Heathers The Musical, May 15, 2016 ***

MUSICAL THEATRE

Book, Music & Lyrics by Laurence O’Keefe and Kevin Murphy, based on the film by Daniel Murphy, produced by Showwork & Arts Centre Melbourne 

Playhouse, Arts Centre Melbourne, until May 22, 2016 

Reviewer: Kate Herbert  on May 15

Stars:***

This review also online and in print in Herald Sun Arts on Mon May 16, 2016. KH

Hannah Frederiksen,  Lucy Maunder, Rebecca Hetherington

The teen musical, Heathers, deals with bullying, murder, suicide, shootings and bombings in a high school so it is vital to strike the right balance between grotesquery, comedy and morality.

Trevor Ashley’s uneven production does so in part but, at times, Heathers departs from grotesque parody and descends into crassness, shallow caricatures and an unfortunate and unintended celebration of bullies and psychos.

This musical by Laurence O’Keefe and Kevin Murphy was first staged Off-Broadway in 2014 and is based on Daniel Murphy’s 1988 cult movie of the same name.

Westerberg High is ruled by three popular, pretty and really mean gals who are all called Heather, each one more vile and vain than the other, with Heather Chandler (Lucy Maunder) being the leader of this contemptible trio and the most slappable.

Veronica Sawyer (Hilary Cole) realises that she needs the Heathers’ stamp of approval to avoid being bullied, but things go awry when her outsider boyfriend, JD (Stephen Madsen), embarks on a violent path of revenge against the Heathers and their supporters, the thuggish football jocks, Ram (Vincent Hooper) and Kurt (Jakob Ambrose).

The musical is less subversive and clever than the movie, but it features a few strong songs such as Beautiful, Cole’s soaring opening number, that introduces the social battlefield that is high school with lyrics such as, “This is not high school, it’s the Thunderdome”.

Candy Store, in which Maunder leads the pretty but hateful Heathers, is a frightening revelation that the girls’ cruel lives consist of, “Kicking nerds in the nose, scaring her, screwing him, maxing out dad’s credit card.”

Cole and Madsen’s love duet, Seventeen, provides a glimmer of hope for this pair as Veronica tries to convince JD to stop his vengeful actions and just be a 17-year old kid in love, but their final duet, I Am Damaged, is a grim ending to their ghastly romance.

Maunder is a diabolical omnipresence as Heather Chandler, the queen of the “biotches”, even after the character’s untimely demise, while Rebecca Hetherington is suitably needy as cheerleading Heather who eventually finds her heart, and Hannah Frederiksen makes bulimic Heather almost as despicable as her dead pal.

Lauren McKenna has a fine voice and gives an assured performance in dual roles, but particularly as Martha, the sweet-natured, overweight girl who is the target of dreadful abuse, and McKenna sings a poignant version of Martha’s yearning ballad, Kindergarten Boyfriend.

The ensemble is talented and the chorus numbers are sassy and vibrant, but it is a mistake to put young performers in bad wigs and fake potbellies to play adults because this makes the show look like a bad school production.

This is an entertaining, albeit patchy, production of Heathers, a show that makes Lord of the Flies look like a picnic.

Kate Herbert

Director  Trevor Ashley

Choreographer  Cameron Mitchell

Musical Director  Bev Kennedy

Designers  Emma Vine with Eamon D’arcy

Costume Design  Angela White

Lighting Design  Gavan Swift 

CAST:

Hilary Cole - Veronica Sawyer

 Lucy Maunder -Heather Chandler

Rebecca Hetherington -Heather McNamara

Hannah Frederiksen -Heather Duke

Stephen Madsen-JD

 Vincent Hooper =Ram

Jakob Ambrose -Kurt

Libby Asciak,  Lauren McKenna, , Sage Douglas, Stephen McDowell, Mitchell Hicks.

By Kate Herbert

Singin’ in the Rain, May 13, 2016 ****

MUSICAL THEATRE
Music by Nacio Herb Brown, Lyrics by Arthur Freed, Book by Betty Comden & Adolph Green, produced by Lunchbox Theatrical Productions, Dainty Group International, Michael Cassel Group, David Atkins Enterprises
Her Majesty’s Theatre, until July 3, 2016
Reviewer: Kate Herbert on Sat May 14, 2016 
Stars: ****

Review also in Herald Sun NEWS online on Sat May 14 at 11pm, in print in on Sun May 15 and in Herald Sun Arts online on Mon May 16, 2016. KH

 Adam Garcia photo by Joe Calleri

The front rows cower under plastic ponchos as the rain pours, the puddles splash and the rest of the audience applauds the astounding plumbing on the opening night of Singin’ in the Rain at Her Majesty’s Theatre.

At the end of Act One in this much-loved musical, the stage is awash with 12,000 litres of water when Adam Garcia as Don Lockwood, the role made famous by Gene Kelly, joyfully sings and tap dances (or is that splash dances?) his way through the title song.

Jonathan Church’s spirited and captivating production with its vivacious choreography by Andrew Wright, channels the 1952 movie and highlights the exceptional repertoire of songs that includes: Good Mornin’, Make ’Em Laugh, Moses Supposes and Singin’ in the Rain (music by Nacio Herb Brown, lyrics by Arthur Freed).

The musical, based on the original book by Betty Comden and Adolph Green, is set in Hollywoodland in 1927 as silent movie producers struggle to adjust to the changing demands of talkies. 

Garcia’s character, Lockwood, is a smug movie star and former vaudevillian whose fame is built on his silent roles opposite the alluring but limited Lina Lamont (Erika Heynatz) whose speaking voice sounds like cats being strangled and renders her unfit for talking roles.

Don falls for showgirl and aspiring serious actress, Kathy Selden (Gretel Scarlett), who has all the talents required for talkies: singing, dancing and speaking without shrieking.

Scarlett is a triple-threat (singer/dancer/actor) with a bright vocal tone and thrilling vibrato perfectly suited to musical theatre and her renditions of You Are My Lucky Star and Would You? as well as You Were Meant For Me, her duet with Garcia, are show highlights.

Jack Chambers is inspired casting as Cosmo Brown, Don’s piano playing, ex-vaudeville partner, and he almost steals the show with his remarkable tap dancing, hilariously nimble slapstick and tuneful voice in Make ‘Em Laugh.

Scarlett, Garcia and Chambers’ voices blend well in their jaunty trio, Good Mornin’, and their playful and complex choreography echoes that of Kelly, Debbie Reynolds and Donald O’Connor in the movie.

Garcia is at his best in his lively duets with Chambers that include the perky, vaudeville routine, Fit As A Fiddle, and Moses Supposes, the cunningly written, jazz patter song that incorporates tongue twisters and tap dance.

Jack Chambers, Gretel Scarlett, Adam Garcia photo by Joe Calleri

Garcia’s past dance credits on stage and screen are extensive, but he is not as sassy, fluid, loose-hipped and light on his feet as he might be in this role and he is clearly out-sung by his co-leads, Scarlett and Chambers.

Heynatz is audacious as the shrill, vain and mean Lina, demonstrating her impeccable comic timing in the live action scenes and also in the riotously funny black and white movies.

As ruthless movie producer, RF Simpson, Mike Bishop is impressively large-than-life and channels those domineering, old Hollywood studio moguls.

The ensemble is vivid and exuberant in the chorus numbers, All I Do, Good Mornin’, and You Are My Lucky Star and the finale of Singin’ in the Rain is a visual feast of bright brollies, splashing rain and quirky choreography.

Aficionados of the cinematic version should love this effervescent and inventively re-imagined stage production of Singin’ In The Rain.

But remember to wear a raincoat if you are in the front rows.

By Kate Herbert 

Cast

Adam Garcia -Don Lockwood

Gretel Scarlett - Kathy Selden
Jack Chambers - Cosmo Brown
Erika Heynatz -Lina Lamont
Robyn Arthur - Dora Bailey
Mike Bishop - RF Simpson
 Rodney Dobson -Roscoe Dexter

Director - Jonathan Church
Choreography - Andrew Wright
Design - Simon Higlett
Musical Supervisor - Robert Scott

Gretel Scarlett & company, photo by Joe Calleri

 Adam Garcia photo by Joe Calleri

 

Straight White Men, May 12, 2016 ***1/2

THEATRE
By Young Jean Lee, by Melbourne Theatre Company 

Fairfax Studio, Arts Centre Melbourne 

Reviewer: Kate Herbert on May 12

Stars: ***1/2

 Review also online at Herald Sun Arts on Fri May 13, 2016. KH

Straight White Men is less of a scathing satire about the white man’s privileged position in the modern world and more of a family drama about a widowed father and his three ageing sons.

It is a 21st century My Three Sons (a 1960s US sit-com) set during Christmas when Ed (John Gaden) has all three of his adult, unmarried sons (Gareth Reeves, Luke Ryan, Hamish Michael) staying with him to celebrate the holidays for a few days.

Ed’s sons may be near 40 but they revert to familiar childhood interactions as they wrestle and tease, play video games, dress in their traditional, Christmas pyjamas, revisit their mother’s politically correct board game, Privilege, get drunk and dance like nobody is watching.

However, it quickly becomes clear that all is not well in the land of these privileged white men when eldest son, Matt (Reeves), inexplicably starts sobbing during their Chinese take-away dinner.

When youngest brother, Drew (Michael), a university teacher and successful novelist experienced in therapy, tries to find the cause of Matt’s despair, Jake (Ryan), the swaggering banker, shuts him down while the bemused Ed says that Matt, who now lives with Dad after dumping his doctoral studies at Harvard, is fine.

Directed by Sarah Giles, the four men are compelling, funny and maddening as they stumble around their family relationships, scrambling to understand each other and the changing world outside the walls of their family home.

Gaden is a still pool of warmth and love as Ed who is mystified by Matt’s unexpected despondency and Reeves gives Matt a quiet dignity as he struggles with his bewilderment about finding his place in the world while he works in various, unchallenging jobs for non-profit organisations.

Michael balances Drew’s self-absorption with genuine concern for his big brother who was such a revolutionary and intellectual prodigy while Ryan captures the audacious confidence of Jake, the thriving corporate banker who capitalises on his white male privilege while admiring what he believes are Matt’s unshakeable liberal principles.

Korean-American playwright, Young Jean Lee, is clearly not a straight white male but she used improvisational workshops with male actors to develop this, her first naturalistic script.

The play staggers after Matt’s breakdown and does not regain its balance because, although we cannot expect Young’s script to resolve all of Matt’s issues in 90 minutes, Ed’s last, harsh act seems out of character and the ending is unsatisfying.

Giles’ introduces Candy Bowers who acts as MC rapmeister/stagehand and delivers a rap ‘welcome to country’ but, although Young’s script directions require uncomfortably loud hip-hop music before the play starts, Bowers’ role is extraneous and often distracting.

Straight White Men is an engaging, acerbic and playful production but, ultimately, it is the talented cast who carry the play.

By Kate Herbert

 

Singin' in the Rain – Media Call, May 12, 2016

These photos were all taken by Joe Calleri at the Singin' in the Rain Media Call on Thursday, May 12, 2016.

Adam Garcia photo by Joe Calleri 

 Adam Garcia photo by Joe Calleri

Jack Chambers, Adam Garcia, Gretel Scarlett, photo by Joe Calleri 

Ensemble photo by Joe Calleri

 Adam Garcia photo by Joe Calleri 

Jack Chambers, Adam Garcia, Gretel Scarlett photo by Joe Calleri

 Adam Garcia, photo by Joe Calleri 

 Adam Garcia photo by Joe Calleri

Jack Chambers, Adam Garcia, Gretel Scarlett photo by Joe Calleri

Ensemble photo by Joe Calleri

 Ensemble photo by Joe Calleri 

 All photos by Joe Calleri at Singin' in the Rain Media Call on Thursday, May 12, 2016.

Little Shop of Horrors, May 5, 2016 ****

MUSICAL THEATRE

Music by Alan Menken, book by Howard Ashman
Produced by Luckiest Productions & Tinderbox Productions
Comedy Theatre until May 22, 2016
Reviewer: Kate Herbert
Stars:****

 Review also published in Herald Sun Arts online  on Fri May 6, 2016 & iater in print . KH

The gigantic, flesh-eating plant in Little Shop of Horrors looks like the mutant progeny of an oversized, frill-necked lizard and an enormous pink and green artichoke.

In this horror-comedy-rock musical (music by Alan Menken, book by Howard Ashman), a geeky young florist, Seymour Krelborn (Brent Hill), finds and rears an unusual and seemingly innocuous plant that thrives on human blood and flesh and evidently came down in the last meteor shower.

Lovelorn Seymour names the plant Audrey II, after his ditzy co-worker, Audrey (Esther Hannaford), who he secretly adores, and Mr. Mushnik’s (Tyler Coppin) florist shop goes gangbusters after the public discover this eccentric shrub that just keeps on flourishing on flesh.

Dean Bryant’s taut production, with snappy and audacious choreography by Andrew Hallsworth, captures the quirkiness and absurdity of this parodic musical that became a cult classic after being spawned from Roger Corman’s 1960 B-grade movie.

Esther Hannaford is the stand out with her hilariously idiosyncratic and detailed depiction of the idiotic but adorable Audrey, and she mines huge laughs from her twitchy, angular physicality and from the tiniest snippets of dialogue or Audrey’s effusive squeaks and moans.

Hannaford’s versatile voice is bright-toned and sweet in the ballad, Somewhere That’s Green, but is thrilling when she balances bold, belting notes with softness in her duet with Hill, Suddenly, Seymour.

Hill brings his distinctive, comic talent and impeccable timing to the daggy Seymour and his formidable vocal skill is a highlight when he belts out the raunchy, James Brown-style funk number, Git It (Feed Me), singing it as the voice of the grotesque plant, Audrey II.

Alan Menken’s music, played by Andrew Worboys and his tight band, ranges in style from the Rhythm and Blues of Skidrow (Downtown) to 60s rock, funk, Doo-Wop and Motown.

Coppin is a Chaplinesque clown as Mr. Mushnik, the florist, while Scott Johnson as the sadistic dentist, Orin Scrivello, is like a bizarre giggling Elvis.

The three tough, sassy, powerfully voiced gals played by Angelique Cassimatis (Crystal), Josie Lane (Chiffon) and Chloe Zuel (Ronnette) provide assured, harmonious vocals but also fill in narrative detail as would a Greek chorus.

Audrey II, designed by Puppet Erth, is a vivid, bumptious, manipulative and scary creature that devours people in increasingly gruesome ways.

Little Shop of Horrors succeeds as a kooky, cult classic that entertains the audience with its impudent parody of schlock horror.

By Kate Herbert

SHIT by Patricia Cornelius, May 4, 2016 ***1/2

THEATRE
At fortyfivedownstairs, until May 15, 2016 

Reviewer: Kate Herbert
Stars: ***1/2
Review also published in Herald Sun Arts online on Fri May 6, 2016 and in print earlier in this week. KH

Be warned! You would not want to meet these women in a dark alley. Really!

The three characters in Patricia Cornelius’ play, SHIT (all capitals, so shout the title), are tough, mean, violent and damaged by their abusive pasts and limited by their disappointment and rage at the world.

Cornelius’ caustic, provocative and funny play captures the grim and gritty environment inhabited by these marginalised and disenfranchised women.

On a set that resembles an industrial grey, concrete bunker or prison (design, Marg Horwell), Bobby (Sarah Ward), Billy (Nicci Wilks) and Sam (Peta Brady) prowl and crouch like caged animals.

They voice their resentment and frustration as they trawl through their topics of choice: swearing, fighting, foster homes, sexual abuse, crying and not being able to escape their dire circumstances.

Although these women are vile and offensive, the three passionate actors make us love them a little and sympathise with them a lot.

Cornelius’ dialogue is liberally peppered with expletives, vulgarity and barely repressed violence that echoes the real world of these women as they struggle to make sense of, or even survive their wretched lives.

Ward is big, bold and bolshy as Bobby, the petite Wilks is feisty and shrill as Billy, while Brady balances the trio as the warmer, more vulnerable character, Sam.

Director, Susie Dee’s production maintains a cracking pace to match Cornelius’ searing, rapid-fire dialogue and she intercuts the volatile, verbal scenes with dialogue-free vignettes that employ a gestural language that is effective in part but not always fully integrated or cohesive.

However, this physicality provides breathing space between the women’s relentlessly angry interactions and also a visual representation of their audacious and dangerous actions that take place behind the grey wall, almost out of view.

We can laugh with these women but, ultimately, their story is poignant, tragic and reminds us that many are left behind in our world of progress.

By Kate Herbert

Bad Jews, April 28, 2016 ***

THEATRE
Written by Josh Harmon

Produced by Aleksandar Vass with VASS Theatre Group 

Alex Theatre, St Kilda, until May 14, 2016 

Reviewer: Kate Herbert on April 28, 2016 

Stars: ***

This review also online at Herald Sun Arts on Fri April 29 (or Mon May 2) and in print later. KH

  Matt Whitty, Maria Angelico, Simon Corfield, Anna Burgess

Bad Jews, the title of Joshua Harmon’s play, may sound controversial or anti-Semitic but some Jews use this term to describe Jews who do not observe the traditional practices of their religion.

The play is set in a well-appointed, New York City apartment (designer, Jacob Battista) that is a pressure cooker for the volatile relationships between three cousins who, on the night of their Poppy’s (grandfather’s) funeral, argue ruthlessly about who should inherit an heirloom that has religious significance.

Matt Whitty plays quiet, mild-mannered and unassertive Jonah who is unwilling to voice an opinion in order to avoid conflict between his older, non-observant brother, Liam (Simon Corfield), and their overbearing, religious cousin, Daphna (Maria Angelico).

The situation worsens when Liam introduces Melody (Anna Burgess), his good-hearted, shiksa (non-Jewish) girlfriend who struggles to comprehend the ugliness of this family argument.

With swiftly paced direction by Gary Abrahams, Harmon’s play is peppered with barbed jokes that trigger laughs and groans at the expense of every character and his dialogue highlights the absurdity of the argument between the equally stubborn and uncompromising Liam and Daphna.

However, these stereotypical characters are not fully rounded and, although Jonah and Melody garner some sympathy with their more moderate and sensitive attitudes, Liam and Daphna are extremely dislikeable and unsympathetic.

Their rigid and opposing representations of what constitutes a bad Jew provide little light and shade in this argument.

With her wild mane of hair and feisty physicality, Angelico effectively embodies Daphna’s brutal, self-absorbed rudeness and her often hilariously incessant babbling about any topic, but it is hard to resist running on stage to slap this offensive character.

Corfield’s Liam is brittle, entitled and single-minded while Whitty plays Jonah with subtlety, successfully capturing the accommodating peacekeeper who is probably the only one in the room grieving for his grandfather.

Burgess is suitably ditzy and stereotypically blond as the pleasant, accepting Melody and she gets a huge laugh when we realise that Melody is totally deluded about her singing ability.

Harmon’s final resolution to all the vehemence and vigorous conflict seems too convenient but the production is entertaining and its issues should generate plenty of post-show discussion.

By Kate Herbert

Maria Angelico, Simon Corfield, Anna Burgess

 Maria Angelico, Simon Corfield, Anna Burgess

Cast

Maria Angelico - Daphna

Simon Corfield -Liam

Anna Burgess - Melody

Matt Whitty - Jonah

Directed by Gary Abrahams

Designer Jacob Battista

Lighting Designer Rob Sowinski

Sound Design by Dave Ellis

Costumes by Kelsey Henderson

Executive Producer Helen Ellis.