CALENDAR GIRLS - Review

 Reviewed by Marie Su

From the 11th October until the 19th October, The Zenith Theatre, Chatswood hosts The Epicentre Theatre Company in their latest production of “Calendar Girls”. The Epicentre Theatre Company is donating $2 from every ticket sale to the Arrow Bone Marrow Transplant Foundation because cancer is the cause which inspires this play.

Director Belinda Clark has directed this production of “Calendar Girls” with humour, wit and charm. The characters came across as warm, genuine and engaging. They supported each other through hardship and made a difference to each other and their community. The trigger for creating the calendar was the death caused by leukaemia suffered by one of the female character’s husbands. Based on a true story, this production of women from Northern England who tastefully stripped off and allowed photographs to be taken of them to make a fundraising calendar, is well known in the film version. To perform this play in the flesh, so to speak, must have been a challenge for the mature women of the cast and crew.

Each character faces their own personal demons and growths through their experience. The play is an ensemble piece and they are all to be commended equally. This rendition works because each cast member is valuable in their own right and the performances hinge inextricably on each other and their personal interactions. On a production note, the company made very good use of props and lighting which helped me connect with the human story presented.

Judging by the audience’ reaction on opening night, the happy vibe and the sheer enjoyment emanating from the theatre, shows that “Calendar Girls” at the Zenith is a production not to be missed. It is not just about a good cause, it’s an exceptionally good show. I’d recommend bringing an extra $15 for the artistically produced and presented “Calendar Girls” calendar.

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.

Cosi

A play about a play. No, a play about patients in a mental hospital putting on a play. No, a great Australian play written by a great Australian playwright where he draws on his actual experience of once directing a play in a mental hospital!

Confused? Intrigued? Have no idea what’s going on?

Perfect! You might as well be a character in this play!

The Epicentre Theatre Company and Director Christine Firkin must have had an absolute blast with their rendition of playwright Louis Nowra’s “Cosi”, now featuring at the Zenith Theatre in Chatswood from 23rd-31st of March 2012.

University graduate Lewis has just scored his first directing role. The cast – a mis-matched bunch of mental hospital patients who have leapt at the chance to get out of their confined, white and green walled wards where that annoying ‘shock therapy ‘and ‘having to take their medication’ takes place.

Lacking any experience in real-life directing let alone social work, Lewis struggles when he is told the play will be Mozart’s famous ‘Cosi fan tutte’, a comedic Italian opera, and that his actors’ have certain ‘needs’ he must adapt to and fulfil in order to unite them and finish the production.

As soon as the lights go down and the delightfully insane patients make their way onstage, the whole audience is in absolute fits of laughter when they are introduced to Doug – a pyromaniac with an extreme and inappropriate sexual innuendo, Ruth – a middle-aged woman with OCD who repeatedly counts her steps and finds it difficult to come to terms with the fact that she is putting on the “illusion of acting”, Cherry – food-obsessed and Lewis-obsessed who threatens to kill him with kindness as well as actually killing anybody who is interested in him, and Roy – a manic-depressive and the brains behind the idea that putting on an Italian opera in a mental hospital will be a piece of cake.

Minimalistic props, lighting and costumes create focus on the characters and the text, which is less about performing a play and more about acceptance and adaption, with a dash of politics sprinkled amongst the action as the play is set in Melbourne, Australia against a backdrop of the Vietnam War. There are serious moments where you are forced to empathise with the patients and with society as the political craziness outside of their walls mirrors and threatens the craziness within.

On the flip-side there are brilliant one-liners and you realise that perhaps their illogical approaches to life really aren’t that insane after all. It is dangerous territory when you find yourself being dragged in and emoting with the characters.

Music from Mozart’s ‘Cosi fan tutte’ is played during each scene change, the drama and suspense of the opera a sign of what’s around the corner in the next scene. The opera itself is about testing fidelity by lying and cheating those you love, so it’s no surprise when this story is executed by patients in a mental hospital that hilarity and madness ensue as there are personalities being performed by those with multiple personalities!

I challenge anyone to see this play and not rejoice with the characters’ journeys or almost crack a rib in peals of laughter. It is YOU who will be defined as mad!

Reviewed by Lana Hilton

Hear what Aston who played Lewis had to say on Triple H 100.1 fm

Agatha Christie's And Then There Were None

Bump in Productions bring their third murder mystery to the Zenith Theatre in Chatswood.  And Then There Were None is Christie's best-selling novel, of course it has been renamed from the original title Ten Little Niggers, for obvious reasons. The novel has sold 100 million sales to date, making it the world's best-selling mystery.
The play is about 10 people who are brought to an island by a mystery guest who isn't there. On the wall is a poem about ten little soldiers and how each of them, one by one die until there were none! Of course all the guests start dying one by one as in the poem and the guests get more and more anxious about their own destiny.   The guests are typical middle class Brits, in the 1940's who are trying to better themselves and live the life of their dreams. Each of them have skeletons in the closet which they would rather leave there.
This production was clean and fluid. All the actors played out there part.  The staging is simple but effective though I did feel that the stage was too spacious for some parts of the play. My only other criticism was that is didn't seem tense enough.  I remember the first time I saw it on stage I must have been in my late teens and it was scary, so much so that my younger cousins and sister couldn't sleep.
However, it was great to see an Agatha Christie, it has stood the test of time very well.

This production is playing until 29 October, so book now to see a great classic.