MUSICAL THEATRE
Book & Lyrics by Tom Gleisner, Music by Katie Weston
By Melbourne Theatre Company
At Playhouse, Arts Centre Melbourne until 19 August 2023
Reviewer: Kate Herbert
Stars: ***
This review is published only on this blog. I’ll present a radio review on Arts Weekly on 3MBS on Sat 5 Aug 2023. KH
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| MTC Bloom-Cast- photo Pia Johnson |
Bloom, a new musical with book and lyrics by Tom Gleisner and music by Katie Weston, certainly had the audience in the stalls on opening night laughing and whooping at the jokes and characters.
Like some other musicals, this show explores more serious issues through the lens of comedy, in this instance, the aged care system – or rather, the lack of care system. Bloom touches upon the plight of our aged population and the crisis in aged care, the lack of qualified staff, financial cost cutting, capital being more important than people and the communication gap between the young and the old.
The musical, directed by Dean Bryant, is set in an aged care home run by Mrs MacIntyre (Anne Edmonds), a belligerent, bossy, uncaring, budget-driven manager who employs a minimal staff that includes two beleaguered, female aged care workers, Gloria (Christina O’Neill) and Ruby (Vidya Makan), and a young, totally unequipped male student/volunteer, Finn (Slone Sudiro), who rocks up to swap bed and board for some “light duties”.
The motley crew of elderly residents all have different ailments, histories, skills and regrets, but have in common the fact that they are neglected and poorly served by the care home. The design (Dann Barber) of hospital-green tiles and walls creates a credible, claustrophobic interior world that becomes a prison for these residents who just want to feel the sun, see a tree and experience the outside world.
The intergenerational cast boasts some fine, experienced older actors and musical theatre performers, including Evelyn Krape playing the fiercely independent Rose, who is critical, provocative, resistant to authority and quickly becomes chief troublemaker.
Frankie J. Holden is Doug the tradie, Jackie Rees plays Lesley, Doug’s arty love interest, Maria Mercedes is Betty, the sneaky, mobility scooter-riding petty thief, John O’May is Roland, a histrionic, former stage actor, and the sadly over-medicated and mute Sal is played by Eddie Muliaumaseali’I whose operatic bass voice we hear only briefly, unfortunately. Why not have Sal sing when he cannot speak, as is the case with many dementia victims?
Two performances stand out because of their musical theatre abilities and credentials: Makan, who played Catherine Parr in the hit musical, SIX, has a powerful voice and stage presence, while O‘Neill, who has featured in musicals including Sondheim’s Into The Woods, has an extraordinary voice, despite being given very little to feature her exceptional singing until the very end.
As Mrs MacIntyre, comedian Edmonds pushes the broad comedy and caricature – sometimes too far – but her flimsy dialogue gives her little scope to explore layers to her character.
The songs by Katie Weston with lyrics by Gleisner, are generally perky and playful with some funny lyrics, and several incorporate successful harmonies and chorus work that build to soaring endings. However, the music and lyrics are derivative, and this is not sufficient to make it a good musical.
New Australian musicals! I want to love ’em, but we are too frequently disappointed in one or more parts of the whole. Bloom is such a creature. Despite having several successful components, it needs more work for it to reach its full potential. It feels bumpy, jerking along with a weak structure that lacks effective dramatic action, dramatic tension and surprises. It could focus on a couple of characters instead of applying broad brushstrokes to many. Gleisner has attempted to do this by creating a love match between Ruby and Finn, but this is not strong enough glue to hold the story together and these characters are not sufficiently compelling.
Bloom has a viable premise, but the problem with the book is that it is simplistic and, like a sitcom, could be performed in a much shorter time. It does not challenge the issues at the heart of the aged care home in a way that might surprise and delight us. There is so much material to be mined, but important issues are touched upon, but not explored in depth.
The style is comic, but it leaps around from sitcom to social satire but leaves the characters stuck in two-dimensional caricature, with only the occasional depth in some of the more heartfelt songs or moments of interaction between pairs. The writing relies on some uninspired and sometimes downright offensive versions of older characters, and the manager is a one-note harridan. Bloom tries to present a few details on every character and in doing so does not create a coherent narrative through line or spine for the musical. The dialogue skates across the surface of the issues, leaving it trite and filled with quips, gags and snipes.
If this piece took a more realistic approach to the scenario, location, characters and their interactions, if it dealt more effectively with the issues that underlie the problems in aged care, then the comedy could arise out of those details, relationships and characters would be more convincing, and there would also be more pathos and more opportunity for connecting with the characters. However, we feel little for these people most of the time because they are presented in such a superficial way.
But, again, segments of the opening night audience whooped it up throughout the show!
by Kate Herbert
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| MTC Bloom-Eveln Krape, Sloan Sudiro_photo Pia Johnson |
Mrs
MacIntyre Anne
Edmonds
Doug Frankie J. Holden
Rose Evelyn Krape
Ruby Vidya Makan
Betty / Chef Maria Mercedes
Sal / Inspector / News Reporter / Trev Eddie Muliaumaseali’i
Roland John O’May
Gloria Christina O’Neill
Lesley Jackie Rees
Finn Slone Sudiro
CREATIVE TEAM
Director
Dean
Bryant
Music Director / Arranger / Orchestrator Zara Stanton
Choreographer Andrew Hallsworth
Set Designer Dann Barber
Costume Designer Charlotte Lane
Lighting Designer Amelia Lever-Davidson
Sound Designer Nick Walker
Assistant Director Tasnim Hossain
Production Dramaturg Dean Bryant
Dramaturg Matt Edgerton
Dramaturg Jennifer Medway
Voice & Text Coach Matt Furlani
Voice of News Anchor Peter Hitchener
Voice in Pine Grove Advertisement Denis Walter
Singer in Pine Grove Advertisement Katie Weston
Original Arrangements by Katie Weston and Ned Wright Smith.
Premiere Production Arrangements by Zara Stanton.
MUSICAL NUMBERS
Nowhere
Else To Go…Finn,
Rose
Chasing The Clock…Ruby, Gloria, Residents
I Just Need A Break…Finn
Maybe It’s Time…Rose, Ruby
Sunny Days…Betty, Doug, Lesley, Rose
The Best Is Yet To Be…Ruby
Everything I Do…Mrs MacIntyre, Staff, Residents
People Like You…Ruby, Finn
The Story Of My Life…Residents
Here At Pine Grove…Mrs MacIntyre, Staff, Residents
Salvatore’s Song…Residents, Staff
Choir Rehearsal…Residents, Staff
All This Wasted Time…Finn, Doug, Ruby, Lesley
Being There With You…Gloria, Ruby, Finn, Residents
Grow A Little Older…Residents, Staff
CAST
Mrs
MacIntyre Anne
Edmonds
Doug Frankie J. Holden
Rose Evelyn Krape
Ruby Vidya Makan
Betty / Chef Maria Mercedes
Sal / Inspector / News Reporter / Trev Eddie Muliaumaseali’i
Roland John O’May
Gloria Christina O’Neill
Lesley Jackie Rees
Finn Slone Sudiro
CREATIVE TEAM
Director
Dean
Bryant
Music Director / Arranger / Orchestrator Zara Stanton
Choreographer Andrew Hallsworth
Set Designer Dann Barber
Costume Designer Charlotte Lane
Lighting Designer Amelia Lever-Davidson
Sound Designer Nick Walker
Assistant Director Tasnim Hossain
Production Dramaturg Dean Bryant
Dramaturg Matt Edgerton
Dramaturg Jennifer Medway
Voice & Text Coach Matt Furlani
Voice of News Anchor Peter Hitchener
Voice in Pine Grove Advertisement Denis Walter
Singer in Pine Grove Advertisement Katie Weston
Original Arrangements by Katie Weston and Ned Wright Smith.
Premiere Production Arrangements by Zara Stanton.
MUSICAL NUMBERS
Nowhere
Else To Go…Finn,
Rose
Chasing The Clock…Ruby, Gloria, Residents
I Just Need A Break…Finn
Maybe It’s Time…Rose, Ruby
Sunny Days…Betty, Doug, Lesley, Rose
The Best Is Yet To Be…Ruby
Everything I Do…Mrs MacIntyre, Staff, Residents
People Like You…Ruby, Finn
The Story Of My Life…Residents
Here At Pine Grove…Mrs MacIntyre, Staff, Residents
Salvatore’s Song…Residents, Staff
Choir Rehearsal…Residents, Staff
All This Wasted Time…Finn, Doug, Ruby, Lesley
Being There With You…Gloria, Ruby, Finn, Residents
Grow A Little Older…Residents, Staff
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