Written by Michael
Hemming
Music and additional
lyrics by Andrew Hackwill
Directed by Richard
Block
Presented by Dramatic
Productions and Ickle Pickle Productions
Belconnen Theatre
25 July – 2 August,
2014
Review by Len Power
25 July 2014
Writing
a musical, they say, is one of the hardest things to do. Most musicals go through various incarnations
until they arrive at their final form and even then success isn’t assured. I’m sure that ‘The Rokitelly Man’, a new
Australian musical, will continue to evolve beyond this inaugural season at the
Belconnen Theatre. It should, because
it’s basically a worthwhile and entertaining show.
Michael
Hemming’s book concerns a naïve young guy, Jeremy, working as a packer in a toy
factory who has a brilliant design for a new toy. The head of the design department steals it
off him and he learns to stand up for himself and find his true love along the
way.
Director,
Richard Block, has done a fine job bringing all the elements of the show
together. The set design, credited to a
team including the director, is attractive and creates the right atmosphere for
the cartoon-like action that follows.
Multiple scene changes are, for the most part, handled smoothly. The large version of the toy designed by the
show’s hero, Jeremy, has been superbly done.
Miles
Thompson as the young designer, Jeremy, gives an appealing performance and has
a pleasant singing voice. Alex McPherson
as Cindy, the girl of his dreams, is charming and delivers her songs with a
touching level of emotion. Debra Byrne,
Max Gambale and Joe McGrail-Bateup as the toy factory bad guys give
appropriately hammy performances and perform their songs with ease and great
humour. Miriam Miley-Read as the
man-hungry secretary, Angela, gives a standout performance that is both
hilariously funny and sad at the same time.
She knows how to get the most out of a song, too. The rest of the cast give enthusiastic and
nicely-judged performances.
Musical
director, Max Gambale, trained his cast vocally very well, but it’s a pity the
music had to be pre-recorded. I
understand there are probably budget considerations here, but it makes for a
sound lacking in energy. A couple of
cast members seemed to have difficulties vocally with some of the emotional
songs late in the show, too.
Choreography
by Kathyrn Jones was delightful and suited the skills of the performers and
style of the show. Some of the jokey
touches that were fun at the start, though, became a bit wearing through
repetition as the show progressed.
Costumes by Anne Mewburn-Gray were nicely imaginative. The fancy dress party costumes were
particularly well-done and very funny.
Hamish McConchie’s lighting design gave a good atmosphere to the whole show. The show isn’t using amplification and at
times words get lost from the performers.
However, the sound balance between the recorded orchestra and singers is
fine.
Andrew
Hackwill’s music score is a winner with appropriate variations in style to suit
individual characters and moments in the play.
The lyrics are clever and add to the fun of the show. It needs a stronger song for the finale,
though.
The
book of the show needs some trimming. It
takes too long to get to the main plot of Jeremy’s toy design. Subplots involving Jeremy’s friends, while
fun, slow the show down and there’s too much time spent on the bad guys of the
toy factory, too. The more serious
second act needs more light and shade after the fun of the first act.
At
the start, the audience was requested to take photos with their phones during
the show and put them up on social media.
As a result, my attention was distracted from the stage whenever a phone
screen lit up. The joy of live theatre
is to be drawn in to the action happening before you. Why would a serious director agree to
anything that disturbs the concentration of his audience during his show and why
would a production team risk having a pile of poorly taken amateur photographs
turning up on Facebook? This is a good
little show and doesn’t deserve to be harmed by gimmicks like this.
Originally
broadcast on Artsound FM 92.7 ‘Dress Circle’ showbiz program with Bill Stephens
on Sunday 27 July 2014 from 5pm.
