 |
| Tracey Noble - Louiza Blomfield - Helen McFarlane. |
Directed by Jarrad West – Musical Direction by Alexander
Unikowski
Choreographed by Michelle Heine – Set Design by R James
Entertainment
Lighting Design by Phillip Goodwin – Costume Design by Fiona
Leach
Sound Design by Nick Cossart.
The Q, Queanbeyan until 8th May 2021
Reviewed by Bill Stephens
If you’re someone who feels they couldn’t bear to listen to
another ABBA song, then do yourself a favour and get along to see Free Rain
Theatre’s exuberant new production of “Mamma Mia”.
Although “Mamma Mia” features about two dozen ABBA’s songs,
they have been interwoven into an appealing story about a young woman, Sophie
(Charlotte Gearside) who is about to marry. Sophie decides that she needs to know who her father
is. Her attempts to glean this information from her free- spirited mother,
Donna (Louiza Blomfield) have been unsuccessful. Having discovered her mother’s
diary, Sophie invites three of the most likely suspects to her wedding in the
hope of discovering which is her father.
Although none of the songs were written with this context in
mind, they have been so cleverly integrated into the storyline that they
express the various characters feelings and advance the storyline convincingly.
Therefore the perfect fit for this story set in a holiday villa on a sunny
Greek island.
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| Centre - Will Collett (Sky) - Sharlotte Gearside (Sophie) |
Free Rain Theatre has assembled an outstanding cast of
experienced local musical theatre performers for this production. Stylishly
directed by Jarrad West, and costumed by Fiona Leach in a riotous collection of
colourful resort wear to compliment the excellent setting imported from
Rockhampton, the cast is led by Louiza Blomfield and Charlotte Gearside, perfectly
cast as mother and daughter, Donna and Sophie. Both possess fine voices and the
ability to phrase their lyrics meaningfully. Their scenes together generate
real chemistry, allowing the audience to become invested in their relationship.
Similarly, Helen McFarlane and Tracey Noble are outstanding
as Donna’s uninhibited friends, Tanya and Rosie. McFarlane provided a highpoint
fending off the randy young Pepper (cheekily performed by Grayson Woodham) in the
brilliantly staged “Does Your Mother Know” and Noble’s magic moment comes with
her hilariously sustained response to discovering the possibility of a marriage
prospect.
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| "Does Your Mother Know" - Centre - Grayson Woodham (Pepper) - Helen McFarlane (Tanya) and ensemble. |
Isaac Gordon, Mark Maconachie and Paul Sweeney each impress as
Sophie’s three prospective fathers, each revealing fine singing voices and creating
widely contrasting, but equally likeable characterisations. Will Collett as Sophie’s fiancé, Sky and
Jessica Gowing and Meaghan Stewart as Sophie’s friends, Lisa and Ali, all stand
out in supporting roles.
Michelle Heine has outdone herself with a constant stream of
dazzling, meticulously rehearsed dance numbers confidently and joyously
performed by the whole cast to the sounds of Alexander’s Unikowski’s excellent
band, augmented with a team of pit singers. Nick Cossart achieved an excellent balance
with his sound design which allowed the audience to savour the lyrics without losing
any of the dynamism of the band.
Amongst all this excellence however, Phillip Goodwin’s
lighting design felt like a work-in-progress often leaving the principals in
darkness, inaccurate follow-spotting, and lighting levels often too low and gloomy.
Having survived a long gestation period (this production was
about to open last year when the Covid-19 pandemic struck) along with recent
excellent offerings from the Canberra Philharmonic Society (Jersey Boys) and
Queanbeyan Players (The Sound of Music) this production is a testament to the
excellence achieved by local community theatre groups . Miss this one at your
peril. You might even discover that you enjoy ABBA music after all.
