Mary Poppins: Mountain District Musical Society

Mary Poppins

Mary Poppins Rating

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5

Mary Poppins would have to be one of the most well known stories from everyone’s childhood. To see it in a musical, no matter how many times you’ve seen it before, is always special! Producing this showstopper at the moment is Mountain District Musical Society.

Based on the books by P.L. Travers and the classic Walt Disney film, Disney and Cameron Mackintosh’s Mary Poppins delighted Broadway audiences for over 2,500 performances and received nominations for nine Olivier and seven Tony Awards, including Best Musical.

Mary Poppins is an enchanting blend of an irresistible story, breathtaking dance numbers, and unforgettable songs – including classic favourites such as A Spoonful of Sugar, Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious, Feed the Birds, and Step in Time.

Playing 13-22 June 2025 at Karralyka in Ringwood within a beautiful theatre, this show was a complete 5-star viewing. So good that my Mum who went with me said she would go again and she doesn’t even have young grandkids or know anyone in it as encouragement to see. This is a jubilant show for all ages.

 

 

Mary Poppins (played by Hannah Simos-Garner) is so practically perfect in every way of course! Hannah never loses her ability to keep in character with Mary’s ‘spit spot’ personality and even when she takes her bow at the end of an energetic finale she remains the ‘prim and proper’ person she is after having cast her magical talents over an amazing stage set and supported by a gifted cast.

Bert (played by Jason Sainsbury-King) is, I think, the best character in Mary Poppins; I’ve always loved him. He’s the sort of person we all want in our life; dependable, living in the moment, never gives up and steps in time with others and on his own. Jason gives a unique adaptation of Bert on stage – he’s funny and so engaging with the audience that we think at times we are about to jump in the show with him. “That was a little bit scary” he says as he pops out of the audience in one part and we all laugh; I again think how wonderful he is. And yes, some scenes are a touch scary, but it’s all done with crazy wonder, like a broken toy ‘Valentine’ (played by Hamish Williamson) squeezing through the cupboard to become life size in front of us with a bewildered ballerina, doll, bear, jester and more …

Downstairs at his desk at home or doing his important work at the bank, Mr George Banks (played by Cale Maclaren) is a stand-out. Cale’s experience shows off Mr Banks stout actions and soft side very well as the relied-upon cornerstone of the Banks family. Mrs Winifred Banks (played by Kelliann Brady) shines when she gets the chance to address her husband’s employers and you realise the story of ‘Mary Poppins’ is really about them, their family and what is actually important in having one.

The Banks children, Jane and Michael, are roles much sought after and the kids’ audition slots are usually quickly booked out. I’ve seen many an exceptional youngster reading out the letter to their ideal nanny in my time, but I applaud tenfold the two I saw tonight in Jane (played by 10 year old Mila Orchard, practically a veteran of theatre already) and Michael (played by 9 year old Charlie Laughton, a cello and piano player plus singer and dancer).

Mila has grown up in her family’s dance school and her training in not only dance, but vocal and acting is proven here. She holds the floor quite a lot with extensive dialogue and doesn’t forget about her actions in smaller details either. Charlie as Michael Banks has all his mischievous and comically naughty expressions down pat. I’ll bet he had tons of fun doing this show practicing them as he’s very genuine in his antics. Both of these kids are unforgettable as Jane and Michael, well done!!! (Note: the children’s roles are shared and you may see equally talented Clementine Lidstone and Elliott Hayes at a different show).

 

 

My favourite scene was without a doubt the unveiling of Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious… go to see this nonsensical word come to life that has become synonymous with ‘Mary Poppins’ and its themes of joy and magic; in this show it is PURE JOY! Hugely well co-ordinated dancing by all, from the cutest littlest cast member Emersyn (also playing one of those cheeky penguins in the park scene), to Mary Poppins (Hannah belting it out confidently), in a spectacle on stage that will have you not wanting it to end (luckily they do an encore).

Following a close second to my favourite was naturally with my dance background ‘Step in Time’. How can you not love this rhythm. The ensemble get to show off here and they are brilliant!! Energy plus some!! What great choreography and geez the stage awareness by everyone – so much is going on; “yes, good job, woo hoo” I’m saying all the way through as they partner up and nail their formations. Tap dancing is a rarer skill displayed these days but you’ll definitely get a fix at this one. I’m always listening out for comments from the audience and after the show I heard a young boy say he wanted to learn to dance like the chimney people (his Mum said “you liked the noise?”) – how gorgeous and it’s worth having your kids be noisy to learn tap.

My Mum’s favourites were Mrs Brill, Robertson Ay and Ellen (played by Felicity Eastwood, Jacob Sellenger and Laura Steel), three hired help in the Banks household who will have you in fits at their harmonious but hilarious chaotic shenanigans.

I have to mention a few others too (did I say this show is AMAZING):

The meaningful and heartfelt ‘Feed the Birds’ solo by Marina Martin whereupon you never look at flocking pigeons in the same way again and there was a tear in my eye when Mr Banks favoured her plea – the look on Marina’s face said it all; kindness is king.

A shout out to the formidable nanny come-back of Miss Andrew’s ‘Holy-Terror’ ways hitting vocal notes that had the audience awe-struck and was once again portrayed perfectly by Sarah Power (her make-up made the character look fierce but in a comical way which I thought was better for kids viewing, so well done by the costuming team).

Mrs Corry (played by Nicole Kapiniaros-Anson) and her brightly-haired daughters – fabulous costuming and fabulous voices and dramatic involvement – loved them and the wigs! And for everyone all around them, BRAVO, you’re all on it, in it and living live theatre to the full.

I also liked watching the girl with the yellow kite dancing and all the kites flying on stage. Theatre shows can bring us such lovely reminders of memories we hold dear from our own childhood days or those of watching our own children discover. The looks of excitement in flying a kite is one – caught by the smiley ensemble members who make the show what it is overall, they add the backing board for those lead roles to be in a realistic moment.

I could go on and on, but Bert finally closes the door at 17 Cherry Tree Lane, leaving a happy family inside and having said a happy farewell to Mary Poppins before she flies across the sky, but also leaves the audience skipping out and having ‘a spoonful of sugar’ or ‘chim chim cher-ee’ happily singing in our heads.

Congratulations Mountain District Musical Society. For information on future shows of MDMS, please visit: https://www.mdms.org.au/

CAST:

MARY POPPINS – HANNAH SIMOS-GARNER
BERT – JASON SAINSBURY-KING
GEORGE BANKS – CALE MACLAREN
WINIFRED BANKS – KELLIANN BRADY
JANE BANKS – MILA ORCHARD / CLEMENTINE LIDSTONE
MICHAEL BANKS – CHARLIE LAUGHTON / ELLIOTT HAYES
MRS BRILL – FELICITY EASTWOOD
ROBERTSON AY – JACOB SELLENGER
ELLEN – LAURA STEEL
ADMIRAL BOOM – MICHAEL GIBSON
MISS LARK – ELLEN LANE
MRS CORRY – NICOLE KAPINIARIS-ANSON
BIRD WOMAN – MARINA MARTIN
MISS ANDREW – SARAH POWER
NELEUS – HAMISH WILLIAMSON
BANK CHAIRMAN – STEVE ATKINSON
KATIE NANNA / MISS SMYTH – ELEANOR HORSBURGH
PARK KEEPER / JOHN NORTHBROOK – RYAN JACOBS
VON HUSSLER – NICK TOOVEY
POLICEMAN – DAVE SLY

ENSEMBLE & ARTISTS:

CALLUM HALSTEAD
ADDISON WILLIAMSON
ALLEGRA JACOBS
LEXI ZACHARIASSEN
OLIVIA SIMOS-GARNER
EMERSYN ORCHARD
ISABELLE DA COSTA
RUBY QUINN
CHLOE FONG
ISLA EVERETT
EMILY ABRAHAM
SONIA AGJEE
JENNA AL BUSAIDI
CHARLIE BARNETT
ALEX CORR
AMELIE EVERETT
MELISSA HILL
TYLER LEVY
LUCY BRADY
JESSICA CLARK
BEC CORNELL
KRISTY CORNELL
NICOLE ROTENSTEIN
ALI STEWART
CADENCE VALK
STEPHANIE VIENET

Director: Anne Dewar, Musical Director: Vicki Quinn, Choreographer: Amber Orchard, Stage Manager: Craig Dewer, Production Manager: Lyn Alexander, Set Design: Chris White, Lighting Design: Yaz Sesta, Sound Design: Peter Philip / David Drew, Program Design: Emily Dewar, Projection & Video Design: Brenton Van Vliet.

The amateur theatre group of MDMS has commitment to fostering an inclusive environment for people of all cultures, beliefs, identities and abilities. Community theatre at its best so don’t miss BEAUTY AND THE BEAST next year with MDMS.

Venue: Karralyka Theatre is at 22A Mines Rd, Ringwood and is easy to get to with plenty of parking. Comfortable seating and good viewing whether you sit front or back rows.

Photographer: Gavin D Andrew

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MY FAIR LADY – Closing Week!

My Fair Lady Rating

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15

See it by Sunday!

One of the greatest musicals of all time, now playing June 6 – June 15 at The Round: My Fair Lady (based on George Bernard Shaw’s play Pygmalion) tells the story of Cockney flower-girl Eliza Doolittle and Professor Henry Higgins who takes a bet that he can pass her off as a lady within 6 months. Made famous by Julie Andrews & Rex Harrison, My Fair Lady won many awards and broke many records since its Broadway debut in 1956. The music is universally known and loved and includes timeless songs such as: Wouldn’t It Be Loverly, With A Little Bit Of Luck, The Rain In Spain, I Could Have Danced All Night, On The Street Where You Live and Get Me To The Church On Time.

The write-up on Babirra Musical Theatre’s website sums it up; this is an all-time favourite, but not one you see being produced often anymore. Suitable for all ages, Babirra have gratefully given the script, set and costuming their expertise and it’s especially a no-brainer for your grandparents to go see. Tickets would make a great gift for them too: https://babirra.org.au/

Having followed the journey of leading lady, Siobhan Judge, playing ‘Eliza Doolittle’, and with my own daughter having taken singing lessons with Siobhan for a while, I predicted she’d probably be fantastic! Exactly that she is; in every scene and every song! Siobhan grew up in the Australian Girls’ Choir and later graduated from Monash University; taking the role of ‘performing arts teacher’ at Melbourne Girls College. Apparently the students love her and I bet she will have carloads from the school grabbing group bookings to be WOWed by seeing both her extraordinary vocal talents in fine tune and acting skills up close in this demanding role. The show is also Siobhan’s debut with Babirra and that’s saying something about how well she plays Eliza – she was made for it and I’m sure she gave this impression in auditions from the start.

So, after being awe-struck by Siobhan’s ability, equally another star performer in the show is Tim Maloney playing her on-stage father ‘Alfred Doolittle’. The belly-laughs from him and from us were non-stop as he commanded our attention from the very first words he spoke and I knew straight away he was going to be a stand out in this production. I learn from the program that Tim has done over 80 musicals, yes 80! No stranger at all to getting full attention from the audience, he shows off that he wholeheartedly loves performing and we loved watching him. In fact, by the end of the show, we were smiling as soon as he stepped out of the wings before he even did anything at all and we were cheering out loud when he took his bow, yet we did not know him prior. Bravo!

‘Henry Higgins’ is a masterful character and masterfully played by Mark Monroe. This character is a bit of a mix up and he’s interesting fun, but mostly (given the dialogue in today’s era) you might want to tell him to be ‘more like a woman’ rather than vote for his desire to have women behave more like men! Mark is excellent though, I laughed at how he paced up and down puzzled by Eliza and her outbursts or trying to control her and teach her to speak properly like a ‘lady’. His colleague on set is of course ‘Colonel Pickering’ played by Tim Murphy, another gem on stage as the kinder of the two gentlemen for the most part. Both are eager to see however if Eliza, with 24/7 linguistic education from Henry, can go from being a ‘common flower girl’ on the street where they met her, to fool those in high society that she might be a ‘duchess’ or maybe even ‘royalty’.

‘Mrs Pearce’ (Henry Higgins’ housekeeper), played by Fiona Carter, isn’t certain she agrees or not with such an idea, but she convincingly helps to care for and look out for Eliza, and Fiona was wonderful in her genuinity.

I waited with anticipation for where Henry says ‘I think she’s got it’ and ‘The Rain in Spain’ from Eliza’s new found pronunciation consumes the auditorium with her operatic flair. I asked Siobhan after the show if going from a tricky ‘Cockney’ accent to a most ‘posh’ English one was hard to perfect. She smiled and said being ‘posh’ was easy, but the Cockney took some practice – she readily had to let go of any embarrassment in rehearsals with extended ‘ahhhhs’ and many an elongated e. I daresay much of the cast had to spend quite a bit of time running lines similarly with the accents required and it’s paid off well as this show wouldn’t be what it is without the vocabulary detail.

 

A ‘test’ outing at the races is one of the most entertaining scenes (complete with loud galloping sound effects), and brings to the stage a loveable enthusiastic ‘Freddy’ played irresistibly by Charles Conway and a not so enthusiastic character in Henry’s very proper mother, played beautifully and engagingly by Patricia McCracken. I always ask someone at interval how they are enjoying the show and two appreciating ladies answered ‘yes, they are all very strong aren’t they and we love the mother, she’s our age’ haha, Patricia had deservingly won their hearts. I think this a special part of live theatre; connecting with certain actors, not just within the show but for you personally.

Exceptional work from the whole cast, ensemble was energetic and polished; enjoyed so much the dancers in the imaginary scene and watching the ballroom. Congratulations to all!

Finally, I note I don’t usually review shows where I know lead cast members, but it was indeed a pleasure to see Siobhan pull off ‘Eliza’ knowing this role was a dream come true for her. A group of theatre-lovers, such as BABIRRA, provide individuals the chance to do something they are passionate about, but who may not necessarily want (or choose) to pursue a professional career in that tough industry. A big thank you to the committee and volunteers of ‘amateur theatre’ whose efforts make this happen, and, in the process, give us (the audience) the chance to see more shows.

Babirra Music Theatre is a long well-established musical production company and has always encouraged involvement and participation from the local community, both in performing and behind-the-scenes. Don’t miss this show MY FAIR LADY, or their next: GREASE!

Ticket link and details to be involved via https://babirra.org.au/

Instagram: babirra_music_theatre

Venue: The Round, 379 Whitehorse Rd, Nunawading, is, I think, the very best suburban theatre in Melbourne and likely the biggest newer one – opening in 2023. Easy to get to, park at and with arguably the most comfortable seats and extensive (vegan inclusive) canteen you’ll enjoy in a theatre venue anywhere, plus great coffee before, during and after interval with tables and chairs to wait and chat with the cast afterwards. Very easy access for wheelchairs and assisted-walkers – ‘retirement village’ buses were lined up at the matinee we went to and cars can pull up in a drop-off zone straight outside the door. Enjoy!

CAST:

Eliza Doolittle played by Siobhan Judge
Prof. Henry Higgins played by Mark Monroe
Colonel Pickering played by Tim Murphy
Alfred Doolittle played by Tim Maloney
Mrs Higgins played by Patricia McCracken
Mrs Pearce played by Fiona Carter
Freddy played by Charley Conway
Zolton Karpathy played by Matthew Davies

FEATURED ENSEMBLE
Jamie, friend of Alfred, Lord Boxington – Steven Keane
Harry, friend of Alfred – Brent Denison
Higgins’ butler – Mark Curran
Higgins’ footman – Paul Ash
Mrs Hopkins & Mrs Eynsford-Hill – Ann Hubbard
Queen of Transylvania & Lady Boxington – Catherine Bolzonello
George, Bartender – Garry Barcham

ENSEMBLE:
Esther Bruerton
Owen Davies
Isobel Edmondson
Michael Fang
Emma Gilding
Mia Grasso
Beth Hanlon
Steph Herbert
Abby James
Christine James
Alysa Kimpton
Yvette Lipovetsky
Aaron McBride
Tommy Murphy
Lotte Papson
Liam Rosewarne
Avalon Waterfall

Director – Alan Burrows
Musical Director – Marty Macaulay
Choreographer – James Kaiser
Assistant Director – Mark Cluning
Set Design – Barry Pearce
Costume Designer – Ely Tapp
Co-Production Managers – Jo Brincat, Steve Cavell
Hair/Make-up, Wigs – Louise Reeder, Maren Holm
Set Construction – Garry Barcham and Team

PHOTOGRAPHY CREDIT: Gavin D. Andrew
Design: @luke.jay.designs

To book tickets to My Fair Lady, please visit https://www.theround.com.au/whats-on/my-fair-lady-babirra.

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Elvis Tribute Artists: Jack Gatto & Charlie Gaylard

Jack Gatto & Charlie Gaylard Show

Jack Gatto & Charlie Gaylard Show Rating

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10

The promo read: For the first time ever, two of Australia’s finest Elvis tribute artists share the stage for an unforgettable night of music! Charlie Gaylard, the 16-year-old sensation from Colac who’s putting the Elvis world on notice, joins Jack Gatto, the Geelong powerhouse with arguably the best Elvis voice in the world. Backed by the world-renowned Tributes In Concert Band—soon to perform for Elvis Presley Enterprises in Memphis—this two-hour spectacular promises electrifying performances, classic hits, and the ultimate tribute to The King.

Jack Gatto, 29, is a born entertainer; a vocalist, guitarist and drummer, with exceptional versatility; he understudied for The Wiggles. So, yes, even without perfecting his tribute in performing the vocals, charisma and audience interaction of ‘Elvis’, he’s a very accomplished and engaging performer. Unexpectedly, I learn that he’s also a wildlife and zoo reptile keeper, but tonight he dons a blue studded jumpsuit and leaves the crocodile shows behind for something else mesmerizing on stage….ELVIS!

Charlie Gaylard has already got his ETA (Elvis Tribute Artist) career kicking goals (after being inspired by Baz Luhrmann’s 2022 movie – he wasn’t even a fan before seeing it) and he has only been doing this for a year and a half.

At the huge annual Parkes Elvis Festival in January, which I attended, a lady behind me said (as Charlie rolled by in a pink suit in the vintage car street parade), ‘Hubba Hubba Who’s That?’; someone replied ‘It’s Charlie! How can you not know him?’, another said ‘Yeah, he’s the boy Go Charlie!’ LOL – Charlie smiled his perfected Elvis lip and waved back (bonus that he does look alike). These fans were in their 70s, and definitely not the usual fanbase for a 16 year old singer, but next time, given Charlie’s rapidly growing popularity, they may be bringing their grandchildren.

There were apparently (according to my chats with locals) more young people at the NSW Parkes festival this year than any prior and probably same with the growing Geelong Elvis Festival (according to the owner of the motel I stayed at this weekend), and, whilst my daughter (19) was no doubt one of the youngest audience members at this show in Geelong, she is a huge Elvis fan and was singing the words just as well as the grey haired gentleman with a walker aide on the aisle; both of them having a great time.

For two non-stop hours we enjoyed toe tapping tunes, hard-belt lyrics and soft sweetness up there on that stage with banging traditional lighting as good as any nightclub, an extraordinary band and in-theme back-up singers. Along with a bit of comedy from both Jack and Charlie, the crowd loved every second from everyone contributing to the spectacle and the two hours flew by.

My Mum played ‘Elvis’ a lot (she was one of those actual teen fans of his heyday, just like most watching this sold out concert at The Sphinx). I knew pretty much all his music by the time I was 12, thanks Mum! In recreating the love, there were quite a lot of ladies like my Mum eagerly going up for a scarf given out by Jack, just as the real Elvis did for his lucky fans.

My favourite song is and always has been HOUND DOG and tonight was no exception with LOVE ME TENDER a close follow up. I could list a heap of others also that were mind blowingly good; Suspicious Minds, Blue Suede Shoes, Burning Love, etc. etc. each and every one totally authentic; our jaws dropped in disbelief on multiples, “just like watching the real thing” my daughter agreed.

My daughter didn’t once look like she’d had enough, the atmosphere of seeing live music she has discovered is far better than ‘clubbing’. Her faves were LITTLE LESS CONVERSATION by Charlie and the duet rendition of JAILHOUSE ROCK where Charlie and Jack were on stage together for the end of the show.

Throughout the night, every single person of any age around us was smiling and cheering in astonishment at the likeness of Elvis as a young performer by Charlie and as a more mature man with Jack on the mic. They were both incredible at showing us his different eras. Jack was generous in giving the scarves out to the ladies too, it was all such fun!

Elvis was one of the most incredible entertainers of all time and what a privilege for these two to keep his stage presence alive, Vegas style! Love love loved!!

Follow @domarpaproductions for updates and give them a huge round of applause for everything they are doing to bring Elvis back for the ‘oldies’ and hopefully introduce more of his undying music to the ‘youngies’.

If you didn’t fly to America in your youth to see Elvis live in concert (or you weren’t born then); you CAN be transported back in time – just go see Jack Gatto and Charlie Gaylard. The two speak highly of each other; they know they are not the real Elvis and the crowd knows it of course; everyone goes along because they loved everything about Elvis from his famous voice to perhaps his even more famous dance style which shocked the world – it’s all part of the fun and the memories and these two tribute artists do Elvis proud! Both Jack and Charlie are down-to-earth and humble of their ability to light up the lives of those watching them as ‘Elvis’ for a night. “Thank-you very much!”

You might likely catch Jack and Charlie together again in November – book quick because they sell out quick, they just have added this new show by popular demand.

See: https://geelongelvisfestival.com.au/ in Geelong or keep posted on all shows ‘Elvis’ via promoters DOM ARPA PRODUCTIONS https://domarpaproductions.com.au/

Venue & Parking: can’t miss the huge “Sphinx” so easy to find and venue has plenty of parking, but it was fairly full for this event so go early, we did however queue outside for a while.

Accommodation: Geelong is an easy commute from Melbourne. We stayed at Rippleside Park Motor Inn a 5min drive from the venue and can highly recommend as a great basic affordable motel centrally located for seeing any show in Geelong – it’s always nice to go away for a night as well to see a show out of town and Geelong has a lot to offer.

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Nice Work If You Can Get It

Nice Work If You Can Get It

Nice Work If You Can Get It Rating

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7

“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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