The Boy From Oz

With an abundance of glitz, glitter and sequins, Lewis Jones’ production of The Boy From Oz provided the capacity audience at Toowoomba’s historic Art-Deco Empire Theatre, with entertainment with a capital E.

One of the most successful and popular, if not the most popular Australian musical ever, the jukebox bio-musical tells the story of songwriter and entertainer Peter Allen as a big splashy cabaret.

The show, with a book as thin as a sheet of Gladwrap, needs a performer with charisma plus to make it work. They couldn’t have found a better actor than Tye Shepherd, who sang and danced his heart out bringing Allen’s outside personality to life. Whether he was tap dancing with the Rockettes on “When Everything Old is New Again,” or tenderly reminiscing about his grandfather in “Tenterfield Saddler,” Shepperd’s star shone like a beacon.

Bernadette Pryde did well as Judy Garland, especially in her solo, “All I Wanted Was the Dream,” Helen Richards as Allen’s mother Marion, was heart-breakingly moving with “Don’t Cry Out Loud,” and Chris White as Allen’s lover Greg Connell handled “I Honestly Love You with sincerity. Jennifer Johnson as Liza Minnelli had major pitch problems, as did the girl trio of Elesha Hetherington, Megan Trinder and Courtney Heinemann.

Allison Vallette’ choreography was particularly good in the Legs Diamond sequence, but the piece-de-resistance was a highly emotional “I Still Call Australia Home.” Backed by the Kingsthorpe, Jondaryan and Kulpi Combined Schools Choirs (they used a different choir at each performance), Shepperd had no trouble in stopping the show.

The orchestra, under Rainer Pollard’s direction was tight, with Tomothy Panitz’s lighting and Debra Nairn’s costumes, a big plus in this terrific eye-catching production.

Peter Pinne  

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