MUSICAL THEATRE
Book, Music & Lyrics by Will Hannagan & Belinda Jenkin, by Vic Theatre Company
fortyfivedownstairs, until Dec 11, 2016
Reviewer: Kate Herbert
Stars: **1/2
Book, Music & Lyrics by Will Hannagan & Belinda Jenkin, by Vic Theatre Company
fortyfivedownstairs, until Dec 11, 2016
Reviewer: Kate Herbert
Stars: **1/2
Review also published in Herald Sun Arts online on Thurs Dec 1, 2016 & later in print. KH
Shannen Alyce Quan, Hannah Sullivan McInerney, Joel Granger, Daniel Cosgrove, Daniel Assetta, Olivia Charalambous -Photo, James Terry
We need
and want to see and support new Australian musicals and The Gathering, by Will
Hannagan and Belinda Jenkin, has some commendable musical composition, although
the book and lyrics are far less successful.
New
musicals that are produced on the professional stage must necessarily be
compared with more mature musical works, which means that they do not always
receive glowing reviews, even when we wish them well in their development.
Hannagan
and Jenkin’s music has charm and variety and is certainly the strongest element
in the show, and the assured, five-piece band under musical director, Daniel
Puckey, plays the score with freshness and energy.
The tunes range in style from solo ballads such as Sweet December
Feelings, to rousing five-part harmonies
like Between
These Walls and A Different Kind of Love, and perky, musical theatre-style choruses such as You Didn’t
Prepare Us For This or Never Ever.
After his
unexplained, five-year absence, Tom (Joel Granger), a nervous young man in his
early twenties, invites his old, school friends and his foster-sister, Kelly (Shannen
Alyce Quan), to a party – the titular gathering – in the spooky, crumbling,
outer suburban house that he wants them all to come and share with him.
Old
conflicts and resentments surface between the friends and are complicated when the
creaking and cracking of the old house suggests that it may be haunted by the
previous inhabitant.
The
narrative is unnecessarily complicated and not very engaging, while the
dialogue is predictable, the characters are two-dimensional, juvenile and not
very likable, and the relationships are under-developed.
The songs
attempt to illuminate the inner life of the characters and advance the story,
but the lyrics are corny, and the rhymes are laboured and sometimes excruciating.
The cast
of six is strongest when singing, and Chris Parker keeps his direction simple,
focussing on the tunes and harmonies that are the most effective component of
the production.
Quan’s
voice has a clear, bright tone in the nostalgic Sweet December Feelings, and
she plays Kelly with abrasiveness mixed with vulnerability, while Granger
captures Tom’s neediness and anxiety when singing Part of the Gang and Whispers
in These Walls.
Hannah
Sullivan McInerney play Daisy, the hippy, and has vocal strength singing the
poignant Hair So Long, while Daniel Cosgrove is her blokey and aggrieved
ex-boyfriend, Joe.
Daniel Assetta injects playfulness and energy as Luke,
Kelly’s party-boy pal, while Olivia Charalambous provides comic relief as
clumsy Mia, who admits her crush on Tom in their duet, If Ever I
Would Run.
Although many
of the songs have successful tunes and harmonies, The Gathering needs further
development or a complete rewrite of the story, dialogue, lyrics and characters.
By
Kate Herbert
Cast
Joel Granger -Tom
Olivia Charalambous -Mia
Daniel Cosgrove -Joe
Hannah Sullivan McInerney - Daisy
Shannen Alyce Quan - Kelly
Daniel Assetta - Luke
Cast
Joel Granger -Tom
Olivia Charalambous -Mia
Daniel Cosgrove -Joe
Hannah Sullivan McInerney - Daisy
Shannen Alyce Quan - Kelly
Daniel Assetta - Luke
Songs
Between These
Walls
Sweet December
Feelings
Part of the
Gang
Haunted
I Won’t Break
Never Ever
Whisper in
these Walls
You Didn’t
Prepare Us For This
Hair So Long
I Miss Us
If Ever I Would
Run
A Different
Kind of Love
One World
