Pirates of Penzance - Review

Be prepared for a night of pirate talk at the Zenith Theatre in Chatswood. Chatswood Music Society have done it again, produced another great show for the North Shore.
I am ashamed to say this is the first time I have seen Pirates of Penzance, though I did know some of the songs.  As I have nothing to compare it too I have to say that it was the best production of Pirates of Penzance I have seen!
Pirates of Penzance is written by Gilbert and Sullivan and is classed as a comic opera, though unlike many operas it does have spoken dialogue as well as sung. It opens with the Pirates and Frederic, Frederic having just turned 21 can now leave the Pirates as he has served his apprentice to them, and explore the world and in particular women! He does indeed meet several young ladies and falls in love with Mabel. The girls are all the daughters of the Major General and the pirates have decided that they should take them for their wives. The police prepare to fight the pirates to keep the daughters save. Frederic however finds that as his birthday falls on a leap year he has had only 5 birthdays not 21! Mabel however, says that she will wait for him! The pirates and the police fight and the Major General is captured, but appeals to the Pirates sense on honour and it all turns out well in the end.
As you can imagine to get a Pirate ship and then the General's house on the same stage wasn't easy, but it was kept simple and even the actors were involved in moving some of the staging as part of the production. It is quite a small stage, I did feel a little sorry for the musicians as they did seem a little squashed. However, this didn't seem to effect their performance! The musicians were also involved with some the actors on stage which was very amusing.
Georgia Burley played Mabel, she has an incredible voice as did all of the singers particularly the women.  The 'girls' were a delight to watch and reminded me a little of the Sound of Music with the flowing dresses. The choreography was complex and there was lots happening on the stage. I did feel at times it could have been simplified to give the audience the chance to listen to the singing and words rather than the dancing. The King Pirate played by Andrew Dickson is obviously a Johnny Depp, Jack Sparrow fan and who isn't? There are subtle similarities between the two during this performance. 
It was a very enjoyable night. It is playing at the Zenith Theatre until 10 May, so get your tickets now by clicking here

Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat - Review

Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat
Chatswood Musical Society
Zenith Theatre
10-18 May 2013

Reviewed by Benjamin Oxley
"Music by Andrew Lloyd-Webber, words by Tim Rice. Those names should ensure success. But not quite. The cast, crew and orchestra have to be full of vitality, recreate an all-singing, all dancing score.

There were debutants in roles, asking for distinct characterisation, accents and chutzpah. Children, animals and the old watchword of WC Fields to remember. Was this all that Chatswood Musical Society hoped for?

This was an excellent performance from the opening to the final reprise. There was energy infused throughout, showing Matt Cater's direction and Neil Shotter commonsense set design in effective use of the restricted space. Lighting from James Wallis gave us a sense of brilliance in the Egyptian scenes.

The cast was strongly lead by Nathan Stark in the title role, whose demeanor always captured the highs and lows of the boy made good. His lovely voice quality and tidy movement gave the lead for strong ensemble work from the men. Kathy Xenos brought tremendous life to the Narrator, negotiating the high notes in the storytelling, and leading the ensemble with professionalism. Pharaoh or The King aka Elvis played by Brian M Logan brought his rock n roll antics to his big number. Potiphar and Mrs Potiphar were well cast, and played their part in the tale. Jacob and his sons were consistently adept as Israelites and Egyptians, managing some quick changes and helping maintain the pace of the show. Some very secure top soprano singing from Kelly Cunningham gave the ladies' ensemble an enjoyable sheen. Children's chorus were very much engaged throughout, as were the fine orchestra well led by musical director Hayden Barltrop. Mention should also be made of the well-conceived choreography of Laura-Beth Wood. All in, a very enjoyable show that needs only an audience to make it come to life.

Dusty - Review

Dusty The Original Pop Diva was brought to the stage by the Chatswood Musical Society.  The story of Dusty's life and her music filled the theatre to the delight of the audience who whooped, whistled, clapped, laughed and cried. Yes, brought to tears even though I was told I wouldn't need a tissue, I did and so did many, men included!
Linda Hale who plays, adult Dusty is so chromatic, even though she doesn't look like Dusty she really got into the character and the songs, which I think is why at the end so many people were reduced to tears at the end. Gabriella Glen who play Dusty (Mary) as a child was also extremely good and had a wonderful voice. Reno played by Miriam Ramsay, Dusty girlfriend was also very good, again fantastic voice. They all did, Peg played by Katherine Wall and Rodney played by Raymond Cullen who looked after Dusty, particularly when she was touring and at the end of her life. Mary's Parents were also very good, great costumes and accents. Kay O'Brien was played by Bernadette Baran and Mr O'Brien by Derek Ebbs.
The music was very good, there were a few first night nerves in the orchestra but on the whole they did a very good job.  The staging was kept fairly simple with revolving screens and furniture either added or taken away. As time goes on this will become slicker too. The costumes on the whole were very good, the only thing to really note was that Dusty's first wig looked like it had stage fright! As it is worn at the opening of the show this does spoil it a little. Unfortunately, it does return but by that time you are so into the show it is a little less off putting.
There are some great moment in the show which will have you laughing, along with a few shocking costumes! There is a lot of talent in the Chatswood Musical Society, they have had a great 2012, I can't wait for next year, when they are going to bring us Joseph and the Amazing Technicolour Dreamcoat in May and then Fame the Musical in October.
Dusty is only on for a limited period until 10 November click here for more information.

Interviews with the Kids from Broadway and Jon Williams from Celebrity Theatresports

Kids on Broadway is presented by the Chatswood Musical Society and will play from 7 - 15 July. Hear from the President of the Society plus the choreographer and one for the performers from the show.
Click here to listen for more information on the show visit http://chatswoodmusicals.org/

We called Jon Williams one of the performers in the Celebrity Theatresports challenge on 21 July at the Enmore Theatre. It is a charity night for CanTeen.
Hear about what could and might not happen on the night, who knows with impro!

Both interviews took place on The Hubbub show on Triple H 100.1fm, with Philippa Bird.

Miss Saigon Review

A truly fantastic production! Miss Saigon is currently playing at The Concourse in Chatswood by the Chatswood Musical Society. This was the first time I have seen Miss Saigon so I can safely say this is the best production of Miss Saigon I have ever seen and it will take some beating.

Miss Saigon is set in Vietnam just before the American forces withdrew.  Veronica Alonzo who plays Kim is the picture of innocence and she arrives in Saigon for work at the tender age of 19. Jeremy Curtin who plays Chris is a young officer, disillusioned with the war and wants something real; they fall in love.  Kim hangs onto her dream of living with Chris in America, as she is sadly left behind.  Chris however has moved on and when Kim finds out it is too much, it could almost be a Shakespearean tragedy!

The staging in this production was unbelievable particularly in the second half, I was completely blown away a couple of times. I am not going to tell you more about that as I don't want to spoil it for you. I could go on and on about the staging and lighting. The attention to detail even down to the red lanterns, it was probably the best I have seen in a very long time, certainly the best amateur production. The three main characters Kim, Chris and Engineer (Mike Curtin) were well cast, strong singers and carried the production very well. Mike in particular seemed very at home in his role. Daley Chaston who plays John also had a superb voice and his performance stood out. The orchestra did an amazing job particularly as it wasn't that large. There were only a few string players and this shortfall, at times, was noticeable. The sound quality was good, however I did think there could have been more contrast between the songs. I felt they were all belted out at full volume rather than a few quieter more tender numbers.  The only other slight negative comment I have was some of the set dance routines, I felt sorry for one girl, she looked so uncomfortable, it didn't last long which was good. I personally found it very entertaining but probably not in the way it was intended! But really these negative points were only minor and certainly didn't detract from the superb performance overall and certainly shouldn't deter you from going.

This should be playing to a full house every night, Anne Veitch the Director and all those that had a hand in the stage design and lighting should be extremely proud. Lastly, I shouldn't forget the costumes which also stood out. Well done Chatwood Musical Society!

Click here to get your tickets now, the last show is Saturday 12 May.

(Picture by Alan Roy. Kim and Engineer)