Click here: to listen: KATE HERBERT Arts Weekly3MBS-Sat7 Dec 2024
In this, my final radio review spot on 3MBS Arts Weekly for 2024, I talk with Phillipa Edwards and Nick Tolhurst about Mathew Warchus’s production of A Christmas Carol with Erik Thompson as Scrooge.
Then, I talk about highlights of 2024 theatre, upcoming summer shows and ways to view theatre online via ATL and National Theatre at Home.
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| 2024 A Christmas Carol_Erik Thomson, Alison Whyte_c EugeneHyland |
CAST
Ebenezer Scrooge – Erik Thomson
Felix Str -Young Ebenezer (also cello)
Tim Wright - Bob Cratchit
Anthony Cogin - Father / Marley
Kaya Byrne - Fred
Stephanie Lambourn - Mrs Cratchit (Mandolin)
Alison Whyte - Ghost of Christmas Past
Samantha Morley - Ghost of Christmas Present
Aisha Aidara - Little Fan
Sarah Morrison - Belle
Grant Piro - Fezziwig
Cameron Taylor - Nicholas
Benjamin Colley -George (Accordion/tin whistle)
Kaori Maeda-Judge – Jess
Tiny Tim - On opening night Tiny Tim played by Mira Friedman, and other nights, by Wynton Inman, Noah Sherburn, Libby Sega.
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| 2024 A Christmas Carol_Samantha Morley, Erik Thomson_c EugeneHyland |
CREATIVE TEAM
Jack Thorne - Adaptation
Matthew Warchus - Director
Rob Howell - Set & Costume
Christopher Nightingale - Composer & Arranger
Peter Rutherford - Australian Musical Director
Hugh Vanstone - Lighting
Simon Baker - Sound
Lizzi Gee – Movement
Simon Baker – Sound
Campbell Young Assoc- Hair, wigs, make-up
BAND
Natasha Fearnside – Reed
Lisa Reynolds – Violin
Lauren Jennings – Cello
THEATRE (2023 production
A version by Jack Thorne, conceived by Matthew Warchus from Charles Dickens novel
An Old Vic production
At Comedy Theatre Melbourne until 7 Jan 2023
Reviewer: Kate Herbert
Stars: ***** (5)
I reviewed the 2024 production on Arts Weekly on Sat 7 Dec 2024. See next post.
I'll post a 2024 review of Erik Thompson as Scrooge soon. KH
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| A CHRISTMAS CAROL 2023_c Jeff Busby |
The pre-show musical entertainment includes actors dispensing mince pies and mandarins to audience members who wave furiously at actors to get their hands on the Chrissy nosh.
Thorne’s version of Dickens’ story extracts crucial moments, takes licence with some dialogue, and omits some characters and scenes because, let’s face it, Dickens’ book would take many hours to perform in full.
The centre of this morality tale is Ebenezer Scrooge, played by virtuoso UK actor, Owen Teale, who manages to take Scrooge from ferocious to vulnerable by the end of the show. Scrooge is a miserly old moneylender who thinks Christmas is ‘humbug’ (He says the word only once in this show.) and who underpays and makes unreasonable demands on his dutiful, hard-working office clerk, Bob Cratchit (Bernard Curry) who lives in poverty with his wife and many children including Tiny Tim (played adorably by Mira Feldman on opening night). Scrooge reviles the carol singers at his door and dismisses his genial nephew, Fred (Andrew Coshan). He suspects everyone wants to steal his money.
Teale’s performance is rich, nuanced and passionate but feels effortless and natural, as if he isn’t acting at all, while his warm, honey-toned voice soothes and charms, even when Scrooge is being mightily mean. Teale’s transformation from this stone-hearted old grump into joyful, bouncing, childlike benefactor is swift but credible, and his 180-degree change triggers the truly joyous Christmas celebration and feast that follows at the Cratchit’s home.
The supporting cast is outstanding with Debra Lawrance as the wry, pert, elderly Christmas Past, and Samantha Morley as the critical, chivvying Christmas Present. The entire cast takes the role of Christmas Future – a group of black-clad veiled ghostly figures – while Scrooge’s late sister, Little Fann (Aisha Aidara) takes Scrooge to view his own, desperately lonely funeral at which he learns his lesson of love and kinship.
Anthony Harkin is compelling as Jacob Marley and his warm, velvety baritone is welcome in the final song, Grant Piro’s Fezziwig is playful and naïve, while Sarah Morrison is warm and composed as Belle, Scrooge’s past love.
We marvel like children at Rob Howell’s gloriously atmospheric set design of tumbled lanterns and drop lights, falling snow, Scrooge’s money boxes and secret compartments in the stage floor, and Hugh Vanstone‘a evocative, often spooky, sometimes festive lighting. The music, composed by Christopher Nightingale, is an imaginative collision of Christmas carols, a capella harmonies, inspired bell ringing and haunting soundscape, played by a live band perched in a balcony box and musicians who are on stage.
A Christmas Carol, with its dancing, singing, snacks, tears and laughter, is a delicious Christmas tonic that reminds us of those who struggle to make ends meet. In London and here, money is collected and donated by the show to charities for the poor. Teale speaks with warmth about donations to FairShare and there are collection boxes at the doors.
by Kate Herbert
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| Owen Teale & cast CHRISTMAS CAROL 2023_c Jeff Busby |
Ebenezer Scrooge - Owen Teale
Cameron Bajraktarevic-Hayward -Young Ebenezer (also cello/double bass)
Bernard Curry - Bob Cratchit
Anthony Harkin - Father / Marley
Andrew Coshan - Fred
Stephanie Lambourn - Mrs Cratchit (Mandolin)
Debra Lawrance - Ghost of Christmas Past
Samantha Morley - Ghost of Christmas Present
Aisha Aidara - Little Fan
Sarah Morrison - Belle
Grant Piro - Fezzwig
Kaya Byrne - Nicholas
Benjamin Colley -George (Accordion/tin whistle)
Deirdre Khoo – Jess
Tiny Tim - On opening night Tiny Tim played by Mira Friedman; Alexis Abela, Sasha Hampson, Evie Rose Hennessy, Libby Segal
CREATIVE TEAM
Jack Thorne - Adaptation
Matthew Warchus - Director
Rob Howell - Set & Costume
Christopher Nightingale - Composer & Arranger
Peter Rutherford - Australian Musical Director
Hugh Vanstone -Lighting
Simon Baker - Sound
Lizzi Gee – Movement
Simon Baker – Sound
Campbell Young Assoc- Hair, wigs, make-up
BAND
Natasha Fearnside – Reed
Lisa Reynolds – Violin
Kalina Krusteva – Cello
Zaffé Runs Tue 26 – Sat 30 Nov 2024 at Arts House North Melbourne
Tue – Sat, 8.30pm
THEATRE
Conceived & directed by Stéphanie Ghajar
Melbourne Fringe Festival
At The Tower, Malthouse, until 15 Oct 2023
Reviewer: Kate Herbert
Stars: *** (3)
This review is published only on this blog. I’ll present a radio review on Arts Weekly on 3MBS on Sat 14 Oct 2023. KH
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Conceived and directed by Stéphanie Ghajar, Zaffé invites the audience to participate as guests in what appears to be a wedding celebration that takes place is an abandoned building in Beirut, but the wedding table remains unoccupied throughout – an ominous detail.
During this immersive theatre work, the audience is seated at tables decorated with flowers and place cards bearing secret messages, visited by cast members for a one-on-one chat, served with pomegranate and soda beverages and entertained with traditional and modern music by the musicians and singers.
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| image supplied |
As the 80-minute show progresses, we meet other performers from the Middle East via long-distance video calls, one of whom teaches us to make tabouli and the other who demands we all stand up while he teaches us to belly dance. The party has now started in earnest; there is dancing, games and stories ,both joyful and tragic, about life in war torn countries and life lived in this new country without loved ones who remain in those countries.
Zaffé is an experience like those much earlier Community Theatre performances that celebrated immigrant communities; I’m thinking of Emma: A Celebrazione, everything created by Brunswick Women’s Theatre, and multi-lingual company, Sidetrack, in Sydney in the ‘80s. And for immersive, participatory theatre, you can’t go past Jack Hibberd’s Dimboola that did it decades ago.
The intimacy and authenticity of these performers telling their personal stories and the joyous dancing, ululation and partying makes Zaffé a special and memorable event.
by Kate Herbert
Conceived and directed by Stéphanie Ghajar
Produced by Lara Week and Stéphanie Ghajar
Created by Taj Aldeeb, Jean Bachoura, Rawya El Chab, Camille El Feghali, Stéphanie Ghajar, Ayman Kaake, Julia Landberg, Hadi Moussally, Meena Shamaly, Mia Shouha, and Lara Week
Scenic design by Ayman Kaake and Lara Week
Lighting design by Giovanna Yate Gonzalez
Stage managed by Julia Landberg
In this radio spot on Arts Weekly, on 3MBS, on Saturday 16 Nov 2024, I talk with Phillipa Edwards and Nick Tolhurst about the musical, Sister Act, Peter and the Starcatcher and My Brilliant Career at MTC.
Book by Dean Bryant & Sheridan Harbridge, music by Mathew Frank, lyrics by Dean Bryant
Adapted from the novel by Miles Franklin
By: Melbourne Theatre Company
At Southbank Theatre, The Sumner, until 18 Dec 2024
Reviewer: Kate Herbert
Stars: ***1/2
This review is published only on this blog. I’ll present a radio review on Arts Weekly on 3MBS on Sat 16 Nov.2024. KH
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| 6 Kala Gare, My Brilliant Career. Photo by Pia Johnson |
This exuberant production, energetically directed by Anne-Louise Sarks, has many vibrant and engaging moments, several bold and compelling songs, and strong and compelling performances from the entire cast of multi-skilled artists.
The narrative, like the novel, focuses on Sybylla Melvyn, a restless, young girl who aspires to be a writer but she feels that the world conspires against her ambition. Sybylla lives on her family’s failing, drought-stricken farm and the impressive set design (Marg Horwell) transports us into the dry, desolate heart of the Australian outback.
Kala Gare is ebullient, audacious and full voiced as Sybylla, and belts out the songs about her ambition, dissatisfaction, her barely concealed contempt for her father, her disappointment in her mother and her delight at getting away to live with her gran. Gare makes a feast of her big leading role.
The exceptional versatility of the cast is a highlight of this production who are acting, singing, playing instruments and even dancing. Christina Smith is sensitive and sympathetic as Sybylla’s disheartened mother, and it is a pity she didn’t sing more than just one solo; she is a musical theatre star with a fine voice and magnetic presence.
The show is not without some drawbacks: the narrative and song lyrics became repetitive, and the show was spinning its wheels for the last 20 mins. It felt too long and might benefit from an edit and restructure. The character of Sybylla did not develop or change a great deal in the story.
Comparisons with Judy Davis in her breakout role as Sybylla in the movie of 1979 are inevitable, but this is an entertaining, ambitious and exuberant production and the writers deserve praise for bringing us a new and original Australian musical: a unicorn. Give it an audience.
by Kate Herbert
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| My Brilliant Career. Photo by Pia Johnson |
Frank/Ensemble Cameron
Bajraktarevic-Hayward
Jimmy/Horace/Ensemble Lincoln Elliott
Ensemble Victoria Falconer
Sybylla Melvyn Kala Gare
Harry/Peter/Ensemble Raj Labade
Father/Jay-Jay/M'Swat/Ensemble Drew Livingston
Gertie/Blanche/Ensemble HaNy Lee
Grannie/Rose Jane/Ensemble Ana Mitsikas
Mother/Helen/Mrs M'Swat/Ensemble Christina O'Neill
Ensemble Jarrad Payne
CREATIVE TEAM
Director Anne-Louise Sarks
Musical Director Victoria Falconer
Choreographer Amy Campbell
Set & Costume Designer Marg Horwell
Lighting Designer Matt Scott
Orchestrator / Vocal Arranger James Simpson
Sound Designer Joy Weng
Assistant Director Miranda Middleton
Assistant Musical Director Drew Livingston
Assistant Set & Costume Designer Savanna Wegman
Additional Music Arrangements Victoria Falconer
Voice & Text Coach Matt Furlani
Track Producer (‘Make A Success’) Jarrad Payne
Specialist for Whip Cracking/Blanket Throw Nicci Wilks
Offsite
Standby Cover
Alister Kingsley
Offsite Standby Cover Imogen Moore
Stage
Manager Whitney
McNamara
Assistant Stage Managers Tom O'Sullivan, Annie Gleisner
MUSICAL
Music by Alan Menken, Lyrics by Glenn Slater, Book by Cheri Steinkellner & Bill Steinkellner, additional book by Douglas Carter Beane
At Regent Theatre until 26 Jan 2025 (at present)
Reviewer: Kate Herbert
Stars: **** (4)
This review is published only on this blog. I’ll present a radio review on Arts Weekly on 3MBS on Sat 16 Nov 2024. KH
Sister Act_CAST_Casey Donovan front- credit_Daniel-Boud
This Melbourne production of Sister Act is a feel-good musical based on the 1992 film with Whoopi Goldberg and Maggie Smith that was set in 1968 and 1992. It is a rollicking musical romp that boldly pokes fun at nuns, the Catholic church, dangerous gangsters and low-level lounge singers.
This musical stage version has original songs and music (music by Alan Menken, lyrics by Glenn Slater) and book (Cheri & Bill Steinkellner) and is a replica of the 2022 West End revival that followed the original production in 2009 on the West End and on Broadway in 2011.
The musical is set in 1977, which changes the tone, the style of music, costumes, language and the cultural references.
Casey Donovan is sassy, brazen and audacious as Deloris van Cartier, a try-hard, minor lounge singer who relies on the support of her gangster boyfriend, Curtis (James Bryers) who owns the nightclub she sings in.
When she witnesses Curtis murder a witness for his upcoming trial, the cop (Raphael Wong as Eddie Souther) leading the investigation hides Deloris in plain sight, in a convent, which is an absurd but strangely plausible location to hide a raunchy lounge singer with gangster connections.
In the quiet, melodic confines of the convent, Deloris becomes Sister Mary Clarence and takes on the seemingly impossible task of taming and training the appallingly tuneless nuns’ choir and transforming them into funky, dancing, singing, funny-nunny entertainment.
Donovan is magnetic and gives a spirited performance as Deloris and the role showcases her powerful, versatile voice with excellent control and range. If you remember she won Australian Idol at 16!
The nuns learn to enjoy singing popular music for the glory of God and their choir medley raises the roof to heaven in Praise of the Lord!
These nuns are a deliciously wacky bunch: Rhonda Burchmore is a hoot as bolshy, old Sister Mary Lazarus; Genevieve Lemon is suitably frosty and conservative as Mother Superior; Sophie Montague is Sister Mary Robert, Bianca Bruce as Sister Mary Patrick, is loud, cheerful and yappy; and Sophie Montague is the sweet and retiring Sister Mary Robert who comes out of her shell.
Raphael Wong, an opera singer who has crossed over to musical theatre, has a fine voice and is charming as Eddie, the cop who has adored Deloris since their shared high school days.
The original songs are an eclectic mix of styles from R and B to Funk and Gospel, with clever lyrics and plenty of religious parody.
The idiotic gangster trio routine is hilarious as they wear silly disguises and sing about how to woo a nun.
Curtis’s violent thug song that is about how he will get that girl, is comical but we almost feel we can’t laugh as it’s so violent to women.
For me, the movie still takes the cake but perhaps that is because of Whoopi and Maggie Smith who will always be my heroes, and because I was in San Francisco when that movie was being filmed in the church outside which I took a bus each day.
By: Kate Herbert.
Cast
Casey Donovan- Deloris Van Cartier
Genevieve Lemon – Mother Superior
Rhonda Burchmore -Sister Mary Lazarus
Sophie Montague – Sister Mary Robert
Bianca Bruce - Sister Mary Patrick
‘Raphael Wong- Eddie Souther
James Bryers – Curtis Jackson
Damien Bermingham – Monsignor O’Hara
Emma Powell - Sister Mary Theresa
Sally Bourne - Sister Mary Martin of Tours
Creative Team
Producer John Frost For Crossroads Live
Music Alan Menken
Lyricist Glenn Slater
Book Writer Cheri Steinkellner
Book Writer Bill Steinkellner
Additional Book Material Douglas Carter Beane
Director Bill Buckhurst
Choreographer Alistair David
Set And Costume Designer Morgan Large
Musical Supervisor Stephen Brooker
Orchestrations Doug Besterman and Mark Cumberland
Lighting Designer Tim Mitchell
Sound Designer Tom Marshall
Wig, Hair and Make-up Designer Sam Cox
Resident Director Eric Giancola
Musical Director Daniel Griffin
