MUSE Repertory Season
MUSE, the Sydney University Musical Theatre Ensemble, pulls off the challenging task of producing a repertory season of two musicals in terrific style.
Both The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee and Company are given engaging ensemble productions by capable casts, produced in intimate style at the King Street Theatre, and performed acoustically, with the performers’ projection proving quite sufficient (except for the occasional underscored dialogue), with both conductors maintaining excellent balance between performers and their compact bands.
On the Saturday, mid-season, the two plays were performed in tandem, when I had the chance to enjoy them back-to back with a hour’s turnaround.
If there’s another linking theme between the two pieces, it’s the age disparity between the performers and their roles; in one musical,playing characters younger than themselves, and in the other, older.
In The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee the off-beat kids in spelling competition are generally played by adults, but here the age gap is slightly less than my previous experience, with young adult students playing teens, essentially just a handful of years younger than themselves.
Still playing characters younger than themselves, but perhaps closer to their age than is generally the rule, this is a gentle, empathetic, less stereotyped interpretation than some, and while it still has plenty of fun, there is a lovely sense of camaraderie among the characters and a delightful a warmth and naturalness to their individualized interpretations, rather than broad, quirky humorousness.
To mention just a few, Anna Colless’s susceptible Olive is very emotionally engaging; Lisa-Marie Long’s Logainne is less in-your –face, no less intellectual, and all-the-more vulnerable, while Gabi Kelland plays William Barfée as more socially awkward and less overtly Aspergers. Outside the contestants, Gavin Brown’s comfort counselor Mitch rings remarkably true as a young guy on community service.
If you’re unfamiliar with Spelling Bee, there’s audience participation, with audience members asked to become contestants. When all volunteers took a highly unpredictable approach, which the cast could never have rehearsed for, they thought well on their feet, taking everything in their stride, Natasha Stanton as Rona Lisa Perretti handling the situation with the same aplomb and poise she brought to the character as a whole.
Spelling Bee is bright, engaging fun; a refreshing new look at a musical of which I’m particularly fond.
After about an hour’s break (we had been ushered down the back stairs so the second production could be bumped in from the foyer), I was seated again. In front of me was an attractive, functional setting, featuring a simple representation of a New York skyline and furniture suggesting a couple of interiors. The acting spaces and levels would serve the production well.
Company was a splendid ensemble production, revolving around the strong, engaging pivotal performance of Robert Elsley as Bobby, one of the better interpretations of the role I’ve seen.
In contrast to Spelling Bee, in a show like Company full of characters aged 30-plus, played by a cast where the oldest performer is 25, there’s bound to be some inconsistencies, particularly the young actor playing Joanne, obviously far too young for the aging cynicism of her role, no matter how well played
But this committed cast meld in such a strong piece of ensemble work, that the age factor only rarely becomes a quibble of any consequence.
Being a long-standing Company fan, I happily rank several individual performances alongside my favourite portrayals of certain roles – Sophie Edmonds’ utterly credible Sarah, with a less-is-more approach to the food fetish; Bronwyn Hicks’ tightly focused, deliciously nuanced and physicalised air hostess April; Melissa McShane’s vivacious, energetic, manic repressed Amy, paired and contrasted with Alexander Andrews’ calm, totally believable Paul.
Only occasionally did the production seem a fraction too large for the tiny stage, in a smartly conceptualized, tight clean production.
Sondheim’s ground-breaking musical is well-served by this student production.
The rich tradition of student theatre at Sydney University, which has spawned so many great talents, is well and truly alive at MUSE. Do yourself a favour and get along to see one or both of these intimate productions.
Neil Litchfield
Photographer: Daniel Dinh.
The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee
Director: Jonathon Rush. Musical Director: Oli Cameron. Choreographer: Natasha Heyward. Producer: Chloe Pryce.
Company
Director: Ash Kurrle. Musical Director: Allister Haire. Choreographer: Georgina Spong. Producer: Jordy Shea.
Executive Producer: Shaun Gnany. Assistant Executive Producer: Jen Bartlett.
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