Hills Pair Leap of Faith with Last Five Years

Hills Pair Leap of Faith with Last Five Years

Castle Hill will host to the Australian Premiere of the Broadway Musical Leap of Faith, based on the movie starring Steve Martin, and a studio production of The Last Five Years during October 2014, when Hills Musical Theatre Company (Hills MTC) brings the two musical theatre shows to the Castle Hill RSL.

Hills MTC’s major show, gospel-themed Leap of Faith, tells the story of a con artist, the Rev Jonas Nightingale who travels with his ministry but whose bus breaks down in a small Kansas town. The show was composed by Alan Menken (Disney’s Aladdin, The Little Mermaid and Beauty and the Beast and more).

The Reverend and his group pitch their tents and invite townspeople to a series of revivals. However, the sheriff, a woman named Marla, is determined to stop Jonas from taking the people’s money. Jonas’s challenge when he becomes romantically involved with the sheriff, and her love may be the thing that forces the cynical Reverend to come to terms with his life.

Nick Yates, who directs the show, says, “Leap has been overlooked by many fans of the genre – it is a fast- paced, entertaining and fun show with an amazing gospel score by the master Alan Menken. This is the first time the show has been done in Australia, so get down here and check it out.”

Leading man Jonas Nightingale is played by Dave Bleier, who says, “The favourite thing about playing Jonas for me is the depths of his personality and his refusal to show his vulnerability. It’s a challenge to give Jonas the energy he deserves, but all the great moments in the show make it very worthwhile!”

Elizabeth Hogan, who plays the sheriff Marla McGowan, on playing the role: "Playing a show that's never been done before is very exciting, but also really freeing. There's no one else to be compared to, so you get a chance to put your mark on it. Marla is a great character to play. She's a strong woman who doesn't suffer fools, but she has a softer side too. Complex characters like her are always more interesting to play and to watch. I definitely like Marla more each day and can't wait to bring her to the stage."

Community Theatre companies are now taking the lead in giving local audiences and musical theatre enthusiasts a chance to shows see like this one, which won’t attract professional productions here because of their moderate Broadway runs.

The theatre company continues its ‘Studio’ series with The Last Five Years by Jason Robert Brown. The show tells the story of Jamie and Cathy, two New York City inhabitants who meet, fall in love, marry and fall out of love, like so many do. The Last Five Years charts their story in reverse tandem, where Jamie’s story is told in chronological order, and Cathy’s story is told in reverse chronological order. The music is rich and melodic, the emotions realistic and relatable, and the storytelling clever and poignant. The show will soon be brought to the big screen, with a major American film release on Valentine’s Day 2015.

The show stars Australian Institute of Music student Levi Burrows and local professional performer Josephine Ison as Jamie and Cathy respectively. The show’s director, Sarah Prentice, has always dreamed of bringing this show to the stage, and says, “I really want the audience to walk away from this show knowing and relating to Cathy and Jamie and knowing that with one movement of the hands of time, everything and change. I’m very excited about this opportunity and my cast members, they have put so much into bringing these two characters to life, that I can not wait to show the rest of the world what they have to offer!”

Leap of Faithwill be onstage Thursday 30th October 8pm, Friday 31st October 7.30pm, Saturday 1st November 1pm & 8pm, and Sunday 2nd November 5pm. Tickets ($30-$35 plus booking fee) available from www.leapoffaithaustralia.com.

The Last Five Years will be onstage Friday 31st October 10.30pm, Saturday 1st November 4.30pm and Sunday 2nd November 2pm. Tickets ($20-$25 plus booking fee) available from www.hillsmtc.com.

A special pass for both shows is available from www.hillsmtc.com for $47.

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