Presented by
Supa Productions
ANU Arts
Centre until 5th May.
Reviewed by
Bill Stephens.
Production photo by Craig Burgess - Family Fotographics
It was
always going to be a night to remember.
Many of the audience wore period costumes to salute the initiative of
Supa Productions in presenting
their second production of the musical “Titanic” exactly one hundred
years to the day from the actual sinking,
and were rewarded with a magnificent ensemble performance which had them cheering.
Director Garrick
Smith has assembled a huge cast of Canberra’s finest music theatre performers, taken
advantage of the larger stage and included impressive multimedia effects to add
fascinating detail to the events happening above and below the decks. Fine
performances abound especially from Peter Dark, the owner, Dave Evans, the
builder and Max Gambale, the captain.
Maury Yeston
has gifted this show with a gorgeously atmospheric score, and among the many
pleasures of this production is just how well this challenging score is sung by
the cast, and played by the excellent orchestra assembled and conducted by Rose
Shorney. Particularly memorable musical
highlights include Pete Ricardo and Simon Stone’s luminous duet “The
Proposal/The Night Was Alive”, Emma White and Brian Daly with “I Have danced” and
Sarah Golding, Kate Brand and Rebecca Franks with “Lady’s Maid”.
Clever set
design, beautiful costumes and neatly appropriate choreography all add
lustre to a beautifully-paced production
which falters only in the second half when a series of static scenes, played
out on a sloping gangplank on one side of the stage, interrupts the sweep of an
otherwise extraordinarily accomplished production.
(This review appears in the April 19th edition of "City News)
