Pink Floyd’s - The Wall

Top of the range audio visuals and superb musical backing were the stars of Pannic Productions’ version of Pink Floyd’s The Wall. In fact they were so good I could have gladly sat in the theatre and just watched them and listened to the music. With three LED screens at the rear of the stage with forever changing images and a multitude of coloured lights, the iconic rock album was brought vividly to life.

Conceived in 1977 when major rock bands were creating rock-opera albums, The Wall was Pink Floyd’s addition to the genre. It was bass guitarist and lyricist Roger Waters’ concept and became one of the band’s most iconic recordings.

In recent years stage versions of the piece have appeared, Pink Floyd even did a performance in Sydney in 2011, and an opera version was produced in Montreal this year. So you could say the concept has had theatrical legs, not as good as The Who’s Tommy which is of the same vintage, but its story of alienation symbolised by a metaphorical wall resonates strongly.

The leading character Pink, partly based on Waters’ own life, looks at a 70s rock star going through a nervous breakdown and reliving his past, which features schoolyard bullying, a smothering mother, the death of his father, and the breakdown of his marriage. The role in this production is played by a woman, Maree Butterworth, who brings a ton of angry rock angst to the part as did her co-star Solange Lipcin as the Orator.

But although they did fine work, overall vocally the show lacked balls. I’m afraid a cast of thirteen women and only three men just doesn’t cut it. It needed more testosterone on stage. When lead guitarist and band leader Jason Zadkovich took the spotlight mid second-act with a mind-boggling guitar solo; it was not only a welcome relief but a blistering shot of adrenaline.

Costumes were basically all-black with a punk-rock aesthetic, make-up was of the glam-rock variety, whilst the choreography was robotic-stomp (think Spring Awakening).

No amount of contemporary allusions spread throughout the piece could disguise its 70s rock roots. But kudos to director Andrew ‘Panda’ Haden’s brilliant lighting and AV design, the kick-ass band, and to the production company Pannic, a new community theatre group who in this instance eschewed the more traditional fare of musical theatre. Judging by the thin audience yesterday, it appears that there are just not enough old rockers in Redcliffe to support a concept like this, but at least Pannic tried and should be applauded for thinking out of the box.

Peter Pinne