Finian's Rainbow

Review
Matt BYRNE

FINIAN'S Rainbow is a colourful, big-cast American musical with a cheeky touch of the blarney from writers E.Y. Harburg and Fred Saidy, and some memorable music from Burton Lane.

With standards like 'How Are Things in Glocca Morra?' and 'Old Devil Moon', it is a surprise this entertaining musical doesn't get an airing more often.

 

Director Sue Pole has assembled a large and enthusiastic cast to retell the story of a roguish old Irishman, Finian McLonergan, who steals a Leprechaun's crock of gold and buries it in America to make his fortune.

Finian and his daughter Sharon come to Missitucky with the crock, arriving in the middle of a shonky land auction designed to disenfranchise a community of poor Southern sharecroppers.

John Skidmore is in fine form as the sweet-talking, flim-flamming Finian, but it is Kira-Marie Laverty as his delightful daughter Sharon who steals the show, and blossoms under Pole's deft direction.

It is a long time since Northern Light produced a soprano and leading lady of such quality, and if her superb singing and stylish acting isn't enough, Laverty even reels in the patrons with her Irish dancing: she's an emerald gem! In pursuit of the crock is Joel Allen as the increasingly human leprechaun Og.

Allen has the look and physicality for the plum part, and attention to diction and projection will assist his performance.

Mark Horner fills the bill as guitar-toting Woody who finds himself under Sharon's spell, Vaughan Harmer undergoes a colour and attitude change as the bigoted Senator Billboard Rawkins, and Bryan Godfrey, Damon Hill, Richard Trengove, Graham Loveday and Drew Webb add colourful characters to the plot.

And a special mention goes to Nicolle McKinlay, as Susan the Silent, whose very talented feet do the talking for her, as she nearly upsets all of Finian's gilt-edged plans.
Peta Nievelstein's choreography makes full use of the large, diverse cast, Mark Horner's musical direction gets a good sound out of the cast, Kate Pope handles the baton with zest, and Damon Hill's rainbow set design makes golden wishes come true.

This is a good old-fashioned fun family show which will please patrons of all ages, so sham-rock along and grab a ticket!

 

Guards! Guards!

ReviewSue

This ironic story pokes a goodly amount of fun at English legend as a bunch of bumbling brothers attempt to install a puppet king in Ankh-Morpork to replace the dour and humourless Patrician, played with appropriate lack of emotion by Ben Kempster. All does not go according to plan and a dragon is unleashed on the unsuspecting Discworlders.

This adaptation of Terry Pratchett's book does not necessarily make a play. It is overly long and indulgent and leaves the uninitiated slightly out in the cold. There is an attempt to fill in the blanks with the use of a strangely attired character called Footnote (Kim York). The detail is taxing and I would advise the director to lose the annoying sound effect.

With a barrel full of money for special effects, better sets, costumes and lighting, some razor-sharp direction and some major editing this could be an entertaining show. There are some good moments but on the whole the very large cast looks lost. Blocking is awkward and two dimensional, with a lot of straight lines and lack of animation, especially in the crowd scenes. Projection is often a problem, along with a lack of diction due to English accents.

The highlights are provided mostly by the (often drunken) guards. Thorin Cupit as Corporal Nobbs is excellent, delightfully grubby with terrific comic timing. He and George Humphries, as Sergeant Colon, work well together, providing some very funny Pythonesque moments. They are ably abetted by a humourous Brian Godfrey as Captain Vimes.

Rohan Watts is very good as the naïve and earnest new recruit, Carrot, as he tries to do his job in the corrupt political environment the Patrician describes as "endless evil and sheer blackness". Vaughan Harmer also does well as Lupine Wonse, especially in his conversation with the dragon.

There is a lot of attention to minor detail and amusing allusions to everything from Benny Hill to South Park but this attention could have been better spent fleshing out the show so that, rather than watching actors having fun with a favourite book, the audience could have had a real theatrical experience.

Look out for demonic David Taylor as Death on roller skates and the silly secret password scene. Enjoy some visual comic relief as Shaun Castles (the Librarian) and Rohan Watts engage in a hilarious game of charades, and watch in disbelief as Brian Godfrey does Dirty Harry with a swamp dragon. These are some of the very nice moments that arise from a landscape that is otherwise unfortunately as flat as Discworld itself.

This production is probably mostly one for the Pratchett fanatic.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Guys and Dolls

Adelaide Theatre Guide18 Oct 2002
Sue OLDKNOW

Director Fran Edwards has assembled a great team to produce an entertaining and engaging version of this well-loved musical. Ably assisted by Karen Sheldon (A.D.), Kate Pope (M.D.) and Irena Scott (choreographer) she has moulded a very large cast into a well paced, well placed ensemble.

From the wonderfully choreographed opening sequence, we are immediately transported to Broadway of yesteryear. Damon Hill's sets are fantastic - abstract, surreal and with brilliant use of colour, space and depth of feel. The music, although not always tuneful, is lively and pace is great. Costumes are good, I particularly like the use of colour in the men's outfits, quite spectacular with a stage full of them, all dancing. And the Hot Box girls look fabulous.

Special mention for the dancing, Scott has done a marvellous job with the choreography. With the age old problem of what to do with actors who are not trained in dance, she has come up with simple, stylish effective moves that really work and the cast carry them out brilliantly, actually dancing rather than moving through pieces, as is often the case with community theatre.

The other person that really impressed me was Brad Tabe, the Sound Operator. Finally, an amateur show where the singers can be heard over the orchestra. Great work, Brad.

There is some perfect casting. Heidi Hart as Miss Adelaide and Michael Papps as Nathan Detroit make a great team and Hart's singing voice is an absolute delight. 'Adelaide's Lament' is brilliantly done.

But Rowan Watts steals the show for me as Nicely Nicely Johnson. The part was made for him. Physically he is just right, with the necessary cheek and a great husky voice. He has star quality and when he is performing you can't take your eyes off him. "Sit Down You're Rocking the Boat" is a showstopper.

Brendan Clare as Benny Southstreet is also extremely good, with a great voice. (The depth of male talent at Northern Light is enviable.) Nathanael Hueppauff makes a likeable Sky Masterson with a very listenable voice and a great sweetness. Vaughan Harmer, Shaun Castles and Richard Trengove all do a great job in supporting roles and Stacey Webb makes the most of Salvation Army General Cartwright.

Hayley Horton captures the spirit of Sister Sarah, Sky's love interest. Vocally the part is out of her range but she compensates with some very nice character work. Her "If I Were a Bell" is a show highlight. I also loved the chemistry between her and Hart in "Marry the Man Today". They are very complementary performers.

Despite a few very minor opening night stumbles and slightly missed lighting cues, this was a great night's entertainment. Big, colourful, bright and energetic. Full credit to all involved. Northern Light can be extremely proud of this effort. One of the best shows I've seen in ages.