Ruthless! is a musical that never stops in a glorious rush to have a go at showbiz musical cliche with a strong flavour of horror movie along the way.
Domestically perfect mother Judy Denmark (Jenna Roberts) has the stage daughter from Hell. Young Tina Denmark (Jessy Heath) is ferociously training for the stage. She is so determined to be cast in the lead in the school show that murder might not be out of the question. Heck, she can even do the splits. Her rival Louise (Eryn Marshall) has influence but questionable skills. She had better watch out.
When teacher /director (and failed thespian) Myrna Thorn (Tracy Noble) casts Louise in the lead Tina takes her revenge and is incarcerated. Her mother, meantime, goes from no talent to bags of it, transmogrifying into a Broadway idol under the guidance of the somewhat mysterious Sylvia St. Croix (Dee
Farnell). Into the mix comes Lita Encore (Janie Lawson), a theatre critic who declares in song (and at great length) that she can’t stand musicals.
The plot is convoluted in the extreme and is best not explained further. Suffice it to say that it all gallops along at a breakneck pace driven by a team of top notch performers who take the frequent need to burst into song absolutely in their stride. It’s a group of grotesques, played to the hilt by the cast and driven along by onstage keyboardists Nicholas Griffin and Sharon Robinson.
It’s a magnificent team: Jenna Robert’s superb 1960s Stepford Wife Judy changing into Broadway star Ginger, Heath as her dreadful daughter, gormless Louise (and other roles) from Marshall, glamorous star maker Sylvia from Farnell, Noble’s thwarted teacher Myrna grumpily pulling the kids into shape in a show and Lawson’s Lita milking more encores than any theatre critic has a right to.
Anna Senior’s cheerfully period appropriate costumes and Ian Croker’s daffily 60s sets round out the atmosphere and add to the general joy and mayhem.
Jordan Best directs with power and panache, never letting the pace drop.
Not to be missed by lovers of musicals, good spoofs and the 60s.
