The Arch, Holden Street Theatres. 10 Feb 2016
Two women live strangely parallel lives 175 years apart.
It is a brave comparison by playwright Henry Naylor of a British woman of the colonial Fishing Fleet, one of those who have sailed to the east in search of a husband, alongside the modern British Muslim woman who has flown to Afghanistan as a soldier bride.
The Victorian woman is in crisp white crinolines; the modern jihadi is in black chador and hijab.
Black and white and past and present converge very neatly as this exquisitely-written work develops.
Dark complexioned and fair, both women are very modestly attired. Both seek and find war-waging husbands. Both are shocked by the reality of those men and the conflicts to which they are committed.
Both are victims of a patriarchal society and both have cause to wonder that from the tiny seeds of males they can produce males and be destroyed by males.
So it goes, the ultimate equaliser against the sands of time and culture.
Naylor's script is utterly elegant both in his turns of phrase and the sophistication of his thoughts.
He writes of women "sharpening each other’s indignation", the "sieve of static" on the long-distance phone, the "grunting and truffling in the marital bedroom"...
The young English actresses Felicity Houlbrook and Filipa Braganca are absolutely up to the mark in delivering the language, both with beautifully modulated voices and exquisite enunciation. They work side-by-side on the stage, their streams of dialogue intersecting as their stories are explored. Each compels with a gamut of emotions.
Theirs are wonderful performances of a wonderful play.
It is enlightening, frank, balanced, and terrifyingly relevant. It is a five-star must-see of Fringe 2016.
Samela Harris
When: 11 Feb to 13 Mar
Where: The Arch, Holden Street Theatres
Bookings: adelaidefringe.com.au
Zest Theatre Group. Victor Harbor Town Hall. 30 Jan 2015
The good track record of rounding up new talent and putting on big shows continues for the Fleurieu's Zest Theatre Group.
This production's great strength lies in its ensemble work. Grease, the spirited Jim Jacobs and Warren Casey romantic musical which is set in a tough American high school and became a hit movie with John Travolta and Olivia Newton John, involves a huge cast with lots of song and dance in colourful 50s costumes. Here, through choreographer Sally Grooby's collaborative techniques, a mass of young people, some with little or no stage experience, make up big numbers with the panache and perfect timing of pros. It is a strong foundation for the show.
This incarnation of Grease is produced and directed by South Coast stalwart Terry Mountstephen with co-director Peta Bowey and Dylan Rufus as musical director. Tech guru Greg Rossiter adds the sophisticated sound and lighting. The latter had a few hiccups on opening night but the spirit of the show and the well-rehearsed dedication of the cast overrode everything.
Daniel Maley rightly steals the show as the romantic lead, Danny. Maley is an outstanding song-and-dance performer and experienced enough to umbrella the shyness of schoolgirl novice Shannen Becket who is playing opposite him as Sandy. She might need a few years to be fully-fledged for such a role.
Around them, Zest has assembled a terrific core of performers as the school pack of pals. Good, characterful performances emerge from Jack Doherty as Sonny, Moni Knolder as Patty, Jemmah Sims as Jan, Byron Godwin-Knott as Kenickie, Rhys Mason as Roger, Scott Murton as Doody and Tom Richardson as comical Eugene. Distinguished among the pack are Karma Duffield as Frenchy, Georgia Broadbent as Rizzo and Emily McEvoy as Marty - performers with wonderful stage presence and definitely a future in showbiz.
Montana Cross also livened the stage as Cha Cha and there were solid added appearances by Isobel Pitt, Dan Pitt, Michael Harris and Jodie Marks, albeit she was the only member of the cast struggling with an American accent. Indeed, a big tick is in order for Zest's accent coach, and another big tick for the dancers, Katie Bell, Montana Cross, Kaylee Hirons, and Eloise Morriss who added a slick, professional edge to the show.
This production of Grease makes for a high-spirited, fun night out for anyone enjoying the pleasures of the South Coast.
Samela Harris
When: 5 and 6 Feb
Where: Victor Harbor Town Hall
Bookings: Tickets at the door
B&H Theatre Co. The Bakehouse Theatre. 27 Jan 2016
Bent, manic, mash up, mania perfectly describes Matthew Briggs and Josh Heaysman’s musical The Angel of Death.
What’s in the mix? Gilbert and Sullivan, Cabaret, Faustus, The Pirates of Penzance and the medieval morality play obviously, given it gave the world the grim reaper, as we know it. Hints of Tom Stoppard’s Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead and Jim Carrey’s movie Dumb and Dumber also come to mind. B&H Theatre Co take extreme liberal license with the era of Elizabeth I in which the work is set, by throwing in the black plague alongside the battle of the Spanish Armada, or their alternative version of it.
This over abundance of influences, obvious or inferred, is meant to successfully support a flash comic book style tale of a 16th Century ordinary man, mercilessly assassinated (seemingly for no reason), who is transformed into the Angel of Death by Nicholas Miotti’s dippy-hippy, light-hearted ‘God’ and Sophie Atkinson’s sexy down-and-dirty in tight black dress ‘Devil’. Theodore Girgolas as the reaper, is their plaything, their morality test gone too far with a liking for power and selfish desire to protect his wife and daughter from his assassin.
An overabundance of promise is not the same as a well trimmed, clear structure to the narrative, no matter how over or under abundant that content may be. Not to mention the execution of it onstage as guided by the work’s musical construct, scene to scene, context to context.
While Heaysman and Briggs are capable of coming up with some great lyrics, which neatly tie in with occasional scenes and characters, it’s unfortunate that musically and lyrically overall, The Angel of Death is two toned and flat even despite the icing of competent choreographic sets by Ashlee Skinner.
The duet Sêorita in Act Two is of note however, for its writing and performance by Lindsay Nash as Alonso Perez de Guzman and Carolina Fioravanti as Michelle.
There is so much promise in this work, drowned out by a desire to pump the production with too much, and reaching for a level of execution in performance the cast are not uniformly up for.
B&H Theatre Co want to be creators of new musical works they can license, and clearly have modelled themselves more on Gilbert and Sullivan than Rogers and Hammerstein (on the basis of this production).
The Angel of Death should serve as a learning, in which Heaysman and Briggs should see themselves striving towards their peak, having learned anew from each mishap as they head towards sharper, better work.
David O’Brien
When: 27 to 30 Jan
Where: The Bakehouse Theatre Main Stage
Bookings: trybooking.com
Adelaide Youth Theatre. Arts Theatre. 28 Jan 2016
Adelaide Youth Theatre's reputation for excellence is not exaggerated.
It shines forth in the company's latest production, Disney's The Little Mermaid.
One might be forgiven for thinking The Arts Theatre had just dropped in from Broadway, so slick and confident are the performances, so dazzling are the costumes, so tunefully beautiful is the orchestra.
This is the company created by teachers Kareanna Sarti and Emma Riggs, a company which puts its trust in the talent of its members, some of whom are very young indeed and the oldest are in their 20s.
This production of The Little Mermaid has been in the hands of Thomas Phillips as director, Shenayde Wilkinson-Sarti as choreographer, and Deborah Brennan as musical director. These are up-and-coming talents whose impact with this show belies their youth.
The audition process has flushed out Sophie Guidolin to play the lead of the mermaid, Ariel, with Ben Francis as the handsome prince with whom she falls in love. Guidolin has just the right clear, bright versatile voice and Francis has the voice, poise, and stage presence to carry comfortably the romantic core of the show. The character parts are delivered by wonderfully accomplished young performers: Jerome Javier as Sebastien the crab and Nathan Stafford as Scuttles the Seagull. These two score the added accolade of eliciting special plaudits from the younger audience members when faced with "what did you like best about the show?"
Javier gives splendid strength to the show's most famous song, Under the Sea, while Stafford's song and dance ebullience simply delights every time he is on stage.
Montana Vincent as the skating Flounder deserves mention, too.
Paris Anderson gives good voice to Ursula, the wicked squid of the deep, but it was the behind-the-scenes team of designers and costumiers who brought the house down with a cephalopod costume which, with the help of a team of black-clad puppeteers, filled the stage with a writhing mass of giant tentacles. What a spectacle.
Notable performances abounded with Jaci Gibson and Jess Beattie high on the list, and the six Mersisters up there too. Nice harmonies.
Andrew Crisp stepping in to give his exquisite baritone voice to King Triton and a mass of young singers and dancers in all sorts of stunning fish, jellyfish, and sea creature costumes give their disciplined all to the many big numbers of the show.
In the professional world, this is an economic era of scaled-back musicals so it is rare for audiences to see a full-scale production of any of the big shows, let alone at affordable prices. With a large investment of skill and dedication by a multitude, Adelaide Youth Theatre has found a way with no half measures. The pity of it is that a production of this scale and standard finds its exposure only at the tail end of school holidays.
Samela Harris
When: 28 to 31 Jan
Where: The Arts Theatre
Bookings: Tickets available at the door
Adelaide Festival Theatre. 13 Jan 2015
Like the film before it, Ghost – The Musical will have ‘mass appeal’. The show looks impressive; tells a familiar story; stars a musical theatre icon and a pop heartthrob; and will engage cinematic audiences.
The musical itself, however, has relatively lacklustre ensemble numbers and a disappointing score devoid of any real substance to drive the story. So, one finds oneself in a quandary; is it actually any good? Much of the audience appears to enjoy it a great deal - despite applause being relatively thin throughout. The feedback is mixed.
One is certainly entertained; but simultaneously disappointed at a missed opportunity.
When lovers Sam Wheat and Molly Jensen are separated by a twist of fate, Molly is left on her own while Sam’s spirit is trapped between earth and the afterlife until he resolves the circumstances of his own demise, and saves Molly from further harm.
Jemma Rix delivers a powerhouse performance in voice as Molly, yet seems hampered emotionally by the limited depth of the script. Her performance is excellent, but it is fair to say that both of the lead characters are a bit emotionally vapid by comparison to the on-screen originals. Rob Mills’ Sam is initially a tad too cocky but settles down to what can only be described as his best performance yet. Mills and Rix do have a great connection. They are even believably ‘in love’. But their character’s relationship is underexplored and too quickly established. The ensuing separation subsequently feels emotionally bland and a bit forced.
The performance belongs to Wendy Mae Brown as the charlatan spiritualist Oda Mae Brown, made famous by Whoopi Goldberg in the original. Brown nuances through frustration, fear, excitement, love and laughter with ease and develops the most well-rounded character in the production – hers is easily the best written too. Alex Rathgeber’s baddie, Carl Bruner, is slimy enough to be believed, but has just about the worst songs in the show despite being a very talented singer. David Denis is worthy of mention for his Subway Ghost, a character pivotal to some of the most technically impressive scenes in the overall production.
The 7 piece orchestra under musical direction of Dave Skelton is just right, and the balance struck between sound effects and live orchestration delivers a truly cinematic experience.
The show is visually spectacular to watch, and worthy of ones attention for just that reason. It is not an album you’ll rush out to buy, nor a particularly memorable show. The film’s notoriety will long outlive its spin-off musical companion. Perhaps off its back, a new generation will discover and fall in love with the original, like so many before; and that can’t be a bad thing.
Paul Rodda
When: 7 to 31 Jan
Where: Festival Theatre
Bookings: bass.net.au