HOUSE PLANET - THE DISCOVERY OF RECOVERY: THE MUSICAL

 

Music & Lyrics: Tim Beavitt

Directors: Tim & Nathalie Bevitt

Produced by: Mr. Tim Enterprises

Tuggeranong Arts Centre to 11 December

 

Reviewed by Len Power 10 December 2021

 

An original musical created by the participants aged 7 to 13 years, “House Planet: A Discovery Of Recovery” was a delightful experience for young and old alike.

Set in the House Planet, the “Labratorians” are experimenting with an emotions machine, when an unexpected explosion finds them transported into Plant World where they become embroiled in a coup d'etat.  Meanwhile chaos has also reined in the various lands of: Fridgelandia, Scrubtopia and Loungeroomia, where citizens are faced with a series of problems caused by a supposed “big bang”.

The show was devised to introduce local children to the many aspects of musical theatre and empower them to embrace their creativity and imagination.  Artists Daniel Streatfield, Chelsea Heaney, Hanna Hoyne and Ed Radclyffe, provided participants with skills development in costume design, drama, and set and props design.

The cast of 'House Planet'

The cast of fifteen young people all showed that they belonged on that stage.  Their developing theatre skills were very pleasing to see.  Everyone was poised and confident.  They had learned to project their voices, diction was clear and no-one spoke too quickly.  They all sang very well and there were some real charmers with natural talent amongst the cast.

The emotions machine

The set and costume designs were a particularly appealing aspect of the production.  The highly imaginative cardboard set and properties design by Ed Radclyffe and the chic costume designs by Hanna Hoyne in paper and various readily available materials gave the show a unique and striking appearance.

The land of 'Fridgelandia'

The music by Tim Bevitt was catchy and the lyrics were often quite complex, requiring clear singing by the vocalists.  The song, ”Crack Of a Broken Heart”, was especially memorable and “Fridgelandia!” proved to be a showstopper as sung by the Bacon Border Patrol.  The rousing final song, “Let Your Courage Shine”, with the whole cast was also a winner.

It’s very pleasing to see young people being given the opportunity in a quality production to learn theatre skills and experience the joy of presenting their hard work to the public.

Their delighted reaction to the well-deserved applause at the end of the show was wonderful to see.  Is the next Cate Blanchett or Hugh Jackman amongst that troupe of players?

Photos by Martin Ollman 

This review was first published in the Canberra Citynews digital edition of 11 December.

Len Power's reviews are also broadcast on Artsound FM 92.7 in the ‘Arts Cafe’, ‘Arts About’ and ‘Arts Starter’ programs and published in his blog 'Just Power Writing' at https://justpowerwriting.blogspot.com/.