Stirling Players. Jun 19 - Jul 4. Stirling Theatre, Morris Place, Innaloo. www.trybooking.com/129805

Summer of the 17th Doll by Ray Lawler. Old Mill Theatre. Jun 520. Australian drama. Old Mill Theatre, South Perth. 9367 8719.

Be Yourself by Garry Stewart.

Perth Theatre Trust and Australian Dance Theatre. Jun 24-27. Dance theatre. Heath Ledger Theatre, State Theatre Centre of WA, Northbridge.

Ticketek 132 849.

Giselle. St Petersberg Ballet, Andrew Guild and Simon Bryce.

Jun 5 & 6. Russian classical ballet,. His Majesty’s Theatre, Hay St, Perth. Ticketek 132 849.

Genesis. New Choreographers.

West Australian Ballet. Jun 2427. Energetic short new works.

West Australian Ballet Centre, Maylands. 9214 0707.

Allegiance by Mary Kenny. Irish Theatre Players. June 10-13.

Irish Club of Western Australia, Townsend St, Subiaco. www.trybooking.com/124989

The Gruffalo’s Child by Tall stories, adapted from the book

by Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffer. CDP. Jun 30 - Jul 5.

Sequel to The Gruffalo. Heath Ledger Theatre, State Theatre Centre of Western Australia.

132 849 or 6488 5555

Snoopy the Musical by Larry Grossman and Hal Hackardy.

Wanneroo Repertory Club. Jun 12-28. Musical based on Charles Schulz’ Peanuts comic strip. Limelight Theatre, Wanneroo. 9571 8591.

New Zealand

Don Juan. Based on Don Juan

by Moliere, created by A Slightly Isolated Dog. Until May 23.

Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier, Circa 2 Theatre, Wellington. 04 adapted by Clifford Williams.

801 7992.

Harbour Theatre. Jun 12-21.

Gothic Thriller. Camelot Theatre, Golf - A Love Story by Roger Hall. Centrepoint Theatre, Mosman Park Memorial Hall.

Palmerston North. Until May 23. www.TAZtix.com.au 06 354 5740.

Salonika by Louise Page.

Roleystone Theatre. Jun 12-20. A Doll’s House by Emily Perkins, adapted from Ibsen’s original.

Roleystone Theatre, Brookton Auckland Theatre Company.

Hwy, Roleystone. 9367 5730.

Until May 23. Maidment Legally Blonde The Musical by Theatre. 09 309 3395.

Laurence O’Keefe, Nell Benjamin Biggles Flies Undone by Michael and Heather Hach. WAAPA. Isles. On-Stage Te Kuiti. May 1 June 13 - 20. Regal Theatre.

30.

1300 795 012.

Swan Lake. St Petersburg Ballet, Andrew Guild and Simon Bryce.

Jun 12 & 13. Russian classical ballet. His Majesty’s Theatre, Hay St, Perth. Ticketek 132 849 The Importance of Being Earnest by Oscar Wilde. Helena College. Jun 18-20. Classic comedy. Helena College Performing Arts Centre. 9298 9100.

64 Stage Whispers

The Vicar of Dibley by Richard Curtis and Paul Mayhew-Archer.

Clyde Theatre Group. May 1 - 8.

A Servant to Two Masters by Carlo Goldoni, a new adaptation by Lee Hall. May 2 30. Circa 1 Theatre, Wellington.

04 801 7992.

Just $40 a month to reach thousands of theatre goers. Contact Stage Whispers for details.

On Stage

New Zealand

Kings of the Gym by Dave Armstrong. South Canterbury Drama League. May 8 - 16.

12. Circa 2 Theatre, Wellington.

04 801 7992.

2168.

Ladies Night by Stephen Sinclair and Anthony McCarten. South Canterbury Drama League. Jun 11 - 27.

Sweeney Todd by Hugh Wheeler Rent by Jonathan Larson. and Stephen Sondheim.

Papakura Theatre Company.

Auckland Music Theatre. Jun 1 May 9 - 23. Off Broaway 30.

Theatre Papakura. 09 361 1000.

Edge by Paul Alexander. Jun 6 Jesus Christ Superstar by 20. Circa 1 Theatre, Wellington.

Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim 04 801 7992.

Rice. Upper Hutt Musical Turning Page by Angelica Page.

Theatre. May 14 - 23.

Jun 6 - 20. Circa 1 Theatre, Expressions Arts and Wellington. 04 801 7992.

Entertainment Centre. 04 527 Saturday Night Fever. Music & Lyrics: The Bee Gees (Robin Gibb, Maurice Gibb, Barry Gibb). Book: Robert Stigwood assisted by Bill Oaks. Showbiz Queenstown. May 14 - 23.

The Sound of Music by Rodgers and Hammerstein. Taieri Musical. May 14 - 23.

Grease by Jim Jacobs and Warren Casey. Variety Theatre Ashburton. May 15 - 22.

The Producers by Mel Brooks and Thomas Meehan.

Centrestage Orewa. Jun 13 - 27.

(09) 426-7282.

Midsumma (A Play With Songs)

by David Greig and Gordon McIntyre. Centrepoint Theatre, Palmerston North. Apr 11 - Mar 23. 06 354 5740.

Annie. Music by Charles Strouse. Lyrics by Martin Charnin. Book By Thomas Meehan. Theatre Whakatane.

May 22 - Jun 6.

Hairspray. Book by Mark O’Donnell & Thomas Meehan.

Music by Marc Shaiman. Lyrics

by Scott Wittman & Marc Shaiman. Based on the New Line Cinema film written and directed by John Waters.

Whangarei Theatre Company.

Jun 19 - Jul 4. 09 438 8135

Ladies for Hire by Alison Quigan. Morrinsville Theatre.

May 27 - Jun 6.

Mamma Mia! by Catherine Johnson, Benny Andersson and Bjorn Ulvaesus.

Enlightenment by Shelagh Stephenson. Auckland Theatre Company. May 28 - Jun 20.

Maidment Theatre. 09 309 3395.

Hamilton Operatic Society. Jun 19 - Jul 4. Founders Theatre.

Ticketek.

Bugsy Malone by Paul Williams and Alan Parker. Musikmakers Hamilton. May 16 - 30.

Rupert by Shelagh Stephenson.

Auckland Theatre Company. Jun Disney’s Beauty and the Beast.

25 - Jul 19. Q, 305 Queen St. Music by Alan Menken. Lyrics by 09 309 3395.

Howard Ashman and Tim Rice.

Nunsense. Book, Music and Book by Linda Woolverton.

Lyrics by Dan Goggin. Rotorua North Canterbury Musical Musical Theatre. Jun 26 - Jul 1.

Society. May 28 - Jun 13.

Casa Blanca Theatre. 07 347 Peter Pan Junior. Pahiatua 6330.

Repertory Society. May 29 - Jun the beautiful ones by Hone 7.

Kouka. Jun 27 - Jul 11. Circa 1 Second Afterlife by Ralph Theatre, Wellington. 04 801 McCubbin Howell. May 29 - Jun 7992.

Advertise your show on the front page of www.stagewhispers.com.au

Stage Whispers 65

Reviews: Premieres

From The Rubble.

Photo: Jon Green.

From the Rubble Conceived and directed by Melissa Cantwell. Perth Theatre Company. PICA, Perth Cultural Centre, WA. Mar 16-28 FROM the Rubble is an extremely visual piece of theatre, inspired by stories from W.A. journalist Sophie McNeill, about her experiences in the Middle East.

With minimal dialogue, we are transported to the warzones, in a multimedia production that includes some verbatim theatre, with a variety of theatrical forms, including paper sculpture, puppetry, mask work, shadow puppetry, projections, animation, film, movement and song among others.

Three live performers, Tina Torabi, Mikalla Westall and Mei Saraswati, play three unnamed young women living in the middle of a war-zone, who provide a connectable human insight into the conflict. They work adeptly as an ensemble in a variety of mediums. We also see and hear the familiar face and voice of real-life Nine News reporter Tracy Vo, whose unusually presented experiences add elements of familiarity and authoritative realism.

Visually intriguing, courtesy of director Melissa Cantwell, visual designer Fleur Elise Noble and audio-visual technician Mia Holton, audio elements are not ignored, with strong and effective sound design by John Lui and emotive composition by Lui and actor Saraswati.

While captivating to watch, this production is not for everyone. Those wanting a strong narrative may be disappointed. Much of the early action takes place on the floor, which may isolate those unable to see this portion.

66 Stage Whispers

Dialogue in the initial scenes, while perhaps not essential to understanding, was difficult to hear.

Kimberley Shaw In The Heights Music and Lyrics by Lin-Manuel Miranda. Book by Quiara Alegria Hudes. Director: James Cutler. StageArt. Chapel off Chapel. Feb 18 - Mar 8.

TAKE a fan with you when you go to Chapel off Chapel, regardless of the weather. In The Heights is so hot it could burn. It sizzles, it makes you gasp for air, it sets fire to all your misconceptions about little-known musicals in small spaces, it burns the floor with fabulous dancing, and its energy is such that there are times you feel you cannot breathe. In short - it is sensational!

The story is that of Latin Americans living in Washington Heights in NYC over two days, July 3rd and 4th, when the power goes out in the heatwave. That’s really all you need to know - the book is sharp, funny (“Does he dance?” “Like a drunk Chita Rivera”) and poignant. The music is infused with all the flavours of Latin America, and the energy levels in it make it impossible not to dance in your seat. It is brilliantly fused with Rap, and many of the songs are performed in rap style with Latin rhythms behind them. The brilliant band, under musical director Cameron Thomas, never plays a note wrong; the set, by Merinda Backway, is a delight and makes maximum use of the Chapel Space; Kate Sinclair’s costumes are perfect; Marcello Lo Ricco’s sound design is spot on and Jason Bovaird’s lighting is stunning, as always.

Longer versions of many reviews can now be found at www.stagewhispers.com.au

James Cutler is proving himself a meteoric force as a director. It isn’t simply how he blocks or works with the actors, it’s his deep understanding of the text and the characters. Yvette Lee’s choreography brings the best of the Broadway production to the far smaller space of this venue with brilliant style, and that’s astonishing given the ethnic mix the show requires. The leads are all superb: Stephen Lopez, Anna Francesca Armenia, James Elmer, Francesca Arena, Bianca Baykara, Laura Marucci, Andrew Doyle, Clarence Marshall, Gareth Jacobs, Sarah Calsina and Bianca Bruce. In a cast of 21, there is not a single weak link.

It would be a travesty if all this exemplary work ended after a three week run. Sixty years on, this is West Side Story for this generation. Most of all, it is superb Musical Theatre.

Coral Drouyn

its principal character, the wily and manipulative Maggie Beare. She’s been dragged reluctantly into the digital age and now has to deal with mobile phones, telemarketing, Skype, and Indian call centres (one of the funniest sequences in the show).

Best performance came from Nicki Wendt as the ballbreaking Liz. Whether on her way to Zumba, foiling Robert’s latest indiscretion, or coaxing her kids to Skype with grandma, she was a powerhouse. Rob Carlton, as her other half Robert, was a perfect match, bringing the right amount of sleaze and charm to the serial adulterer. The pushed-to-the-limits Arthur was in good hands with Darren Gilshenan, who brought warmth and sincerity to the role, likewise Rachael Beck who displayed a believable empathy as his new girlfriend Anita.

Which brings us to Noeline Brown’s Maggie Beare, the The Importance of Being Miriam weakest performance in the play. Maggie is not just a Directed and devised by Peter J Adams. Andrew McKinnon. forgetful old woman but one suffering from early dementia. There was none of the pathos that underlines Arts Centre Melbourne. Mar 19-22, then touring.

MIRIAM Margolyes is not only a skilled actor, she’s a this debilitating condition in her performance. It was all wonderful raconteur, a true storyteller. For two hours or so surface with no emotional sub-text. in The Importance of Being Miriam, she joked, rambled, Robyn Arthur’s turn as a respite home inmate was brief confided in the audience and at times moved us deeply in a but memorable, with her bleats on young girls’ fashion for thoroughly entertaining show. Accompanied by John exposed bra straps and tattoos bringing lots of laughs.

Peter Pinne Martin on piano, Ms Margolyes was warm, unpretentious and thoroughly engaging. She began by telling us she couldn’t sing but was going to attempt several music hall Kill the Messenger songs nevertheless - which she performed with considerable By Nakkiah Lui, Belvoir. Upstairs Theatre. Feb 14 - Mar 8. panache, leading audience members all around to sing NAKKIAH Lui doesn’t need an elaborate set or fancy props to tell her stories. She just needs her words, a good along unselfconsciously. cast - and an audience who listens … because what she has Presented in a set which appropriately evoked her love of books and language, the show was an intimate glimpse to say is important. into her life, with Ms Margolyes creating portraits of Her play is about situations that have been well-reported important people from her past - her mother featuring - aboriginal deaths in custody, suicides, illiteracy, injustices prominently - along with recreations of literary figures and that are ignored … things that wouldn’t keep happening “if we took caring for each other as a serious memorable scenes from Shakespeare, Dickens, Wilde and others. Ms Margolyes portrayed a range of people of both responsibility” (Lui). sexes, seamlessly switching from one to the other midShe doesn’t preach or exaggerate but tells it simply scene, and employing her considerable theatrical skills to with concern, humour and some righteous anger - on a impressively create entire characters from her voice, face stark, dark, almost empty stage. The structure is unusual and body language, without the benefit of makeup, props and the themes a little black, but the stories are important, or costumery. A particular highlight was the extended and Anthea Williams’ direction is suitably tight and natural. exchange between Mr Bumble and Mrs Corney from Oliver Set in Western Sydney, the play is about two families.

Twist, and Ms Margoyles also channelled both Lady Paul (Lasarus Ratuere), is a drug addict. Harley, his sister Bracknell and Miss Prism from The Importance of Being (Katie Beckett), agonises over him. They are scared about the future. Both actors establish this very clearly.

Ernest.

Matthew Backer plays Alex, a triage nurse. The A thoroughly polished performance from a talented frustrations and responsibilities of nursing spill over in a character actor with bucketloads of charisma and warmth who seemed almost able to cast a spell over the audience. beautifully realised role.

No wonder she was met with such applause when she Lui herself plays Nakkiah, who tells a family story of reiterated that Australia is now her home. institutionalised neglect that eventually leads to the death of her grandmother. It is a horrific story, but Lui softens it Alex Paige with gentle humour and snippets of family memories.

Sam O’Sullivan is her boyfriend, Peter. O’Sullivan plays Mother and Son

By Geoffrey Atherden. Director: Roger Hodgman. QTC, the sounding-board philosopher with gentle reason.

Lascorp Entertainment & Fractured Limb. Playhouse, QPAC, Nakkiah Lui has a lot to say - and she does it in the simplest possible way - through real stories, believable Brisbane. Feb 18 - Mar 15.

GEOFFREY Atherden has given his 80s TV classic Mother characters and compelling messages.

Carol Wimmer and Son a makeover, and with it has come a makeover for Longer versions of many reviews can now be found at www.stagewhispers.com.au

Stage Whispers 67

Nufonia Must Fall Adelaide Festival of Arts. Dunstan Playhouse, Adelaide.

March 4 - 7.

SILENT film, puppetry, theatre and music come together in Kid Koala’s production Nufonia Must Fall and the result is nothing less than pure genius and pure joy.

Directed and designed by Oscar-nominated KK Barrett, the multidimensional work evolved from Kid Koala’s graphic novel of the same name and is introduced on stage by Kid Koala (real name Eric San), who conducts a quick and quirky bingo game in which the audience participates. A jovial Kid Koala explains it as a visual overture.

It all seems so laid back, and this gentle aura continues throughout the show. In truth, the atmosphere is brilliantly achieved by effortless expertise; a complicated mix of smooth ensemble work backed up by technology and attention to the smallest detail.

On stage we see numerous miniature box sets, each of which provides part of the setting for scenes in a three-act silent film starring puppets. The tiny white puppets are manipulated and filmed before a live audience. The action is simultaneously edited and projected on screen.

Before the audience, on stage in miniature and simultaneously on the big screen, a love story unfolds, one between an out-of-work robot and a lonely female office worker. The everyday love story is also one of loneliness, isolation, obsolescence, bullying and ultimately, goodness.

Dressed in black and camouflaged by low light, puppeteers move from set to set manipulating the puppets in tight working spaces.

The Afiara Quartet is on stage, supporting the film with gorgeous classical chamber music, blended with scratch DJ, Kid Koala’s film score and his superb live electronic music/ sound effects.

The audience is enchanted throughout and the love story, of course, has a happy ending. This is an amazing, utterly brilliant production.

Lesley Reed

audience on the aural and musical dimensions of the words. Vitality radiates from her expressive eyes, and movement that is tightly choreographed and even more tightly interpreted. Her amazingly versatile voice rises and flows with river, until it rushes throatily toward the sea.

Fouere concentrates on the rhythms and sounds of Joyce’s writing, combining them with movement that is at one moment slight and suggestive, the next wide and flowing. Her energy is stunning, as is the intricate control of her movement and breathing. She asks the audience not to necessarily to understand but to feel, imagine and react.

Carol Wimmer

Caress/Ache

By Suzie Miller. Griffin Theatre Company. SBW Stables Theatre (NSW). Feb 27 - Apr 11.

THE human touch is a powerful thing. It soothes, frightens, energises and stimulates. It can burn and can turn skin to ice.

Suzie Miller’s new play Caress/Ache explores the human experience behind the science of touch.

We meet 10 characters portrayed by 5 actors (Ian Stenlake, Helen Christinson, Sabryna Te’o, Gary Clementson and Zoe Carides) who each swim through the struggle to connect - be that within a marriage, culture or profession.

Amidst a stark, cold and austere set (clever design by Sophie Fletcher) made of white and stainless steel walls, tables and a bath (that works!), we see emotional, warm, fiery people fighting against all that is clinical and heartless.

A beautiful, literal juxtaposition.

And the battle is real but the non-linear, choppy structure with little to no context for each journey makes it hard to keep pace with the combustive characters and as a result connect with their struggle.

There are moments of beautiful storytelling (direction by Anthony Skuse), particularly by Zoe Carides’ Alice, and Suzie Miller has chosen a humanising and handsome subject to explore.

Caress/Ache makes for a touching and thought-inspiring Riverrun night of theatre that asks us to consider the delicate ways The Voice of the River in James Joyce’s Finnegan’s Wake. we physically connect with one another.

Adapted, directed and performed by Olwen Fouéré. Sydney Maryann Wright Theatre Company, TheEmergencyRoom and Galway International Arts Festival in association with Cusack Absinthe Projects Limited. Wharf 2 Theatre. Mar 10 - Apr 11.

By Spiegelworld. Under the Spiegeltent on the Rooftop at A SLIGHT figure in grey stands on a stage empty but for Crown Melbourne. Mar 21 - Apr 26, and touring a cable that snakes like the river Liffey to a lone SEAMLESSLY and expertly put together, Absinthe is a microphone. White powder differentiates the river from the wild and wonderful erotic romp made up of a variety of bank. Through this Olwen Fouere wades, and, reaching the international Circus performers and Burlesque artists. From microphone, hauntingly repeats the Sanskrit word that Chair Stacking (Oleksandr “Sacha” Volohdim) to breath heralds the dawn: Sandhyas! taking High Wire (Frat Pack), this show for adults taps into Thus begins an incredibly poetic interpretation of “the the inner child’s amazement for, and love of, The Circus, in dark matter … somewhere between music and language” a very grown up way. that is James Joyce’s Finnegan’s Wake. Described as a nonNot for the faint hearted, it is riddled with rude and linear, puzzling narrative, the book is filled with twisted crude comedy from the tawdry duo of comperes literary allusions, puns and composite words from over sixty Gazillionaire and Penny Pibbets - who are pretty damn languages. offensive.

Fouere has taken selective passages to create a The backbone of Absinthe is the exceptional production performance that, whilst still a ‘puzzle’, focuses the team lead by Wayne Harrison. Beautifully fit artistes; 68 Stage Whispers

Longer versions of many reviews can now be found at www.stagewhispers.com.au

What Rhymes With Cars And Girls. L-R: Tim Rogers, Sophie Carr, Xani Kolac and Ben Franz. Photo: Jeff Busby.

gymnasts, acrobats and aerial artists, work with split second synchronicity, often leaving the audience agog in awestruck surprise and relief.

Tension and relief - delight is enhanced by the close proximity and intimacy intrinsic to the gorgeous atmospheric Spiegeltent.

Absinthe is a wonderful opportunity to imbibe in thrilling, astonishing and totally captivating entertainment.

It is truly a treat - a taste of Los Vegas in Melbourne.

Suzanne Sandow

album - not ending with quite the same sense of despondence that can lurk after listening.

There is such a generosity of spirit in Tim Rogers as Musical Director/Musician and his songs, played with the assistance of the awesome Ben Franz and Xani Kolac, are sublime.

Suzanne Sandow

Piccolo Tales Piccolo Bar, Potts Point. Director: James Winter. Musical Director/Musician: Ross Johnson. Feb to May. What Rhymes with Cars and Girls IN an age of pop-up theatre, doco-drama and

By Aidan Fennessy. Music and Lyrics by Tim Rogers. MTC. confronting immersive reality experiences Piccolo Tales ticks Arts Centre, Melbourne, Fairfax Studio. Feb 13 - Mar 28. all the boxes and delivers the ultimate intimate live WHAT Rhymes with Cars and Girls is a rich engrossing experience about a person and a place. The audience of just work where all components combine with an inordinate twenty people, ten inside and ten outside, are taken on a sense of largesse and satisfying attention to detail. It’s a journey through the life of Vittorio, who has been very impressive first major directorial work from Clare proprietor of the Piccolo Cafe for over fifty years.

Watson.

Triumphant from her recent Mum’s In: Stories from The text - a love story, written by Aiden Fennessy, as Razorhurst show in Kings Cross Hotel, Vashti Hughes plays inspired by Tim Roger’s 1999 album of the same name, is Vittorio through the decades from the sixties until today full of gritty realism. The two protagonists describe the lives and tells tales of the cafe and the characters of the Cross they live with funny and witty self-deprecating irony. One who both inhabited this place and made their mark on the becomes immersed in a rocky love story - engaging and so area. Through words and song Vashti becomes these relatable to. It has a 1990’s feel, but hey, messy characters and gets up close and personal with her relationships, the urge to run, shattered hearts and total audience - which is unavoidable in this tiny space. She is confusion are universal and timeless. amazing!

The actors, Johnny Carr as Johnno and Sophie Ross as Director James Winter has crafted another wonderful Tash, work as an evenly matched team. It steps a little show which is not only entertaining, but also informs us further into the future than Rogers’s (autobiographical) about an important person and place and their time Longer versions of many reviews can now be found at www.stagewhispers.com.au

Stage Whispers 69

Madame: The Story of Joseph Farrugia

together. Abe Saffron’s job interview is hilarious! As is Vashti’s ‘F**k you’ rap song.

This is an unforgettable experience.

Stephen Carnell Madame: The Story of Joseph Farrugia A Torque Show production, presented by Vitalstatistix in association with State Theatre Company SA. Burnside Ballroom. April 21-May 2.

TORQUE Show’s Australian premiere of Madame: The Story of Joseph Farrugia is fast-paced, frank, funny, often poignant and ultimately liberating theatre. It is also unlike anything I’ve seen before.

Madame allows us to see behind the scenes of Joseph’s business, the Crazy Horse Revue/Madame Josephine’s strip club. We discover his conflicted feelings about the vulnerable girls who work for him; his ‘bees’. The ‘battering’ of Joseph’s body as it is changed by female hormones is graphically told, but the adult rating of the show clicks up several notches when we learn about the escalating expectations of his horny patrons over the years.

Through the inspired use of three performers playing differing aspects of one man’s personality, Madame becomes intensely personal and powerful.

Madame is anchored by Trevor Stuart’s towering performance as the older Joseph, the one who narrates the past, reflects on love and rejection and is the businessman.

Chris Scherer is mesmerising as the young Joseph and owns the stage whenever he is present. A memorable and even slightly unsettling performance.

70 Stage Whispers

Madame Josephine, the larger-than-life ‘other self’ of Joseph Farrugia, is played by a woman in this production.

This at first seems odd but Kialea-Nadine Williams throws her heart and soul, plenty of high kicks and some terrific dancing into the role.

Madame is a beguiling contradiction. It’s groundbreaking yet simple, it’s documentary mixed with dance, it is memorable theatre, it’s…difficult to describe…just go see it.

Lesley Reed I Call My Brothers

By Jonas Hassen Khemiri. Translated by Rachel WillsonBroyles. Melbourne Theatre Company Education.

Southbank Theatre, The Lawler. Apr 16 - May 1. Regional Tour, May 4 - 18.

I CALL My Brothers is an intelligent, probing and poetic work that explores some of the rippling shock waves resulting from an inner city bombing. It is superbly presented with all aspects woven together to create complex tapestry.

This is the sort of satisfying theatre that works the audience’s intellect, perceptions and emotions all at the one time.

As Theatre in Education there are many issues and points of entry for students. Pertinent contemporary concerns are highlighted such as generational trauma, terrorism, suicide bombing, grief, alienation, friendship and psychological well-being.

Longer versions of many reviews can now be found at www.stagewhispers.com.au

The interactive set by Marg Horwell, amongst other things, serves as a metaphor for the main protagonist Amore’s mind. And Horwell’s costuming is fittingly indicative and somewhat abstract. Lighting (Rachel Burke) enhances scenes and atmospheres wonderfully.

Sound and composition by Daniel Verhagen is rich and varied. It creates atmosphere and enhances the sense of journey of the whole.

The actors Alice Ansara, Osamah Sami, Ray Chong Nee and Joana Pires work as an efficient, energetic and focused ensemble to serve the piece admirably. Sami as Amor impressively, plainly and clearly conveys his character’s journey.

Director Nadja Kostich excels in bringing all elements together to allow for nuance. It is particularly the commitment, comfort and clarity that the actors communicate with, that endorses her work as director.

Suzanne Sandow Handle It

By Laura Jackson. Director: Janys Hayes. Aspiring Musical Theatre Company. The Street Theatre, Canberra, ACT. Mar 13 - 15.

HANDLE It, a one-act play written and performed by Laura Jackson, is a fascinating exploration of how Generation Y interacts with the internet and the nexus of intimacy and publicity, showing how badly things can go wrong after one night. Laura Jackson shows us seven different characters, each with different views and attitudes, and giving a variety of judgment and compassion.

The digital projections (Brendon Wong) are an essential part of how the narrative unfolds and help to immerse the audience in the digital panic and gossip. Sound design and music add to the atmosphere.

At the core of the play are the humans, though. Laura Jackson quickly establishes the different people, showing how they have come to have a part in the sad story of Kelsey Armitage after her compromising photos are leaked onto Facebook. Particularly affecting are Alexa Armitage, Kelsey’s older sister, who is protective but wonders how this came about, and Jane Draper, Kelsey’s younger step-sister.

James Davis, the young university student is foul-mouthed, casual about the photos, and gives a rare masculine perspective. The character of Lucy Delaney as a (very) junior solicitor was rather less compelling. A lighter side (but at times scarily self-centred) is shown by Jasmine Roberts, a pro-internet sexologist who co-opts feminism for her own ambitions. Laura is to be commended for her flexibility, ability to immerse into character and to engage the audience more through her voice and actions than through props.

This play would be certain to initiate a difficult conversation that many Gen Xers or Baby Boomers might be ignorant of, or not want to admit happens. Life isn’t simple and privacy is fraught in the internet age.

Rachel McGrath-Kerr

Beauty and the Beast Adelaide Festival. ONEOFUS/Improbable (UK). Dunstan Playhouse, Festival Centre. Mar 10 - 15.

MAT Fraser and Julia Atlas Muz crossed paths in Coney Island where Muz was performing as a burlesque dancer and Fraser a disabled performance artist (a title he is most comfortable with). The connection was instantaneous.

Facing challenges such as distance and marriages to other people the pair decided to collaborate on a project and Beauty and the Beast is evidence of that collaboration.

Told beautifully with puppetry, shadow play and endless imagination, their love develops in spite of the challenges of disability and societal opinion. Their acceptance of eachother and the humour drawn from this is playful and alluring. The relaxed attitude with which they narrate their story allows the audience to be invested in this tale.

Assisted cleverly by Jess Mabel Jones and Jonny Dixon, it is very clear nothing is forbidden.

Director Phelim McDermott makes the shocking unshockable and the nudity adorable as he weaves his magic, leaving us all a little more liberated for the experience.

Beauty is subjective and had this story been put on the stage a hundred years ago we perhaps would have had a very different ending, but thankfully the meaning of normal is forever changing and that allows us to watch shows such as this with an open heart.

Kerry Cooper Gnit

By Will Eno. The Regional Institute of Performing Arts. Civic Playhouse, Newcastle. March 26 - 28.

AMERICAN playwright Will Eno’s Gnit is a spry contemporary reworking of Henrik Ibsen’s famous 19th century Norwegian verse play Peer Gynt in which the title character spends his life searching for his real self.

Ibsen’s uncut text can run for more than four hours, and there is a huge cast of more 50 characters. Eno’s, by contrast, is a brisk two hours, and, while there are a lot of characters, they are written to be played by a few actors.

This Australian premiere production featured 14 Hunter TAFE Advanced Diploma of Arts (Acting) students, each playing up to four very different roles.

Gnit follows the storyline of Peer Gynt, with the opening scene of both showing the title character arriving at his widowed mother’s home long after he was expected, with a sharp and, in this play, amusing exchange between them.

Director David Brown cast a tall female actor, Samantha Lambert, as Peter Gnit, and she was always a convincing man, whether using his charms to attract pretty women or falling onto hard times when things went wrong on a world trek. And with the story covering 30 years, her Gnit also aged in voice and movements.

Isla Mayenschein’s mother likewise raised laughs with many of her pointed comments, but also provided a few tender moments as she suffered illness while trying to get her son to be more practical.

The contrasts in roles were engaging, with Jamahla Barron, playing Solvay, the woman who moves in and out

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Stage Whispers 71

of Gnit’s life several times, and a questioning official in a mental hospital in Egypt. Sharnee Lawrence amusingly played the father and mother of the real estate agency Green family at the same time, with a man’s suit on one side of her body and a woman’s elegant gown on the other, and her comments and expressions showing how alike they were.

But there were no weaknesses in the performances, with the other actors playing their roles with precision.

Ken Longworth Young & Jackson

By Don Reid. Directed by Wayne Harrison. fortyfivedownstairs, Melbourne. Mar 5-22.

1945. TWO Royal Australian Navy lads, seventeen, on leave; they stay at Young & Jackson’s Hotel, get pissed, get into fights, rehearse their cabaret skits and meet Lorna with a broken heart and a need to forget.

The text is based on reminiscences from people who lived and loved back then and it’s affectionate and nonjudgmental. Director Wayne Harrison keeps things moving with terrific pace and the cast ensures an entertaining evening. Charlie Cousins is solid as the softer, more ‘artistic’ Keith. Jacob Machin is Jimmy - a priapic seventeen-year-old, all attack and frenetic energy, but Mr Machin reveals an uncertainty and vulnerability under the bragging and gungho bluster. Gabrielle Scawthorn as Lorna balances a thin veneer of primness over her character’s desperation. Sam Duncan plays less flashy Les, the lads’ mate, with sincerity and his reveal of what he saw of the fighting ‘up north’ is chilling.

Young & Jackson is a number of slices of life slung together and into which the writing does not delve too deeply: it bites off more than it chews. But it does provide a lot of fun with many ‘dirty’ jokes, many honest and dishonest emotions, and characters seen with clear-eyed love.

Michael Brindley Meme Girls Created by Ash Flanders, Stephen Nicolazzo & Marion Potts, based on an original. idea by Ash Flanders. Malthouse Theatre, Beckett Theatre. Apr 8 - May 2.

ASH Flanders and Stephen Nicolazzo have a significant following in Melbourne. They are, together and individually, unique voices in the contemporary Melbourne theatre scene.

Beautifully crafted/directed by Stephen Nicolazzo, with set, lighting (Katie Sfetkidis) and sound exquisitely coordinated, Meme Girls looks fabulous. Designer Eugyeene Teh has woven her considerable magic to provide a set that infers numerous environments including the probing of a camera lens and perhaps the more relevant circle that is the Looney Tunes Cartoons’ iconic signature image.

Assisted cleverly, with exquisite timing, by Art Simone, dressed in stunning drag, Ash Flanders goes through transformations into various fragile characters. But most of the women vaguely realized by Flanders tend to morph and fade into each other. Perhaps a clearer distinction between 72 Stage Whispers

performer and character or more thorough characterization would add texture and liberate meaning.

The whole is micro-phoned with enough amps to reach into the corners of a noisy nightclub and certainly supports Flanders’ ultimately rich and agreeable singing voice.

Overall Meme Girls offers a glorious loud opportunity to sit back and enjoy some contemporary high camp entertainment.

Suzanne Sandow Flesh-Eating Tiger

By Amy Tofte. Directed by Jason Cavanagh. The Owl and The Cat (Vic). Feb 23 - Mar 7.

IN the hands of a lesser director this could be dismissed as a self indulgent “wank.” Cavanagh’s skills are such that he finds the clear delineation between scenes, between what is real, what is a play within a play (within a play), what is absurd, what is tragic. Having clearly identified the separate arcs, he then blurs the lines for us, so that we are never sure, at any given moment, what reality we are in …if reality at all….and isn’t that Life itself? The point is though, that Cavanagh knows, and elicits performances from his tiny cast that are superior to the text itself.

Marissa Bennett and Zak Zavod are simply stunning in their roles. Bennett is both destructive and vulnerable, manipulative and needy, driven…and a mess. She handles the transitions in emotion with invisible skill. It’s a terrific performance and there is great truth in her portrayal…even up close she is totally convincing. It’s raw acting without guile at close quarters. I look forward to seeing her again.

Zak Zavod is totally credible as the drunk and makes the character sympathetic even when he’s behaving abominably. He has physical grace and great inner strength, and it will be a joy to see him as he grows as an actor. The last scene of the two of them together is intensely real and moving. I can’t wait to see what Cavanagh directs next.

Coral Drouyn The Good Son

By Elena Carapetis. The Other Ones. Directed by Corey McMahon. Produced by Joanne Hartstone. Bakehouse Theatre, Adelaide. Apr 8 - 25.

THOUGH a family may strive to be a healthy, functional, organic being that nourishes its inhabitants and encourages growth, sometimes a family becomes a series of traps, little more than a poisonous snake than is driven to devour its young before swallowing its own tail. The Good Son is a riveting, believable, tremendously impressive depiction of such a family.

More than anything, this debut work from playwright and actor Elena Carapetis is surprising, not just for its confidence and assurance but also for the ease with which it sets up audience expectations in the first twenty minutes and then proceeds to subvert them for the next fifty. Just when you’re settling in for an accomplished but lightweight cultural-quirk comedy, you discover that the director and writer have got you in a vice and are mercilessly turning the screws.

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Brisbane.

Photo: Rob Maccoll.

quest to save their convent and the way they deal with an appearance of the Virgin Mary on the roof.

There are some very impressive performances, Carline McDonnell delivers what I feel is her best performance to date as forthright Sister Abbott, Valerie Dragojevic is enigmatic as sassy Sister Vinnie and Jessie McGinn is genuine as fragile Sister Rosa.

Norma Davis continues her run of being cast as dotty old ladies, as the decidedly daffy Mother Theresa. Vivienne Marshall is convincing as faith-challenged Sister Francis and Julia Trefeli had lovely presence as Sister Marilyn. Rounding out the cast were Noel O’Neil as alcoholic Father Costello and Reg Gray as Arch-Bishop Monticello.

Tim Prosser and Phil Barnett’s set design is solid with aged gravitas and the convent is effectively lit by Ben Davis’ well-considered lighting design.

The capacity crowd at the midweek performance I attended loved the show and very much enjoyed the humour, forgiving some line flubs and not always cracking pace.

Hail Mary is a fun night at the theatre, with some lovely moments of comedy.

Kimberley Shaw

Brisbane

By Matthew Ryan. Director: Iain Sinclair. QTC. Playhouse, QPAC, Brisbane. Apr 11 - May 2.

BRISBANE 1942 - Macarthur has arrived, the Brisbane line has been drawn, the Japanese have bombed Darwin, and there’s terror in the streets, a battle royal between Aussie Diggers and Yanks.

This is the fertile background for Matthew Ryan’s sweet coming-of-age story Brisbane, which centres on a 14-yearold boy Danny and his best friend Patty. Danny is a dreamer, a writer, and in awe of his big brother Frank, a RAAF pilot. Patty is the same age, wears a calliper on her right leg and a pubescent glow. They’re soul-mates and during the course of the play puppy-love turns to the real If The Good Son can ultimately be described as an thing. addiction drama, then it is almost certainly unlike any of The role of Danny requires an actor of range and those that you may have seen before, because it is experience, and Dash Kruck has buckets of both. It’s his genuinely funny at times, as well as being deeply felt in its finest performance - funny, honest and emphatically thematic concerns, not merely an old-fashioned morality truthful.

As his counterpart Patty, Harriet Dyer brings play or socially-conscious-slice-of-life. It is fully deserving of firecracker energy to the part, a ferocious but funny dirty the three ovations that were demanded of the cast on mouth, and enormous charisma.

She’s a delight. Conrad opening night.

Coleby does double-duty as the older brother Frank, and Anthony Vawser the American pilot Andy. In both roles he’s solid, sympathetic and believable, likewise Lucy Goleby as Rose, Hail Mary the girl who gets involved with both characters. Veronica Written and directed by Noel O’Neil. Old Mill Theatre, Neave breaks your heart as the bereaved mother Annie, South Perth, WA. April 10-24 2015 while Hayden Spencer’s father, John, is brutally HAIL MARY is a new comedy about nuns, billed as “a confronting. story about everyday miracles…”. Written by local Stephen Curtis’ set was big, filled the stage, but to my playwright Noel O’Neil, it is set in Western Australia and is being very well received in its World Premiere run in South mind was a bit too solid and real for a play that dealt in poetic images, fragments of emotions and ghosts of the Perth. past.

Set in the present, these rather progressive nuns, Peter Pinne unusually clad in pre-Vatican II habits, make the ladies from Nunsense or Sister Act look quite sedate as we follow their Longer versions of many reviews can now be found at www.stagewhispers.com.au

Stage Whispers 73

Reviews: Plays

Hugo Weaving in Sydney Theatre Company’s Endgame.

Photo: Lisa Tomasetti

Endgame

By Samuel Beckett. Sydney Theatre Company. Roslyn Packer Theatre Walsh Bay. Mar 31 - May 9.

THE MTC and STC are both currently staging Samuel Beckett’s Endgame, both no doubt careful not to counter his notoriously prescriptive executors.

Thus confined, the STC sets this dark absurdist tale of nothing inside a towering leaking structure with just two windows, effectively designed and lit by Nick Schlieper. At the bottom, blind and strapped to a wheelchair, the tyrannical Hamm (Huge Weaving) bullies his emaciated servant, Clov (Tom Budge). Nearby, now abandoned in giant bins, his fond parents occasionally bob up for sweets and nostalgia.

This is truly the endgame of life and Weaving plays out the repeated stories, word games and deadpan humour like a real fruity-voiced thespian, a connoisseur of impending mortality working away his busy fingers like a mad Steptoe.

As Clov, Budge has the occasional droll wit of the dispossessed but, as the only character with working legs, his physical comedy is, I suspect, entrapped by Beckett’s 60year-old prescriptions. Those repeated moments of 74 Stage Whispers

vaudeville have now lost much of their humour, even if the hopeless circularity of Becket’s theme is underlined. Indeed, comedy and empathy is in this production largely sacrificed as a provider of much relief, as we move to one of theatre’s most lonely and despairing conclusions.

Director Andrew Upton though has elicited fine performances, including from Bruce Spence and Sarah Peirse as the parents. Here is some relief. Caked in clay, zombie-like but with dark ringed eyes flashing, their Nagg and Nell still share a demented humanity - even if it is now legless and binned.

Martin Portus.

Humble Boy

By Charlotte Jones. Director: Gary O’Neill. Centenary Theatre Group. Chelmer Community Centre, Brisbane. Mar 7-28.

SHAKESPEARE’S Hamlet, bee keeping, the ‘theory of everything’, adultery and dysfunctional families are all themes present in Charlotte’ Jones’ London award-winner Humble Boy.

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Felix Humble, a late-thirties Cambridge physicist, returns to his family home in the Cotswolds following the death of his bee-keeper father, to discover his mother has removed the bees and is about to marry her lover. Jones juggles the scenario using a running gag of the dead father’s ashes, and the ghost of the father (a la Hamlet) as the gardener who is only seen by Felix until the final scene when the mother sees him as well.

Top marks to Gary O’Neill’s production and cast who kept the play buoyant and repeatedly mined the dark humour. Jason Nash brought believability and truth to Felix, the sometime-stutterer and socially awkward character whose world revolves around physics. Beverley Wood’s vain and self-centred mother Flora bristled with acid throughout but nicely captured the vulnerability of the woman at the finale. Flora’s rustic lover George gave John Grey a chance to be marvellously crass and vulgar, Katie Dowling’s Rosie, the former girlfriend, had spunk, Brian Cannon’s ‘ghost’ pottered amiably, while Penny Murphy as the loyal neighbour Mercy made more than a meal of her before we eat grace.

Peter Pinne Beckett Triptych State Theatre Company of South Australia. State Theatre Scenic Workshop and Rehearsal Room, Festival Centre. Feb 20 - Mar 15.

BECKETT Triptych brings three of Samuel Beckett’s later works together, each dealing with isolation and inner torment.

Eh Joe is a story of one man’s desire to block out the outside world. His pain of past wrongs committed have led him to a life of isolation, Joe’s (Paul Blackwell) eyes revealing the anguish and his face the strain of selfloathing. Blackwell’s performance is hypnotic. Director Corey McMahon allows the words to penetrate the actor’s demeanor and his discomfort tells the story.

Beckett’s second offering is Footfalls. An ageless woman in a tattered dress walks up and down floorboards careful to take nine steps before turning and repeating, her timing not unlike a metronome. Her head hangs, her sadness evident. Pamela Rabe delivers a performance full of pauses allowing us to study her. Director Geordie Brookman makes sure not to rush the text, draining every syllable of the words until they are nothing but a memory.

Peter Carroll is Krapp; an old man sitting at a desk illuminated by one single light, he is surrounded by junk symbolising the mess and confusion that is ultimately his life. Carroll captures the soul of Krapp; in no way is he senile but he is frail and bitter. Director Nescha Jelk does well to capture the growing frustration of the past 30 years in Krapp’s Last Tape.

Kerry Cooper Relatively Speaking

By Alan Ayckbourn. Therry Dramatic Society. Directed by Norman Caddick. The Arts Theatre, Adelaide. Mar 18-28.

GREG (Lee Cook) wishes to marry his long-time girlfriend, Ginny (Rachel Horbelt), despite harbouring

suspicions that she has been unfaithful to him. When Ginny announces that she is going out of town for a day to visit her parents, Greg decides to secretly follow her. Upon arriving at the country home of Ginny’s lover, Philip (Peter Davies), and his unhappy wife Sheila (Rhonda Grill), Greg assumes that the older couple must be Ginny’s parents. A succession of hilariously awkward misunderstandings ensue, as Greg tries to convince Ginny’s “parents” of his worthiness as a husband and the other players struggle to maintain their dignity.

The script is quintessentially English. The play moves along at an amiable pace and the dialogue throughout is both bitingly witty and reasonably naturalistic.

The material is given a buoyant lift by the razor sharp comic timing and potently intense chemistry between Cook, Horbelt, Davies and Grill. Their finely nuanced performances ensure that what is NOT said - the unspoken sexual tension and quietly simmering resentment - lingers just as strongly in the audience’s minds as any of Ayckbourn’s comic zingers.

Sets are evocative; the colourful depiction of an English country garden was enough to provoke applause from the audience when it was revealed. The costumes are also impressive, subtly evoking the time period nicely, but without descending into kitsch.

Benjamin Orchard The Beaux’ Stratagem

By George Farquhar. The Stirling Players. Stirling Community Theatre. Feb 20 - Mar 7.

EXUBERANT, witty and jam-packed with delightful characters, The Beaux’ Stratagem, The Stirling Players’ first production in the company’s 2015 Year of Comedy sets a high bar.

It is 1707 England and when young gentlemen Jack Archer and Tom Aimwell fall on hard times they decide to travel through various towns, seducing women and conning them out of their fortunes. The plan lasts only as far as Lichfield, where the entire townsfolk are more than the young men can handle.

Adam Tuominen plays Jack Archer with smooth aplomb.

James Edwards is equally good as Tom Aimwell. Alan Crawford is an absolute standout as cleric turned highwayman Gloss.

Another audience favourite is Joshua Coldwell as Sullen.

His marriage monologue was met with spontaneous applause.

Anna Bampton is very good, though a little too shrill at times, as strong and willful Mrs. Kate Sullen, while Kate van der Horst creates a fine contrast as gentle Dorinda.

Lindy Le Cornu is a scream as Lady Bountiful, the obsessive healer. Peter Smith is terrific as Boniface the Innkeeper. Matt Houston and Debbie Tester play several roles exceptionally well. Rosie Williams is delightful as Cherry and Brian Godfrey is extremely funny as Scrub.

The action rollicks along, enhanced by the superb costuming and simple but effectively adaptable set.

Lesley Reed

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Stage Whispers 75

The Business of Murder

By Richard Harris. Director: Sharon White. Nash Theatre @ Merthyr Road Uniting Church, New Farm. Feb 26 - Mar 14.

THE Business of Murder was originally written for television and later adapted for the stage where it had an eight-year run in the West End. Despite its success on stage its small-scale television roots are still in evidence in Sharon White’s stylishly modest production.

Set in the sitting room of a North London flat in the 60s, Harris’s psychological thriller about murder has enough twists and turns to satisfy any lover of Agatha Christie or Midsommer Murders. The plot involves a copper, John Hallett, his bit-on-the-side TV scriptwriter Dee Redmond, and Stone, a seemingly innocuous middle-aged man. Harris keeps us guessing until the point of the play, police brutality and TV fictionalisation of real events, is revealed midway through the second act.

All three performers give convincing performances. Rob Harvey is a believable no-nonsense copper who determinedly had his own agenda, Phillipa Dwyer’s portrayal of the insecure and neurotic mistress Dee is assured, while Paul Careless, in the play’s most demanding role, made Stone a dangerous psychopath.

Peter Pinne

Little Women From the novel by Louisa May Alcott, adapted by Scott Davison. Director: Fiona Kennedy. Villanova Players. Mt Gravatt TAFE College, Brisbane. Mar 5-22.

LOUISA May Alcott’s Little Women has been a right-ofpassage read for adolescent girls since it was first published 147 years ago. Scott Davidson’s adaptation furnishes the major highlights of the story by using a series of quick blackout scenes and voice-over narration.

The strongest performance came from Jermia Turner as the wilful and tomboyish Jo. She endearingly captured the feistiness of the character as well as the vulnerability, and worked well with Matthew Malone who impressed as her initial love-interest Laurie. Olivia Pinwill was a feminine and pretty older sister Meg, and coupled nicely with Lachlan Walker as the tutor John Brooke, while Bethany Conwell’s Beth had introspection. The double-casting of Amy saw Lisa Gorse being spiteful and bratty as the child, and Steff King likeable as an adult. The character of Marmee, although well-meaning, always comes across as impossibly-good and Davidson’s sketching of her doesn’t break the cliché. Tanya Maxwell does what she can with it, but the role could do with a little less sugar. Jane Sizer’s Aunt March brought a welcome caustic humour to the piece, while Glynne Liddy’s Irish maid Hannah brooked no-nonsense.

Summer of the Aliens Fiona Kennedy’s direction of the large cast was

By Louis Nowra. Hobart Repertory Theatre Society. Director: accomplished, Alcott’s vision was realised, and the audience, Mark Morgan. Playhouse Theatre Hobart. Feb 27 - Mar 14. which included many ‘little women’, were happily satisfied.

MARK Morgan directed Summer of the Aliens with a Peter Pinne fine cast of energetic actors who understood the play and Play it Again, Sam its characters well.

Nowra’s semi-autobiographical tale of a boy obsessed

By Woody Allen. Javeenbah Theatre Company, Gold Coast. with aliens is often called a ‘memory play’. Summer of the March 13- 28.

Aliens, more about alienation than aliens, is set during the WHAT happens when the theatre reviewer (who is summer of 1962 in Melbourne. presumed to know it all) decides to take the director’s role, Noah Casey is 14 year-old Lewis, who lives in a housing is then prepared to accept whatever fate throws and still make the vision a reality? Roger McKenzie took that hot commission estate with his mother Norma (Laura Gilkes), grandmother (Pip Tyrell) and sister (Ellen Roe). The youthful seat and rose to the occasion with his production of the gaucheness of young Lewis is balanced by narrator/adult Woody Allen classic, Play It Again, Sam. Lewis (Matt Wilson).

Classic scripts come with expectations that should be Radio news broadcasts with voice over/sound recording treated with respect. But they must also appear to be fresh.

by Phil Tyson effectively conveyed 1960s history. Costumes That is partly achieved by the use of pace, energy, attack and a firm belief in one’s character. McKenzie sends his and soundtrack maintained the era.

Hilariously funny moments were balanced with some characters off on a fun-laden path to deal with neuroses, poignant and emotional challenges, a reminder of the self doubt, anxiety, rejection, low-self esteem plus some struggles of adolescence. misplaced aggrandisement and then calls to the rescue an Kate Choraziak played Dulcie, Lewis’ tomboy best friend apparition of Humphrey Bogart.

It is a well-dressed production with Roger’s set with shrill enthusiasm and energy. David Abbott portrayed sex-obsessed Brian, developing audience sympathy from (constructed by Norm Stambini) providing five concealed initial dislike to understanding. Pip Tyrell’s acting experience non-entrances for the ‘Dream’ characters to energetically was reflected well by Gilkes, and Roe was a bubbly teen appear and disappear. Brett Raguse returns to the stage Bev. from a long absence to do ample justice to the ‘Woody’ role of Allan Felix with a positive performance of sustained This play evokes feelings, mostly of sympathy, for its characters: we can loathe sleazy stepdad Stan, Michael negative panic. All the female characters are fiery, Francis (also playing Uncle Richard), and despise the colourfully dressed and vibrantly sexy. charming but shiftless father Eric, Jeff Keogh. Aliens And what game did fate play on Roger? He lost an actor entertaining and powerful! only two rehearsals before opening, who was seamlessly replaced.

Merlene Abbott Joel Beskin 76 Stage Whispers

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The One Day of the Year.

Photo: Kirsty Galloway McLean.

The One Day of the Year

By Alan Seymour. HIT Productions. Riverside Theatres, Parramatta. Mar 24 - 28, and touring.

DIRECTOR Denis More saw the revival of Alan Seymour’s iconic play as “entirely appropriate … in the context of the 100th Anniversary of Gallipoli”. His evocative production is a subtle mixture of commemoration and social history, exemplified at the end of the play where two generations, present and future, are set in a stunning freeze in front of Frank Hurley’s famous photograph ‘Soldiers Walking to the Front’.

The play is set in Dot Cook’s inner city home. Her returned servicemen husband, Alf, and his old mate Wacka, are looking forward to Anzac Day. Meanwhile Alf’s university student son Hughie and his ‘north shore’ girlfriend are preparing to photograph the seedier side of Anzac Day. Peter Hardy is convincing as Alf. Even as he paces, rants and lays down the law, he demands both the sympathy and respect of the audience - because beneath his words is the hurt of damaged pride.

Christine Keogh depicts the strength and reliability of Dot. She loves, but never mentions the word. To do so would betray the vulnerability that she dare not show.

Don Bridges is a perfect choice for Wacka. His wealth of experience brings depth to the role. Watch for the moment when he brings Wacka slowly to attention as the notes of the Last Post sound.

Luke Clayson is suitably gullible and defensive as Hughie.

His internal struggle is clear. His girlfriend, Jan Castle, is

played by Olivia Solomons, who finds compassion as well as self-assurance in the character.

Carol Wimmer It’s A Wonderful Life A Live Radio Play. Adapted by Tony Palermo, original score

by Jonathan Green. Players Theatre, Ballina. Director: Mike Sheehan. Mar 6 - 21.

MIKE Sheehan has chosen a radio play for Ballina’s second offering this year. Staged in a Radio Studio, 13 “voice artists” covered 35 characters. Two very important additions to the cast were James Webb: the “sound effects” man and Marie Caldwell, on the organ and piano.

Dylan Wheeler, once again, gave an outstanding performance as George Bailey, the hero who was prepared to give up everything for his family and friends. The rest of the cast were impressive in this unusual presentation.

The show had pace, and the clear sound under the control Luke Mulder added to the enjoyable experience.

My only comment: some of the American accents needed work.

In order to assist the audience to follow the plot the cast added a hat or small prop to indicate which role they were portraying at the time.

It’s A Wonderful Life - is a wonderful show.

Roger McKenzie

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Stage Whispers 77

The Witches. Photo: Jon Green.

Designer Hugh O’Connor makes magical moments in the almost bare space - and the sound design by Nate Edmondson is astutely atmospheric.

The opening night attendees were a little more mature that the intended audience, but were clearly entertained and entranced, and the consistent giggling of the few little ones was proof that the target market will adore this show.

Storytelling at its very best.

Kimberley Shaw

Dinner

By Moira Buffini. Black Swan. Directed by Kate Cherry.

Heath Ledger Theatre, State Theatre Centre of Western Australia, Perth, WA. Mar 14-29.

MOIRA Buffini’s Dinner is a gorgeously designed and sumptuously performed production.

Trent Suidgeest’s lighting design makes the most of oppressive fog referred to in the dialogue, and the dining room setting, like the central character, reeks of wealth, is strikingly beautiful, but is cold and hard.

Ash Gibson Greig’s sound design and composition began beautifully and elegantly and cleverly accompanied the degradation of appearances and manners as the evening progressed.

India Mehta designed clever props and her costume approach included local designers creating the striking costumes worn by the women.

Performances were outstanding. Tasma Walton was captivating as elegantly unhinged central character Paige, nicely matched with idealistic husband Lars - well played by Steve Turner.

Alison Van Reeken shone as artist Wynne, while Rebecca Davis and Greg McNeill worked wonderfully as warring Sian and Hal. Stuart Halusz seemed a perfect choice as interloper, Mike, while Kenneth Ransome had excellent presence in his almost wordless role as the mysterious waiter.

Director Kate Cherry sustained tension well. The revolve kept all characters nicely highlighted despite the dinner party setting and pace was excellent.

While Dinner tells of the worst dinner party imaginable, The Witches and the subject matter isn’t always palatable, it remained a

By Roald Dahl, adapted by David Wood. Barking Gecko. feast for theatregoers and well worth tasting.

Directed by Lucas Jervies. Subiaco Arts Centre, Subiaco WA. Kimberley Shaw Mar 30 - Apr 12.

BARKING Gecko’s latest production offers a high-energy The Broken Slipper rendition of Roald Dahl’s popular story.

By Yvette Wall. Out of the Bag Productions / Playlovers.

Presented by a single actor - the fabulous Scott Hackett Hall, Floreat. Feb 19-22.

Sheridan, originally from Perth - The Witches is a 45-minute THE winner of last year’s ITA DramaFest returned for this turbo paced experience that offers surprises at every turn. year’s Fringe World.

Very simply staged, it makes use of the charm of the This fairy tale spoof, written by Yvette Wall and directed original text, a clever adaptation by David Wood, tight

by Alide Chaney, takes place at the fairy tale tribunal where direction by Lucas Jervies and most prominently a stellar Cinderella is accused of breaking fairy-tale rules, as she has performance by Scott Sheridan. smashed Prince Charming’s face with her glass slipper, Scott’s energy is amazing and his seamless transitions before shacking up with Hansel and Gretel’s father. between ten very distinct characters is outstanding. You are We watch as the familiar characters fall apart - Snow never in doubt as to which character is in focus and every White is menopausal, the Wicked Witch has a crush on the character is believable and immediately identifiable.

Prince, Granny is snorting fairy dust and Prince Charming is no longer pretty.

78 Stage Whispers

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Performed on a complete set by Olivia Colja and Shaun McMahon, it features delightful costumes by Terrence McAuley and David Young and lighting, including a “stunt moment” by John Woolrych.

Performances are strong throughout. Ursula Johnson’s Award winning performance as Granny continues to be impressive, Sophie Prober has fun as the straight-talking Cinderella, David Nelson - new to the role of Wicked Witch is very funny. Sharon Greenock shines as the hot-flushed Snow White while Sean Bullock is cleverly camp as Prince Charming.

A fun and pleasant romp.

Kimberley Shaw Perfect Wedding

By Robin Hawden. Director: Doug Moses. Ipswich Little Theatre. Incinerator Theatre, Ipswich. Mar 4-21.

FARCE goes together with community theatre like fish and chips. They’re a natural. Audiences love them, actors love being in them, and theatre companies love their boxoffice appeal. Perfect Wedding is a perfect example of the genre.

Set in a hotel in the English countryside the convoluted plot is one we’ve seen many variations of through the years - a groom wakes up hung-over on his wedding morning in bed with another woman and the panic begins as the groom tries to hide his transgression - mistaken identities, doors slamming, characters hiding, and lots of shouting and confusion as the plot unravels.

Timing is the essence of any farce and director Doug Moses had drilled his cast to perfection. Harry Risson as the hapless groom Bill was a natural physical comic. He had the art of falling over a couch down pat. Josh Nixon as the best man Tom was also adept with his physical business and spot-on with his line delivery.

The girls, Crystal Green as the chambermaid Julie, Courtney Murrin as the bride Rachel, and Kate Mallory as the other girl Judy, were equal to the guys in every department. They all turned in massively funny and on-themoney performances. The late arrival of Tracey Spence’s bewildered mother-of-the-bride only added to the fun.

Peter Pinne The Importance of Being Earnest

By Oscar Wilde. Canberra Repertory. Director: Judi Crane.

Theatre 3, Acton. Feb 20 -Mar 7.

HOW must a man win a woman whose romantic feelings depend upon his name? And how will his love triumph over his best friend’s determination to thwart him?

The Importance of Being Earnest’s plot is essentially timeless, and its convolutions are certainly a great part of the play’s eternal charm. A young gentleman’s audacity in posing as his best friend’s fictitious dissipated younger brother in order to meet his friend’s young ward; the friend’s turning that against him; the misinterpretations of them both by the objects of their affections: the comedy inherent in these timeless tactics remains as fresh in this performance as it has ever been, the coincidences being as amusing as unlikely.

But the delights that infuse Earnest depend less on being unfamiliar with its comedic turns than on appreciation, by cast and audience, of the linguistic play with which Wilde infuses it throughout and of the universal language in which the body can have a line mean its opposite.

Canberra Repertory’s cast has infused the lines with new life in this production, downplaying the crankiness and hidden beneficence of Lady Bracknell, highlighting more the character of the fictitious younger brother, Jack, and directing the spotlight on fresh comedic connotations.

Especially delightful was Michael Miller’s performance as the silently scathing Merriman.

This is an evening’s worth of laughs.

John P. Harvey Tuesdays with Morrie

By Mitch Albom. The Queanbeyan City Council. The Q Theatre. Directed by Liz Bradley. Mar 3 - 15.

ONLY incorrigible cynics will fail to be moved by this lovely production of Tuesdays With Morrie. A successful sports journalist makes weekly visits to his former sociology professor as the older man slowly dies of motor neuron disease.

Tuesdays with Morrie isn’t just about Morrie’s “life lessons”. It’s more about the relationship between these two men and the experience of losing that relationship through death.

Director Liz Bradley and team have chosen a simple setting and a gentle, natural pace, and every aspect of the production works together to convey an uncomplex nostalgic tenderness, from the mellow jazz soundtrack to the understated set. Graham Robertson as Morrie and Dave Evans as Mitch play with great warmth. Although Morrie is physically slowed by his disease, his mind is unaffected and his quick Jewish wit keeps the pace steadily rolling.

Robertson captures Morrie’s affection, neediness, and his determination to maintain dignity as he slides into increasing disability towards his inevitable death. His physical deterioration is entirely convincing. That said, the horrors of Lou Ghering’s disease are not overplayed.

Tuesdays with Morrie is equally heartbreaking and uplifting.

Cathy Bannister The Cemetery Club

By Ivan Menchell. Wyong Drama Group. Directed by Ron Baker. The Grove, Wyong, NSW. Mar 12 - 21.

THIS very funny play tells the story of three Jewish widows who meet for tea each month before going to visit their husbands’ graves.

It poses the eternal question of ‘how long is long enough to grieve - before moving on with your life?’ - but not everyone’s motivations are the same. Doris, Ida and Lucille are very different, larger-than-life roles - each oozing with pathos, presenting a delightfully juicy challenge for any actress ‘of a certain age’.

Julie Bailey, Pam Campbell and Margaret Holdom are nicely cast and their combined experience and genuine

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chemistry ensures that none of the classic one-liners go to waste. It’s a cracker of a script - each actress is given equal opportunity to show her dramatic and comedic range - and moods literally change on a dime throughout. Doris is probably the least ‘showy’ role of the three and Campbell does extremely well to not only act as foil for the other two, but to bring subtle intensity to her understated role. They are very well supported by Laszlo Weidlich as the eminently eligible Sam and Kate Clark as Mildred, the glamorous fly in the ointment.

A simple but elegant set ensures that pace and mood are maintained throughout.

Rose Cooper Killing Jeremy

By Bridgette Burton. Swampfox Theatre. The Bakery, 1812 Theatre. Apr 9 - May 2.

THE Bakery’s newest offering is Killing Jeremy, a two hander about a girl whose partner is in a coma because of a car accident she caused, waiting for the life support system to be turned off. It’s a well written, often funny piece by Victorian playwright Bridgette Burton, but it is the sympathetic direction by John Bishop, and two wonderful performances that lift this production far beyond the average.

Angela Ellis is Madeline … 31 and pretty daggy. Her Madi is both terrified and defiant, guilty and angry, loving and yet needy … in short, she is a beautifully rounded and fully realised human being whom you quickly forget is a character. Excellent acting on all levels. Matching her is Nigel Leslie as the Metalhead but romantic Jeremy who wants so badly to marry her … a fine performance from an actor we need to see more of.

These two play superbly off each other but also bring other characters to life … the doctor, the nurse, Jem’s mother, even his old girlfriend (played very convincingly by Leslie himself).

A great deal of love has gone into understanding and realising every emotional nuance in the play. It’s a stellar production.

Coral Drouyn Short+Sweet Theatre Gala Finals Factory Theatre, Marrickville. Mar 20.

SHORT+SWEET Theatre’s Sydney 2015 Gala Final showcased the top thirteen ten-minute plays of the thousands submitted by budding and experienced writers to the appropriately self-proclaimed ‘the biggest little play festival in the world’.

Audiences definitely weren’t left scratching their heads over Tom Green’s Scratch receiving five of the eight awards presented on the night. The quick-witted, bitingly sarcastic production opened with a man’s torturing. The audience never would have expected the heinous crime he committed to deserve such brutality ... he hasn’t returned his DVDs. Other highlights included Manstruating, a hilarious representation of relationships for which Emma Playfair took home the award for Best Actress. Wish is a touching piece in which a terminally ill teenager uses her final wish from the Make a Wish Foundation to meet her childhood hero Jack Grant, for which seventeen year old writer Bokkie Robertson took home the Best Newcomer’s award. Also Wildcard winner Pee Buddies, a comedy dripping with homoerotic subtext as a desperate man enlists the help of his coworker to conquer his fear of peeing in the presence of others.

These highlights were peppered with a few short but not all that sweet performances. Yet overall it was an entertaining night showcasing some very promising new works.

Emma Squires

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John Bell, Gareth Davies, Kelly Paterniti and Zahra Newman in As You Like It. Photo: Rush.

Seeing Unseen Created and performed by Gareth Boylan, Michael Cullen, Kerri Glasscock and Michael Pigott. The Old 505 Theatre.

Apr 8 - 26.

SEEING Unseen is a hard-hitting representation of society’s obsession to be constantly updated with the latest news and statistics. Gallons of data and faster technology convince you that once irrelevant facts are now necessary.

But are we losing our freedom by being so engulfed by these distractions?

The play follows a seemingly ordinary couple as they live out a few days of their seemingly ordinary lives. Michael Pigott was perfectly childish and Kerri Glasscock perfectly anxious, both making the world seem like a terrifying place.

The omnipresent Michael Cullen cleverly crafted his character to comedic and eerie effect. Representing the intrusiveness of this constant stream of data, he observed every nuance of the couple’s days in close proximity.

The ideas of intimacy, privacy, surveillance, security and control were also grappling for our attention throughout the play. At times so many ideas were presented simultaneously that it was impossible to focus on a single one. Yet perhaps this was the intention; is it really possible to concentrate on any task without distraction in today’s society?

These were the questions Seeing Unseen left the audience wondering as they squeezed out of the theatre.

Emma Squires

As You Like It

By William Shakespeare. Bell Shakespeare. Directed by Peter Evans. The Playhouse, Canberra Theatre. Apr 7 - 18.

THIS visually beautiful, musically stunning and uproariously funny take brings out all the wit in the text and places it in a nostalgic dreamscape setting.

Peter Evans has used subtext brilliantly to add meaning and extract maximum humor from what is already a witty script, while being entirely faithful to the language and intent of the play.

Rosalind is played magnificently by Zahra Newman. Ms Newman owns this play, making a gutsy and quick-witted Rosalind who is devoted to her cousin Celia, portrayed delightfully by Kelly Peterniti. Rosalind and Celia’s close relationship is immediately recognisable as modern “besties”.

Charlie Garber’s Orlando is handsome but gawky and given to hilariously histrionic self-pity. Gareth Davies plays Touchstone with a caustic sarcasm, and elder statesman John Bell is obviously enjoying himself with the role of Jaques, who famously gets all the best speeches.

The set features a forest created with ropes of flowers suspended from an oval grid hung from the ceiling. This made for a mystical setting, which was augmented with moody lighting and sound design.

Added to this, the retro styling from the 1950s and 60s costumes and hair, a score that borrowed from boogie woogie, Peggy Lee and big band numbers and use of a scratchy record player made for a dreamy, nostalgic feel.

Cathy Bannister

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Danny Adcock and Aaron Glenane in Orphans.

Photo: Rupert Reid.

Equus

By Peter Shaffer. Stooged Theatre. Civic Playhouse, Newcastle. March 4 - 14.

THE central characters in Peter Shaffer’s play are a psychiatrist in a regional hospital and one of his patients, a 17-year-old boy who has blinded five horses in a night-time attack.

As the psychiatrist, Martin Dysart, gradually finds out what led to the brutal crime, the responses of the boy, Alan Strang, lead him to question his own life and values.

The title, Equus, the Latin word for horse, refers to Alan’s belief that the animals are godlike figures, and the horses that Shaffer includes in the story are seen through the boy’s eyes as toweringly human and with elegant equine heads.

Equus is a demanding work to stage, but director Mat Lee, the actors and technical team made it one that was generally engaging and with an appropriate mix of dark and light elements.

Callan Purcell had the mix of behaviour that showed Alan’s troubled mind, initially singing television advertising jingles in response to Dysart’s questioning and slowly unwinding to reveal the influential things in his life.

Timothy Blundell’s Dysart, astutely changing tactics to get the reluctant boy talking, likewise had a neat handle on his character.

Michelle Burnitt and Phillip Ross, as Alan’s parents, Dora and Frank Strang, effectively revealed their respective treatments of the boy - she is a devout Christian, he is a cold atheist - but their words sometimes lacked the 82 Stage Whispers

sharpness needed to show why their differences had such an effect on Alan’s thoughts and behaviour.

Glen Waterhouse was effective as both a horse owner who gives Alan his first ride on a horse along a beach at age six, and as Nugget, the horse the 17-year-old rides on moonlit nights, with the beach scene being a charmer.

The actors playing the other horses, though, had too little to do. They needed to be moved around in ways that underlined why Alan has such a passion for horses.

Ken Longworth Orphans

By Lyle Kessler. Red Line Productions. Old Fitz Theatre. Apr 14 - May 9.

RED Line Productions are on a red-hot streak and Orphans at the Old Fitz is no exception. At last the Old Fitz is housing consistently good work. AT LAST. One more time. AT [expletive] LAST. Lyle Kessler’s play isn’t anything to write home about.

Two orphan, bum brothers’ worlds are shaken when a welldressed, wealthy man strides into their flat proclaiming to be a fellow orphan and promising to help them find success. An enticing mystery ensues where we’re constantly kept guessing about the origins of this mysterious man and his connection to these boys. The connection never comes and the mystery is unfulfilled. A shame. Nonetheless, themes of fraternity, delinquency and manipulation are intriguing.

The strength of this production lies in the creative team assembled. Heading up the team is Anthony Gooley who

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directs with pathos, speed and gusto. Clean, simple and efficient technical production by designer Anna Gardiner, lighting designer Matt Cox and sound designer David Stalley showcase how a small, intimate theatre space should be utilised. And of course there’s the skilled, soulsearching actors Danny Adcock, Aaron Glenane and Andrew Henry. Danny Adcock gives a mysteriously delicious performance as Harold. His bizarre accent - a mish-mash of Harold’s German/Irish/ Russian/ Philadelphia upbringing - is only one way that the audience can appreciate the detail in Adcock’s performance.

If none of the above is persuasive enough, tickets are cheap as chips. Go see indie theatre. It’s fabulous.

Maryann Wright

The tale begins with Erynne (Chloe McLean) and Travis (Joel Mews) offering very different views of the town in which they live. Those watching soon learn that the two 17 -year-olds, who share high school classes but don’t know each other, have worrying personal problems.

Erynne has a way-out boyfriend and a less-than-happy homelife, with her drunken father kicking her out of the family house. And Travis, who is obsessed with the attractive girl next door, has a bullying older brother, an army recruit who calls him a “wuss”, and a father who is increasingly withdrawn.

The story keeps moving between the two teens, who both want one good thing in their lives, and they only meet in the final scenes.

Erynne is very much a party girl, and one renowned for 4000 Miles her ragged attire. But she also has more reflective

By Amy Herzog. Castle Hill Players. Director: Jewell Homad moments, recalling her older sister, who died after falling Johnson. Pavilion Theatre Castle Hill. April 10 - May 2. from the roof of a moving automobile while “car surfing”.

Chloe McLean and Jordan Warner, as the sister, had VERA is a 91-year-old ex-hippie activist. Leo, her grandson, who has just completed a bicycle ride across moving scenes when Erynne imagines being consoled by America, arrives, unexpected at her Manhattan apartment her sibling in difficult moments. at 3am. Despite the generation gap, Vera understands Leo Travis, by contrast, is very much a loner, with his passion and provides a haven for him. for the girl next door, and his attempts to contact her, Jennifer Leslie brings the weight of experience to largely through phone calls, amusing. Joel Mews had the establish a feisty and understanding Vera, creating the audience smiling sympathetically when he found that the persona of an old woman who is determined not to give in neighbour’s younger sister has a craving for him. to frailty. Leslie’s characterisation is very believable and Director Jackson Vaughan moved the large cast well empathetic. around the stage, with its colourful graffiti backdrop.

Cameron Hutt plays Leo. There is a mixture of Ken Longworth suppressed angst and optimism in the character and Hutt physicalizes this in hesitant actions and long, thoughtful Simpson, J 202 pauses.

By Richard Beynon. Genesian Theatre, Sydney. Apr 11 - May Leo’s girlfriend, Bec, is played by Kate Gandy, who 2. manages to convey the discomfort and distrust caused by TO many Australians Private Jack Simpson is ‘The Man Leo’s actions. with the Donkey’, the brave young Anzac stretcher-bearer.

Nicky Norton has, at short notice, taken on the role of To his English family, Jack Simpson Kirkpatrick was a gentle Amanda, a young Chinese New Yorker that Leo brings boy who loved animals and had big dreams. home after a night out. She also plays the voice of Leo’s The boy and the hero come to life in Richard Beynon’s adopted sister Lily. This is a nicely directed scene. Leo skypes carefully researched play, directed with sensitivity by Mark Lily, and Norton wanders about the darkened set as if she is Nagle who, with his cast, developed a special ‘feel’ for the answering from across the country. poignancy of the story. It is a tight production where Leo is carrying a burden, and he eventually shares his emotion and tension build naturally. pain and guilt with Vera in a very emotional scene. The Ryan Bown plays Simpson. Using a Geordie accent, he relationship between these two characters is special - and takes the character from awkward 11-year-old schoolboy to the production underlines that special-ness. a young soldier far from home. Bown makes Jack seem real, Carol Wimmer and easy to love.

Julia Kennedy Scott plays Jack’s stoic Scottish mother, One Good Thing Sarah. Scott uses controlled understatement in voice,

By Don Zolidis. Eclectic Productions. Lake Macquarie gesture and expression, making the inner strength of her Performing Arts Centre, Warners Bay. April 4 - 9. character reach far beyond the lines.

DON Zolidis was for many years a schoolteacher, and his Penelope Berkemeier plays her daughter Annie, creating a strong character whose feelings are expressed in a grim observations of the problems and pleasures facing people in their teens come movingly and amusingly to life in this frown, an indulgent half smile, a slight rise of the chin. story.

Thomas Marwick plays Jack’s strict but compassionate It was the first production staged by a Hunter company schoolteacher. Charles Cosgrove plays Australian soldier formed by actors who are the age of the two central Robbie Robertson and Rob White plays Sergeant Hookway, figures, with their previous experience in youth theatre and a drill sergeant with a heart. school shows evident in their handling of a wide range of characters.

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Gallipoli: A Manual Of Trench Warfare. The cast members read Stage Whispers on stage during the Penrith season. On tour until July.

Nagle is to be congratulated for the pace and timing of the production and the creation of some beautiful moments.

Carol Wimmer

Quartet

By Ronald Harwood. Directed by John Hughes. Cairns Little Theatre. Apr 17-25.

CAIRNS Little Theatre’s production of the comedy Quartet is their second production for 2015. And what a Deathtrap good production this was.

By Ira Levin. Darlinghurst Theatre Company. Eternity The play, directed by John Hughes, is set in the music Playhouse. Apr 14 - May 10. room of a retirement village in Kent, England for opera THERE is a good reason why Ira Levin’s Deathtrap is the singers and musicians. longest running thriller on Broadway - it’s a cracker of a The cast consists of Mike Carrette (Reg), Sally Gazzard story within a story that hinges on the element of surprise. (Cecily), Peter Hughes (Wilfred) and Lori Barton (Jean). From Director Jo Turner along with set designer Michael start to finish the play was quality. Acted on a sumptuous Rankin create a detailed and believable world which allows set, the actors really looked like four old codgers seeing out their final days in frustration over their lost talents. the story to unfold. Andrew McFarlane’s portrayal of playwright Sidney Bruhl is a fine mix of narcissism and bears Mike Carrette brought dignity and integrity to his all the hallmarks of a man trying to hold on to his days of character, while Lori Barton’s character was still living in the glory while trying to placate his neurotic wife Myra, well distant past, repeatedly recalling the standing ovations she played by Sophie Gregg. Timothy Dashwood as the had received years ago. Sally Gazzard (Cecily) was the most wannabe playwright Clifford Anderson is a likeable forgetful and funny of the characters, but she played it all innocent fellow with an underlying conniving and so smoothly. Outstanding was Peter Hughes as the grumpy manipulative nature. Rounding out the cast of five are Drew but still randy Wilfred. This is the best I have seen Peter Fairley as Bruhl’s friend and lawyer and Georgina Symes as perform. He had great timing and was thoroughly the neighbourhood psychic Helga Ten Dorp, both of whom believable as a fading, frustrated musician. His northern provide ample doses of comedy. accent was also very consistent.

Any real senior moments that the cast had only Darlinghurst Theatre’s Deathtrap is a rollicking good time, full of twists and turns. It’s an edge of the seat enhanced the production. The “mimed” opera singing at whodunnit and you won’t want to miss it! the end was predictable but enjoyable.

Whitney Fitzsimmons Ken Cotterill

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Mary Poppins.

Reviews: Musicals Mary Poppins Music & Lyrics: Richard M. Sherman, Robert B. Sherman, George Stiles, Anthony Drewe. Book: Julian Fellowes. FreeRain Production. Directed by Stephen Colyer. Produced by Anne Somes. Canberra Theatre, Canberra. Mar 12 - 29.

MARY Poppins is a great deal of fun, with eminently singable songs that stick in your head for days afterwards, elaborate choreography, and a very talented cast and technical team.

Alinta Chidzey makes a perfect Mary Poppins, with charm and brio, a twinkle in her eyes, and total command over her role. Shaun Rennie plays Bert, the chimney sweep and man of many talents which appear to include good tap dancing, and most enjoyable characterisation. Christine Wallace plays Winifred Banks and her voice is especially delightful. ‘Being Mrs Banks’ is a lovely song.

The choreography was fun, full of energy and used the stage and props very effectively. Kudos to choreographer Jacquelyn Richards and tap captain, Nicole Taylor. ‘Step in Time’ is a thrilling dance.

Colin Milner plays George Banks with a delightful, quiet steadiness and confident voice. As the mysterious Mrs Corry Alicia Da Costa’s enthusiasm swept us all up into wanting to sing ‘Supercalifragilisticexpedialidocious’. Sophie Highmore is very good as the statue Neleus.

The sound and lighting design is imaginative and works in well with the set design. The down-stage lighting was a bit shaded which made seeing characters a bit difficult in certain areas.

This marvellous production is suitable for the whole family.

Rachel McGrath-Kerr Summer Rain Book and lyrics by Nick Enright, music by Terence Clarke.

The Theatre On Chester (Epping, NSW). Director: Joy Sweeney. Musical Director: Mark Pigot. Choreographer: Janina Hamerlok. Apr 10 - May 2.

IT’S an all too rare joy to hear a musical theatre score with an authentic Aussie voice and vernacular, something that the late Nick Enright had true flair for.

Theatre on Chester celebrates Summer Rain with Joy Sweeney’s splendidly crafted intimate production, balancing just the right mix of exuberance, sensitivity and sentimentality, helped by a set and lighting which utterly evoke dry outback heat.

The musical celebrates a great Australian entertainment tradition, the travelling tent shows, and the outback communities they entertained. The plot centres on the small core family group of a touring company which has fallen on hard times after World War 2, returning to a remote outback town, the site of a past success, to discover there’s ghosts, and a less than universal welcome.

The score is spot on, and if the book sometimes feels a little sketchy, the terrific ensemble cast breathes real life into the characters.

This totally engaged ensemble is led by appropriately OTT community theatre old stagers Tom Sweeney and Deidre Lee at the head of the touring theatricals, Warren

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Harvest Rain’s The Pirates of Penzance.

Photo: Nick Morrissey.

Blood as the cantankerous outback publican, and Janina Hamerlok as the salt-of-the-earth local storekeeper.

Amongst the younger cast, Laura Sheldon is a high theatrical firecracker, Victoria Brown is an affectively gentle, conflicted young country woman, Scott Dais finds the subtext of a young returned digger and Scott Clare is a realdeal knockabout country bloke.

Musical director Mark Pigot accompanies the whole splendidly from the piano. Janina Hamerlok’s choreography nails both the B-grade entertainment of the theatre troupe, and the contrasting of lethargy and exuberance of the country town.

Neil Litchfield Essgee’s Pirates of Penzance

By Gilbert and Sullivan. Additional Lyrics: Melvyn Morrow.

Conceived & Directed by Simon Gallaher. Musical Director: Robert Clark. Choreographer: Callum Mansfield. Harvest Rain. QPAC Concert Hall. Mar 20-22.

HARVEST Rain’s The Pirates of Penzance is an evening of glorious entertainment where vaudeville, slapstick, buffoonery and lunacy reign.

Director Simon Gallaher has done a marvellous job of delivering a vision that honours the G&S original but firmly puts a contemporary stamp on it.

Andrew O’Keefe as the Pirate King mugs shamelessly, sings impressively, and indulges himself to the gleaming hilt of his sabre, also finding time to swing from a rope out into the audience several times. It was a gem of a performance.

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John Wood’s Modern Major General was delightfully pompous and, with some added local references to his infamous patter song, an audience favourite. So was veteran Nancye Hayes, who had a field day playing the ‘over-forty’ Ruth.

The two young leads, local discoveries making their professional debuts, could not have been in better hands.

Billy Bouchier was a handsome and virile Frederick with a tenor that thrilled, while Georgina Hopson as Mabel was pretty with a lilting soprano. Together they were the perfect pair of lovers. Natalie Greer (Edith), Astin Blaik (Kate), and Kimberley Hodgson (Isabel) as a “Girl-Group” trio of maidens were wittily stylish, while Dean Vince delivered a funny and athletic performance as the Police Sergeant.

Peter Pinne Essgee’s Pirates of Penzance Gosford Musical Society. Mar 6 - 21.

WHEN word went out that GMS was doing the modern (ie slightly rock) adaptation of Pirates they had no shortage of men volunteering to jump on board. But in the early stages of this production it was the women who outshone them.

The instructions to the cast were that the arrival of the newly released Pirate Frederic on the beach was to create such a hormonal stir amongst the young maidens, as to give hot flushes to members of the audience. They delivered in spades. It took until the second act for the men to match their lust. It came during the rollicking rendition of ‘Cat Like Tread’.

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Recognising the talent of the women in the cast director Darryl Davis cleverly gave them an extra duty - making them the Police officers, all sporting the same blonde wig.

This was a production which zinged along aided by the cute choreography from Ashlea George and Carolyn McNamara and crisp music under the baton of Bronwynne Anderson.

The stand out in the cast was Marc Calwell as Major General Stanley (Don’t tell anyone but he was actually a class above a few high professionals who have undertaken this role in recent times).

The cast and audience greatly enjoyed the mega mix finale and old timers were touched when GMS pioneers Nancye and Kevin Booth made a cameo as Queen Victoria and her footman.

A jolly good time was had by all.

David Spicer Once On This Island

By Lyn Ahrens and Stephen Flaherty. Director: Tamblyn Smith. Fab Nobs Theatre, Bayswater. Apr 10 - 25.

THANK Heavens for community theatre companies like Fab Nobs, who bring us musicals that we otherwise would never see, deemed to be too non-commercial for the Main Stage. The story is of the beautiful Ti Moun, rescued from the sea, who falls in love with the French planter’s son and gives her life to bring two cultures together - simple, but beautiful. Watching over her are four Gods - driving the story to its tragic conclusion.

Jess Ridler (Ti Moun) is superb as the young girl who loves not wisely but too well. Her ethnicity helps us to believe in her as a native girl and she brings a sense of innocence to the role. Lizzie Matjacic (Erzulie) and Ang Cuy (Asaka) bring the two Goddesses alive. They’re funny, endearing, sexy and super-talented. Cathryn Youings (Andrea) is simply lovely. She’s a real triple threat who should go far.

The Male Gods, Papa Ge (James Robertson) and Agwe (Sean Peacock), have their own strengths vocally and Douglas Costello as Daniel is best in “Some Girls”. That song - with the line “some girls you marry, some girls you love” - encapsulates the entire story and is exquisite.

Musical Director Emma McGeorge does a stunning job with the band, and the musicians were well prepared and excellent throughout. The score of Once On This Island is exquisite, the story is moving, and the entire show has a naivete and charm that has won it many awards.

Coral Drouyn

other setting, complemented by Brendan Hay’s evocative costumes and Benjamin Brockman’s atmospheric lighting.

Actors are effectively used as musicians (of varied skill), led by Paul Geddes (musical director / keyboards) and Richard Woodhouse (guitar) in quirky new arrangements.

Tony Sheldon navigates the triple-layered role of Cervantes / Don Quixote masterfully. Ross Chisari is a spirited, engaging sidekick, Sancho Panza. Marika Aubrey brings bawdy, cynical sexiness and splendid musical theatre chops to Aldonza / Dulcinea; Laurence Coy displays apt authority as the Governor and innkeeper; Stephen Anderson offers a delightful vocal twist as the housekeeper; an interesting gender switch as Joanna Weinberg as the cool, unwavering prosecutor, works; Courtney Glass is an assured Antonia; Glenn Hill nails the false piety and vocals of the padre, while Jay James-Moody makes a scenestealing cameo as the barber. Praise too, to the small, impressive supporting ensemble.

Jessica James Moody supports the production with excellent Sound Design.

Man of La Mancha proves an excellent fit for reimagining on an intimate scale.

Neil Litchfield

Carousel

By Rodgers and Hammerstein. Miranda Musical Society.

Sutherland Entertainment Centre. Mar 25 - 29.

CAROUSEL, impressively played by Paul Holmes’ full orchestra, and engagingly performed by a talented young principal cast and ensemble, was well worth the trip to Sutherland.

Director James Worner’s clean, respectful production trusts the material, yet it’s vibrant and lively, no museum piece.

Billy Bigelow is a huge sing, which Michael Johnson carries off impressively with his warm, rich baritone. There’s chemistry aplenty between Michael and Louise Jaques (Julie Jordan), ensuring high stakes and volatility. Louise has a lovely soprano voice, and captures the strength, vulnerability and personal tragedy of the role.

Lively, vivacious Daisy Cousens brings genuine warmth and humanity to musical comedienne role Carrie Pipperidge, while displaying great musical theatre chops.

She establishes a sometimes warm, sometimes flirtatious, sometimes prickly rapport with Rory Chatterton’s assured Enoch Snow.

Kerrie Hartin nails Nettie Fowler’s nurturing, salt-of-theearth nature, singing great Broadway classics with her rich familiar musical theatre tones. James Jonathon plays Man of La Mancha stereotypical villain Jigger Craigin with a good mix of

By Dale Waserman, Mitch Leigh and Joe Darion. comedy, melodrama and rich bass baritone.

Squabbalogic. The Reginald, Seymour Centre, Sydney. Feb Supporting roles are handled well, with Paul Miller’s 25 - Mar 21.

Starkeeper of particular note.

ON a rough-hewn platform stage, with seemingly As Billy and Julie’s daughter Louise, Louise Moseley endless nooks and crannies for musicians and performers, delights, especially in the Act 2 ballet.

Squabbalogic’s taut, intimate staging of Man of La Mancha Jo Ansell’s choreography has a strong sense of narrative, effectively preserves its epic storytelling, in yet another well-pitched, when necessary, to non-dancers. Bob Peet’s effective design allows the production to flow smoothly. rewarding production from director Jay James-Moody.

Simon Greer’s set is, seamlessly, a gloomy prison, and every Neil Litchfield Longer versions of many reviews can now be found at www.stagewhispers.com.au

Stage Whispers 87

High School Musical Book by David Simpatico. Spotlight Theatre, Benowa, Gold Coast. Director: Clay English. Feb 20 - Mar 14.

NO amount of rain on the Gold Coast was going to dampen the Opening Night enthusiasm of the cast of the high velocity High School Musical. This stage production is all about the song and dance - with a nice little story thrown in.

Special mention to the set designers - one basic set, with slick minor changes, made sure all of the stage was well used by the large cast.

Congrats to Clay English, director and choreographer, who gave his cast a huge amount of work to do - how do these young actors manage to sing so well while throwing their bodies all over the place? Huge kudos to the boys’ team - nice moves dudes! And from where I was sitting everyone had their head in the game. Special mention to the earthworm! To the girls -very classy voices, high energy dancing and terrific costumes.

Leads Bryn Jenke and Emily Pluckrose were both totally credible and gave delightfully fresh performances. A case of ‘Can’t take my eyes off of you’.

Great cameos from David Todman (of course) and Martina French as Ms Darbus. Three words come to mind for this show - colourful, tuneful & energetic.

Laney McLean

The cast was disciplined and hard working and the orchestra tight and professional. Lisa Watts and Jacqui McGarrity co-ordinated stunning costumes while Stephen Carr’s set design worked well. Alex Coutts Smith delivered an evocative lighting design.

With solid production values, this nicely performed show delivered bang for your buck.

Kimberley Shaw

Godspell Music & Lyrics by Stephen Schwartz. Conceived & originally directed by John-Michael Tebelak. Lane Cove Theatre Company. Director Christine Firkin. Musical Director: Paul Young. St Aidans Hall, Longueville. Mar 20 - 29.

1970s SOFT rock musical Godspell continues to engage audiences, with its 2000 year old stories and parables. Its gentle, often witty narratives, combined with updated references and audience participation, work nicely in the hands of an ensemble of performers committed to telling those tales, like Lane Cove’s enthusiastic, well-balanced community theatre cast.

Simplicity of setting throws the entire emphasis onto the cast, with the colour provided by bright costuming.

With a sure, sweet voice, well suited to the soft rock songs (‘Beautiful City’ was a highlight), Trent Gardiner’s Jesus is assured and gentle, then effectively conflicted, as required. As Judas / John, David Hov’s assured ‘Prepare Ye’ Beauty and the Beast contrasts nicely with the wistful, mellow ‘On the Willows’.

Music by Alan Menken. Lyrics by Howard Ashman and Tim Reich Webber-Montenegro is lively, landing the show’s Rice. Book by Linda Woolverton. Director: Katherine Friend. best-known song ‘Day By Day’ with charm. Sonya Lindsey Musical Director: Justin Friend. Koorliny Arts Centre, finds just the right level of playful vamp seductress for ‘Turn Kwinana, WA. Feb 13-28.

Back Oh Man’. Kelly Andersen’s introduction to ‘Learn Your BEAUTY and the Beast was a quality production from Lessons’, accompanying herself on ukulele, is a delightful Koorliny. surprise. Leading ‘By My Side’, Anna Kourouvale ensures Stacey Hollings made a lovely Belle, her charm and this song is a touching, heartfelt moment. Belinda genuine warmth key to the production’s success. She sang Humphries provides big-voiced confidence leading ‘Bless beautifully and delivered a very genuine performance. Scott The Lord’.

Blachford worked hard to connect with the audience and Clean, witty and warm storytelling is well-matched with conveyed The Beast well. choreographed movement and groupings.

Jesse Watts revelled in Gaston, with bravado and quirky Neil Litchfield machismo, well supported by Mark Thompson as Le Fou. I enjoyed the relationship between Lumiere (Brandon Jesus Christ Superstar Williams-West) and Babette (Erin Craddock), the boyish Music by Andrew Lloyd Webber, lyrics by Tim Rice. The charm of Chip (Olivia Small), Thèrése Cruise’s lovely National Theatre Company. Civic Theatre, Newcastle. March Wardrobe and Chantel Bell’s sweet Mrs Potts.

11 - 14.

THE overture of Jesus Christ Superstar was accompanied by people going about their daily lives, against the background image of a large factory belching out smoke.

Sinister figures, dressed in black military uniforms and with their faces masked, moved among the crowd, watching every move.

This set the scene for an impressive production, showing the timelessness of its story about people suffering when they challenge tyrannical regimes.

Indeed, the staging often increased the potency of the songs, with the townspeople’s recurrent use of their mobile Get noticed on the Stage Whispers phones in What’s the Buzz underlining the message that website with a premium listing life requires care in planning.

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Director Chris Maxfield, the production team, performers and musicians made the well-known story very moving, with the crucifixion of Jesus in the final scene having the audience, which often cheered songs at their conclusion, in awed silence.

Chris Bathgate’s Jesus, clad in white work shirt and trousers, brought out the man’s recognition of the need to act calmly, though raging vigorously against the pedlars who used a church to sell their goods on what should be a holy day. His delivery of Gethsemane, in which he expressed his concern at the fate awaiting him, was poignant.

Marty Worrall likewise vigorously brought out the fervent belief of Judas in the early Heaven on Their Minds that the preachings of Jesus could lead to even more repression of the people, and his subsequent Damned for All Time, sung when he betrayed Jesus, strikingly revealed his concern that he was not doing the right thing.

Alicia Paterson’s Mary Magdalene delivered a beautiful I Don’t Know How To Love Him while reflecting on her feelings for Christ after he helped her to escape social stigma.

Ken Longworth Avenue Q

By Robert Lopez, Jeff Mark and Jeff Whitty. Directed by Stephen Wheat. Trifle Theatre Company. Chapel off Chapel.

Mar 25 - Apr 19.

UNLIKELY Broadway triple-crown winner Avenue Q is an adult spoof on Sesame Street, played with puppets. But that’s where the similarity ends.

Jordan Pollard is brilliant as Princeton and Rod. He handles the witty songs with the same ease and conviction as he handles the puppets. Sarah Golding is Kate, as well as the sultry vamp Lucy. The puppets seem like an extension of herself, so perfectly in synch is she. Andy McDougall

designed a whole new set of puppets and worked with the cast on their puppetry skills, but he’s also a fine performer who brings an “Ernie” like quality to Nicky and a gruff charm to Trekkie Monster. These three leads exude talent, energy and camaraderie.

Zuleika Khan is always amazing with that extraordinary powerhouse voice, Michael Linder is the perfect daggy Brian but he also sings and dances up a storm. Leah Lim, as Christmas Eve, is very funny and far removed from her equally great performance as Connie Wong in A Chorus Line.

Ensemble members Kathleen Amarant, Brett Fisher, Imogen Moore and Jeff van de Zandt all have individual moments to shine and Wheat’s direction for the cast is terrific; masking their faces with one puppet whilst voicing another works to perfection.

With great lighting by Jason Bovaird and Michael Ralph’s fabulous choreography, there simply isn’t a weakness anywhere in the production.

Coral Drouyn Spring Awakening Book and lyrics by Steven Sater, music by Duncan Sheik, original play by Franz Wedekind. Fresh Bred. Directed by Craig Griffen, Musical Direction by Joshua James Webb.

Dolphin Theatre, University of W.A. Apr 10 - 18.

SPRING Awakening was a spectacularly sung production, performed with excellent energy by a unified young cast.

Performances were strong throughout. Finn Alexander was a very engaging Melchior, giving a well-rounded portrayal. Cal Silberstein was a likeable and sympathetic Moritz and Madeline Crofts created a sensitive, beautifully vocalised Wendla.

Avenue Q. L-R: Leah Lim, Michael Lindner, Zuleika Khan, Sarah Golding and Jeff van de Zandt. Photo: Mike Snow.

Longer versions of many reviews can now be found at www.stagewhispers.com.au

Stage Whispers 89

Saturday Night Fever.

Kimberley Harris shone as mysterious Ilse, Naomi Denny gave depth to Martha, Sven Ironside and Andrew Longo worked well together as Hanchen and Ernst and Daniel Kirkby brought humour to Georg.

Michael MacCuish and Natalie Burbage convincingly created a myriad of different adult characters and solid support came from Pete Martis, Shanice Palfrey and Olivia Everett.

Some unusual directorial choices from director Craig Griffen, whose choreography was clever and well-executed.

Craig also designed the forest set, which allowed glimpses of the band behind and his costume design helped evoke the era.

The seven-piece band under the baton of Joshua James Webb, played very well, but sound balance wasn’t always spot on.

A well-produced, really likeable show.

Kimberley Shaw

As the troubled 19 year-old teen Tony, 19 year-old Adam Goodall turns in a solid and likeable performance. It’s a mammoth role which the talent he showed in last year’s Hairspray for PRIMA is put to the test, and he comes through it both musically and dramatically with flying colours.

As Tony’s dance-floor partner Stephanie Mangano, Michelle ‘Rebel’ Murenec has a sultry Latin look, an appropriate fiery temper, and dances with flair.

Simon Chamberlain was a strong and convincing Bobby C and sang “Tragedy” with passion, while Rebel Lyons had the acting Bugalugs Bum chops Thief. to do justice to Annette but was a bit pitchy on her vocals. Others to impress were Patricia Dearness as the mother, Stephen Snape as Frank Jnr, the son who leaves the priesthood, and Doug Harper as the paint store owner Fosco.

Bruce Noy’s scaffolding set was extremely effective, especially the elevated walkway which doubled as the bridge, with terrific video FX by Hoy, Clay English and Saturday Night Fever Andrew Haden.

Music & Lyrics: The Bee Gees (Robin Gibb, Maurice Gibb, Camilla Niebling and Debbie Burleigh’s costumes Barry Gibb). Book: Robert Stigwood assisted by Bill Oaks. plundered the 70s wardrobe with lots of hip-hugging flares New Version arranged and edited by Ryan McBride. and platform shoes.

Director: Madeleine Johns. Redcliffe Musical Theatre & Our Sherree Drummond on keyboard kept tight control of Village Production. Redcliffe Cultural Centre, Redcliffe, Qld. the 10-piece group while Brodie Jones and William Mar 19-29.

Motunuu’s choreography created multiple variations on THE rights to stage the first amateur production in the disco moves that lovingly saluted the period. world of Saturday Night Fever went to Redcliffe Musical Peter Pinne Theatre, and what better place to premiere it than in the Brisbane suburb where the Bee Gees grew up.

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Beauty and the Beast Director: Jason Ward Kennedy. Musical Director: Mark Beilby. Choreographer: Jo Badenhorst. Savoyards. Iona Performing Arts Centre, Wynham, Qld. Mar 14 - 28.

BEAUTY and the Beast is a modern musical theatre classic. Alan Menken’s score pushes all the right buttons and this Savoyards production ticks all the right boxes and even manages to squeeze a few tears out of the audience at the finale.

Kate Milward’s performance as Belle was a joy. From her opening number “Belle” she captivated the audience with her clear and powerful vocals and feisty portrayal of the role, and brought warmth and tenderness to “Home”.

Patrick Oxley was a ferocious and ultimately poignant Beast and sang the heart out of his first act finale “If I Can’t Love Her”.

Glen Shafer was narcissistic fun as Gaston, capturing every laugh in “Me” and “Gaston”.

All of the inanimate characters were well-cast, with Jessica Ham a piquant and saucy Babette, Larcus Bakvis a funny Lumiere, and Savoyards old-stager Warren James a perfect Cogsworth. His was the most delightful performance of the night. Louise Kennedy’s Mrs Potts was lovable, as was the equally adorable Andrew Beckitt as Chip, but it was Kennedy’s polished singing of the title tune that sent a ripple of emotion through the audience.

Mark Beilby’s orchestra played particularly well, while director Jason Ward Kennedy deserves kudos for the overall strength of the performances.

Peter Pinne Tommy

By Pete Townsend and The Who. Adelaide Festival of Arts.

Her Majesty’s Theatre, Adelaide. Feb 26 - Mar 1.

LEAVE all your memories of the 1969 film of Tommy at the door, because it has been given an overhaul. If you are one for tradition then you may gasp at Eric Mingus’s interpretation of this classic score.

Tommy is the brain-child of Pete Townshend and The Who. Born out of his desire to expand on the 3 minute pop song, Tommy tells the story of a deaf, dumb and blind boy and his life journey from abuse to ultimately becoming a hero and being dubbed the pinball wizard. Through music we are transported into Tommy’s world; a world that is full of pain, deception and self-discovery.

Mingus strolls on stage to reveal his reasons for taking on Tommy and then resumes his role as the Narrator.

Tommy (Yael Stone) stands upstage and you soon realise she is being portrayed by a girl. Tommy’s mother (Camille O’Sullivan) is powerful, with a raspy voice and obvious stage presence, she makes the songs her own, but there is no chemistry with the father and at times you feel like they are just going through the motions. There did not seem to be any choreography to speak of as actors roamed aimlessly around the stage.

Taking on a score that is so well known can leave you open to criticism. Wonderful lighting design and talent just could not save this for me.

Kerry Cooper

PERFORMING ARTS MAGAZINE MAY/JUNE 2015. VOLUME 24, NUMBER 3 ABN 71 129 358 710 ISSN 1321 5965

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LIMITED BACK COPIES AVAILABLE ADVERTISERS We accept no responsibility for material submitted that does not comply with the Trade Practices Act. CAST & CREW Editor: Neil Litchfield 0438 938 064 Sub-editor: David Spicer Advertising: Angela Thompson 03 9758 4522 Digital production: Phillip Tyson 0414 781 008 Contributors: Merlene Abbott, Brian Adamson, Sally AlrichSmythe, Joel Beskin, Cathy Bannister, Michael Brindley, Stephen Carnell, Rose Cooper, Kerry Cooper, Ken Cotterill, Coral Drouyn, Whitney Fitzsimmons, Graham Ford, Peter Gotting, Frank Hatherley, John P. Harvey, Shirley Jensen, Neil Litchfield, Ken Longworth, Rachel McGrath-Kerr, Roger McKenzie, Laney McLean, Benjamin Orchard, Alex Paige, Peter Pinne, Martin Portus, Lesley Reed, Suzanne Sandow, Kimberley Shaw, David Spicer, Emma Squires, Anthony Vawser, Carol Wimmer, Steve Wimmer and Maryann Wright.

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Stage Whispers 91

Musical Spice

The cast made a triumphant entrance and danced on a raised stage until the early hours.

A Sydney reviewer, who later panned the production, was spotted tucking in. The thought crossed my mind that if you didn’t like the show maybe it is a breach of etiquette to attend the celebrations.

Another producer who still knows how to throw a good party afterwards is Sir Cameron Mackintosh. Opening nighters for Les Misérables in Sydney were led down George Street to a lavish reception in the Sydney Town Hall. The room was lit and set to the theme of French Revolution, including a mock barricade on the stage.

Sir Cameron was so pleased at getting his show onto the front cover OK, this story might make some of backstage, seeing the amazing set of Stage Whispers that he also agreed you reach for the sick bags, but I do from behind the scenes before entering to pose for a photo with me. have to report that for opening night the party.

We hope that this bit of extra ‘luvvies’, while the party is not exactly For Wicked’s second time round in publicity might encourage Sir Cameron over, it is becoming a little rarer.

Sydney a drink was offered on arrival. to keep the tap going whenever he is By that I mean the number and We have fond memories of Mr in Australia. quality of opening night parties after Frost’s sumptuous banquet in the foyer Sadly I must report that some big musical productions is on the of the Sydney Opera House after the shows with lavish after show parties decline. You might say, have struggled at the box shouldn’t these lucky office. New Theatricals individuals given had a similarly grand hundreds of dollars Sydney Town Hall worth of free tickets be celebration after The grateful enough, Addams Family but the without expecting to be show still ran out of fed, watered and steam. entertained afterwards?

Mr Frost’s opening night That appears to be treats are moving in the conclusion of our different directions. All leading theatre producer members of the audience John Frost, who has for the opening of The downsized or paused Rocky Horror Show in after show parties. He Sydney were gifted a red Cameron Mackintosh and David Spicer seems to have concluded feather boa. Instead of at the Les Misérables after party. (with some justification) greasy dim sims and that investors in musicals do not get opening of South Pacific. Trim Islander chicken kebabs we had a cute souvenir much of a return from the $100,000+ dancers in their skirts danced and to take home. And many people took (ouch) it costs to put on a big splashy twirled for our edification. photos of themselves in the red feather celebration. They need to generate a For those with party withdrawal boas to share amongst their Facebook buzz or extra publicity to earn their symptoms, there is relief from other friends. keep. producers. Baz Luhrmann, you will not That might just be more useful in Who could forget the stunning be surprised to learn, insisted on a selling tickets. And I noticed that the after show party John Frost organised grand celebration after the World same reviewer, who didn’t like The when Wicked opened for the first time Premiere of Strictly Ballroom The Rocky Horror Show any more than in Australia. Members of the audience, Musical.

Strictly Ballroom, left the feathers with the green wrist bands, had to John Paul Young sang ‘Love Is In behind. leave the theatre and line up to walk The Air’. The room was filled with back into the theatre through the plentiful supplies of food and drink.

David Spicer

Party Poopers

92 Stage Whispers May - June 2015

MUSICAL AND DRAMA CATALOGUE 2015 Order your free copy now www.davidspicer.com.au david@davidspicer.com Phone: (02) 9371 8458

Hacienda Del Toro

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Mr Bennet’s Bride