You're A Good Man Charlie Brown, Alex Theatre, Friday July 1st 2016

You're A Good Man Charlie Brown, Alex Theatre, Friday July 1st 2016

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.

We saw "You're A Good Man Charlie Brown" based on the comic strip "Peanuts" by Charles Schulz. The script is by Clark Gesner and played at the Alex Theatre in St Kilda. This is such a good show for adults and families. If you a Peanuts fan - then you will understand the subtleties of the jokes with the various 3,4 8 or 12 frames from the comic strips.. It was so clever with simple and effective staging. The characterisations were honest versions of the cartoon strip. The singing and choreography paid homage to so many old movies and Broadway shows. This is a very slick production that should tour and play more than the school holidays. This is one of Melbourne's theatrical highlights for 2016.

Programme production credits are hard to read due to the small font size used on page 7 of the programme.  It would have been good to include the song list for audience members to recall the songs and sequences.

Each production number paid homage to vaudeville, Busby Berkeley films, and to various films including "The Jazz Singer" film.  The more you have read the comic strip and seen old movies the more you will understand the in jokes in this clever production.

This production was snappy and slick and is a credit to the direction of Gary Abrahams.  The casting was perfectly appropriate for every role.  Gary Abrahams' direction and vision was obvious in the synergy of all parts coming together - costumes, sets, lighting, choreography, music and performances.

Charlie Brown was played with sincerity by the ever competent Cameron MacDonald.  The kite scene with Charlie Brown was poignant and well staged.  Cameron MacDonald is a consistently well rounded performer who transforms each role with gusto and commitment and it is always a joy to see him in a new role.  His career is certainly worth while following.

Snoopy was brought to life by the incomparable skill of Luigi Lucente.  He played so many levels of Snoopy with his playfulness and his interaction with the birds, clouds and other characters.  Luigi Lucente brilliantly transformed the Snoopy character into the philosopher that Charles Schulz created.  The scene with Snoopy as the Red Baron was fun and well timed.  Luigi Lucente is an actor to watch closely in the future.

Adam Porter had the requisite desperation and anxiety of Linus.  His needy behaviour with his comfort blanket was added to by his sweaty persona.

Courtney Glass was Lucy the bully with her turned out stance, over-confident posturing and the raucous voice. "The Doctor Is In" sequence showcased the comedic talent of Courtney Glass.

Sarah Morrison played Sally without over powering her character. The opening Act Two duet with Schroeder is the memorable "My New Philosophy".  Her duet with Joshua Robson as Schroeder was played with warmth and musicality.  Joshua Robson singing "Beethoven Day" was a song of yearning and hope.  He played the piano with the composure and maturity of Schroeder.

The whole cast worked as an ensemble and supported each other through out.  They sang beautifully under the musical direction of Ben Kiley.

Dana Jolly's choreography is cartoon-esque and honours Charles Schulz's comic strip.  The use of the stairs in her choreography paid homage to Busby Berkeley,  old-time movies and Broadway musicals.  Dana Jolly brings out the best in the performers and ensures the audience has as much fun with the signature moves for each character.  From the "Opening/You're A Good Man Charlie Brown" to the finale "Happiness" Dana Jolly has captured the spirit and essence of the philosophical life of Charlie Brown and Snoopy.

The costume design by Chloe Greeves was perfect for each character with the clean lines of the comic strip.  The chunky soled shoes were just so perfect and respected Charles Schulz's drawings.  I look forward to more of her designs in the future.

The set design by Jacob Battista was so much fun and captured the essence of the one, two, three or four panels of Charles Schulz' comic strip.   The use of the screens reminded me of the Sydney Theatre Company's production of "Two Weeks With the Queen" and directed by Wayne Harrison. The use of the stairs that rolled out to create Snoopy's kennel or Schroeder's piano were simple, clever and fun.  These moving set pieces reminded me of "Falsettos" directed again by Wayne Harrison for  Sydney Theatre Company.  Jacob Battista is a set designer to watch in the future.

I used to read the cartoons as a child in the 1960's and the 1970's.  I used to watch the animated tv shows, and this production really nailed it.  They sounded like the characters.  They moved like the characters.  Not once did I disbelieve they were not the real characters.

The finale filled my heart with love, hope and fun.  I longed for the simpler times that Charles Schulz captured in his comic strips.

"You're A Good Man Charlie Brown"  received 8/10 and could easily be seen again!

tick, tick... BOOM Chapel Off Chapel, Thursday April 28th 2016

tick, tick BOOM Chapel Off Chapel, Thursday April 28th 2016

"tick, tick...  Boom" at Chapel Off Chapel, Thursday April 28th 2016

"tick, tick...  Boom"  is a three hand musical with music, lyrics and book by Jonathon Larson.  This fine production is from Pursued By Bear who last year did "John and Jen" at Chapel Off Chapel, Thursday April 28th 2016 has a cast of five.

For those new to my blog I write about the holistic experience of attending the theatre.  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 also mainly write for my memories of what I have seen.

The Chapel Off Chapel website for buying tickets needs some work to make the sequencing flow more seamless.

I was impressed that a programme seller was outside the door of the theatre at about 7.20 pm for an 8.00 pm start.  The show started within a respectable 5 minutes of the advertised 8.00 pm start.

The programme at $5.00 does not state the year 2016 on the cover.  I told this to the programme seller who asked me how I came to see the show.  I was impressed as he introduced himself as Mark Taylor, the Marketing Manager, so I told him that the year is missing from their posters, flyers and programme.  I congratulated him that each photo/bios of the producer, director and cast specified their production or acting role; which is unlike many other programmes at Chapel Off Chapel.  This company will do well with having their production team so close to understanding their current and future audiences.

The centre pages of the programme included a great photograph of the three main cast and sadly the writing is in white and is so hard to read.  Heaven forbid when I tried to see the title of a song during the show - we sat in the front row and had ample light and still could not read the titles of the songs.

Entering the theatre was a narrow passageway between strewn sheet music.

There was no pre-show announcement regarding phones etc.  The bonus was that no phones went off during the show.

Sarah Tulloch is the Creative Director and Production Designer and has designed a set that looks like a New York apartment with the sides full of everyday items.  This clever set allows for the change of locations.   There is a raised central platform with an upright piano on a revolving hinge which is reminiscent of "Beautiful The Carol King Musical" opening set.  Four chairs and a piano stool fill the main stage.  At the front of the stage were paint tins and an answering machine.  Ladders were on either side of the stage with a drop sheet.  Stage left had a microphone stand with a ladder and drop-sheets.   Up stage right were a stack of suitcases, while an upright cello and two microphone stands were more centrally located on the side.  Everyday items filled shelves giving a lived in appearance.  Sheet music bordered the raised stage which created a a physical and frame and a frame of musical reference.  Overhead are various light globes.  Sarah Tulloch is a theatre designer to watch for her ability to create designs that become portals into new worlds - full of emotional texture and depth.

Bearing in mind that Jonathon Larson died before his masterpiece "Rent" opened on Broadway, makes seeing "tick, tick...  Boom" even more poignant.  It was important to see where Jonathon Larson's work had progressed from.  These fine actors demonstrate such deep respect for this work, and perform the finale two songs with poignancy that moves us.

Luigi Lucente as Jon,  Angela Scundi as Susan and Quin Kelly as Michael created a balanced cast and were rounded off with the swings Rebecca Heatherington and Mitch Roberts providing vocals and extra characters to scenes.

"Sunday"  was a fun ensemble number that paid tribute to Stephen Sondheim's "Sunday In The Park With George" while the duet "Therapy" reminded me of the competitive duets from "Annie Get Your Gun".  This duet showed off the skills of  Luigi Lucente and Angela Scundi as they paid homage to many famous Broadway duets.

There was variable singing throughout, though the best harmonies were demonstrated in the finale "Louder Than Words".

The final lines of "30/90" remind me of the Renee Mill's book "Anxiety Free, Drug Free" with her 90 day anxiety reduction programme.  Here Jon shares with us, not only his journey, but his ability to overcome obstacles -  "ticks not being as loud".

Director, Paul Watson has used some very brave and effective staging by placing Jon  (Luigi Lucente) with his back to the audience.   Luigi Lucente is so expressive in his ability to communicate with his whole body that we do not need to see his face to feel his angst, joy and frustration.  Sometimes not seeing his face was more powerful than seeing his facial expressions.  Congratulations Paul Watson on using this device with compassion.

Luigi Lucente  sat, but mainly stood to play the piano.  Stooping over a piano is not a posture conducive for singing but was totally realistic for the character Jon.  Although  Luigi Lucente sometimes scooped onto his singing notes it did not bother me as it enhanced the truth in Jon's desperation as an artist to find his next lyric or tune.

Angela Scundi  as Susan, and voiced other small roles of Jon's agent or mother.  She differentiated between each of these characters.

Quin Kelly as Michael also played Jon's father.  Michael's revelation to Jon was played with sincerity.

The swings Rebecca Heatherington and Mitch Roberts were incorporated into the action providing vocal harmonies to the singing and provided visual characters to various scenes.  It is so rare these days that understudies are rehearsed in small scale works and I commend this company for having swings and also using them in the production.

Some of the American accents varied in quality.  Some noticeable errors included the pronunciation of Houston St in New York which as friends in New York explained to me differentiates if from Houston in Texas.  The other main word is the word - new.  (Hear examples of the differences online).  Some of the dialogue needs to drive to the end of the sentences compared to the Australian intonations.  (See "Speaking American" by Bruce Shapiro is a brilliant practical book with terrific explanation of the history of the American accents).

Musical Direction by Jess Barlow created some beautiful vocal harmonies.  The four piece band played well without drowning out the singers in this small venue.

Lighting Design by Jason Crick created atmosphere to each scene.  Sound Design by Kyle Smith created Jon's uncomfortable inner voice of the ticking sound.  There were opportunities to include some effective percussive sound effects used during the Times Square scene.  For example taxis honking and the constant crowds of people as in "On the Town".

The synopsis of  "tick, tick...  Boom" is available via this link.

I would love to see Pursued By Bear perform the two hander musical "Murder For Two" as Luigi Lucente would be ideal for one of the roles with his ability to play the piano, sing and act.

I consider buying tickets to a Pursued By Bears production is an investment rather than a cost.

Overall we gave "tick, tick...  Boom" a 7/10.

Parade, 45 Downstairs, Thursday September 25th 2014

Parade, 45 Downstairs, Thursday September 25th 2014

"The Collective" is a new theatre company that presented the Jason Robert Brown award winning musical "Parade" at "fortyfive downstairs" theatre.

For those new to my blog, I pay for my own seats and I do not retell the story. If you want the story click on one of the links to the title.  I write from a holistic experience of attending the theatre. I also provide lots of links for you to follow if you want further information. Some of the links may appear to be same but there could be a different link for example "Parade" may direct you to the Broadway site or to another site.

Congratulations to the company for presenting this rarely performed work and marking its Australian professional premiere.  We have just come back from seeing 16 shows in Chicago and New York and my partner thought this was the best of all of the shows he had seen this year.

"Parade"  is a thought provoking work that is based on true events of 1913 and these themes are as relevant today and,  sadly, will be relevant in the future.

This ensemble cast of 14 bring to live the story through their commitment to story telling and their skill as performers.

The traverse stage had the audience sitting in four long rows on opposite sides of the central stage.  This type of staging worked very well except for the four columns supporting the building which impeded our view.  Sitting in the back row centre had a good view of the central area, but it was particularly annoying as the columns blocked our view of the two ends of the staging area.  The traverse stage worked well to create the sense of a street and we were watching a parade go by. At one end there was a raised area with the Confederate Flag  hanging.  While at the other end loomed the ominous tree that Leo Frank would be strung from.

Queuing up, (or rather down) the stairs is so much like attending an Off Broadway show in the Lower East Side of New York.  This venue has safer stairs and more toilets than in most Off or Off/Off Broadway Theatres.

The bar was decorated with the Confederate Flag to continue the theme.

What I did not like was not being able to buy a programme and read it prior to the show.  Yes, they had one hanging at the ends of a row of seats and one posted on wall.  But it got crowded trying to read the programme on the wall.  I had to wait until I got home to print up my own copy and it did not look as good as if it were professionally printed and bound.

The story has many parallels with Jesus Christ which was also made into the musical "Jesus Christ Superstar."  There appeared at times to be similarities with the persecution of Leo Frank to Jesus Christ and other characters were similar to the Pontius Pilot and Herod characters.

"Parade" is so rich in many layers of story telling and I would thoroughly recommend adding the cd to your collection.  The actual Parade is meant to occur three times to juxtapose the story.  I thought the visual parade was only clear at the start.  The memorial parades are meant as a counter point to the tragic story and are also meant to serve as a release of the tension to allow the slow build up to the climatic conclusion.

Direction by James Cutler was so focused and rich in developing the story.  He also provided us with so many wonderfully seamless transitions between scenes.  This no doubt was a collaborative effort with the designers and choreographer David Harford.  It did not feel like "and this is the dance part" of the show.  The movement and dances were in keeping with the period and David integrated these into the musical.  Not being perfectly danced added to the honesty of the performances.

With a reduced cast of 14, playing multiple characters caused a bit of confusion with the audience at times.  Clearer delineation of characterisations and costumes, posture and voice would solve this.

Musical direction by Cameron Thomas led his orchestra to play this magnificent score with the right amount of balance to juxtapose between the sombre and the celebratory.

I cannot applaud this production highly enough.  Though I would be remiss in not mentioning some key performances:

Luigi Lucente as Leo Frank was sublime.  I do not say this lightly.  His commitment to the character of Leo Frank transported us into his nightmare journey.  Vocally rich and emotionally connected at all times to his character.  He was Leo Frank. 

Laura Fitzpatrick as Lucille Frank pursued an honesty with her stressful situation to support her husband.  Her connection with Leo allowed us into both of their inner turmoils surrounding their tragic situation. You cannot separate the connection between their union.

Cameron Macdonald was sheer magic as the journalist Britt Craig.  He had made solid and defined choices about his character and these could carry in a huge 2000 seat theatre.   Though  I felt Cameron's brilliant performance needed a bit more support with costume or colour changes to differentiate between his Britt Craig and Governor Jack Slaton character (as some people thought Britt Craig had been promoted to Governor.)  I think they should have had two actors playing these two important roles as in the original Broadway cast.

Luigi Lucente and Cameron Macdonald's characterisation and immersion in their roles are some of the best I have seen this year other than Dave Thomas Brown in "Heathers."

Congratulations for presenting this fine work with such a talented cast.  I look forward to supporting your ventures in the future.