Director: Catherine Langman
The Q, Queanbeyan until June 1
Review by Len Power 25 May 2013
Beware of the great idea - if you're not careful, it can
turn around and bite you. A musical
review about all of Australia's Prime Ministers certainly sounds like a great
idea, but that's where the trap is. Not
all of Australia's Prime Ministers were interesting people and the earlier
Prime Ministers are harder to relate to simply because we don't know as much
about them. Fashioning a show around all
of them means you’re stuck with the lot, whether you can find something to
fascinating to say about them or not.
John Shortis’s songs lack inspiration. There needed to be more variety in the
musical styles and many of the lyrics were clever but did not illuminate the
subject of the song. A low point in the
show was the song, “Bob Menzies’ Balls” – enough said! A good song about Ben Chifley, however, did
work and I wish there had been more like this.
Accompanied by an interesting anecdote about the man and his telephone
number, we got a real sense of his personal qualities in a very short space of
time. At that moment, the show took off,
but it was not to last.
According to the program notes from the producers, writer
and dramaturg John Romeril, suggested the backwards chronology for the show. It starts off brightly with topical fun about
recent Prime Ministers but the second half is then stuck with the tough times
like the 1930s Depression, when we could do with some lighter moments in this
overlong show. The addition of the
electorate as a fictional couple, one who leans to the left and the other to
the right is an obvious device that just holds the show up. They’re as dull as some of the Prime
Ministers.
In spite of the lacklustre material, there is some good work
on display here. The multi-talented Kate
Hosking is a standout in the show, acting, singing and playing both double bass
and electric bass. Moya Simpson and Eric
Byrne sing appealingly and John Shortis accompanies them all very well on piano. Members of the Worldly Goods Choir are used
very well and their singing is excellent.
With a striking production design by Imogen Keen and great
audio visuals by Catherine Langman, Imogen Keen, Robert Bunzli and Evan Croker,
the director, Catherine Langman, has come up with some pleasing imaginative
ideas for the show. Costumes designed by
Imogen Keen for the choir and Kate Hosking and Eric Byrne worked well but Moya
Simpson and John Shortis looked like they were part of a different show with their
individual costumes.
Immediately after interval, we were told that we still have
fourteen Prime Ministers to go. At that
moment I wished we’d had more who had lasted as long as Menzies.
Originally broadcast on Artsound FM 92.7 ‘Dress Circle’ program
on Sunday 26 May 2013