The Cast of Canberra Philo's production of "Bring it On"
Music by Tom
Kitt & Lin-Manuel Miranda – Lyrics by Amanda Green and Lin-Manuel Miranda –
Book by Jeff Whitty.
Directed by
Isaac Gordon – Musical Direction by Alexander Unikowski
Choreographed
by Charlotte Morphett – Cheer Co-ordinated by Jennie Gibson
Sound Design
by Dillon Wilding – Lighting Design by Alex Clifford
Erindale
Theatre 29.02.24 – 16.03. 24.
Opening
night performance reviewed by BILL STEPHENS.
Jessica Gowing (C) and the cast of "Bring It On" the musical.
Bring It On
is the second musical seen in Canberra this month with music by Tom Kitt. It’s
also the first seen in this city to bear the stamp of prolific
composer/lyricist and all round creative superstar, Lin-Manuel Miranda who
collaborated with both Kitt for the music and Amanda Green for the lyrics for
this musical.
Lin-Manuel Miranda
is responsible for a slew of popular musicals of which "In the Heights", "Bring It
On" and of course, "Hamilton", are the most famous.
Based on a
film of the same name, "Bring it On: The Musical", follows the travails of two
opposing college cheerleading teams and the varying ambitions of their members.
It is packed with catchy songs and spectacular dance routines and contains many
of the tropes of other Miranda musicals expressing his interest in championing contemporary
POC and youth issues. As such it is an excellent choice by Canberra Philo for
the many opportunities it offers to showcase the talents of its current
membership of accomplished young multi-cultural performers.
The joy of
this production is the succession of exuberant large-scale dance routines, cleverly
created by choreographer Charlotte Morphett. For these Morphett has combined
essential cheerleading skills with Broadway pizazz to produce some truly
thrilling acrobatic routines which were performed with obvious joy and admiral
precision by the large cast.
Unfortunately
on opening night, over-amplification of Alexander Unikowski’s excellent band,
drowned out most of the song lyrics, and over-enthusiastic delivery made much
of the dialogue unintelligible. It was therefore difficult to follow much of
the storyline, particularly that dealing with the customs and intricacies of
American college life. As well, many of the witty quips were lost. No doubt,
both these difficulties will be quickly rectified for future performances.
Outstanding
among the large cast, Jessica Gowing gives an appealing central performance as
Campbell, the catalyst for much of the angst between the teams. Flaunting an
impressive killer instinct, Hannah Lance is hilarious as the conniving, sweetly
bitchy Eva determined to knock Campbell off her perch.
 |
| Hanna Lance (Eva) - Ashleigh Maynard (Skylar) - Emma English (Kylar) - Frank Shanahan ((Steven) - in "Bring It On: The Musical" |
Katie Lis
steals every scene she’s in as Bridget, the lovable, nerdy outcast while Jess
Marshall (Danielle) strongly supported by Diana Caban Velez (Nautica) and
Kavitha Sivasamy (La Cienega) make a formidable trio as the Queen Bees of
Jackson High.
Grayson
Woodham gives an attractive performance as Campbell’s crush, Randall, their
second-act duet, "Enjoy The Trip", providing one of the vocal highlights of the
show. Ashleigh Maynard (Skylar), Frank
Shanahan (Steven) and Jeremy Chan (Twig) all offered strong support with
individual standout moments.
 |
| Grayson Woodham and Jessica Gowing performing "Enjoy The Trip" in "Bring It On" |
Set
Designer, Ian Crocker and Lighting Designer, Alex Clifford, have combined their
prodigious talents to produce a visually simple, but technically complex
environment for the action, with plenty of room for the huge dance numbers,
spacious exits and entrances for the large cast, colourful projections and even
some spectacular pyrotechnics.
Jennie
Gibson’s colourful cheer squad costumes enhance Morphett’s energetic
choreography, and elsewhere, are attractive and flattering.
"Bring It On" might with its highly predictable storyline might never become one of the classic
musicals, but it’s certainly a delightful ensemble show offering plenty of
opportunities for an enthusiastic young cast.
When
presented with the amount of skill and attention to detail that has obviously
been lavished on this production by everyone involved, it guarantees a
delightfully entertaining experience for
the whole family. Director, Isaac Gordon and his team have much to be proud of
with this, his first production for the Canberra Philharmonic Society.
Images by Bridie Mackay
This review first published in the digital edition of CITY NEWS on 01.03.24