Class of 2019 Musical Theatre Showcase

This year’s third-year student showcase was extremely well-co-ordinated, with the segues from one item to another handled with melodic invention, making it one of the best showcases of recent times. Singing mainly contemporary musical theatre pieces from the past 20 years (a lot of Jason Robert Brown and Justin Paul and Benj Pasek), the hour quickly disappeared as the cast showed off their considerable talents.

The show opened with the company lead by Trent Sinclair and performer Tom Collins on electric guitar, in a foot-stomping return to the sixties with “The Nicest Kids in Town” from Hairspray. It had a ton of energy and with its built-in role-call was the perfect introduction to the cast. Sinclair also scored with “I Love Betsy” from Jason Robert Brown’s Honeymoon in Vegas, whilst Jack Biggs elicited some big-voiced warmth for the same composer’s “It All Fades Away” (The Bridges of Madison County).

Paul and Pasek’s savage title song from Dogfight gave Selin Doygun a brittle moment in the spotlight, with Dear Evan Hansen’s tenderly wistful “For Forever” giving Jake Vollbon a similar chance to shine.

Caleb Monk not only impressed with his dancing but also his somersaults and handsprings in “I Can Do That” (A Chorus Line) and Conor Putland did astonishingly well with Anastasia’s “My Petersburg”.

Vintage musicals On the Town, and Cabaret provided diva moments for Tiarne Sue Yek (“I Can Cook Too”) and Maddison Coleman (“Don’t Tell Mama”), but Jordan Twigg knocked it out of the park with Funny Girl’s “Don’t Rain On My Parade.”

The most enjoyable ensemble number was Jackson Head and Company on Matilda’s very funny ode to the tube, “Telly”, although Daniel Steer and the boys were right up there with them with Something Rotten’s “It’s Hard To Be The Bard”.

Ashlea Sloman, repeating her performance from the recent Les Misérables production at the Conservatorium, scored laughs with“Master of the House”, as did Alastair Blake’s with “What Do You Do With Your Arms?” (Island Song).

Like previous years, brief monologues were interspersed in between the musical numbers for dramatic effect, and with sterling command of the ivories by Heidi Loveland, the show wrapped up with a rafter-raising “Rewrite the Stars” from Pasek and Paul’s The Greatest Showman.

Peter Pinne  

Images (from top): Jordan Twigg and Clancy Enchelmaier, Conor Putland and 3rd year Bachelor of Musical Theatre Students.