The Beautiful Game, Manilla Street Productions, Chapel Off Chapel, Wednesday September 25th 2019

The Beautiful Game, Manilla Street Productions, Chapel Off Chapel, Wednesday September 25th 2019

"The Beautiful Game" was presented by Manilla Street Productions at Chapel Off Chapel, and we saw a performance on Wednesday September 25th 2019.

For those new to my blog I write about the holistic experience of attending the theatre. I buy my own tickets. So if you want a re-telling of the story please refer to the links for further information or for further insights.  Note, that I may provide different links for repeated main words or phrases.  I write for my memories of what I have seen, and is more of a stream of consciousness.

"The Beautiful Game" with a Book by Ben Elton, and Music and Lyrics by Andrew Lloyd Webber was presented by Manilla Street Productions at Chapel Off Chapel, and we saw a performance on Wednesday September 25th 2019.

I had seen Manilla Street Productions of “Pacific Overtures” that I overall preferred to the original Broadway production. The Manilla Street Productions version should have toured more extensively and warranted supporting this company to see what they would do with “The Beautiful Game”. Even though I had not seen "The Beautiful Game", I knew the music and story from the cd.

Programmes costing $10.00 are a bit steep, but at least the year 2019 was stated on the inside cover!  So many programmes and theatre posters do not have the year of production and it is my pet hate from a theatre history perspective for this oversight. So thank you for including the year for history.  The programme also has the songs listed. Why did they not state it was the Australian premiere on page three rather than just a premiere? Why are all the cast not photographed for the programme? This contrasts to the block of headshot photos announcing the cast in a pre-show email. I was disappointed that these photos were not duplicated in the programme.

Up front, I do not like the show, but this cast did a great job with very average material. I can now understand why this show never surfaced professionally after its London premiere. Yes, some of Andrew Lloyd Webber's music is good, but the dialogue is very average. The jokes in act two barely worked due mainly to the writing and then next to the setup, delivery and timing.

Congratulations to Manilla Street Productions for making a pre-show announcement. This is such a rare event at Chapel Off Chapel that special thanks needs to be made, as we paid $89 for our tickets and do not expect to be disturbed by “Twankers”.

A woman sitting in C4 took a photo and then kept texting during Act One. I spoke to her at the end of Act One. She then had the audacity to confront me in the foyer protesting “I only took one photo!”  I said “Didn’t you hear the announcement?” “No”, she said, and then continued “I have a sick child”. I thought but did not say “Why aren’t you with the child? If they can text you they .......”  I kept thinking "Where have you been?  Have you ever attended the theatre before?"

I was impressed at interval the two ladies at the programme stall asked me to talk to the director about my interaction with our mobile-phone-lady from C4. I explained the situation to them and they supported what I said. Impressive follow up as they took the time to determine disruptions to their show, and to ensure all patrons received value for money as a respectful audience.

The staging was simple and congratulations as they did not play right up to the front row of the audience.  A bank of lights about 1.5 metres from the front row that allowed for a demarcation point to end the downstage area and allow for a better view of the entire stage. Brilliant as this is only the second show at Chapel Off Chapel to not play right up to the front row. By doing so the audience cannot see the action downstage. So a hearty thank you as I do pay to be able to see the action.

The sound quality for the singing was good. The quality of sound for the dialogue was awful with a breathy, rasping annoying volume level that was way too loud. At least I could understand all of the dialogue, but I did not need the breathing.

The simple staging used cyclone and corrugated fences trucked in to become cells, walls, and other supporting structures. The two fence styles also subliminally represented the two sides of the fence with the Catholics and the Protestants.  When the different Catholic and Protestant characters stood either side of the cyclone fence this highlighted the geographical divide. 

The opening scene set the contract with the audience of what to expect in the simple staging. The opening was strong as the cast were watching a game of soccer.

Lighting Design by Jason Bovaird created many distinct locations. The use of the four banks of angled lighting replicated the atmosphere of a major football stadium. The dual scenes were clearly defined with different qualities to represent the distinct locations.  The divide of the Catholics and Protestants was emphasised by the red and green colours.  The lighting through the windows and the textured floor lighting gave this show a more professional quality than many shows I have seen at Chapel Off Chapel. Some of the lighting from the sides occasionally appeared out of synchronisation with what had just happened, as if the lighting cue was missed. Congratulations Jason Bovaird for producing some of the best lighting design I have seen at Chapel Off Chapel in a long time.  

Choreography by Sue-Ellen Shook captured the mood of the show, in particular the ball game sequence. The pub scene with dancing did not appear authentic 1969, but was a stylised version of the era also referencing Irish traditional dancing. The men had individual choreography that worked to create a united ball game. Some impressive male pas de deluxe included back rolls.

Musical Direction by Daniele Buatti produced some fine choral and rich harmonies. The occasional individual struggled with some notes but more importantly captured the emotion and drama.

Vocally, a stand out moment included the duet between Ginger (Gregory) and Bernadette at The Party (played respectively by Samuel Skuthorp and Nicola Bowman). Their innocent reticence and youthful anxiety was captured with sincerity and honesty to build our warmth to their characters for the drama that lay ahead.

Singing varied in quality with some rough or flat notes at times. Occasionally, screaming rather than projecting the emotion through the singing pushed the quality of vocal production. Sometimes the notes were pinched on the word “you”.

Bernadette was played brilliantly by Nicola Bowman with her depth of emotional connection to the music and lyrics. This was no solo as she created an honest relationship with Ginger (Gregory) played brilliantly by Samuel Skuthorp. I loved their developing relationship as if we were a fly-on-the-wall observing them.

Mary played admirably by Stephanie Wall sang with a deep burning passion during her a cappella “Is This What We’re Fighting For”. Her conviction was timeless.

The final scene told us what happened to the main players. This scene was well staged to clearly differentiate body movements for the individual characters by turning, exiting downstage for a death or exiting upstage as they left for personal reasons.

Stephen Mahy did a good job playing John, though I felt he was too old for the role to give it credibility. He has a good voice but occasionally screamed the emotion rather than allowed the emotion to sing through.

Oscar Tollofsen as Daniel played the role with impish and loutish gusto.  He did not play for laughs but for his next opportunity to score.

David Meadows played Father O’Donnell with good timing and commanding assurance.

Sam Ward as Del built a rebellious and believable relationship with Ellie Nunan as Christine. They performed their roles with youthful, sexual chemistry.

The Protestant Girl played by Sophie Loughran sang magnificent harmonies with Mary played by Stephanie Wall during the duet “God’s Own Country”. This duet emphasised the religious and political divide, and the sexist divide between the Irish men and women of 1969.

The Book by Ben Elton needs some work as it blocks the flow of the story. I understand the need for the music to aid in the scene changes but it felt so laboured at times and clogged the flow of the story.

The accents were strong for the opening but gradually declined in consistency for a few characters thereafter. Overall, the accents were quite consistent.

Atmospheres varied appropriately for many scenes. Some were more successful than others due to the training of the cast who understand their role in creating different atmospheres. The ensemble worked to create the moods for the crowd, the football game, the locker room, the pub, the bedroom etc. This atmosphere building was lacking in the duo scenes, except for the wedding night scene where there was an atmosphere of trepidation, fear and excitement.

One of my favourite scenes was the staging and acting for the announcement that Ginger (Gregory) had died. The mood was palpable as the characters tried to allow this news to sink in. When Bernadette (Nicola Bowman) announces “His name was Gregory”, I had my first and only tear well up in my eyes. This scene is where Ellie Nunan as Christine excelled in her thoughtfulness to create a compelling atmosphere. Ellie Nunan did not do much in this scene, but it was the quality of her and other performers that supported the scene holistically.

The farewell scene between John (Stephen Mahy) and Mary ( Stephanie Wall) did not weigh enough on the stakes for either character. It may have been rushed a bit as the atmosphere was lacking. We should have been in tears with the situation for one of, or both of the characters.

The knee-capping scene was well staged and had the requisite shock value, though the trio’s entrance lacked atmosphere of an invasion of privacy and security.

The confrontational scene between John (Stephen Mahy) and Thomas (Des Flanagan) built the tension with the scripted material. More work could have built the tension to a more uncomfortable level for the audience by working on the atmospheres.

Costumes and Set Design by Karen Jemison mainly worked with the constraints at working in this venue with the limited room for storage backstage. Some of the costumes did not fit the era - as I remember clearly the fashions.

The scene changes were completed with promptness, thankfully with the distraction of the tedious Andrew Lloyd Webber music. The bedroom scene set up and bump out was slick except for the mattress. A roll-up mattress would have been less clumsy and awkward for the scene set up and bump out. Maybe a roll-up mattress could have been stored on the side with the benches rather than lumbering awkwardly down the side aisle.

It is easy in hindsight to see these things. I do not understand all of the limitations of the production but this is what I felt after seeing the show. It is well worth the time and effort to to try different versions in rehearsals in order to maximise the best product.

Finally special congratulations to Nicola Bowman as I have watched her grow as a performer and I look forward to seeing her next work.

Director, Karen Jemison, cast and crew with Manilla Street Productions are to be congratulated for producing a good show from an average script.

The story is better than the Book by Ben Elton.  The book of the show by Ben Elton  itself only warrants a 5/10. While the music and lyrics are worth about 6/10.  This story deserves better.

Overall, congratulations on a 7/10 for the performances of a very average show.