The Tony Award-winning Parade: The Musical returns to Brisbane at the Ron Hurley Theatre in Seven Hills, recounting the true and tragic story of Leo Frank (Michael Lewis), a Jewish factory manager in Atlanta, Georgia, who was wrongfully accused and convicted of the murder of 13-year-old factory employee Mary Phagan (Mabel Tamone).
The caseâand its aftermathâexposed deep-rooted antisemitism, stark regional divisions, and widespread injustice in early 20th-century America. This pivotal moment in U.S. history not only intensified the rift between North and South but also helped fuel the resurgence of the Ku Klux Klan.
Directed by Johnny Peek, this Bump In Productions staging features a cast that seamlessly blends professional and community talent.
Real-life couple Michael and Belinda Lewis lead the production as Leo and Lucille Frank, lending a powerful intimacy to their performances, particularly in the showâs later scenes. Michael gives a deeply sincere portrayal of Leo, the Brooklyn-educated businessman who moved to Georgia after marrying Lucille and took over management of her uncleâs factory. His involvement in the local Jewish community becomes a focal point in the courtroom scene, and his emotional depth in the final actâafter conviction and while awaiting sentencingâis both compelling and heart-wrenching.
Belinda Lewis delivers a sublime performance as Lucille. Her disbelief and frustration over the injustice done to her husband drives her to take control (“Do It Alone”) and persuade the Governor to re-open the case (“This Is Not Over Yet”). When Leo is moved to a prison farm, she visits him with a picnicâthis tender scene was, for me, the highlight of the show. Their connection during âAll the Wasted Timeâ was palpable, holding the audience in rapt silence.
Jay Monck gives a commanding performance as the ambitious District Attorney Hugh Dorsey, whose political ambitions hinge on a convictionâregardless of the truth.
Mabel Tamone is exceptional as Mary Phagan, imbuing the role with a childlike innocence and warmth. She is perfectly matched by Casey Martin as Frankie Epps (âThe Picture Showâ), a rising triple-threat performer. Both Tamone and Martin are talents to watch.
The ensemble is strong across the board, with standout moments in group numbers like âThere Is a Fountainâ and âIt Donât Make Sense.â Matthew McKenzie is magnetic as Jim Conley, especially during the gripping chain gang number, âFeel the Rain Fall.â
Musical Director Michael Keen brings Jason Robert Brownâs score vividly to life with the support of an accomplished live orchestra positioned offstage. Maureen Bowraâs choreography plays to the castâs strengths, with intricate staging that immerses the audience in key moments.
Overall, Parade is an extraordinary and moving productionânot to be missed.
Parade: The Musical runs through 3 August at the Ron Hurley Theatre, 28 Tallowwood St, Seven Hills QLD 4170.
Late Late At Night: The Rick Springfield Story Rating
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3
The Late Late at Night: The Rick Springfield Story promises a show with heart and nostalgia as the audience is taken down memory lane with the Australian-American icon: and it delivered.
Jackson Carrollâs flawless depiction as Richard Springthorpe, otherwise known as Rick Springfield, was a perfect balance of learning about the struggling musicianâs life and performance of his classic hits. Although Springfield navigates heavy topics, including mental health issues and personal losses, Carroll showcased these struggles in a sensitive and somewhat endearing manner. The show acts as a reminder that the glorified icon who graced our radios with the rock and pop anthems Jessieâs Girl and State of the Heart is also a man trying to find his way.
The excitement of the audience was tangible as soon as the music commenced. Carroll immediately hooked in the audience with his emotive voice, alternating between the piano and guitars, helping viewers construct Springfieldâs elusive world. The minimalist stage set-up, decorated with key pieces possessing significant meaning to Springfield, emphasised his isolated journey of discovering who he is; and what truly brought him joy. The use of lighting and audio recordings to construct the world of Springfield effectively reflected his declining mental health, as well as core events that led him down the path of self-destruction and self discovery.
The enthusiasm and energy Carroll maintained throughout the one-man show is highly commended, which was met with a standing ovation. The skill in carrying a show from beginning to end, jumping between monologues, different characters and the music of Springfield is remarkable. As he acted and sang, jumping between timelines and showcasing the origin of Springfieldâs beloved songs, Carroll made it look effortless. One of the highlights of his distinguished performance was the seamless shift between all stages of Springfieldâs life. We watched Rick Springfield address the audience like old friends before diving into his experiences as a boy, to a teen trying to make his dream a reality, a man that falls a part when fame does not give him everything he thought it would; to an icon that realises the true meaning of happiness.
Fans of Rick Springfield, old and new, will not be disappointed when they embark on this journey to learn about the man behind the music. The Late Late at Night: The Rick Springfield Story offers fans a chance to learn his story, but will also find themselves reflecting on the true meaning of happiness as they watch Springfield muster his courage to right his wrongs and find his purpose. Witnessing the story of the icon battle and overcome his lifelong struggles offers a gentle reminder that even those we idolise are indeed human, and just like them, we too can overcome our darkest days.
Based on the real-life story of historyâs Grace OâMalley â an Irish Chieftain and notorious pirate, The Pirate Queen is an adventure chronicling the compelling, inspiring heroine who led an extraordinary life as a rogue, lover and mother in 16th-century Ireland. To protect her people and save her one true love, O’Malley must confront the one woman more powerful than her â her fierce rival, Queen Elizabeth I of England.
Excited to be celebrating their 80th anniversary in 2025, MLOC Productions is the third oldest community theatre group in Australia. Founded in 1945 as the Mordialloc Philharmonic Society, they originally attracted return service men and their wives to form part of an 80-strong choir. Early performances included the opening of 1956 Melbourne Olympic Games. By 1985, the group had become Mordialloc Light Opera Company (eventually abbreviated to MLOC) and have been performing a variety of productions in south-east Melbourne ever since. The Pirate Queen is an Australian first!
Being a new production to Australia, I had no idea what to expect and no pre-conceived expectations which is always adds difference either way because most shows (especially musicals) one has usually seen or at least heard about before. All I knew was that MLOC had done their amazing promo photo shoot at The Polly Woodside in Melbourne which intrigued me to see the show along with advice from a friend who went to the opening night and had loved it.
Firstly, this is a HUGE show requiring HUGE vocals and the main roles especially really have their work cut out for them in every song. HUGE applause therefore to Ella Fryer in her first lead role in a musical (playing âGrace OâMalleyâ) and Nickolas Brown, also his first lead role in a full-scale show (playing Graceâs true love âTiernanâ).
I think the character of Grace probably sang the equivalent of about an hour total, unbelievable stamina up there girl, good job!
Tiernanâs solo âIâll Be Thereâ was a memorable rendition of heartfelt connection we hope all our men feel for us women, and coming from someone so young, very impressive!
Their entire supporting cast has enthusiasm to boot, (boots donned from the era of course). Varying ages in the show from Graceâs son (played by Jake Christie) to those like Evleen (played by Margot Sephton a MLOC life member) with a ton of stage presence over decades was lovely to see. Itâs so important in theatre to bring up the next generation and thatâs why I think community theatre groups just keep going full steam ahead; they are full of encouragement and support, both on and off the stage and they are not afraid to try something new.
The story of The Pirate Queen resonated a little of Disneyâs âMulanâ at the start as Grace pretends sheâs a boy to get onto her fatherâs ship unnoticed, âLes Misâ with sorrow and hardship, then throwing in some interesting accents similar to that given in âSIXâ and âHamiltonâ. This newcomer to musical theatre certainly has the potential to fit in right where aiming its sword.
And no pirate themed anything would be complete without a sword fight or three. I particularly liked the one where they used slow motion and moderate strobe effect lighting (favourable note here that full/fast strobes are so unsuitable for many watching and though this show couldâve used them they didnât).
Stormy seas are brought to life with the sudden drop of a massive sail giving us on our seats a gasp with it plummeting near the actors underneath, but yes, thankfully it was part of the theatrics, phew!
Transportation to the Emerald Isle is made authentic by the beautiful music and Celtic feel (special mention to Matthew Horsley, Claire Rainey & Brodie Nash on the pipes and whistles). The energy and true Irish dancing to this music has you toe tapping and there is great musicality in the choreography, as also noticed and mentioned by the friend I went with. We gave a shout out to Wendy Perrow. I couldnât take my eyes off her quick feet embracing the poetry in motion of all those hops and heels up with the biggest smile of enjoyment on every step; she was having a ball portraying the Irish liveliness of more joyous scenes in weddings and birth celebrations (a baby born on stage, was a new one for me).
The costuming is exquisite; an embellished white gown of the Queen, the rich red and gold of those who guard her empire, and those dancing around the maypole with puffed sleeves, long petticoats and velvet ribbons – wonderful details along with those pirate outfits and boots on the ship sailing Clew Bay in 1558, the domain of the OâMalley clan.
âClan Rivalryâ is one thing Iâve experienced first-hand; I married a âCampbellâ and I found out you cannot visit the Highlands even these days without comments about their history with the âMacDonaldsâ competing for dominance from every tour guide and pub ownerâŠ. However in this show the OâMalleys must make alliances with the OâFlaherty clan and so together the fathers of Grace OâMalley and Donal OâFlaherty (played entertainingly by Tyler Delacretaz) make a pact, and Tiernan, Graceâs true love, must step aside. Will he ever have the chance to reunite with her again? After all, Grace did say âyou have my handâ earlierâŠ..
One thing is surely known after seeing The Pirate Queenâs curtain closing, the adventure spirit is alive and well in amateur theatre and I look forward to more shows from MLOC.
Congratulations to the creative team and cast, it takes bravery to put on a show that hasnât been seen here before and you have conquered!
CAST
GRACE Ella Fryer TIERNAN Nickolas Brown LORD BINGHAM Keegan Dart QUEEN ELIZABETH I Niamh McPartland DONAL OâFLAHERTY Tyler Delacretaz DUBHDARA Jarod Rhine-Davis CHIEFTAN OâFLAHERTY Nicholas Bywater EVLEEN Margot Sephton MAJELLA Bridie Clark
Venue: Frankston Arts Centre, 27-37 Davey St. Frankston, Vic. The venue (undergoing some renovation currently didn’t affect our viewing) has its own paid car parking onsite, lots of street parking around the area plus heaps of restaurants and cafes, but there is also a generously sufficient bar, coffee and snack bar inside the theatre venue itself too.
Production Team: Artistic Director â Chris Ryan Musical Director â Matthew Pines Choreographer â Bridie Clark Vocal Director â Alyssa Sorgiovanni Production Manager â Debbie Jenkins Sound Designer â Daniel Bowen & James Dobson Lighting Designer â Daniel Bowen & Chris Ryan Costume Co-ordinator â Debbie Jenkins
Book by ALAIN BOUBLIL, CLAUDE-MICHEL SCHĂNBERG, RICHARD MALTBY JR. Music By CLAUDE-MICHEL SCHĂNBERG Lyrics By ALAIN BOUBLIL, RICHARD MALTBY JR., JOHN DEMPSEY
Based on the Academy Award winning Disney animated feature film, Frozen, the Adelaide Theatre Academyâs limited season of Frozen Jr at the Goodwood Institute, is a first-class vehicle to highlight the outstanding flourishing talents of the young cast in this highly entertaining production that brings Anna, Elsa and the crew alive on stage.
The plot develops in the Kingdom of Arendelle as Young Anna and Young Elsa play as summer is celebrated by the Townspeople. Young Anna pesters Young Elsa to use her magical powers to create snow and ice. Queen Iduna and King Agnarr prompt them that Young Elsaâs powers must be kept a secret. That night they build a toy snowman called Olaf, and Young Elsa inadvertently uses her powers resulting in Young Anna becoming unconscious. The King and Queen enlist the help of the Hidden Folk and their leaders Pabbie and Bulda revive Young Anna and remove the memory of Young Elsaâs powers from Young Annaâs head. Fearful of her potentially harmful magic, Young Elsa vows to hide her powers and removes herself from everyone including her sister.
The King and Queen travel away from the kingdom but are lost at sea and the sisters are isolated from the outside world and each other. Later Elsa is to be crowned Queen and for the Coronation the castle gates are opened after being shut for many years. Anna becomes excited with the prospect of having people back in the castle. Anna falls in love with Prince Hans and Elsa again loses control of her powers and flees, Anna tries to find her sister leaving Prince Hans in charge of Arendelle. In her search she encounters Kristoff and his reindeer Sven, then Olaf the talking snowman who all join her in her quest to find Elsa.
The show includes the favourite songs from the original film, âLet It Goâ and âDo You Want to Build a Snowman?â as well as new songs for the stage.
With the limited confines of the Goodwood Institute and the large size of the cast, the set design is minimal, relying on a series of ladders that are moved throughout the show. While practical considerations are obviously in play in relation to the minimal set design, the minimalism may lead to confusion with the story amongst younger audience members of which there was a large number in the session reviewed. There were also minor sound issues but not enough to mar the show. Costumes are very good, however the stylised Olaf costume may again lead to confusion for younger audience members.
Two casts alternate between sessions, a âWinter Cast” and a â Summer Castâ. The session reviewed was performed by the âWinter Castâ. The whole cast has impressive developing talent. They all performed to a remarkably excellent level considering their age and would all seem to have bright futures. Given the excellent performance of all the cast it seems unfair to single out individual members, but the leads Claire Wilkes as Anna and Lucy Parkes as Elsa, deserve special mention for outstanding achievements. Lucyâs singing voice is already at an accomplished level. Special scene stealing mention also to Olive Kennedy as Olaf.
The Adelaide Theatre Academy should be proud of their production of Frozen Jr as it highlights the brilliant developing talents of the cast in this charming take on Disneyâs Frozen characters.
Frozen Jr runs to 19 July 2025; remaining session dates and times are as follows:
– Friday July 18th â 10:15am & 6:30pm – Saturday July 19th â 11:00am & 6:30pm
