Ghostlight Theatre Co. is a community theatre group that enjoys pushing boundaries. Their latest offering, Blood Brothers, is a horror-tinged romp through 1960s England.
Blood Brothers is written by playwright Willy Russell, who is also the author of Educating Rita. The plot follows twin brothers, Eddie and Mickey, who split at birth and are raised in two different class spheres in the north of England, with consequences that rock their community.
The show’s main cast was mostly quite young and gaining valuable experience from the more seasoned actors in the crew- and they were clearly having a fantastic time on stage.
A standout performer with an absolutely gorgeous voice was Elissa Holswich. She merrily played the devilish narrator alongside a host of other minor roles with flair. Her voice is outstanding and such a highlight of the show.
The relationship between the neighbourhood children was both fun and well choreographed, with the show’s chorus shining in several song and dance sequences. The audience was also able to sympathise with belaboured single mum Mrs Johnston, played by Hannah Davis.
This is a long show, with a run time of almost 3 hours, including intervals. However, you’ll enjoy Blood Brothers if you enjoy musicals, especially those with some supernatural flair and 1960s themes and costumes.
It is currently showing at Theatre 102 in Redcliffe until May 4th, 2024. There is a small bar with snacks and drinks on-site, as well as plenty of parking.
This review also appears on It’s On The House. Check out more reviews at Whats The Show to see what else is on in your town.
In the lovely Beenleigh Crete Street Theatre, Assassins is a dark comedic revusical (part revue, part musical) telling the stories of the nine men and women who have successfully or unsuccessfully tried to kill a president of the United States. It skips down through the ages from Lincoln to Reagan. It reimagines a world where history brought these people together, meeting throughout time. If you’re a history buff or just a lover of fun musicals, this one is to die for.
Cult members, stalker fans, bottle makers, and a man with a stomach ache all shared the same dream: to kill the president of the United States of America. Some things unite all sorts of people. Nine people wanted to be remembered throughout history, to shoot their shot at infamy.
The audience laughed throughout the play, especially at Lynette Fromme (Amelia Burton) and Sara Jane Moore (Alison Pattinson). Their chemistry together was phenomenal, but the performance that really killed the audience was the deranged ramblings of Samuel Byck that Dan Konstantinos brought to life. He must have been gunning to stand out.
Adam Goodall sang throughout, talking to each of the assassins through the ages before his reveal at the end that I won’t spoil. Michael Ware assures us the trick to curing any ailment is to assassinate a president, or at least it can’t hurt to try.
I give only the highest praise to the live orchestra, directed by Ben Richards, who set the scenes perfectly. The live band added so much to the show’s feel, and they are all so talented. Issac Brown directed the actors, doing a fantastic job. The show ran for 100 minutes without an intermission and just left people wanting more.
If you’d like to take a shot at having a lovely evening, pull the trigger and get tickets to Assassins, the opportunity won’t last long. It will leave you laughing and with some more serious questions about what the American dream truly is.
With just two weekends remaining, grab your tickets for Assassins for any one of the following sessions:-
When there is an interesting story to be told, why deliver it only in words when you can rock sing it out? The Hen House, directed by Sydney Theatre Award- winner Anthea Williams and presented by PYT Fairfield and Wild Company, had their world premiere performance on Thursday, 7 September 2023, at the Riverside Theatre. This is a story of friendship between migrant women working in a chicken processing factory. It is not presented as a traditional stage play or a theatre musical but more as a storytelling comedic rock concert – and it works!
Four musicians kept the audience company as we were seated, and the upcoming play’s era is clearly communicated through their music. 1970s music has a distinct funky sound and was created by a lead guitar (Gwyneth Jansen), an electric base (Sarah Homeh), a keyboard (Sil Jin) and drums (Hayley Chan) that made my feet tap! Along with the smoky atmosphere and the audience preshow chatter, you could think you’re in a club!
However, when we are introduced to the characters Mila and Pavica, recent migrants from a village in Croatia, all thoughts of a nightclub are gone, and we are immediately placed in the moments travelling alongside these women for the rest of the play. The story they tell paints a picture of two very different women facing the same terrible conditions at the chicken processing factory and how they deal with issues in their own way. They simply draw strength from different places.
Mila (co-creator Mara Knezevic) is a feisty firecracker of a woman who hates her job. In stark contrast, her friend Pavica (co-creator Josipa Draisma) adores her job at the factory as a forewoman, proud to be a working Mum, and both are endearing in their own way.
Being a two-woman play (with some interaction with the musicians onstage behind them), the actresses portray their characters with comedic flair, changing their body language and accents to share other character’s dialogues. Their mannerism, facial expression and Aussie accent captured their sexist and arrogant manager well, whom they refer to as “Mr Getty Boss Man” – the quick change into this character had the audience in laughter, as did the portrayal of fellow factory worker Joy, who used to work in a jam factory and liked to let people know.
The Hen House was performed on a small stage, with no costume changes and very few props, but the audience were able to use their imaginations as Mila and Pavica told their story through powerful songs and physical comedy.
Sime Knezevic co-wrote The Hen House alongside his sisters Josipa Draisma and Mara Knezevic, and was almost three years in the making. The songs were composed by musical director Zeljko Papic and were full of life and fun.
The Hen House is a powerful story, a retelling of the way how women were unfairly treated in the workplace and a time capsule showing Australia’s social and economic history during the 1970’s. It is an ode to migrant women and their working contribution to Australia, giving them a sense of self-respect and pride. It runs for 90 minutes with no interval.
World Premiere – Riverside Theatre 7-9 September 2023
Camden Civic Centre 13-14 September 2023
Orange Civic Centre – 16 September 2023
The Art House Wyong – 20 September 2023
The Concourse Pavilion Chatswood – 22 September 2023
Roll up! Roll up! For this is no ordinary show– The Marvellous Elephant Man The Musical is a colourful feast of sound and flair under the Sydney Spiegeltent at the EQ Moore Park that will keep you entranced.
The talented trio of writers and composers of this musical took additional roles onstage to showcase their versatility. Musical Director Sarah Nandagopan performed on the piano, Marc Lucchesi and Jayan Nandagopan acted and brought their instruments into the story via their characters.
The Marvellous Elephant Man brings us the story of John Merrick, a man who, in real life in the late 1800s, was the main attraction being paraded at the then-popular ‘freakshows’ in London. The musical breathes life into John’s story, and actor Ben Clark’s portrayal captures our hearts from the moment we see and hear him sing, most notably with the song “I Am Not An Animal”. In stark contrast to John’s kind heart and good nature is the dastardly wicked villain Dr Frederick Treves, played by award-winning actor Kanen Breen. In one scene with these two characters, Dr. Treves’ dialogue was so masterfully well-written and delivered with such malice it was heartbreaking!
Lighting designer Matthew Marshall did an outstanding job adding to the emotive drama in this scene. I noticed how his subtle choice of colour, blue – really highlighted how John was feeling. In another scene, the storytelling involved the most creative use of lighting and illusion I have ever seen on stage! You’ll know this scene when you watch the show; it’s the one with the strobe lighting!
The musical is layered with so many different elements – it’s difficult to pigeonhole The Marvellous Elephant Man into just one genre. There’s plenty of drama, mystery, and a possible love story between John and Nurse Hope, played by Annelise Hall, who created a character so sweet and believable you’ll fall in love with her too! Her singing was mesmerising.
Another major element of this musical was the side-splitting comedy woven into each scene. Writer and composer Marc Lucchesi’s theatrical debut is a standout show stealer. By playing three vastly different strong characters, complete with accents, he had the audience roaring with laughter with each song! The supporting cast were simply brilliant with their dancing, comedic timing and flamboyant costumes.
Some musicals stick to one time era. The songs in this musical were so cleverly composed that the soundtrack took the audience on a rollercoaster ride of songs, sampling being reminiscent of a 1920s bar to being at a vaudeville show to classic rock to being in Italy, and everything in between!
The trombone ‘elephant man’ motif, played by composer Jayan Nandagopan, created its own little story as it began the show with a sad elephant defeated stomp when we were first introduced to John Merrick. As the ‘elephant man’ began to gain confidence, so too did the trombone, becoming brighter in sound and tempo – such a wonderful way to communicate the character’s growth.
The Producer and Co-Directors Chris Mitchell and Guy Masterson have put together an outstanding cast and created a visual masterpiece with a huge voice. With each performance I am sure it is going places, up and away. When this musical is shown on Broadway, in the West End, and closer to home in our larger theatres, I will be so glad I got to be a part of its humble beginnings, on a small round stage in a bigtop tent at the Entertainment Quarter.
The Marvellous Elephant Man the Musical’s performance time is 2 hours and 20 minutes, including the interval time and proudly opened The Sydney Fringe Festival on September 1 2023.
Tickets are now on sale and showing at the Speigeltent Festival Garden – Sydney Spiegeltent The Entertainment Quarter from September 1 – October 1 2023
