JourneywomanSondheim's Company hits Sydney! - A Review
June 27th 2007 17:10
Peter Cousen's self-titled National Musical Theatre Company Kookaburra finally came of age last night. After a botched debut with Stephen Schwartz's forgettable masterpiece Pippin, a production that lacked pretty much everything except pathos, the fledgling production company have finally made their mark with their present production of the legendary Stephen Sondheim show Company.
Kookaburra professes in its Mission Statement that it means to take risks by staging shows seldom performed in Australia. Company unqeustionably falls into this category. A daunting marvel of a show, by no means a traditional musical and as complex and powerful as anything Sondheim has ever written for the stage, it has not received a major production in Australia in over two deacdes.
It's impending return has had musical theatre fans (myself included) licking their lips in anticipation. However, after the bomb that was Pippin, the mess that was 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee and the popcorn effort that was Priscilla Queen of the Desert the Musical, there was every chance that even this monster could also prove to be a gigantic misfire.
The presence of a cast of heavy-weight Australian musical theatre stars was certainly a comforting element. Including platinum-selling recording artist David Campbell, the delicious Tamsin Carroll (of Dusty the Musical fame), Comedy Inc's Katrina Retallick, international musical theatre star Simon Bourke, cabaret star Chelsea Plumley and dramatist extraordinaire Anne Looby, surely such a cast has seldom graced the boards of any one Australian show. But even so...
The first preview was last night (June 27). The house was packed to the rafters with an audience clearly out for a good time. They got one!
Set in New York, Company is anything but a traditional Broadway musical. Rather it is a series of vignettes without chronology or sequence.
The common thread is the life, loves, laughs, trials and tribulations of Robert (see also Robby, Bobby, Bob or Rob) - a terminally single man surrounded by married couples with relationships in various stages of evolution.
The show is a brilliant, searing examination of modern married life, with stopovers in alcoholism, drugs, homosexuality, children, pre-wedding jitters, the generation gap, divorce and commitment issues thrown in to make this a definitive and unique piece of musical theatre history.
This cast does it fair justice. Admittedly the production has some bugs to iron out. Kookabura's production of Pippin earlier this year was widely criticised as lacking any discernable Broadway veneer and playing for "deep" rather than letting the show speak for itself. As a result of these ubiquitous and stinging criticisms, the production of Company has clearly been taken to the opposite extreme.
Usually a dark and probing work, Company is staged as a flash and glam razzle-dazzle, costumes often outdoing production numbers ("You Could Drive a Person Crazy" to name but one). Likewise the cast sticks to the surface, gliding along comfortably with relaxed grins fixed on their faces and a spring in their steps.
This disturbing trend unfortunately comes close to destroying what should be a steady, powerful build towards a thundering climax - but only just!
Moments of note within the show include "Another Hundred People" - belted out to perfection by Tamsin Carroll (though perhaps a bit too bright and breezy in demeanor), "Getting Married Today" - in a scintilating performance by Chelsea Plumley, and "Barcelona" - with the very sexy and brilliantly comic Christie Whelan.
The culmination of the entire night belongs exclusively to Anne Looby and David Campbell. Looby plays wealthy socialite Joanne, a drunk who is seemingly bored in her latest marriage.
As Joanne, Looby permeates the play with wickedly comic moments and one-liners that crack and sparkle in her talented hands. Her performance is imaginative, powerful and brilliantly passionate.
Her rendition of the brilliant song "The Ladies Who Lunch" stole the show! A worthy successor to the legendary Elaine Stritch's definitive edition.
David Campbell begins the show with all the depth of an empty inkwell, passionless, emotionless, a grinning imbecile to all intents and purposes. Despite his previous track record of brilliant performances I found myself growing concerned - even the best performers can be misdirected!
Not so here.
In the Second Act Campbell bounces back and crams the emotion and pathos missing in the First Act into the final thirty minutes of the second, culminating in an astounding, brilliant, showstopping rendition of "Being Alive" during which he wept!
Though he (and director Gale Edwards) clearly have work to do on his performance, Campbell's character remains unstoppable, energetic, his vocals beyond reproach - unquestionably brilliant.
For a first preview it was a triumphant evening and will no doubt result in many more of the same as the show begins its limited run - through July till Thursday, August 2.
Tickets are fairly pricey, but make every effort to get to the Theatre Royal, Sydney, to see this marvel of a show in its greatest Australian incarnation. Kookaburra has taken a Broadway legend and done it proud!
Though Kookaburra may not yet claim to be THE defintive Australian musical theatre company, they are well on their way. I look forward to attending their shows in the future and enjoying this high standard in production and performance again.
Kookaburra professes in its Mission Statement that it means to take risks by staging shows seldom performed in Australia. Company unqeustionably falls into this category. A daunting marvel of a show, by no means a traditional musical and as complex and powerful as anything Sondheim has ever written for the stage, it has not received a major production in Australia in over two deacdes.
The brilliant cast of Kookaburra's latest musical production: Company
The presence of a cast of heavy-weight Australian musical theatre stars was certainly a comforting element. Including platinum-selling recording artist David Campbell, the delicious Tamsin Carroll (of Dusty the Musical fame), Comedy Inc's Katrina Retallick, international musical theatre star Simon Bourke, cabaret star Chelsea Plumley and dramatist extraordinaire Anne Looby, surely such a cast has seldom graced the boards of any one Australian show. But even so...
Chelsea Plumley is hilarious as Amy!
Set in New York, Company is anything but a traditional Broadway musical. Rather it is a series of vignettes without chronology or sequence.
The common thread is the life, loves, laughs, trials and tribulations of Robert (see also Robby, Bobby, Bob or Rob) - a terminally single man surrounded by married couples with relationships in various stages of evolution.
The show is a brilliant, searing examination of modern married life, with stopovers in alcoholism, drugs, homosexuality, children, pre-wedding jitters, the generation gap, divorce and commitment issues thrown in to make this a definitive and unique piece of musical theatre history.
This cast does it fair justice. Admittedly the production has some bugs to iron out. Kookabura's production of Pippin earlier this year was widely criticised as lacking any discernable Broadway veneer and playing for "deep" rather than letting the show speak for itself. As a result of these ubiquitous and stinging criticisms, the production of Company has clearly been taken to the opposite extreme.
"You Could Drive a Person Crazy"
This disturbing trend unfortunately comes close to destroying what should be a steady, powerful build towards a thundering climax - but only just!
Moments of note within the show include "Another Hundred People" - belted out to perfection by Tamsin Carroll (though perhaps a bit too bright and breezy in demeanor), "Getting Married Today" - in a scintilating performance by Chelsea Plumley, and "Barcelona" - with the very sexy and brilliantly comic Christie Whelan.
Anne Looby steals the show!
As Joanne, Looby permeates the play with wickedly comic moments and one-liners that crack and sparkle in her talented hands. Her performance is imaginative, powerful and brilliantly passionate.
Her rendition of the brilliant song "The Ladies Who Lunch" stole the show! A worthy successor to the legendary Elaine Stritch's definitive edition.
David Campbell begins the show with all the depth of an empty inkwell, passionless, emotionless, a grinning imbecile to all intents and purposes. Despite his previous track record of brilliant performances I found myself growing concerned - even the best performers can be misdirected!
Not so here.
In the Second Act Campbell bounces back and crams the emotion and pathos missing in the First Act into the final thirty minutes of the second, culminating in an astounding, brilliant, showstopping rendition of "Being Alive" during which he wept!
Though he (and director Gale Edwards) clearly have work to do on his performance, Campbell's character remains unstoppable, energetic, his vocals beyond reproach - unquestionably brilliant.
Tamsin Carroll makes the best of a small part and dazzles!
Tickets are fairly pricey, but make every effort to get to the Theatre Royal, Sydney, to see this marvel of a show in its greatest Australian incarnation. Kookaburra has taken a Broadway legend and done it proud!
Though Kookaburra may not yet claim to be THE defintive Australian musical theatre company, they are well on their way. I look forward to attending their shows in the future and enjoying this high standard in production and performance again.
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