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| NORWAY Max Gambale,Anthony Simeonovic, Calen Robinson, Tim Stiles |
Presented by
Supa Productions Inc.
ANU Arts
Centre until 20th April.
Reviewed by
Bill Stephens
What’s not to like about “Eurobeat Amost Eurovision”? This evening of seriously silly fun embraces everything that’s fabulous about the Eurovision Song Contest, while sending it up sky high, resulting in a gloriously trashy, irresistibly entertaining production ideal for sharing with a party of your besties.
The premise
is brilliantly simple. Fifteen countries compete, with each act more excruciating
than the last. During interval the audience vote, either by iPhone or on voting
coupons supplied. During the second act the voting is counted, and the winner
announced. On opening night it was the obsequious Irish entrant, Ronan Corr (Cameron
Gill) who won over the audience with his fog-bound rendition of “La-La-La”.
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| Lachlan Ruffy (Sergei) Sarah Golding (Boyka) |
Utilising
vast amounts of sequins, glitter, paper flitter flutter and heavy fog, first
time director Emma Tattam gets the tone pitch perfect. Lachlan Ruffy and Sarah Golding are brilliant
as the viperish Sergei, and vapid Boyka, who just manage to maintain an uneasy
truce long enough to compere the show. The
large ensemble cast frequently change identities and nationalities. The accents
are definitely dodgy, and not all fifteen acts hit their mark, indeed some
rather outstay their welcome. But all are well-rehearsed, and enthusiastically performed
in clever costumes by Suzan Cooper which range from inspired to outlandish.
Jordan Kelly, surely Canberra’s busiest choreographer,
has excelled himself in creating a succession of brilliant laugh-out-loud,
high-camp dance routines which are enhanced by Phil Goodwin’s truly dazzling
light show. So what’s not to like about
“Eurobeat” ?