Barnum, Comedy Theatre, Thursday May 30th 2019

Barnum, Comedy Theatre, Thursday May 30th 2019

"Barnum" was presented at the Comedy Theatre on Thursday May 30th 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.

"Barnum" starring Todd McKenney was presented at the Comedy Theatre on Thursday May 30th 2019.  

Todd McKenney was the major draw card and for most of the show was better than Reg Livermore in the 1982 original Australian production.  Though, Reg performed more sophisticated tricks on the tightrope than just walking, or attempting to cross the high wire once.

Todd's portrayal of P.T. Barnum was commanding and at times he broke the fourth wall with comments and asides to keep the show from being so dated.

Direction by Tyran Parke created a production with 14 instead of about 28 performers.  At times this worked to its benefit as the staging was more contained in a circus themed central ring with the grand stands ever present on the sides.

Overall, I preferred this production but with some reservations.

Namely, three performers were not of the calibre of the originals playing Tom Thumb, Jenny Lind and the oldest woman in the world.  Who will ever forget Wayne Scott Kermond, Mona Richardson and Deborah Winterburn playing these roles more effectively?

Set and Costume Designs by Dann Barber were terrific as they captured the tone of the show and era.  This was one of the best set designs that I have seen that was fully utilised.

Mostly the choreography by Kelly Aykers worked.  Though, I felt the opening number was not as dynamic as the original.  I preferred the finale here with less performers and more focused staging.  Kelly Aykers has utilised the skills of the circus performers to their maximum and thus created a wonderful circus atmosphere.

The opening prologue scene with the voice overs and hub-bub of noise and announcements was one of the best for creating atmosphere to a production.

The opening number then was a little bit of a letdown as it did not live up to the original 1982 production.

"There's A Sucker Born Every Minute" showcased Todd was better than Reg Livermore vocally, and acting and movement.

"Thank God, I'm Old" was well staged but not as slick as Mona Richardson.  The performances did not have the historical nuances that Mona delivered.

"One Brick At A Time" used a simpler set and had more effective staging with the use of the four roll-in-staircases.  The smaller stage looked fuller with less cast, than the emptiness of Her Majesty's Theatre with a grander set.

The "Museum Song" was fun and well staged, with terrific use of the building blocks to create the museum.

"I Like Your Style" was a lovely duet for Charity played by Rachel Beck and Barnum, Todd McKenney.  Rachel Beck was as good as Gaye MacFarlene in the original.  In fact, Rachel Beck and Todd McKenney created a more honest rapport and relationship than the original, with their chemistry and ability to listen to each other.

"Bigger Isn't Better" was too long and the performer struggled with some of the choreography and did not have the command of Wayne Scott Kermond as the original Australian Tom Thumb.  This 2019 Tom Thumb sequence went way too long and showed its age.  It could have been cut or added more staging to enhance the number.  The use of the wagon turned on its side to create Jumbo the elephant was clever and reminiscent of the era's "humbug".

Jenny Lind played by Suzie Mathers was adequate in the role in her rendition of "Love Makes Such Fools of All of Us".  At times this number was a little cringe worthy and showed the tiredness and age of the show.

Act One Finale had Todd attempting the tight rope walk four to five times.  He did not perform the more difficult tricks that Reg Livermore had performed.  For proof, see the inside jacket of the Original Australian Cast album of "Barnum".

Act Two opened with a warm-up act by two clowns and was superb in capturing both era and the essence of comedy to gain an audience's attention.  I loved this prologue as it was staged as pure circus.  The young group of people (teenagers) sitting behind us were mesmerised and laughed in pure engagement of the antics.

This group of young people were so well behaved and congratulations to them all for the respect of others and ensuring mobile phones were turned off.  They were a credit to their school or club or association - whatever that is.

"Come Follow The Band" opened Act Two proper.  The chorus sing was the most melodic for the whole cast.

The staging of "Black and White" was sensational on the fold down stage that reminded me of "Carnivale" and the side shows.  This was one of the better numbers, though I longed for Mona Richardson in the role.

"The Colors of My Life" (Reprise) was beautifully and poignantly staged.  It was lovely to hear the youth behind me emotionally connected to Charity's death scene.  This scene also doubly emphasised the relationship between Todd McKenney and Rachel Beck had more electricity than the original cast in 1982.

Todd's rendition of "The Prince of Humbug" was introspective and honest.  He was not as flashy as Reg and captured my attention.

I loved the "Join The Circus" with superior staging with only 14 people!  They held my attention and I could not take my eyes of them all.  Whereas, in 1982, so much was happening I did not know where to look and it was over-produced.  It was a different era.

The finale had a timing mishap when Rachel Beck tried to dress Todd in his finale jacket.  He made an aside "We were so close to the ending" he cried disappointed that he had let us down.  Maybe it was staged?  But from production photos, I think not.  He threw the jacket off to the stage left wings.  He held and demanded our attention, to the cheers from the audience.  What a showman!

The show is a bit dated but Tyran Parke, the cast and the production crew are all to be congratulated on a good production.

Overall,  "Barnum" obtained a respectable 7.5/10.

Falsettos, Stage Art, Chapel Off Chapel, Saturday February 3rd 2018.

Falsettos, Stage Art, Chapel Off Chapel, Saturday February 3rd 2018.

"Falsettos" was presented by Stage Art at Chapel Off Chapel on Saturday February 3rd 2018.

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.

"Falsettos" was presented by Stage Art at Chapel Off Chapel on Saturday February 3rd 2018.

Vocally, Mendel played superbly by Nick Simpson-Deeks sang without going flat.  Sadly the others  hit bung notes on occasions.  His performance had depth of character as he built up relationships with other characters, in particular Jason played well by Ben Jason-Easton.

The quality of the ensemble singing harmonies was questionable.  This show should have lush harmonies to evoke emotion.

The lesbians from next door livened up the stage in Act Two.

Lighting Design by Tom Davies was awful and unfocused and barely made any distinction between locations.  The execution of the lighting plot was laboured, mechanical and amateurish.

Set Design by Daniel Harvey was messy and dysfunctional, thereby creating obstacles for the staging.  The stage left rostrum was under-utilised and jammed up the stage.  The image of the chess set was a great idea and sadly under-utilised by not having the actors move into precise squares to create tension as in a chess game.

The set was awkward and dangerous as the actors navigated the squashed set.  I cannot understand why the white cut-outs of the New York City skyline were not placed further upstage.  The performers had to try and squeeze through to make entrances and exits.  The lesbians from next door were the most obvious as they cautiously clambered over the upstage step to make entrances.  These cautious entrances detracted our attention from the show.

The set did not define locations and lacked any "neuro-linguistic programming" assistance for the audience.  Good direction and set design uses principals from "neuro-linguistic programming" to heighten recall and emotional connection.  A simpler design with more benches would not only free up the stage but create more flexibility in staging.

Costume Designs by Meredith Cooney was adequate and captured the essence of 1979 and 1981.  The toy soldiers' outfits were fun. The texture of Marvin's jacket, shirt and trousers with contrasting fabrics was straight from a 1981 edition of GQ.  

The four men wearing toy soldiers' costumes was a nice touch for the "March of the Falsettos" quartet.  Sadly the marching was very pedestrian except by Whizzer.  Can't they lift their knees to create the mechanical toy image?

The choreography by Madison Lee was not fully realised in "March of the Falsettos".  The emphasis on the inner struggle and trepidation of the words "one foot after the other" was absent.  The full meaning of this song was lost in both the words and choreography.  The "March" is both an inner struggle for each of the individual characters, and a struggle for the gay community at the time..  Remember, for example that the Stonewall riots had only occurred a decade earlier than when Act One is set in 1979.

Trina was played by Sarah Shahinian.  Trina's Song was well executed and sadly some of the staging was lost as the front row of seating blocked the action.

The "Late for dinner/late again" sequence was lost on some audience members as Whizzer stood on the large rostrum on stage left.    This sequence had no hint of suspicion, sexual innuendo or rendezvous or betrayal and thus lost any tension.  More thought was required in both the staging and the performances to elicit a fuller emotional connection to the material.  The lighting also let down this sequence and could have created more of the requisite tension between the characters.

Act Two was better than Act One, and it was obvious where the most rehearsal time occurred.  The choreography by Madison Lee was slick for the opening of Act Two.  Overall, the choreography by Madison Lee was better in Act Two, both in design and execution.

The Ball Game sequence was messy with the staging as the cast were squashed up stage right near the piano looking out to their audience right.  By doing so, the sense of perspective was squashed.  A simple method would be to have them placed further back on stage left or looking out into the opposite direction towards audience left.   The lighting also let this scene down by flickering lights.  The lighting cues seemed nonexistent. The best part of this scene had the six performers sitting on the bench executing slick choreographed moves.  The focus on Jason playing baseball was at odds with any sense of perspective and distance.

The two lesbians created the most warmth in their relationship and had some sexual energy.  Along with Mendel, the two lesbians, and Jason were the closest in making me feel empathy for any of the characters.  The others made me feel distanced, cold and disconnected and I did not believe them on their separate journeys.

Nick Simpson-Deeks as Mendel created a fully rounded complex character that we could warm to. His idiosyncrasies did not dominate but textured his performance with qualities.  

Ben Jason-Easton as the son Jason gave a very credible performance full of nuance and with great timing.  His duet with Mendel captured the vaudeville style and flavour.  This duet was a welcome relief.   Their performance and working relationship was as good, if not better than other versions I have seen of this show.

The staging overall was very messy.  In Act One, focus was drawn from the main action and there were missed opportunities to freeze some characters to emphasise the focus on the main action.  For example Jason laying on the piano with his chess set was distracting as he kept moving.  The lighting also did not focus our attention.  The lighting plot seemed nonexistent.

The laughs were rare and are needed to cut through the story's building tension.  Sadly the tension between the characters was nearly nonexistent, and so reduced the opportunities for laughs. One of the funniest moments was when Mendel was simulating an erection with a white scarf.

There seemed to be a lack of character research of what it was like in the early 1980's with sexual freedom of expression juxtaposed with the threat of a new disease.

There was no sexual spark or electricity between Marvin played by Don Winsor and Whizzer played by Sam Ward.  They barely had any physical or emotional contact, and came across as contrived, frigid and stilted.  They both sang okay with the occasional flat note.  The final song "What Would I Do?" lacked any heart.  I wanted the whole audience to be in tears as I had experienced when I saw the 1994 STC production of "Falsettos" at the Alexander Theatre at Monash University.  Instead I felt relieved when this performance was over.

I found the show lacked warmth and was forced.

The seats were so uncomfortable that what should be a pleasant experience felt pained.

The singing by Nick Simpson-Deeks as Mendel; Ben Jason-Easton as Jason; Francesca Arena as Charlotte and Jenni Little as Cordelia was welcomed.  And these were the supporting roles!

The playing accompaniment by David Butler was assured and honoured the score.

From a safety perspective an usher should have been standing near the floor lights to direct audience members.  This should have occurred as patrons were entering and leaving the theatre at the beginning, interval and at the conclusion of the show.

The programme is not worth $10.00.  Yes $5.00 is reasonable but not $10.00!  Thankfully ours was included in the season's package.  I noticed very few people bought a programme.  I congratulate the programme seller for walking through the waiting crowd.

Director, Tyran Parke is capable of much more.  The set design limited many aspects of this production.  More depth of characters and relationships was required as well as the reasons for doing actions and singing the lyrics.

Sadly this version of "Falsettos" is not one of Stage Art's better shows.

I wish this company would perform at the Alex Theatre in St Kilda as the seats are more comfortable and has better sight lines.

"Falsettos" obtained an adequate 6.5/10 while my partner gave it a 7/10.

Cross Roads, Chapel Off Chapel, Thursday April 21st 2016

CROSSxROADS, Chapel Off Chapel, Thursday April 21st 2016

"CROSSxROADS", Chapel Off Chapel, Thursday April 21st 2016

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.

Buying the tickets via the Chapel Off Chapel website is not as easy and fluid as other ticket agency websites.  The sequencing in the website needs to corrected.

Thursday April 21st 2016 was a very wet night and an umbrella stand had been placed near the main door.  There is no verandah to the venue and consequently it is hard to shake your umbrella of excess water before entering the foyer.

A programme stall was set up near the theatre with a lady providing customer service before the half hour.  Whew this a good change from the last show we saw at Chapel Off Chapel!

Reading the $5.00 programme frustrated me as the cast have their lovely biographies but does not state who plays which role. There are photos of the Creative Team that do not state their creative role succinctly.

It would make it quick and easy to see the name of the Peter Fitzpatrick - Book, Anthony Costanzo - was he the composer?  It actually does not say in the programme.   Though he is credited as an Orchestrator alongside David Wisken.  In fact who was the composer? Anthony is also credited on page three as collaborator.  But you have to go back to the cover to see this is the only place that Music and Lyrics are credited to the very talented Anthony Costanzo.

To find out the Creative Team's functions you must go to page 13.  For example  Michael Ralph is the choreographer and Kim Bishop the costume designer.  The list on page 13 is incomplete as it is missing the book, and, music and lyrics credits (as mentioned above).  Yes I sound picky but I want to remember these fine performances and later try to recall "was it Bronte Florian who played Amy?"  This could be alleviated by putting the names of the characters next to their photo and name.

Oh yes the date of the production was April 16-30.  Which year?  I would love to remember this show was produced in 2016.  But as we age and want to cross our legs trying to not wet ourselves. We will piss ourselves laughing when we remember it was 2016 - only because we can refer to the tickets if we kept them and inserted them inside the programme!                        

We knew something was wrong as the doors did not open to the theatre at 7.25pm for a 7.30pm start. Front of House Management could have made an announcement as it is not rocket science to provide notice to audience members that the show is delayed.  Yes the book writer Peter Fitzpatrick finally made an announcement as he weaved his way near the bar to apologise for the delay.  This could have been done 15 minutes earlier and people would have been more empathetic to the delay.  It also would have shown more respect to the audience members.    Remember some elderly people like to time their toilet breaks in accordance with approximate Act One or Act Two timings.  Yes laugh!  You too could age!   Sorry - YOU TOO WILL AGE!

An announcement made just before the start of the show to turn off phones etc.  How rude of people to be playing with their phones right up until the first entrance. Off means off.

I have been to amateur shows that show more respect to their audiences in preparing an audience for a special occasion.  John Truscott was famous for making sure audience members enjoyed the holistic experience of attending the theatre.  That means from the moment you see an advertisement to a show,  to buying the tickets, arriving at the theatre, buying a programme, using the toilets and to buying a drink and to leaving after the show.

I have not even started the review for the show!

If the seats were more comfortable and I did not feel as if I were falling forward in my seat I could have enjoyed this show more.  In fact I enjoyed this show more than the slick and over produced  "If/Then" which we saw with the original cast on Broadway.  That show is so convoluted and complex in its staging and storyline.  It dragged on and on and on - and was way too long.

"CROSSxROADS"  has a simpler story with some very pleasant tunes and terrific performances and simple staging.  It does not pretend to be clever and thus emphasises the fragility of human decision making with our numerous opportunities and choices in life.

Stand out performances by Alinta Chidzey as Amy with her strong and expressive voice.  Alinta Chidzey is one of Australia's finest musical theatre performers for her pure voice and honest performance. Her voice did not crack or break during any of the songs.   Stephen Mahy played Scotch College educated Rick consistently well until he had a few strained top notes in "Yellow Brick Road" solo.

The setting was simple and very effective with eight sheer white curtains that created screens and tabs similar to sliding doors.  The staging varied with the use of the simple curtains to change locations. Upstage was a low raised rostrum.

Projections onto the white screens were sometimes clear and other times were very blurry which had more to do with the quality of the images.  Most scenes and/or locations and/or times were projected onto the screens.  A different actor would announce each new scene like a vaudeville Ziegfeld Follies which seemed incongruent with the show.   These announcements heightened the inconsistency of the projections as I wondered why they scripted specific locations or times in some scenes and not in others.  The announcements and projections became annoying.  I wanted the projections to be succinct to contain all the information rather than the inconsistent duplication or elaboration by an actor.  In one scene no slide announced the location or time.

The choreography by Michael Ralph created the sexual tension to a scene.  I actually liked his sequences which were well danced by Ryan Gonzalez  and Bianca Baykara.  In one way the main dance duet was distracting as the contract had not been made with the audience in the early stages of the show that this device would be used.  It seemed out of keeping with the rest of the show.

The opening scene reminded me of "Merrily We Roll Along" with the graduation gowns.

The opening scene created a clear contract with the audience of what we were to expect by enacting optional versions and perspectives of the same scene.  (It would be fun to choose your A,B or C version of what happened - which would be a more complex version of the finale from "The Mystery of Edwin Drood" .)  I really liked the three or sometimes four options in different scenes.

Clarity in staging was established early with the audience to differentiate between phone calls, text messages or face to face interactions.

"That's My Shit" duet between Amy and Rick provides us with their personal introductions, and provides a very unusual song of seduction.

Act One had a terrific fun ensemble number "The Difference Between" set in an art gallery.  Rosalie played by Bianca Baykara was flamboyant and demonstrative.

The Club singer played by Bronte Florian sang "Paint The Town Red" well.  The theme of red and green, or, stop and go  - continued throughout the musical.  The colours red and green provided us with the moral compass of decision making.

I remember thinking that I would have been satisfied had  "CROSSxROADS"  ended with "The Emails song" in Act One.  I remember feeling very satisfied that this created a natural conclusion to the options in Amy and Rick's lives.  After this, I hoped substance would be added to their stories.

Barrel is played convincingly by Joe Kozky with a blokey larrakin nature that we witness from the opening scene. Barrel's buck's turn has four options of what could have transpired.  I am sure other audience members had their preferred version of what they would like to be Amy or Rick's reality.  The doorbell ringing as Rick and Barrel party on has both fun and poignant moments.

The song "Floating on Cloud Nine" is a lovely duet between Stephen Mahy and Joe Kosky.  Both blokey and poignant at the same time.  It is their bromance!

The opening of Act Two "Be My Wings" has a good twist of locations and emotional context.  This scene created a depth to the relationships and friendships. Fem Belling is an engaging performer and showed us a depth to her character Hannah.  Her emotional journey matures and is underpinned by Hannah's fun and zany nature.

Amy and Hannah sing "M.E.N" which is traditional female duet to fill in gaps to the story.

Act Two felt more laboured than Act One.

The "What If" song created a sense of possibilities.  Ryan Gonzalez as Paul provided the uncomfortable atmosphere requisite in a new partner meeting Rick.  Does he destroy the hopes of Rick?

The song "Eyeful of the Eiffel" provided different versions of what could have happened meeting under the Eiffel Tower in Paris.  The staging of this song lacked subtlety.  Though the stalking was overdone, with each subsequent variation of the scene, the stalking heightened the menacing atmosphere.

Some of the ensemble did not differentiate enough between each of their characters.

Overall as an audience member you can decide what transpires.  The ending supplies both the neat ending to keep some people happy.  More so, I like the ending as it cleverly gives us the possible endings without being conclusive.  These optional endings were more satisfying than "If/Then".

The final look between Edward Grey and Bronte Florian tells us that this can happen again to another person.  It does not spoil it as we all know that we are all dealt with options and choices every day.   This final look only personifies what we already know.

In some ways it is unfair to compare this to "If/Then" but I will because I saw a performance where some of the singing was off pitch and grating.  Whereas, in "CROSSxROADS"  the singing was terrific except for one strained section. The other bonus was "CROSSxROADS" did not drag on and on as I felt in "If/Then"  (Read my review from 2014).

"CROSSxROADS" is a much simpler version that highlights our journey of navigating our personal, routes, chances and opportunities.

"CROSSxROADS"  needs tightening and some holes filled in.  Some of the music can be a bit repetitious at times but with pruning this can be alleviated.

I thought one musical phrase paid homage to a tune from "For Good" from "Wicked"  with the lyric and tune of "If I knew you" reminding me of "Because I knew you" "Wicked"..  In any love or friendship story you are bound to get a snatch of similar sounds or lyrics.

The costumes by Kim Bishop were well suited to each of the characters plus the passage of time.

Tyran Parke has directed a fine ensemble of performers and should be proud of their inaugural season. without the benefit of 29 previews!  I have seen other new shows that have not stood up as well as "CROSSxROADS".

David Wisken as Musical Director and Arrangements led the small band who played well.

The Set and Lighting Design by  Rob Sowinksi and Bryn Cullen provided an effective set of eight sliding curtains.  The lighting plot was basic and could have made more of the options as if we the viewers were experiencing deju vu.  A simple flickering of lights could have heightened the fun of each of the different alternative scenes.  I appreciate the limitations of the Chapel Off Chapel theatre, but I could visualise side lighting to heighten the sensation of the sliding doors.

Sound Design by Marcello Lo Ricco  provided a better quality of sound than other recent shows.  The sound levels seemed to be much more comfortable than I have encountered in recent years.

This show would have been more suited to the more comfortable Alex Theatre in St Kilda but sadly was not available. This show should tour to other states to gain a larger following in an intimate venue.

My perspective would have changed slightly had the show started on time, been about ten minutes shorter, and if the seats were more comfortable.

Overall I preferred "CROSSxROADS"  to "If/Then".

I gave "CROSSxROADS"  a 7/10 and my partner gave it a 6/10.

(Note:  do not worry that I gave "If/Then" a 7.5/10 as it had millions pumped into it with 29 previews.  So 7/10 is a very good score comparing it to the flashiness and over produced staging.)