Curtains

Curtains
Book by Rupert Holmes. Music by John Kander. Lyrics by Fred Ebb. Beenleigh Theatre Group. March 9 – 24, 2018

You might not have heard of the musical Curtains, but you definitely know the work of its songwriters, John Kander and Fred Ebb. The duo wrote Cabaret and Chicago, as well as Liza Minnelli and Frank Sinatra’s shared signature song, “New York, New York”.

Curtains is a different beast for the legendary Broadway duo: a hilarious murder mystery send-up, set backstage at a theatre. The story: Jessica Cranshaw (Madi Jennings), the star of tryout musical-within-the-musical Robbin' Hood, is bumped off on opening night in 1959. This brings Lieutenant Frank Cioffi (Tony Campbell) to Boston's Colonial Theatre, where he quickly falls for ingenue Niki Harris (Lauren-Lee Innis-Youren). Campbell is the dream theatre performer – he can sing, dance, act, land punch lines all with dignity, class and heavenly diction. Accompanied by theatre star Lauren-Lee, these two make the perfect remedy of calm in a world full of chaos.

The show’s composer Aaron Fox (William Boyd), lyricist Georgia Hendricks (Genevieve Tree), co-producer Carmen Bernstein (Fiona Buchanan) and financial backer Oscar Shapiro (Ian Maurice) were all strong characters, with a nice feel for ensemble and deadpan comic delivery. The stand out performers in this ensemble featured no other than belting songstress Fiona Buchanan and the relationship with her estranged daughter, Bambi Bernet (Lauren Conway). The pair were brilliant both together and in their own respective scenes. Jim Price as Director of ‘Robbin Hood’, was the comedic relief with every punch line landing and commanded the presence on stage in every scene.

This ‘show within a show’ dynamic made strong technical demands as well, with props and sets corresponding to the show being rehearsed and also the plot of Curtains itself. The revolving stage was a brilliant use of space for most of the show, however it was often used as a ‘decoy’ from the real action and sometimes drew focus from the story. Brilliant execution of the band behind the stage, led by Julie Whiting (Musical Director) gave the show the 1950’s appeal, with full sound resonating off the theatre walls.

Complications of the plot notwithstanding, this detailed and witty show for all its lightness and melodrama was no small undertaking, and Director (Andrew Cockroft-Penman) rose to the occasion with a bright and colourful production that conveyed exactly what Show People are all about.

Mel Bobbermien

Photographer: Clay English for Vargo Studios.

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