Cloc ups the ante

Another Cloc season, another unbelievably excellent theatre performance.

Cloc’s production of Miss Saigon shows that there is an amazing depth of amateur talent in Melbourne.

The two week season was practically a sell out before it opened (on opening day there were only tickets left for 2 performances).

The production was the equal of any professional production I have seen – we wondered how they would cope with the ‘helicopter’ scene – the answer was brilliantly – considering the small stage etc.

I should point out that we have seen professional productions of Miss Saigon in Sydney, London & Melbourne – I don’t say this to brag (well maybe a little) but rather to emphasise that we have seen professional productions and so have a pretty good basis for comparison.

One of the grandmothers sitting behind us had seen Miss Saigon “in the city” and said this was nearly as good – she did keep pointing out all the differences between the “city” production and this one.

We were sitting in the front row and so had a really good view. All the cast were brilliant – and ideally cast – singers, dancers etc.

If it wasn’t that we went to the last show I could have easily seen it again.

Next up for Cloc is High Society and I , for one, cannot wait.

Chicago

A long time ago, in a galaxy far far away, two people turned up for a beginners tap class at the Victorian College of the Arts.

One was a library officer with ambition, the other was a student at the VCA secondary school.

After that beginners tap class they went their separate ways – one followed the dream into professional musical theatre, the other librarianship.

Now some many years later their paths cross again. In Sydney.

One is the shirtless 6 pack abs poster boy for Chicago. The other is a librarian. (No prizes for guessing which is me!)

But I digress…

This should almost be the ‘dream’ Chicago cast. Caroline O’Connor is one of the finest exponents of the Fosse choreography, and Sharon Millerchip is equally as good.

Last time Chicago played in Australia, O’Connor played Valma Kelly – when she left the production, Sharon Millerchip took over the role of Valma.

In this production O’Connor reprises the role of Valma, and Millerchip plays Roxie Hart. To see both of them in the same production is just brilliant.

This should have been an almost perfect night of musical theatre and from the opening number (All that jazz) it seemed like we were on track.

(I often think that ‘all that jazz’ is worth the ticket price alone).

Unfortunately the female ensemble didn’t quite ‘gel’ on the night.’Cell block tango’ which should be a showstopper – seemed a little off – can’t pinpoint why.

The male ensemble were fantastic – superb ensemble dancing and singing. Awesome.

Gina Riley was excellent as Mama.

Craig MacLachlan was ok as Billy Flynn.

The guy who played Amos – excellent (Mr Cellophane)

Will definitely see it in Melbourne.

Gutenberg

In 1450 Johann Gutenberg invented the printing press.

In 2008, Bud and Doug wrote a show about it.

No, not just a show….a big, splashy musical spectacular. Now they just need ten million dollars or so to put it on….In this two-man musical spoof, Bud and Doug perform a backer’s audition for their new project…for us, the audience. With an unending supply of enthusiasm, Bud and Doug sing all the songs and play all the parts in their silly historical epic – with the hope that one of the big Broadway producers in attendance will give them a Broadway contract.

“2 Men, 1 Piano, 30 Characters, More Hats than My Fair Lady – and one massively misguided dream!”

This is a very funny night at the theatre… Starring David Harris (mamma mia, miss saigon) and James Millar and a huge cast of baseball hats.

Harris & Millar use baseball caps (with characters names written on them) and funny accents to portray all the (very) different characters. Both are excellent singers and have superb comic timing.

The show is fun, silly, entertaining – and at times seems more improv that scripted.

Worth seeing.

***

PS. Gutenberg! The Musical!  was the winner of the 2006 New York Musical Theatre Festival Award for Excellence in Musical Theatre Writing.  It has enjoyed successful seasons Off-Broadway and on London’s West End.

PPS. I prob would have enjoyed it even more but the night I went, the aircon didn’t appear to be working; the performers and the audience worked up quite a sweat.

Warne – the musical

I’d ummed & aahed about going to see this – on the one hand it’s a musical & Matt Hetherington is in it, on the other hand – a musical about Shane Warne!

You can see my dilemma.

However the musical and Matt won out and on a very hot Melbourne night I headed for the Atheneum. (I should, in the interests of full disclosure, point out that the deciding factor was probably that the Atheneum Theatre has a large group photo of the original staff on display and my great-aunt is in the photo and I wanted to see that…)

Anyway back to Warnie.  It was great.  Eddie Perfect was brilliant as Shane – all the little mannerisms were there.

As theatre well the story was a bit weak, the songs (with the exception of the sms song) forgettable, yet it had that something that makes good theatre. By and large Eddie Perfect left Shane’s family alone and concentrated on taking the mick out of Shane which is how it should be.

A very enjoyable night at the theatre and one that the cricket loving, musical hating people in your life will enjoy.

The year of magical thinking (MTC)

When I was choosing my plays for this year’s MTC subscription I was in two minds about whether to choose this one.

My hesitation was caused by stuff that was going on in my private life at the time, and I was worried that a play about a writer who lost her husband and her daughter in the space of a year might be too confronting for me to deal with.

However my admiration for Robyn Nevin won out and it was with some trepidation that I turned up at the Fairfax theatre for a preview of The year of magical thinking.

The play was written by Joan Didion and is based on her 2005 book of the same name. The book covers the year after her husband, writer John Gregory Dunne, died – it was also the year that their daughter Quentana was seriously ill.

The play extends the book by six months or so and covers Quintana’s death as well.

Nevin turns in a wonderful performance in this one woman play. The set is simple – rows and rows of empty chairs. Scene changes are denoted by the lowering of the lights and/or Nevin removing/replacing her jacket.

Nevin got a much deserved standing ovation (and an earthquake!) at this preview performance.

Moonlight & Magnolias (MTC)

The premise of this play seemed promising… partway through the filming of Gone With the Wind David O. Selznick hires a new director, Victor Fleming and a new scriptwriter, Ben Hecht and locks them in his office for a week while the three of them rewrite the screenplay. Hecht has never read the book but Selznick persuades him to rewrite the script anyway.

Parts of this play were hysterically funny – Patrick Brammall as Selznick acting out the whole book (well his vision of how it would appear on screen) – is a slapstick moment I won’t forget in a hurry.

Other times the play didn’t seem to work – Marg Downey as Selznick’s secretary spends the whole play saying ‘yes Mr Selznick’ – what a waste.

For me the highlight was probably the set – above the stage, on large screens were showing scenes from the movie. Auditions, colour tests, costume reels , wardrobe shoots. It was interesting to see the auditions of the actors who didn’t make the cut as well as of those who did.

Is there life after high school?

Back before Christmas I headed to Chapel off Chapel to see Is there life after high school?

It has, I hasten to point out, nothing to do with the High School: the musical franchise.

This musical, which had its Broadway debut in the early 80’s, tells the stories of nine adults attending their high school reunion. They reminisce about their schooldays – with younger performers playing their school aged selves.

Chapel off Chapel is not really suited to a cast of 18 – the stage seemed over full at times – and the choreography seemed a tad cramped.

The music is fine – there are no real standout songs – nothing that I hummed as I left the theatre.

I enjoyed it -it was lightweight entertainment – with an excellent cast – and a good reason to visit Chapel Street.

Billy Elliot – Melbourne Night 2.

Guest blogger Julie W. talks about her Billy Elliot experience.

How good is Rhys Kosakowski?

He was awesome.

He is a beautiful dancer and he can sing.

Loved ‘Electricity’

Wow and double wow!

Really she just sums Rhys’ up – I saw him in Sydney and thought he was brilliant. May have to try and see him in Melbourne now.

Billy Elliot – Melbourne – first night

Melbourne turned on wet and wild weather for the first night of Billy Elliot at Her Maj.

Outside it may have been wet, wet, wet but inside the show was hot, hot, hot.

Josh Waiss Gates made his Melbourne debut as Billy and, despite being a little off his game due to a cold, he was awesome.

He shone in Expressing Yourself and in the Finale – both numbers where he really seemed to enjoy himself and let himself go.

He got a deserved two standing ovations at the end.

The Phantom of the Auckland Opera

Let’s face it.

• The Phantom of the Opera is in Auckland.
• The Tap Sisters are in Auckland.
• The Tap Sisters’ hotel is opposite the Phantom theatre.

Anyone care to guess what is going to happen?

Yep, Sunday November 16, 2008 we took ourselves across the road to the final NZ performance of Phantom of the Opera.

And what a show it was.

It was the Australasian cast that we’d seen in Melbourne last year. Anthony Warlow as the Phantom, Ana Marina as Christine, and WAAPA graduate Alexander Lewis replacing John Bowles as Raoul.

Wow.

Warlow was in fine voice  – it was one of the strongest Phantoms I’ve seen from him – whether it was the pro Rob Guest crowd, or the final performance  – he held nothing back and got a deserved standing ovation at the end.

Double wow.

At interval I was waiting in the queue for the toilets (what else does one do at interval?) and got chatting to the woman behind me. She asked where I was from and then told me that Warlow was a worthy successor to Robe Guest as the Phantom.

These sorts of comments abounded in the theatre – many of the audience had seen Rob Guest in the role and had come to see if Warlow was as good – and they weren’t disappointed.

Interesting tidbits. (maybe)

* The Civic Theatre Auckland is very similar to the Capitol Theatre Sydney. Must do some research and see if they were, in fact, designed by the same person.

* Anthony Warlow didn’t have a ’special’ last night’ mask for the bows. (For Melbourne’s final show he had an Aussie flag mask, and he often dons a silver sparkly phantom mask for the bows.)

* I have only ever seen Australians (or naturalised Australians – Rob Guest) play the role of the Phantom – despite seeing the show in three countries. When I saw it in London the Phantom was played by Peter Cousens.

* There was a Sydney woman staying at our hotel who flew in on the Sunday morning and then flew out on the Monday afternoon – just to see the final show. (now that’s dedication, hope she got cheap airfares)