Debra Campbell🥈

Author badges: 🥈 Silver Reviewer (33 reviews) Debra Campbell is the founder of Beyond Dance - proudly supporting Beyond Blue (@dance2forblue), which has raised many thousands of dollars for mental health. Debra is passionate that the Arts in all its forms can truly help one enjoy important time for themselves. She has lived a life of dance, theatre and visual art and believes therefore there are no ‘bad’ shows, there is ‘good’ in every show – “they are all different and will give you different experiences and feelings, so it is always worth venturing out to see one”. Returning to writing from her former years, Debra looks forward to meeting new artists and highlighting their creativity for everyone to appreciate. https://fundraise.beyondblue.org.au/fundraise-for-beyond-blue/posts/beyond-dance https://fundraise.beyondblue.org.au/t/dancetwoforblue

Nice Work If You Can Get It

18/05/2025 Debra Campbell🥈

Nice Work If You Can Get It Rating

★★★★★

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“What the world needs now, is love, sweet love.” Quoted in the Director’s note in the program for ‘NICE WORK IF YOU CAN GET IT’ playing at The National Theatre in St Kilda 16-31 May presented by CLOC Musical Theatre. Mark also said he would add the word “laughter” to the above quote, and this show has done just that with the whole cast wholly embracing the story with “froth and fizz”.

This musical was one I had not heard of before. How that is possible I’m not quite sure as it’s definitely my type of musical; full of comedy that has you laughing out loud, Gershwin songs we recognise from a bygone era and set in the 1920s with plenty of tap dancing to boot. Don’t know how I’ve missed this title to date, but very happy to now share my viewing experience and highly recommend all ages to go along and enjoy this hidden gem of Broadway. Ticket link: https://www.cloc.org.au/

CLOC Musical Theatre doesn’t need any introduction, especially in Melbourne; they have been operating at the forefront of amateur theatre for over 50 years! Their productions are of a standard that ooze professional quality and the set on this one – WOWZERS!!!

Imagine you are seeing on stage a ‘Barbie’ style dream-house for a moment and that’s where you’re going. A huge pink beach house on Long Island belongs to the mega-rich ‘Winter’ family, but is hardly ever used. Unfortunately, or maybe fortunately, those circumstances give way to a trio of goofy criminal friends who decide to hide their stash in the house. After all, no one will be there.

I don’t like to give away too much of the plot, because I know there will be others, like me, who will be seeing this for the first time, but if you like shows like Guys & Dolls and Thoroughly Modern Millie, you’re going to definitely LOVE this one. NICE WORK IF YOU CAN GET IT is a quirky comical love story between two (or three) people with lots of equally amusing sideline stories which all tie in perfectly together at the end, even ties you don’t think will be revealed. It’s a bootlegging blast!

My favourite character was ‘Eileen’ (‘the finest interpreter of modern dance in the world’), played by Lisa Nightingale, her bath scene is hilarious and delicious! Shout out again to the set builders, the costume designers conjuring up the bubbles and flowing pink fabric, and, the amazing gals in the ensemble, who make this scene one to remember forever.

Lead roles were all faultless. Award-winning Will Hanley, back at CLOC for the 6th time, smashes the role of playboy ‘Jimmy’; opposite him is the exceptional voice of Lauren Holcombe playing wallet-stealing ‘Billie’ – these two are a communicative combo. Some of their sequences especially with dancing up and down many stairs required a lot of skill – well done; also to the choreographers who would have given much thought into pulling that step timing safely together.

Liz O’Hanlon playing ‘Duchess Estonia’, who falls for the impostering manservant of the house, is excellent; her characterisation being very clear and absurdly funny. I and my friend (giggling constantly beside me) absolutely loved her in the scene where she finally succumbed to the secret alcohol, and Joshua Saunders (famously known for his meme face) playing ‘Cookie’, who carries her off the table, is splendid – they both indeed precisely land these comedic situations.

The entire ensemble is colourful magic – well done to all of them, no show is complete without the ensemble and there’s great engagement from all of them in every moment. There are some well-known names amongst and a couple I personally immediately recognised were Tyler-Rose Shattock, a legendary coach in the world of calisthenics and Caleb Waterworth who has grown up from being a child in the professional show of Matilda to touring recently with the Australian Ballet. Caleb in particular had me in stitches with face expressions and his movement antics in the beach scene.

Our biggest laughs though came from watching the portrayal of Jimmy’s mother ‘Millicent Winter’ played by Lee Threadgold, her story unfolded gradually, but you will have to go and see the show to see why……
‘NICE WORK IF YOU CAN GET IT – A New Musical Comedy’ is promoted by the President of CLOC as a chance to forget the outside world for a few hours. Just enjoy yourself – no need to think, no need to worry – enjoy the music, laugh, smile and be part of a simpler time.

Well, we nailed that, THANK YOU EVERYONE!

EVERYONE is:
Ric Birkett, President CLOC Musical Theatre
Mark Taylor, Director
Susan Lewis, Choreographer
James Rooney, Assistant Choreographer
David Clausen-Wisken, Musical Director
Victoria Horne, Costume Designer
Marcello Lo Ricco, Sound Designer
Justin Karakai & Sally Martin, Co-Set Designers
Brad Alcock – Lighting Designer
Will Hanley playing ‘Jimmy Winter’
Lauren Holcombe playing ‘Bille’
Lisa Nightingale playing ‘Eileen’
Joshua Saunders playing ‘Cookie’
Thomas Myszka playing ‘Duke’
Melanie Ott playing ‘Jeannie’
Chris Anderson playing ‘Senator Evergreen’
Liz O’Hanlon playing ‘Duchess Estonia’
Mike Gardiner playing ‘Chief Berry’
Lee Threadgold playing ‘Millicent Winter’

ENSEMBLE: Tim Allison, Bryce Dunn, Simone Lay, Madeleine Magetti, Robert Mulholland, India Morris, Thomas O’Reilly, Claire Robinson, Sujanthan Satkumarajah, Tyler-Rose Shattock, Ashley Tynan, Tailem Tynan, Caleb Waterworth, Hayley Wootten.

NICE WORK IF YOU CAN GET IT Music and Lyrics are by George & Ira Gershwin, Book by Joe DiPietro, inspired by Material by Guy Bolton and P. G. Wodehouse.

Venue: https://nationaltheatre.org.au/

To book tickets to Nice Work If You Can Get It, please visit https://www.cloc.org.au/nicework.html.

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Ocean: With David Attenborough

18/05/202518/05/2025 Debra Campbell🥈

OCEAN with DAVID ATTENBOROUGH Rating

★★★★★

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UNMISSABLE. That was the first word shouting out loudly in my head when thinking about how I would tell people what I thought of ‘OCEAN with DAVID ATTENBOROUGH’.

This PHENOMENAL film is so much more than watching ‘nature’ and hearing the now 99 year old’s famous ‘voiceover’ we have grown to expect and appreciate in any of his documentaries.

The movie ‘OCEAN’ is, in parts, like a horror movie. Thankfully however, in other parts, a lifeline of information; a jaw-dropping visual learning experience that only the superpowers of David Attenborough and his team could present on big screens across the world.

You must see it on the big screen. It is a production piece like you have never seen before. It contains material never seen before. No matter how knowledgeable you are in ‘saving our planet’, you will undoubtedly learn things you did not know about in detail. You will be shocked. You will be hopeful. This movie will change your view of everything about our planet and our future. For sure, you will never look at the ocean in the same way again.

The legendary Sir Attenborough says himself that he would find it difficult to believe a dreaded fate was inevitable if it wasn’t for just one thing; the ocean can rebuild itself, if we let it. We must. We must protect it.

We must tell as many people as possible to go and see this movie. We must act. We must communicate to everyone in government who can help make the right decisions to make changes to laws worldwide and plead with them to act now. Hence my review – if just one more person sees this movie because they are curious – one more person may pray and tell another… and so on….. we all have to do something. We can at least all do something small to help something so big!

Next month in June, leaders across world nations will meet in France at the 2025 UN Ocean Conference and vote on whether or not to effectively protect 30% of our oceans. In the world currently that percentage is less than 3%!!! How can this be? How can we NOT be already adequately protecting the vast ecosystems our planet needs to thrive?

How can it be legal for huge 24/7 factory-like ships to trawl through and totally decimate stunningly beautiful underwater landscapes in minutes that have taken hundreds of years to grow, as if they were using a hoe over a garden bed to take out a few weeds in the backyard? This practice is, put simply, MADNESS!

The planet, in some form, may ultimately survive, but we as a species may not. Unassumingly stated by an interviewee in the movie, this was what my daughter and I somberly took away from our time sitting together in awe at The Waverley Cinema in Pinewood. A lovely little local cinema (which I grew up visiting as a child and still with cheap tickets) delivered the most powerful message I have ever heard in a movie anywhere. I said that to the door attendant on the way out and he replied ‘that’s what everyone has said’.

Like everyone else, I don’t need any study background or a degree in marine biology to tell me that I want my children’s great-grandchildren to have a healthy planet to live on – don’t we all want that?

Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cIZAdCtKT_g

NOTE: The Waverley Cinema, 41 Centreway, Pinewood Shopping Centre, Mt. Waverley is part of the Showbiz group of cinemas and offers not only traditional movie viewing of all the latest and favourites on their four screens, but also group deals, fundraising opportunities and special events.

Check them out: https://waverley.showbizcinemas.com.au

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Ladies In Black – SOLD OUT!

04/04/202511/03/2025 Debra Campbell🥈

Ladies In Black Rating

★★★★★

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You can only hope that you already have a ticket or that they add an extra show, because only a short way into their latest run, Beaumaris Theatre have already sold out on their production of ‘Ladies in Black’. A story of the women working in a Sydney department store in the 1950s, full of gorgeous costuming and highlighting that era’s seriousness together with frivolous fun!

I took my Mum along to this one, I thought it was her era, but she was quick to remind me she was not that ‘old’ and she would’ve only been 10 then LOL. She did however love the show and much of the script was very relatable as success in many women’s equality movements wasn’t strongly successful until much later.

In fact, even my own Mum sent me to ‘secretarial school’ in the 80s, something that Lisa (played by Rose Chambers) knows her father will insist on if she cannot get her mother to help convince her father she should be allowed to go onto university. The 50s beliefs for traditional families stayed locked on men being smart enough for further studying and careers, whilst women were to focus on getting married, having kids, cooking / cleaning and perhaps get a ‘girl’s job’ (like being a secretary or working in a store). This musical is about that life in the 50s for women.

Lisa’s character is centre of the story as she prepares to work at ‘Goodes’ for the holidays whilst she waits for her final schooling results to see what university courses she can apply for. She is smart and might even get a scholarship. Lisa wants to be a poet. “A poet?!?” is the normal response with a snicker from most when she mentions it.

However, things will change when Lisa meets the ‘crazy continental’ European supervisor in the designer-dress department, Magda (played by Bek Champman), a connoisseur of elegant fashions from around the globe. Magda takes an interest in Lisa and her vision to become more of herself. Both actresses are very entertaining to watch as Magda (pronouncing a great accent as she speaks), influences Lisa’s girlish look and ideas into the possibility of new beginnings.

Lisa’s co-workers ‘Fay’ (played by Amy Gridley) and ‘Patty’ (played by Jacqui Moore) have their own stories going on in the background and one particularly funny moment on the side with Patty’s on-stage hubby Frank (played by Dan Bellis who also happens to be Jacqui’s partner in real life – luckily I’d say given their positioning).

You will laugh along with the rest of the audience to ‘The Bastard Song’ whilst you might mentally try and guess the next rhyming word to ‘bastard’, describing Patty’s on-stage hubby. By the end of the show, will he continue to be a bastard?

The show is very well cast and is another directed by the lovely Debbie Keyt with her team Rhonda Vaughan (Musical Director) and Camilla Klesman (Choreographer). This is my third review for Beaumaris Theatre and I also see other shows there; they are all fabulous. The set on this one is also fabulous, fab fashion of gorgeous dresses sets the tone immediately we walk in. We don’t notice that the beach scene isn’t at the beach because Magda steals the limelight in her one-piece to sit on her deckchair, flattered by her husband Stefan (played by Daniel Ischia) and good friend Rudi (played by Justin Royce). She is definitely NOT ‘mutton dressed up as lamb’.

I loved the opening of ‘I Got It At Goodes’ with the department store girls harmonious in singing and dancing with their shopping bags, Miss Cartwright (played by Kirsty Hall) is thoroughly every bit the boss in-charge, the surprise fun of ‘I Just Kissed A Continental’ and ‘I Can’t Be That Man’ was a tug on tears in feeling for that hubby who couldn’t be who he wanted to be. ‘Tomorrow Becomes Today’ was a meaningful solo for Lisa and again as the well-applauded finale song, though I must be honest, I did want to hear ‘The Bastard Song’ just one more time hehe (just in case they want to encore it as a popularity vote at the last show).

Shout out to everyone ducking and weaving in the song of ‘Pandemonium’ – great stage awareness and you all realistically engulfed the pandemonium at sales time! (Both my girls work in retail, and this is exactly what they describe from the other side of the counter).

I probably don’t need to say much more… what can I say… Ladies in Black at Beaumaris Theatre is SOLD OUT!!

PS. JOIN THE WAITLIST https://www.trybooking.com/events/landing/1318481

Don’t miss the next show of Beaumaris Theatre and get in early!! They have ‘Knife Edge’ coming up in May, ‘The Witches’ in August and ‘Blackadder II’ in November.

Tickets via: https://www.beaumaristheatre.com.au/

Venue: Beaumaris Theatre, 82 Wells Rd, Beaumaris, Melbourne, Victoria. The theatre is a small one but they always use the space well and hence good seat viewing from everywhere. Extremely welcoming front of house team, free tea / coffee and reasonable pricing in the canteen for interval, plus it’s easy to park in the surrounding streets.

Congratulations to everyone on the amazing effort for ‘Ladies in Black’

CAST:
Lisa – Rose Chambers
Frank – Dan Bellis
Myra – Gabi Bergman
Magda – Bek Chapman
Fay – Amy Gridley
Miss Cartwright & Joy – Kirsty Hall
Mr. Miles & Stefan – Daniel Ischia
Patty – Jacqui Moore
Mrs Miles – Roisin O’Neill
Miss Jacobs & Mrs Crown – Katrina Pezzimenti
Rudi, Lloyd & Fred – Justin Royce
Barmaid – Fiona Williams
Customer – Cheryllyn de Vries

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Debra Campbell🥈

AVENUE Q – hold on to your puppets!

04/04/202510/03/2025 Debra Campbell🥈

AVENUE Q Rating

★★★★★

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Avenue Q – Hmmm …?? Ummm…?? Grab your…. Ahhh…

Lots of prior guessing what this show would give to an 18+ adults-only with ‘puppets behaving badly’ …. I had never seen it before nor heard of it, yet in Broadway history it beat out Wicked, how was that possible? This is puppets looking similar to those you’d see on Sesame Street! Mind you, they definitely don’t have the same vocabulary.

Get ready to LAUGH!!! I’m not actually a huge fan of explicit content and sexual innuendos in shows, hence a lot of stand-up comedy nowdays doesn’t entice me, but this was a musical, so I couldn’t possibly not go. I got good seats and took my hubby (driving in he asked me what it was and when I said from the information I had it was like an adult version of Muppets, I think he stopped far longer at the red light than needed, hmmm….).

There’s no hiding explicit content and sexual innuendos in Avenue Q, they are in nearly every scene, but as its expressed from puppets I thought it was very FUNNY and even more CLEVER!

Something I’d never think we would hear about in a musical was open loud reference to ‘porn’. With a whole comical song on the topic, the audience were in stitches and the guys sitting in front of us were almost rolling out of their seats. You’ll have to go experience that part as I don’t want to conjure up anything not quite accurate here – I was also laughing so much at the huge porn-loving puppet I probably lacked concentration whilst watching. I don’t know how the actors on stage with him practiced at rehearsals, but I’ll bet it was nothing like anything they’d done before.

Talented and adaptable is an understatement of this cast. To be able to hold a puppet and portray a character isn’t something I imagine many performers could pull off with the kind of confidence and interaction they do, but especially to sing and move in conjunction with another actor holding the adjoining arm of the same puppet; their timing was spot on!

There are non-puppet characters too – a hoot is “Gary Coleman” in a parody of the real-life child star with the same name; he’s the ‘maintenance man’ of the apartments on Avenue Q where hopefuls, lovers and friends live their ordinary lives in New York city. Having grown up with that child star on my TV, his lines made perfect sense to me for a bit of a giggle.

‘Sucks To Be Me’ was my favourite scene, because everyone thinks that of themselves at some time in their lives, but let’s be honest, there’s always someone worse off than you are. The show has many messages of a similar tongue-in-cheek nature, however the underlying theme is a timeless story of not giving up hope (that’s like Sesame Street HAHA).

Funnily, you may want to close your eyes or look away occasionally or you might find yourself staring jaw-dropped at the stage figuring it all out. It’s a sexy romp of puppetry at times and just super cool fun at others, songs with catchy tunes and notes with punch – a sing out to Cassie Ogle playing vixen ‘Lucy’, what a voice!

If you are thinking that you don’t like the sound of possibly ‘sex obsessed’ puppets on stage, it’s really not too over the top (Avenue Q is from the 2000s and we didn’t do overly confronting back then). You could go with your mother-in-law, but a group of friends would absolutely have one hilarious night out to remember.

Another thing about ‘AG Theatre’ productions that stands out for me is the atmosphere they create in the foyer pre and post show. You can take photos on their backdrop board (with the puppets) and pin those all over your social media to puzzle your friends not lucky enough to go along.

Avenue Q is a must-see, and if you’re into going out in theme, wear your wigs and puppet ears (you won’t the only one). The show has just been extended to play at the National Theatre in St Kilda until 22 March 2025. Tickets via https://agtheatre.com.au/avenueq/

This was one comedy I loved, thank you for a very fun night.

Congratulations everyone!

CAST:
Princeton: Harley Dasey
Kate Monster: Zoe Crisp
Nicky & Trekkie: Andrew McDougall
Rod: Jonathon Shilling
Lucy & Mrs T: Cassie Ogle
Bad Idea Bear & Puppeteer: Perri Espinoza
Bad Idea Bear: Darcy Harriss
Brian: Matthew Tomlin
Xmas Eve: Chiew-Jin Khut
Gary Coleman: Stephanie Lacerna
Swings: Liimei Lim, Jake Lonergan

Production Team:
Executive Producer: Andrew Gyopar
Director: Pip Mushin
Music Director: Alexandra Byrne
Choreographer & Assistant Director: Adriana Pannuzzo
Production Design: Abbey Stanway
Costume Design: Karen Spencer
Puppet Design & Creation: Andrew McDougall
Graphic Design: Jett Archer

AVENUE Q
Music & Lyrics by Jeff Marx & Robert Lopez
Book by Jeff Whitty
Licensed exclusively by Music Theatre International (Australasia)

Photo credits: @agtheatreproductions

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Debra Campbell🥈

Spread the word on your favourite platform!

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