RAGTIME
★★★★1/2
The production features excellent lead vocals, especially from Kurt Kansley and Chloe Zuel as the doomed lovers: Kansley’s tormented portrayal of a good man wronged is sung with fire in the soul, and Zuel’s angelic purity of tone, not to mention soaring grace-notes, stopped the show several times with rapturous applause. (Her character’s fate also inspires the first act finale, Till We Reach That Day, a rousing hymn for deliverance from racial oppression, unleashed with staggering power and intensity of emotion.)
Georgina Hopson’s Mother anchors the picaresque narrative, her compassion delivered alongside an emboldened sense of her own agency. And Alexander Lewis as Tateh has a nimble tenor that leaps over every impediment in the migrant’s way to balance the romantic tragedy of Coalhouse’s story.
Ragtime is a marvellous production, a crowning achievement for The Production Company, and a must-see for any musical theatre fan worthy of the name.
THOROUGHLY MODERN MILLIE
★★★1/2
Annie Aitken is a marvel in this new production as the gloriously goofy Millie, a would-be gold digger from Kansas who moves to New York to marry her way to a fortune. She’s gawky and zesty and all but irresistible. She can sing like a dream. And when she needs to she can holler like a mountain jack.
There are also strong contributions from Nigel Huckle as Millie’s lover, Jimmy and from Claire Lyon as her best friend and Adam-Jon Fiorentino as the target of her marriage plot.
Christina Smith’s endlessly glittery set effectively suggests a swanky Jazz Age club, with the orchestra on stage in a low deco-style bandstand.
Christopher Horsey’s choreography is a joyful medley of every iconic dance from the twenties you could name. And the dancing throughout, especially the tap dancing, is utterly mesmerising.
THOROUGHLY MODERN MILLIE
★★★1/2
Annie Aitken is a marvel in this new production as the gloriously goofy Millie, a would-be gold digger from Kansas who moves to New York to marry her way to a fortune. She’s gawky and zesty and all but irresistible. She can sing like a dream. And when she needs to she can holler like a mountain jack.
There are also strong contributions from Nigel Huckle as Millie’s lover, Jimmy and from Claire Lyon as her best friend and Adam-Jon Fiorentino as the target of her marriage plot.
Christina Smith’s endlessly glittery set effectively suggests a swanky Jazz Age club, with the orchestra on stage in a low deco-style bandstand.
Christopher Horsey’s choreography is a joyful medley of every iconic dance from the twenties you could name. And the dancing throughout, especially the tap dancing, is utterly mesmerising.
LAZARUS
Chris Ryan, who last year starred in The Production Company’s A Gentleman’s Guide to Love & Murder makes an excellent Newton. As Newton the songs ‘Lazarus’, ‘Where Are We Now’ and ‘Killing A Little Time’ become his showcase pieces, as does ‘Heroes’ with Emily Milledge (Girl) at the end of the show.
iOTA as Valentine presents two of the more recent Bowie songs, ‘Dirty Boys’ and ‘Valentine’s Day’, two deep cuts from 2013’s ‘The Next Day’. He is a veteran of Bowie performance. When he is dressed in the Pierrot costume towards the end it bookends with Bowie’s ‘Ashes to Ashes’ imagery.
Visually Lazarus is leaps and bounds ahead of anything The Production Company has attempted before. The technology and synchronicity involved in perfectly matching the vision with the sound came down to split-second timing. The lighting created the mystique to set the scene that enhanced every note of every song. Director Michael Kantor was not only tying acting with singing with movement with the story but also orchestrating it all with these images. Lazarus is a surgical operation to piece together and it went without a hitch.
Lazarus is a magnificent win for The Production Company. This is the sort of innovative show that will attract a younger audience to the theatre.
A GENTLEMAN’S GUIDE TO LOVE & MURDER
★★★★
A Gentleman’s Guide to Love & Murder won four Tony Awards, including best musical, in 2014, and it’s enterprising of The Production Company…to end this year’s season with the premiere of a hot new Broadway show.
Roger Hodgman’s nimble direction, together with some terrific casting, ensures a tight, slick production that proves a perfect vehicle for its stars.
Chris Ryan is brilliant as the murderous Monty Navarro, holding everything together with a dapper, matinee-idol charm and just the right flash of malice underneath.
But it’s Mitchell Butel who really gets to show off. Playing the eight relatives who stand between Monty and the earldom, Butel’s comic and musical talents are in overdrive through slapstick and physical humour, pantomime caricature, several lightning costume changes and, of course, numerous stage deaths.
The romantic subplot – a love triangle involving Monty’s mistress Sibella (Alinta Chidzey), and future Phoebe (Genevieve Kingsford) – confects passionate melodrama through slightly camp glaze. And the doubtable Nancye Hayes appears in a sly cameo.
A GENTLEMAN’S GUIDE TO LOVE & MURDER
★★★★
A Gentleman’s Guide to Love & Murder won four Tony Awards, including best musical, in 2014, and it’s enterprising of The Production Company…to end this year’s season with the premiere of a hot new Broadway show.
Roger Hodgman’s nimble direction, together with some terrific casting, ensures a tight, slick production that proves a perfect vehicle for its stars.
Chris Ryan is brilliant as the murderous Monty Navarro, holding everything together with a dapper, matinee-idol charm and just the right flash of malice underneath.
But it’s Mitchell Butel who really gets to show off. Playing the eight relatives who stand between Monty and the earldom, Butel’s comic and musical talents are in overdrive through slapstick and physical humour, pantomime caricature, several lightning costume changes and, of course, numerous stage deaths.
The romantic subplot – a love triangle involving Monty’s mistress Sibella (Alinta Chidzey), and future Phoebe (Genevieve Kingsford) – confects passionate melodrama through slightly camp glaze. And the doubtable Nancye Hayes appears in a sly cameo.
THE BOY FROM OZ
★★★★
The Peter Allen bio-musical, The Boy from Oz, is a toe-tapping, glitzy musical extravaganza, and the opening night audience expressed its approval with the whoops, hollers, and an emphatic standing ovation.
Rohan Browne portrays the ambitious, versatile Allen with youthful exuberance, non-stop energy and in-your-face camp humour and cheekiness.
When teenage Allen meets troubled megastar Judy Garland (Caroline O’Connor), the rest is history. Though O’Connor’s stage time is brief and she sings only four songs, her powerful voice and magnetic performance is a highlight…
Other treats include Loren Hunter’s peppy and sincere portrayal of Liza Minnelli…and Maxwell Simon’s compelling and quietly confident performance as Allen’s AIDS-afflicted lover, Greg Connell.
Jason Langley’s direction is assured, and Michael Ralph’s dynamic choreography is a feature…
OKLAHOMA!
It has been 20 years since Jeanne Pratt founded The Production Company, and what a boon to musical theatre lovers it has proved.
Filling a niche between indie and large-scale commercial fare, it has made a point of focusing on artists over bells and whistles. And if, in the early days, that could mean rather spartan, concert-style productions, more recent shows have gone to town on choreography and costume, so there’s more than enough to entertain the eye.
You couldn’t ask for a better vindication of the company’s ethos than this marvellous production of Oklahoma! It stars the cream of our musical theatre talent – it is cast as well or better than a commercial version would be – and they bring this Rodgers and Hammerstein classic to life with infectious energy.
The acting is unusually fine. Robyn Nevin raises the bar as Auntie Eller: her leathery farming matriarch looks and sounds summoned from the heart of the Dust Bowl, and it’s a joy to watch her flicker between a gruff, hard-as-nails exterior and the wellspring of affection underneath.
True, Nevin can sing only as much as she needs to; the romantic leads are a different story.
From the moment he launches into Oh, What A Beautiful Morning, Simon Gleeson’s Curly sweeps us into the sunshine. His vocal strength and allure are matched by Anna O’Byrne’s Laurey, and their feisty courtship swells into romance through glorious duet. Ben Mingay is disturbing as Jud, the jilted third wheel who darkens the action; his brooding baritone seems to echo with menace and the lure of the grave.
Meanwhile, the comic subplot (Elise McCann as Ado Annie, Bobby Fox as Will, Grant Piro as the Persian peddler) is handled with lustre, especially by triple-threat Fox, whose comic chops and exuberant dancing energise almost every scene he’s in.
And it’s a sign of how good the casting is that veterans like Greg Stone and Richard Piper fill out (amusingly) minor roles.
If you love Rodgers and Hammerstein, get on your wagon and make a beeline for Oklahoma! Chris Parker directs an all-star cast with dynamism, skill and attention to character, creating a fitting tribute to mark the 20th anniversary of a company vital to Melbourne’s musical theatre scene.
OKLAHOMA!
It has been 20 years since Jeanne Pratt founded The Production Company, and what a boon to musical theatre lovers it has proved.
Filling a niche between indie and large-scale commercial fare, it has made a point of focusing on artists over bells and whistles. And if, in the early days, that could mean rather spartan, concert-style productions, more recent shows have gone to town on choreography and costume, so there’s more than enough to entertain the eye.
You couldn’t ask for a better vindication of the company’s ethos than this marvellous production of Oklahoma! It stars the cream of our musical theatre talent – it is cast as well or better than a commercial version would be – and they bring this Rodgers and Hammerstein classic to life with infectious energy.
The acting is unusually fine. Robyn Nevin raises the bar as Auntie Eller: her leathery farming matriarch looks and sounds summoned from the heart of the Dust Bowl, and it’s a joy to watch her flicker between a gruff, hard-as-nails exterior and the wellspring of affection underneath.
True, Nevin can sing only as much as she needs to; the romantic leads are a different story.
From the moment he launches into Oh, What A Beautiful Morning, Simon Gleeson’s Curly sweeps us into the sunshine. His vocal strength and allure are matched by Anna O’Byrne’s Laurey, and their feisty courtship swells into romance through glorious duet. Ben Mingay is disturbing as Jud, the jilted third wheel who darkens the action; his brooding baritone seems to echo with menace and the lure of the grave.
Meanwhile, the comic subplot (Elise McCann as Ado Annie, Bobby Fox as Will, Grant Piro as the Persian peddler) is handled with lustre, especially by triple-threat Fox, whose comic chops and exuberant dancing energise almost every scene he’s in.
And it’s a sign of how good the casting is that veterans like Greg Stone and Richard Piper fill out (amusingly) minor roles.
If you love Rodgers and Hammerstein, get on your wagon and make a beeline for Oklahoma! Chris Parker directs an all-star cast with dynamism, skill and attention to character, creating a fitting tribute to mark the 20th anniversary of a company vital to Melbourne’s musical theatre scene.
HELLO, DOLLY!
★★★★★
REJOICE, Melbourne! The Production Company’s staging of Hello, Dolly! is so gosh-darn upbeat and bursting at the seams with high megawattage energy, it will fill your eyes, ears and heart with unbridled joy.
Australia’s leading lady of musical theatre, soprano Marina Prior, is the commanding, scene-stealing star as titular Dolly.
And when the Melbourne opening night audience spontaneously leaps to its feet for a standing ovation, it means they love this show, and Dolly Levi and Marina Prior, it’s SO nice to have you back where you belong.
JESUS CHRIST SUPERSTAR
What’s the Buzz? The Production Company’s second show of 2017 is nothing short of a miraculous spectacle bringing a completely modern take on Andrew Lloyd Webber’s classic rock opera Jesus Christ Superstar.
Rob Mills makes a holy debut with the company in the title role of Jesus. The role of Jesus almost takes a secondary role in the first half of the musical to the betraying Judas Iscariot, but come his number at the beginning of Act 2 – Gethsemane (I Only Want To Say) – Rob Mills proves why he is worthy of this leading man title he has earnt himself through many of Melbourne’s huge productions.
Although they have been delivering on their mission of providing incredible shows in the Melbourne theatre landscape for many years, The Production Company is solidifying itself as an incredible powerhouse within the Australian theatre landscape. There is something special about their model bringing together some of the best performers from around the country and creating spectacular pieces of theatre which need to be seen to be believed.
JESUS CHRIST SUPERSTAR
What’s the Buzz? The Production Company’s second show of 2017 is nothing short of a miraculous spectacle bringing a completely modern take on Andrew Lloyd Webber’s classic rock opera Jesus Christ Superstar.
Rob Mills makes a holy debut with the company in the title role of Jesus. The role of Jesus almost takes a secondary role in the first half of the musical to the betraying Judas Iscariot, but come his number at the beginning of Act 2 – Gethsemane (I Only Want To Say) – Rob Mills proves why he is worthy of this leading man title he has earnt himself through many of Melbourne’s huge productions.
Although they have been delivering on their mission of providing incredible shows in the Melbourne theatre landscape for many years, The Production Company is solidifying itself as an incredible powerhouse within the Australian theatre landscape. There is something special about their model bringing together some of the best performers from around the country and creating spectacular pieces of theatre which need to be seen to be believed.
BRIGADOON
★★★★
Lerner and Loewe’s Brigadoon is a deliciously old-fashioned, musical rom-com set in a magical, 17th century Scottish village that materialises out of the mist for only one day every 100 years.
But Jason Langley’s production transposes the period from 1947 to 2017 when rich boy, Tommy (Rohan Browne), and his jaded friend, Jeff (Luke Joslin), who are New Yorkers on a tourist trek through Scotland, stumble upon this fairy tale place.
During their single day in this mythical place, Tommy falls in love with copper-haired beauty, Fiona (Genevieve Kingsford), while Jeff fights off the advances of brazen Meg (Elise McCann).
Accompanied by the on stage orchestra under Michael Tyack’s musical direction, the cast provides a feast of musical numbers including Almost Like Being In Love, the memorable love duet sung by Browne and Kingsford.
Browne is magnetic and roguish as Tommy, adding another dimension to the character with his skilful and sprightly dance moves, while Kingsford’s rich, powerful soprano is perfect for the spirited Fiona, and her duet with Browne, The Heather on the Hill, is warm and charming.
Matthew Manahan is boisterously upbeat as bridegroom, Charlie, and he vivaciously leads the ensemble in I’ll Go Home With Bonnie Jean.
Joslin garners laughs as the glib and cynical Jeff while McCann is suitably brassy and seductive as Meg and Nancye Hayes plays the restructured role of Mrs. Forsythe with dignity.
The simple stage design (Christina Smith) provides space for vibrant choreography (Cameron Mitchell) while the hanging wooden crosses that protect the village from the evils of the outside world lend a darker edge to the village story.
Brigadoon is performed infrequently, but the audience’s response to its rollicking tunes, magical landscape and romantic narrative suggests that it should materialise out of the Scottish mists more often.
DUSTY
The Production Company has kept the best till last, ending the 2016 season with a high calibre production of Dusty, an all Australian musical written by John-Michael Howson, David Mitchell and Melvyn Morrow.
This production is directed by Jason Langley in his first appointment with The Production Company. Through the approval and cooperation of the writers, Howson, Mitchell and Morrow, we are treated to some variations from the original 2004 production, some of which are only slight, while others include re-imaging of the younger Dusty, Mary O’Brien and the further clarification – relationship between Dusty and her younger self…
The shows leading lady Amy Lehpamer (Dusty Springfield) is absolutely divine in the role, providing a stellar performance in capturing not only the voice, style and mannerisms of the Dusty I can remember when growing up in England in the 60’s, but also the discipline, energy and stamina that is required to carry the character through the life that was Dusty’s.
Baylie Carson (Mary O’Brien) in her first professional performance holds her own, not only in her character, but vocally, in the closer interaction between O’Brien and Springfield…
DUSTY
The Production Company has kept the best till last, ending the 2016 season with a high calibre production of Dusty, an all Australian musical written by John-Michael Howson, David Mitchell and Melvyn Morrow.
This production is directed by Jason Langley in his first appointment with The Production Company. Through the approval and cooperation of the writers, Howson, Mitchell and Morrow, we are treated to some variations from the original 2004 production, some of which are only slight, while others include re-imaging of the younger Dusty, Mary O’Brien and the further clarification – relationship between Dusty and her younger self…
The shows leading lady Amy Lehpamer (Dusty Springfield) is absolutely divine in the role, providing a stellar performance in capturing not only the voice, style and mannerisms of the Dusty I can remember when growing up in England in the 60’s, but also the discipline, energy and stamina that is required to carry the character through the life that was Dusty’s.
Baylie Carson (Mary O’Brien) in her first professional performance holds her own, not only in her character, but vocally, in the closer interaction between O’Brien and Springfield…
CURTAINS
“The Australian premiere of the Broadway musical who-dunnit Curtains adds another feather to The Production Company’s cap with this polished, brisk and sophisticated laugh-a-plenty production.
Director Roger Hodgman has worked a treat in bringing the complexities and nuances of the plot’s assortment of layers together from a large cast of Australian musical theatre talent who rise to the comic occasion with bravado and bang.
From curtain up, the newly established Production Company Orchestra arrived brimming with rewarding musical panache.”
FUNNY GIRL
★★★★
“On the strength of her performance as Fanny Brice on Saturday night, Caroline O’Connor deserves to be rated…as one of the greatest singers of the English language.
Star vehicle it may be, but this Funny Girl is not a one-woman show. David Hobson is a terrific Nicky Arnstein, Fanny’s oily and somewhat dodgy love interest. And Nancye Hayes plays Fanny’s mother in a nice piece of casting. The chorus is tight, well-drilled and a delight to watch.”
FUNNY GIRL
★★★★
“On the strength of her performance as Fanny Brice on Saturday night, Caroline O’Connor deserves to be rated…as one of the greatest singers of the English language.
Star vehicle it may be, but this Funny Girl is not a one-woman show. David Hobson is a terrific Nicky Arnstein, Fanny’s oily and somewhat dodgy love interest. And Nancye Hayes plays Fanny’s mother in a nice piece of casting. The chorus is tight, well-drilled and a delight to watch.”
JERRY’S GIRLS
★★★★½
“This Production Company version is the first professional revival in more than two decades and as a showcase of talented women in Australian musical theatre, it can’t be beaten.
Director Dean Bryant has tweaked and elaborated the script into an irreverent, light comic romp that feels fresh and improvised, and has been neatly tailored to the offstage personas of each performer.
There are too many highlights to name them all. The only shortcoming in this ridiculously entertaining show is its short, two-week season. Get your tickets quickly.”
NICE WORK
★★★★½
“Roger Hodgman directs a star-studded cast with pace and comic zing. The acting and singing are terrific, Christina Smith’s design sparing but elegant, Dana Jolly’s dynamic period choreography dazzles the eye, and John Foreman conducts the large orchestra, on a sloping bandstand, with verve.
Like The Drowsy Chaperone before it, Nice Work If You Can Get It channels the golden age of American music theatre with affectionate glee. The result is ridiculously entertaining. Don’t miss out.”
NICE WORK
★★★★½
“Roger Hodgman directs a star-studded cast with pace and comic zing. The acting and singing are terrific, Christina Smith’s design sparing but elegant, Dana Jolly’s dynamic period choreography dazzles the eye, and John Foreman conducts the large orchestra, on a sloping bandstand, with verve.
Like The Drowsy Chaperone before it, Nice Work If You Can Get It channels the golden age of American music theatre with affectionate glee. The result is ridiculously entertaining. Don’t miss out.”
WEST SIDE STORY
★★★★
“On a simple set (by Shaun Gurton) that evokes an army barracks as much as the stripped urban wasteland of ’50s New York, a vigorous and youthful cast bring a touching immediacy to the tragic retelling of Romeo and Juliet.
Anna O’Byrne and Gareth Keegan are very fine as star-crossed lovers Maria and Tony, neatly side-stepping the tendency to mawkishness inherent in the roles. O’Byrne has a glorious voice, and Keegan matches her admirably in the famous duets Tonight and One Hand, One Heart.”
LA CAGE AUX FOLLES
★★★★“Despite its popularity, Melbourne hasn’t seen a professional production of La Cage aux Folles since it first appeared in the city in 1985. The Production Company’s revival would have been welcome in any event: happily, a starry cast, slick production values and strong performances make for an exceptional entertainment.
Dean Bryant’s assured comic direction and Matthew Frank’s conducting of the live orchestra combine to fuel another musical theatre success for The Production Company, and an enjoyable end to its 2014 season.”
LA CAGE AUX FOLLES
★★★★“Despite its popularity, Melbourne hasn’t seen a professional production of La Cage aux Folles since it first appeared in the city in 1985. The Production Company’s revival would have been welcome in any event: happily, a starry cast, slick production values and strong performances make for an exceptional entertainment.
Dean Bryant’s assured comic direction and Matthew Frank’s conducting of the live orchestra combine to fuel another musical theatre success for The Production Company, and an enjoyable end to its 2014 season.”
SHOW BOAT
★★★★“This production, deftly directed by Roger Hodgman, [is] a taut, captivating production with accomplished and versatile leads, a balance of operatic and musical theatre voices, sassy choreography (Dana Jolly), a nimble orchestra and tight musical direction (Kellie Dickerson).”
GUYS AND DOLLS
★★★★“Director Gale Edwards musters an exceptional cast of singer-actor-dancers. The dialogue is fast, funny and Runyonesque, echoing the tough, street-talk of New York’s underworld, and the production is peppered with Nathan M. Wright’s zingy choreography.”
GUYS AND DOLLS
★★★★“Director Gale Edwards musters an exceptional cast of singer-actor-dancers. The dialogue is fast, funny and Runyonesque, echoing the tough, street-talk of New York’s underworld, and the production is peppered with Nathan M. Wright’s zingy choreography.”
PIRATES OF PENZANCE
The Production Company can certainly attract our best musical theatre performers. Gareth Keegan plays the romantic lead with aplomb. His mockheroics are hilarious and he has a flexible voice that can handle the extreme speed of patter songs, or soar into romantic numbers as if he were a oneman boy band.
SINGIN’ IN THE RAIN
Singin’ In the Rain is a feel good musical production guaranteed to stir your laughter and get your toes tapping to those familiar tunes immortalised by the 1952 film of the same name, starring Gene Kelly.It is a tale of legends at the cusp of change as silent film becomes talkie and the world is turning from the excessive parties at the crescendo of the Roaring ‘20s towards a looming financial collapse.
If your heart lightens at a soft shoe shuffle, shiny costumes, high kicking chorus lines and corny dialogue then the Production Company’s version of this time honoured classic directed by Gary Young will not disappoint. It showcases some fine Australian talent choreographed by Simon Lind and accompanied by a rousing show orchestra conducted by John Foreman.
This is a cast of standout performers. Rohan Browne as Don Lockhart has all the suave and soignée presence of a screen legend and dances the fine line between narcissism and charisma with impressive fancy foot work. Not to be outdone his best pal Cosmo Brown played by Matt Lee is an arresting performer as he steals the show with his smooth tapping solos and his dazzling duos with Browne…
SINGIN’ IN THE RAIN
Singin’ In the Rain is a feel good musical production guaranteed to stir your laughter and get your toes tapping to those familiar tunes immortalised by the 1952 film of the same name, starring Gene Kelly.It is a tale of legends at the cusp of change as silent film becomes talkie and the world is turning from the excessive parties at the crescendo of the Roaring ‘20s towards a looming financial collapse.
If your heart lightens at a soft shoe shuffle, shiny costumes, high kicking chorus lines and corny dialogue then the Production Company’s version of this time honoured classic directed by Gary Young will not disappoint. It showcases some fine Australian talent choreographed by Simon Lind and accompanied by a rousing show orchestra conducted by John Foreman.
This is a cast of standout performers. Rohan Browne as Don Lockhart has all the suave and soignée presence of a screen legend and dances the fine line between narcissism and charisma with impressive fancy foot work. Not to be outdone his best pal Cosmo Brown played by Matt Lee is an arresting performer as he steals the show with his smooth tapping solos and his dazzling duos with Browne…
GYPSY
The Production Company has prepared a dynamic 15th anniversary revival of Gypsy, regarded as the last important traditional musical comedy.Director Gale Edwards drew bravura performances from her cast, magnificently headlined by Caroline O’Connor as Rose, the ruthlessly controlling stage-mother. Rose’s climatic Rose’s Turn is a staggering tour de force as she realises that she has been abandoned by everyone. Christina Tan was compelling in the title role, as was Matt Hetherington as Herbie, Rose’s long-time boyfriend. Chloe Dallimore, Nicki Wendt and Anne Wood played three jaded strippers to magnificent effect, while musical director Guy Simpson drew the very best out of Orchestra Victoria.
PROMISES, PROMISES
★★★★
(Matt) Hetherington is outstanding and carries the show for most of its two-and-a-half hours with ardour…Nadia Tass’ direction, with slick choreography by Tanya Mitford, reins in the carry-on to just the right amount of silliness and soars in the uproarious bar scene with its carefully constructed drunks, especially Marge MacDougall (a scene-stealing Chelsea Plumley) out-lushing everyone.
PROMISES, PROMISES
★★★★
(Matt) Hetherington is outstanding and carries the show for most of its two-and-a-half hours with ardour…Nadia Tass’ direction, with slick choreography by Tanya Mitford, reins in the carry-on to just the right amount of silliness and soars in the uproarious bar scene with its carefully constructed drunks, especially Marge MacDougall (a scene-stealing Chelsea Plumley) out-lushing everyone.
CHESS
THE musical Chess has a performance history more like checkers. It did well on the West End only to flop on Broadway. Commercial Australian productions haven’t been wildly successful, either. Still, the soundtrack spawned two hit singles.
Composed by the talents behind Abba, the show’s music roves far and wide – synth pop, orchestral chorus numbers, soaring love duets. Despite the absurdities of its plot, the musical is regularly revived in both concert and full dress productions.
This entertaining version from The Production Company boasts brilliant singing from some of our best musical theatre performers, slick choreography and a large onstage orchestra.
Gale Edwards’ elegant direction moves all the pieces around the board with the assurance and taste for display of a Romantic-era chess game.
Simon Gleeson, fresh from playing Raoul in Love Never Dies, thrills as the tortured Russian grandmaster. It’s an effortlessly charismatic performance and his singing is strong, pure and impressive in the difficult to master Anthem, the song of loyalty and defection that closes out the first act.
Silvie Paladino as Florence delights with her presence, releasing the full force of her voice in emotive solo numbers; modestly tailoring it to the demands of the show’s duets and quartets (I Know Him So Well, opposite Alinta Chidzey, is a highlight).
THE PRODUCERS
True to form, The Production Company have assembled a strong cast for this run. Master of slapstick comedy Wayne Scott Kermond is a fantastically hyperactive Bialystock, never more so than in his crazy re-enactment of the whole show in a five minute song.
Brent Hill captures Leo Bloom’s bumbling naivety, and Christie Whelan-Browne has all her curves in the right places. Trevor Ashley brings his wealth of experience in cabaret to his wonderful portrayal of Franz Liebkind, the writer of “Springtime for Hitler”, and Virginia Gay is hilarious as the appropriately named Hold me Touch Me, a randy octogenarian backer. The principals are supported by a fine cast of singer/dancers, choreographed with precision by Andrew Hallsworth.
THE PRODUCERS
True to form, The Production Company have assembled a strong cast for this run. Master of slapstick comedy Wayne Scott Kermond is a fantastically hyperactive Bialystock, never more so than in his crazy re-enactment of the whole show in a five minute song.
Brent Hill captures Leo Bloom’s bumbling naivety, and Christie Whelan-Browne has all her curves in the right places. Trevor Ashley brings his wealth of experience in cabaret to his wonderful portrayal of Franz Liebkind, the writer of “Springtime for Hitler”, and Virginia Gay is hilarious as the appropriately named Hold me Touch Me, a randy octogenarian backer. The principals are supported by a fine cast of singer/dancers, choreographed with precision by Andrew Hallsworth.
GREY GARDENS
The principal casting is perfection, with Pamela Rabe as the 47 year old Big Edie in the first act then, in the second act, as the 56 year-old Little Edie to Nancye Hayes’s 79 year-old Big Edie. Their performances are consummate as the complex inter-dependency of their relationship unravels.
Director Roger Hodgman delivered a beautifully nuanced production on Richard Roberts’s effective set, while musical director Kellie Dickerson drew an excellent accompaniment from an ensemble of Orchestra Victoria players.
KISMET
Kismet is a big show, so not often tackled by the amateur companies, and unlikely to be produced professionally. Hence it was an ideal vehicle for a semi-staged production by The Production Company, and they did it well. Orchestra Victoria provided the biggest orchestra they have used, and they were in fine form under the excellent Peter Casey, who combined rhythmic vitality with lyrical phrasing.
The rising young star of Victorian Opera, Janet Todd, was a delightful Marsinah, singing beautifully and looking gorgeous. She was well partnered by Josh Piterman as the Caliph.
I have seen and sung in numerous productions of Kismet but I don’t think I have seen a better Wazir than Mitchell Butel. He was suitably very camp and didn’t miss a comic moment. His solo was made even more amazing by the choreography of the male dancers. As Lalume, his vampish wife, Chelsea Plumley enjoyed every moment, and the difficult “Not Since Ninevah” was very well sung, particularly considering she often had to sing on her back while being carried through the air by some of her male slaves!
The role of the Poet, Hajj, is one of the most difficult and rewarding in the music theatre baritone scene. Replacing the originally advertised baritone at short notice, Gary Rowley sang as well as I have heard him, but his dark voice was not suited to this character. I kept thinking what a magnificent Sweeney Todd he would make.
As usual, the sets were minimalist and screens flew in and out to allow the action to flow. It was well directed with good lighting and the costumes were a highlight.
All in all it was a very enjoyable night at the theatre.
KISMET
Kismet is a big show, so not often tackled by the amateur companies, and unlikely to be produced professionally. Hence it was an ideal vehicle for a semi-staged production by The Production Company, and they did it well. Orchestra Victoria provided the biggest orchestra they have used, and they were in fine form under the excellent Peter Casey, who combined rhythmic vitality with lyrical phrasing.
The rising young star of Victorian Opera, Janet Todd, was a delightful Marsinah, singing beautifully and looking gorgeous. She was well partnered by Josh Piterman as the Caliph.
I have seen and sung in numerous productions of Kismet but I don’t think I have seen a better Wazir than Mitchell Butel. He was suitably very camp and didn’t miss a comic moment. His solo was made even more amazing by the choreography of the male dancers. As Lalume, his vampish wife, Chelsea Plumley enjoyed every moment, and the difficult “Not Since Ninevah” was very well sung, particularly considering she often had to sing on her back while being carried through the air by some of her male slaves!
The role of the Poet, Hajj, is one of the most difficult and rewarding in the music theatre baritone scene. Replacing the originally advertised baritone at short notice, Gary Rowley sang as well as I have heard him, but his dark voice was not suited to this character. I kept thinking what a magnificent Sweeney Todd he would make.
As usual, the sets were minimalist and screens flew in and out to allow the action to flow. It was well directed with good lighting and the costumes were a highlight.
All in all it was a very enjoyable night at the theatre.
ANYTHING GOES
The Production Company’s wise choices of shows, stage and music directors, choreographers, costume, set, lighting and sound designers and generally flawless casting, with fantastic accompaniment by our indispensible Orchestra Victoria, guarantee that its performances enchant Melbourne’s audiences.
Launching this years season, The Production Company revived Cole Porter’s brash, evergreen Anything Goes, last staged by it a decade ago. The Anything Goes dream cast, led by Amanda Harrison, Alex Rathgeber, Todd McKenney, Christie Whelan and Wayne Scott Kermond, brought all of this together in a joyous, life-affirming staging of Porter’s enduring musical confection that thrilled its capacity audience and warmed Melbourne’s winter.
MAME 2008
Exuberant and dazzling, the Production Company’s Mame is a tender piece of musical theatre which will impress and entertain.
Mame delineates the story of a bohemian socialite who becomes the legal guardian of her recently orphaned nephew, Patrick. Mame, played by Rhonda Burtchmore, is a bugle-blasting, merry-making party girl surrounded by boozed-up punch bowls, riotous wealthy socialites and eccentric intellectuals all hell bent on giving “life quite a tumble”. Patrick disrupts the boisterous frivolity amongst which Mame lives, arriving with strict instructions for a conservative Presbyterian upbringing, to be enforced at any cost by his tightly wound trustee Dwight Babcock, played by Grant Smith. So begins the story – and conflict – of Mame, as the collision of bohemian and conservative ideology propels a series of madcap adventures in which Mame fights to keep Patrick “three dimensional [and] soaking up life”. Set amidst the giddy opulence of the mid-1920’s New York, Mame is punctuated by the Wall Street Crash of 1929, spanning to World War II.
Rhonda Burchmore’s portrayal of the brassy, “unconventional” Mame, is delightfully charming and vibrant. The on-stage dynamics generated by Burchmore and co-star Nicki Wendt who plays Mame’s inebriated baritone best friend Vera Charles, are funny and entertaining particularly in the songs ‘It’s Today’ and ‘Bosom Buddies’. Lara Mulcahy, who makes her debut with the Production Company, brings a warmth and amiable candour to nanny Agnes Gooch while eliciting uproars of laughter from the audience as a result of her Mame-inspired mishaps.
Burchmore, Wendt, Mulcahy and
Kaeng Chan, who plays butler Ito, wonderfully deliver the comic dialogue and slapstick humour contained in Mame. The comic exchange that occurs between rivals Mame and Sally Cato MacDougal, brilliantly embodied by Ana Maria Belo, as they battle for the affections of Georgian aristocrat Beauregard Jackson Pickett Burnside, played by Robert Grubb, is perfectly pitched. The extravagance of the song ‘Mame’, sung by Grubb and the company is visually stunning, incorporating brilliant choreography by Andrew Hallsworth.The character of young and grown up Patrick Dennis, played by Thomas New and Alex Rathgeber respectively, is developed with subtlety. Both New and Rathgeber embody Patrick with sensitivity, emotively conveying his journey with Mame, particularly through the song ‘My Best Girl’. Conducted by Musical Director Peter Casey, Orchestra Victoria bring a stylish flair to the production, holding a prominent place on the stage. Rather than compromise the performance space, the presence of the Orchestra evokes a glamour which brings to life the time and place of the musical.
Mame, which was first performed for Australian audiences in 1968, has an important place in the history of musical theatre in Australia. This year, the Production Company celebrates “ten glorious years” by performing the same musical which launched the company a decade ago.
The Production Company’s rendition of Mame is cleverly executed, brimming with humour and bursting with musical vivacity.
Based on the novel Auntie Mame written by Patrick Dennis, Mame is a versatile and appealing story which has been adapted for both screen and stage. Written by Jerome Lawrence and Robert E. Lee, the musical Mame is witty and entertaining, oozing charm and talent in a bid to rekindle “the glory of life.”
MAME 2008
Exuberant and dazzling, the Production Company’s Mame is a tender piece of musical theatre which will impress and entertain.
Mame delineates the story of a bohemian socialite who becomes the legal guardian of her recently orphaned nephew, Patrick. Mame, played by Rhonda Burtchmore, is a bugle-blasting, merry-making party girl surrounded by boozed-up punch bowls, riotous wealthy socialites and eccentric intellectuals all hell bent on giving “life quite a tumble”. Patrick disrupts the boisterous frivolity amongst which Mame lives, arriving with strict instructions for a conservative Presbyterian upbringing, to be enforced at any cost by his tightly wound trustee Dwight Babcock, played by Grant Smith. So begins the story – and conflict – of Mame, as the collision of bohemian and conservative ideology propels a series of madcap adventures in which Mame fights to keep Patrick “three dimensional [and] soaking up life”. Set amidst the giddy opulence of the mid-1920’s New York, Mame is punctuated by the Wall Street Crash of 1929, spanning to World War II.
Rhonda Burchmore’s portrayal of the brassy, “unconventional” Mame, is delightfully charming and vibrant. The on-stage dynamics generated by Burchmore and co-star Nicki Wendt who plays Mame’s inebriated baritone best friend Vera Charles, are funny and entertaining particularly in the songs ‘It’s Today’ and ‘Bosom Buddies’. Lara Mulcahy, who makes her debut with the Production Company, brings a warmth and amiable candour to nanny Agnes Gooch while eliciting uproars of laughter from the audience as a result of her Mame-inspired mishaps.
Burchmore, Wendt, Mulcahy and
Kaeng Chan, who plays butler Ito, wonderfully deliver the comic dialogue and slapstick humour contained in Mame. The comic exchange that occurs between rivals Mame and Sally Cato MacDougal, brilliantly embodied by Ana Maria Belo, as they battle for the affections of Georgian aristocrat Beauregard Jackson Pickett Burnside, played by Robert Grubb, is perfectly pitched. The extravagance of the song ‘Mame’, sung by Grubb and the company is visually stunning, incorporating brilliant choreography by Andrew Hallsworth.The character of young and grown up Patrick Dennis, played by Thomas New and Alex Rathgeber respectively, is developed with subtlety. Both New and Rathgeber embody Patrick with sensitivity, emotively conveying his journey with Mame, particularly through the song ‘My Best Girl’. Conducted by Musical Director Peter Casey, Orchestra Victoria bring a stylish flair to the production, holding a prominent place on the stage. Rather than compromise the performance space, the presence of the Orchestra evokes a glamour which brings to life the time and place of the musical.
Mame, which was first performed for Australian audiences in 1968, has an important place in the history of musical theatre in Australia. This year, the Production Company celebrates “ten glorious years” by performing the same musical which launched the company a decade ago.
The Production Company’s rendition of Mame is cleverly executed, brimming with humour and bursting with musical vivacity.
Based on the novel Auntie Mame written by Patrick Dennis, Mame is a versatile and appealing story which has been adapted for both screen and stage. Written by Jerome Lawrence and Robert E. Lee, the musical Mame is witty and entertaining, oozing charm and talent in a bid to rekindle “the glory of life.”
FOLLIES 2008
With Follies, the Production Company fulfils what aficionados always hoped would be its function: to give Melbourne audiences the music theatre masterpieces never seen professionally here. It is a glittering achievement that will be hard to toss as outstanding musical of 2008.This 1971 show has assumed legendary status over the years, thanks primarily to Stephen Sondheim’s exceptional score with its show-stopping numbers for female singers. It takes place on the stage of a decaying theatre facing demolition, used by librettist James Goldman and composer-lyricist Sondheim as a metaphor for fractured lives and unrealised hopes.
Veteran producer Dimitri Weisman (Bud Tingwell) throws a party for the stars of his long-ago Follies shows one last time before the wrecker’s ball strikes. Chief characters are former best friends Phyllis (Anne Wood) and Sally (Debra Byrne) and their respective husbands, Benjamin (John Diedrich) and Buddy (Philip Gould). They courted when the girls were in the Follies, but now the marriage of Phyllis and Ben is stone cold, while Sally’s and Buddy’s is volatile, thanks to Buddy’s insecurities and Sally’s long-held torch for Ben.
The lives of this four, then and now, with their younger selves portraying the lost ideals, form the core of the piece.
Right from the start, with the wonderful playing of Orchestra Victoria under Guy Simpson and the tribute by the old Follies tenor Roscoe (Kenneth Collins) to Beautiful Girls, you know you are in for a special night. Roger Hodgman’s production is on the money, the way it conjures the ghostly images of the Follies as the veterans reminisce – but perhaps his greatest triumph is in the casting. This hand-picked company is scintillating, and the show is packed with memorable highlights, any one of which make it worth seeing. Together, they comprise a rare treat.
In no particular order, there’s Judi Connelli’s blistering I’m Still Here, probably never sung better by anyone, anywhere; Anne Wood’s steely tirade of the embittered wife, Could I Leave You?, and her sassy Story of Lucy and Jessie; Nancye Hayes’ Broadway Baby, a master class in keeping an audience riveted; Debra Byrne’s achingly sad Losing My Mind; Philip Gould’s frenetic vaudeville turn, Buddy’s Blues; John Diedrich’s top hat-and-tails number, Live, Laugh, Love; and the Bolero d’Amour danced good humouredly by the old Whitmans (Jack Webster and Patti Newton) and quite beautifully by their younger alter egos (Rohan Browne and Natalya Bobenko).
The singing and acting talents of Monique Brynnel, Margaret Haggart, Mary-Jean O’Doherty, Melissa Langton and (as the young Phyllis, Sally, Ben and Buddy) Amy Lehpamer, Gemma-Ashley Kaplan, Chris Durling and Stephen Mahy ensure the highest quality all round in a production that is also well served by the choreography of Dana Jolly and the lighting design of Paul Jackson.
OKLAHOMA! 2005
Jeanne Pratt’s Production Company should be mighty satisfied with 2005. After excellent seasons of Kiss Me, Kate and Sunset Boulevard, it rounds off the year with a joyous performance of Rodgers and Hammerstein’s first collaboration, the 1943 classic that catapulted the American musical to an altogether higher plane.
The principal virtues of this sunny production (far superior to Trevor Nunn’s leaden London revision seen on television) are the splendid singing and orchestral playing under the musical direction of Guy Simpson, the light-as-a-feather direction by Terence O’Connell, which brings every moment of comedy bubbling to the surface, and the sheer freshness and vibrancy of the mainly young cast.
Ian Stenlake sings and acts Curly with plenty of swagger, adding to his impressive portfolio of musical comedy leads, which include Cabaret and Eureka.
He is delightfully partnered by fast-rising Lucy Durack as Laurey, who is sweet, vulnerable and feisty in just the right proportions.
Amanda Harrison, who was last seen in Leader of the Pack, is a knockout Ado Annie, the gal “who cain’t say no”, perfectly matched by another talent to watch, Christopher Parker as Will, her sometime boyfriend. James Millar gets right inside the brooding villain of the piece, Jud Fry, but could afford to be stronger in such a big venue.
They are all first-rate, but the two outstanding contributions are from ever-reliable Nancye Hayes, absolutely perfect as Aunt Eller, who anchors the simple bucolic piece, and Mitchell Butel, whose comic Persian pedlar, Ali Hakim, is an object lesson in characterisation and timing.
And, of course, then there is Rodgers’ enduring, exhilarating music.
OKLAHOMA! 2005
Jeanne Pratt’s Production Company should be mighty satisfied with 2005. After excellent seasons of Kiss Me, Kate and Sunset Boulevard, it rounds off the year with a joyous performance of Rodgers and Hammerstein’s first collaboration, the 1943 classic that catapulted the American musical to an altogether higher plane.
The principal virtues of this sunny production (far superior to Trevor Nunn’s leaden London revision seen on television) are the splendid singing and orchestral playing under the musical direction of Guy Simpson, the light-as-a-feather direction by Terence O’Connell, which brings every moment of comedy bubbling to the surface, and the sheer freshness and vibrancy of the mainly young cast.
Ian Stenlake sings and acts Curly with plenty of swagger, adding to his impressive portfolio of musical comedy leads, which include Cabaret and Eureka.
He is delightfully partnered by fast-rising Lucy Durack as Laurey, who is sweet, vulnerable and feisty in just the right proportions.
Amanda Harrison, who was last seen in Leader of the Pack, is a knockout Ado Annie, the gal “who cain’t say no”, perfectly matched by another talent to watch, Christopher Parker as Will, her sometime boyfriend. James Millar gets right inside the brooding villain of the piece, Jud Fry, but could afford to be stronger in such a big venue.
They are all first-rate, but the two outstanding contributions are from ever-reliable Nancye Hayes, absolutely perfect as Aunt Eller, who anchors the simple bucolic piece, and Mitchell Butel, whose comic Persian pedlar, Ali Hakim, is an object lesson in characterisation and timing.
And, of course, then there is Rodgers’ enduring, exhilarating music.
KISS ME, KATE
“The Production Company surpasses its usual high standard with a colourful, zestful, stylish performance of one of the great musicals, Kiss Me, Kate, which takes place backstage and onstage during the Baltimore tryout of a musical adaptation of Shakespeare’s The Taming of the Shrew.
A play-within-a-play, the clever script by Sam and Bella Spewack deftly interweaves the Bard’s onstage encounters between swaggering Petruchio and the shrewish Katharine with the backstage battles of egotistical actor-manager Fred Graham and his hot-headed ex-wife, Lilli Vanessi, who are playing the roles.
Cole Porter was inspired to write his most elegant, polished score, moving easily between songs for the Shakespearean characters (I’ve Come to Wive it Wealthily in Padua and We Open in Venice) and snappy tunes for the backstage scenes (Another Op’nin, Another Show, Too Darn Hot, and Wunderbar).
Musically it is a delight, with Marina Prior at the top of her form as Lilli, and Scott Irwin, though a shade light vocally, a winning Fred. Her virago rant, I Hate Men, and his Where is the Life That Late I Led?, are highlights. Also memorable are Tom, Dick and Harry, performed by Lucy Durack with Adam Murphy, Alex Rathgeber and Matthew Robinson, the Too Darn Hot routine by the dancers (with nifty choreography by Dana Jolly), and the rollicking Brush Up Your Shakespeare by Marty Fields and Gary Down as Runyonesque gangsters.
Considering the limited rehearsal time, director Roger Hodgman delivers an assured show. Every character is just right, and the comedy hits the mark. The knockabout scene in which Lilli furiously belabours Fred while acting “the shrew” couldn’t be any funnier if Prior and Irwin were given two months to rehearse it.
This slightly revised version of Kiss Me, Kate, which won a best direction Tony award for Australian Michael Blakemore in 2000, is as intelligent and satisfying a musical as anyone could want. A line from the script sums it up: “It’s entertaining, vivacious and calculated to please the discriminating theatregoer.” Amen to that”