musical

Assassins – The Revusical

Assassins

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.

Assassins

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.

Assassins
Assassins

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:-

  • Fri 6th Oct, Evening 8:00 PM
  • Sat 7th Oct, Matinee, 2:00 PM
  • Sat 7th Oct, Evening, 8:00 PM
  • Fri 13th Oct, Evening 8:00 PM
  • Sat 14th Oct, Matinee, 2:00 PM
  • Sat 14th Oct, Evening, 8:00 PM
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The Hen House – A Storytelling Comedic Rock Concert

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

This review also appears on It’s On The House.

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Roll up! Roll up! The Marvellous Elephant Man

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

Evening performances 7.30pm Tuesday – Saturday; 7pm Sunday

Matinee performances 2pm Saturday; 1pm Sunday

Tickets: https://sydneyfringe.com/events/the-marvellous-elephant-man-the-musical/

This review also appears on It’s On The House.

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Time Warp your way to the Rocky Horror Show

This iconic cult classic musical is a whirlwind of wild energy from the “Science Fiction” opening strains to the show-stopping finale of “Time Warp”. It promotes self-expression and encourages people to show up, drop their inhibitions, let loose, and have fun. The show opened in Melbourne’s Atheneum Theatre on Wednesday 24th of May to a jump-out-of-your-seat audience, in anticipation of a great night at the theatre.

Originally, like the Little Shop of Horrors, this horror-comedy musical was released to negative reviews. It required an unconventional audience and midnight movie screenings to be appreciated for its campy humour, outrageous characters, and catchy music. It was also ahead of its time with themes of sexual liberation and gender fluidity and … well … times have finally caught up!

The story, in a nutshell, is about Brad (Ethan Jones) and Janet (Deirdre Khoo) who just got engaged when their car broke down during a storm, and they looked for shelter at a nearby peculiar castle. These two conservative and innocent characters became the unintended guests to the owner of the castle, the mad scientist, Dr. Frank N. Furter (Jason Donovan), which was where most of the fun took place! It was a particularly important night because Frank was in the midst of creating the perfect muscle man for himself, named Rocky (Loredo Malcolm). 

And so, when Brad and Janet were invited in, they met the castle’s bizarre inhabitants and whilst they were shocked and wanted to escape, they were trapped and later, drawn into the surreal world of unconventional seduction and highly sexually charged behaviour. What happened on stage blurred the boundaries between reality and fantasy and in no time, the couple transformed from conservative, vulnerable, and innocent to curious, confident, and sexually adventurous.

The cast selection for this show was perfect, and the characters gave the audience just the right feeling. For example, Donovan captured Frank’s flamboyant and powerful persona on stage. He created a polarising Frank, attracting those around him with his charm and repulsing them with manipulative, abusive behaviour. Stellar Perry was a fabulous Magenta (Dr Frank N Furter’s maid), she was mysterious, seductive, and loyal but also Perry conjured qualities of darkness, strength, and sarcasm. Riff Raff (Henry Rollo), Frank’s right-hand man, predictably appeared unpredictable on stage, with a wild mop of hair, a pale white face, and a mysterious quirkiness around his character.

Malcolm had the perfect “look“ for the model muscleman with athletic and acrobatic movements as he effortlessly spun, jumped and flipped on stage, showing off his physique. Myf Warhurst was the delightful Narrator. She was just plain charming! Her engagement with the audience was natural and spontaneous. Columbia (Darcey Eagle) was bright and sparkly on stage, fitting her free-spirited character and unconventional self-expression. Ellis Dolan doubled as Eddie and Dr Scott, transforming from a fierce tough guy to a conservative, serious, and no-nonsense doctor. Jones and Khoo created a fabulous transformation from innocence to debauchery, shedding their inhibitions along the way.

Whilst the set design was appropriate, representing light and innocence with a cartoon-like car and church at the start of the performance to the dark lair of the castle, sometimes the stage felt too small and cramped. Perhaps the set design and lighting could be enhanced to create the illusion of space. However, the phantoms formed an important visual spectacle, creating movement on stage, adding a sense of chaos and devotion to their master. Likewise, the live band added an extra element of engagement, they gave a dynamic performance for the catchy melodies, an essential part of the Rocky Horror Show’s appeal.

This production of the Rocky Horror Show, under the direction of Christopher Luscombe, is worth seeing if you want to be part of a unique, immersive theatrical experience. This shows run in Melbourne through to the middle of August before touring through Perth, the Gold Coast and Canberra for the rest of 2023.

This review also appears in On The House

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