Li'l Abner, Space 28, VCA Music Theatre, Friday September 26th 2014

Li'l Abner, Space 28, VCA Music Theatre, Friday September 26th 2014

Congratulations to the cast and crew of "Li'l Abner" performed by VCA Music Theatre Students at Space 28 at the Victorian College of the Arts.

For those new to my blog, I write about the holistic experience of attending the theatre.

"Li'l Abner" the musical is based on Al Capp's comic strip of the same name.  This musical with a book by Norman Panama and Melvin Frank, with original direction and choreography by Michael Kidd, lyrics by Johnny Mercer and music by Gene de Paul. The Broadway musical was turned into a movie with many of the same cast. 

Upon arrival there was no clear area to purchase a programme.  It would have been more in keeping with a musical theatre experience to have programme sellers ( in costume to maintain the theme of the show.)

The pre-show announcements over the speaker system did not leave a good impression at the poor sound quality.  I have attended this theatre before and the speaker system needs to be adjusted accordingly.   Even though there were signs to say "Turn off mobile phones" there was no pre-show announcement. The ushers need to be trained to ensure that all patrons are respected and rectify any breaches of mobile phone and camera use.  In my seating area, there were three instances of mobile phone use during the show and it is very distracting as my peripheral vision catches the mobile phone lighting up.

Starting 15 minutes late is not good, especially for the elderly who try to time their pre show toilet visits accordingly.  Take note - it is usually the professional commercial productions that will start within 5 minutes of starting time, compared to the state run theatre companies or the state run festival shows that start much later.

This production directed by Martin Croft showcased some exceptional talent. Congratulations on the choice of this rarely staged musical as it allows for a large cast with some very defined characters to demonstrate the students' craft.  This was a collaborative effort and has shone through with each of the production credits to support Martin's vision.  Some of the characterisations needed to adhere to solid choices.  The cast created atmospheres for Cornpone Square very effectively.  Some more work on creating ensemble atmospheres in other scenes would enhance their work.  The stresses on some phrases showed a lack of understanding by the young cast on some of the relevance of the 1950s language and jokes.  Some of the jokes were thrown away.

The Musical Director, Stephen Gray brought his small orchestra of six to life.  What a shame they were not dressed as yokels as they were upstage and in full view for the whole show.  The harmonies in the a Capella singing were brilliant and demonstrated how well the students have been trained and rehearsed.  The orchestra played with enthusiasm and created a rich sound with such a small ensemble. Why not use a fuller orchestra from the VCA Music School?  This would give them experience for multiple performances as in the professional world.

The set design by Adam Gardnir was a clever use of trucks that connected to create various locations including Dogpatch, a Yokum Cabin, a fishing hole, Cornpone Square etc.  The colour scheme and design honoured the cartoon-esque nature of the original comic strip.  I loved the transitions between scenes and the lighting of the back cyclorama to assist in the change of scenes.

Bearing in mind that these scenes would have been played originally on Broadway in front of tab curtains and allowed for the scene changes behind.  These young students did a sensational job in moving the set around. Some maintained their character when changing the scenes while others did not.  There was a little trouble on the entry of the statue upstage left,  due to a tight squeeze or the sheer weight of the truck/set.

The costumes by Harriet Oxley were a tribute to the Al Capp's comic strip and were well made to sustain multiple performances.

The make up for the main characters was generally well defined.  Though the ensemble make up varied.  The men, especially, needed to reduce (or even eliminate) the amount of blush and lipstick. Their make up needed to be more natural or cartoon-esque, rather than too twee.

The lighting by Bryn Cullen created a clean and definite cartoon strip quality.  I would have liked to have seen a little more light and shade to accentuate and differentiate the relationship between Li'l Abner and Daisy Mae.

Congratulations to the choreographer Troy Phillips for he honoured the cartoon and the feel of Michael Kidds' choreography in the movie.  Working with such a large cast on a large number of ensemble numbers was one huge feat.  The varying levels of dance ability was utilised to maximise the success of each production number.  Troy has managed to capture the essence of this backwater town.  His clapping sequence, reprised at the end of act two was breathtakingly brilliant and was up there with the quality of the clapping sequence from "Mary Poppins" as a show stopper.

Troy's choreography for "Jubilation T. Cornpone" was slick and a sheer delight as I could not wipe the smile off my face.  It brought back so many memories of repeated viewings of the movie.  The big challenge was to be the finale to Act One, the Sadie Hawkins Day ballet.  It was not the choreography but more the execution by some of the dancers that lacked the slick and sharp polish of the other ensemble numbers.  Some of the lifts required some work to support their partners.

Li'l Abner was played with brutish and naïve charm by Mitchell Ralston.  He was born for this role with his athletic physique and Saturday matinee idol looks.  He had a strong characterisation and moved accordingly.  Though he sang well, he did not sing with his character's chosen accent.  Daisy Mae played by Imogen Moore with 1950s innocence.  She maintained her accent whilst singing with her beautiful voice.  While they worked well together, there should have been more electricity in their connection.

The role of "Marryin' Sam", which Stubby Kaye performed in the original Broadway Cast and the movie, was channelled magnificently by a young Alex Gibson-Giorgio. His characterisation was brilliant and remember his name! He did not lose focus and was consistently great throughout.  Vocally he has a great texture to his character's accent and sang with this same accent.

Notably, Tina Louise (Ginger from Gilligan's Island) played Apassionata Von Climax in the Original Broadway Cast while Stella Stevens played the role in the movie version of "Li'l Abner." So to compare the young actress Amberly Cull to these actresses is a big ask.  While I liked Amberly's accent and poses, her walk required more of a "singer sewing machine" bourree in her stilletos to accentuate the slim line skirt and the 1950s femme fatale role.  Her walk was too modern, confident and assured for the character.  Her characterisation needed fuller focus to be the seductress.

Some of the other highlights included: 

The Six Dogpatch Wives with their brilliant rendition of "Put 'Em Back The Way They Wuz." Vocally and staging wise, these six fine performers relished this scene and created a pure atmosphere of desperation.  Performed with shameless exuberance they created a magical moment for me that was as memorable as the movie.

I adored the cartoon-esque six-pack body make-up of the men-folk in Scene Seven, Act Two in the laboratory.  Plus the role of Dr Rassmussen T. Finsdale played by Barnaby Reiter had the right amount of subtle 1950's sexual innuendo.  He did not camp up this role and committed to his solid character choices to sustain his role.

Evil Eye Fleagle was brilliantly executed by Henry Brett.  He moved with brilliant ease in an evil cartoon-esque  manner.  His green suit allowed Henry to immerse himself into this role, and to transport us into world of Andy Capp's comic strip. 

Mammy Yokum played by Jordan Barr, paid fine homage to Billy Hayes from the movie.  Pappy Yokum played by Dean Schultz  paid fine homage to Joe E. Marks from the movie.  They played the parents of Li' Abner with zest and created a long term marital connection.  They carried their characters with commitment throughout.  Their comic signature walk created a consistent laugh from the audience.  They missed an opportunity when they exited with their suitcases.  This exit would have been even funnier if they tried to navigate the stairs doing their signature walk and carrying their suitcases.

Earthquake McGoon was played with dirty-old-man 1950s aplomb by Joshua Gardiner.  His characterisation was solid and consistent and did not lose focus.  He created and radiated atmospheres upon each entry and exit.

On pages 16 and 17 of the programme it needed to be consistent with pages 7 to 9 to identify the role of each of the production crew members.  You had to flip to page 20 to quickly identify their production role.  The programme also needed proof reading.

Overall, congratulations on a marvellous production for a show that was originally berated by some Broadway critics at the time.  I think it is funnier today than when I watched repeated screenings of the movie in the 1960s and 1970s.