30 Years of Musicals

QPAC Choir’s annual concert this year celebrated 30 Years of Musicals at the Performing Arts venue since it first opened in 1985.

The highlights of the concert were definitely the Griffith University 3^rd Musical Theatre Students who brought some professional clout to the performance. Foremost was a mash-up of three Andrew Lloyd Webber love songs; “I Don’t know How To Love Him” (Jesus Christ Superstar), “Unexpected Song” (Song and Dance) and “Love Changes Everything” (Aspects of Love), and as sung by Sarah Muir, Hayley Maybury and Jacqueline McLaren it thrilled the capacity audience. Accompanied by Paul Sabey on piano it was the hit of the concert. Maybury and Oliver Samson also did well with Phantom’s popular duet “All I Ask Of You”, whilst Emily Monsma landed the laughs on Wicked’s “Popular”.

Tim Carroll’s light tenor effortlessly handled the high tessitura of West Side Story’s “Maria”, but the QPAC Women’s Chamber Chorus were a bit pitchy on their a-capella version of “Tonight” from the same show. The choir were at their best when they let their hair down with a medley from Jersey Boys and Mamma Mia’s “Dancing Queen”.

It was a nice touch to open the program with the “Overture” from The Phantom of the Opera played grandly by Brendan Murtagh on the Concert Hall’s grand organ, but two medleys of Rodgers and Hammerstein and My Fair Lady were marred by solo work that lacked distinction. That wasn’t the case with the 12 members of the Queensland Youth Orchestra whose accompaniment was always spot-on. Choirmaster Tim Sherlock took ebullience to a new level conducting with more hip and pelvic gyration than any Elvis impersonator. It entertained the audience royally!

Peter Pinne