Nice Work If You Can Get It. Music and lyrics by George and Ira Gershwin. Book by Joe Dipetrio. Inspired by material by Guy Bolton and P.G. Wodehouse.
Directed by David Smith. Musical direction by Brigid Cummins. Choreography by Kirsten Smith.Production
Manager Rachel Laloz. Stage Manager Morgan Cormack. Repetiteur Trevor Mobbs.
Costume design Jess Zdanowicz. Lighting Design. Jacob Aquilina (Eclipse) Sound
design Teila Jansen (Eclipse). Properties Master Justine Ramsay. Queanbeyan
Players. The Q Queanbeyan –Palarang Performing
Arts centre. November 1-10 2024.
Reviewed by Peter Wilkins
It’s nice work if you can get it and
Queanbeyan Players’ latest triumph has got it in spades. If nostalgia is your
thing this bright and breezy musical set in the Roaring Twenties and the age of
prohibition will lift your spirits to the ceiling. I caught this musical towards
the end of its all too short run, but it was well worth the wait. Director
David Smith, Musical director Brigid Cummins and Choreographer Kirsten Smith
with an ebullient cast of talented performers have brilliantly captured the
spirit of the era of early Twentieth Century musicals. Nice Work If You Can Get It revives the age of entertainment with a
capital E. With music and lyrics by George and Ira Gershwin, this 2012 revamp
of the feel good musicals in the tradition of Lady Be Good and O Kay is
an oh so delicious tribute to the wonderful and marvellous musicals of
yesteryear.
 |
| Anthony Swadling as Cookie, John Winfield as Duke Sienna Curnow as Billie |
Joe Dipetrio’s book takes its plot from the inspiration of Twenties writers, Guy Bolton and P.G.Wodehouse. It’s stock comedy. Wealthy playboy Jimmy Winter (Luke Ferdinands) is to marry renowned interpretive dancer Eileen Evergreen (Anna Tully), daughter of Senator and judge ( Pat Gallagher). However, he becomes entranced by bootlegger Billie Bendix (Siena Curnow) who with her accomplices Duke (John Winfield) and Cookie (Anthony Swadling )use Jimmy’s luxurious holiday house to stash illegal booze from the eyes of Chief Berry (Steven O’Mara) and his Vice Squad. What follows is one hilarious sequence of mix ups, mess ups, mop ups and fix ups. It makes for a night of hilarity and “delishious” escapism.
What makes this barrel of
farcical fun such a highlight of the year’s musical theatre offerings is its
exquisite attention to detail. It is meticulously directed, musically
accompanied with exuberance by a brilliantly accomplished band of musicians
under musical director Brigid Cummins and choreographed with colourful flair
and slick precision by Kirsten Smith, who brings out the very best in her vice
squad and chorus girls with energetic routines from jazz to swing, from jive to
tap and a touch of the Charleston. Anna Tully’s interpretative dance is sheer
mockery of contemporary movement.
 |
| Luke Ferdinands as Jimmy Winter, Sienna Curnow as Billie |
Favourite melodies are performed with flourish and every member of the principal cast and male and female chorus are in fine voice with such tried and true Gershwin hits like Let’s call the whole thing off ( Jimmy and Billie), Swonderful (Jimmy and Billie)( Fascinating Rhythm (Company) Someone to Watch Over Me ( Bille) There are wonderful comic moments including Eileen’s bathroom scene, Cookie’s lunchtime service, Duke’s lovesick swooning for Jeannie Muldoon (Kay Liddiard) and Lillee Keating’s drunk scene as the Duchess Estonia Dulworth. The action moves at a cracking pace as relationships switch and swerve, plans unravel, secrets are revealed and everybody lives happily ever after. It’s not all froth and bubble. Gallagher’s Judge may evoke a sense of political cynicism and Jimmy’s mother Millicent (Fiona Hale)proffers some pertinent opinion on inane legislation. Nice Work If You Can Get It is not entirely without some social and political commentary. But let’s not get too serious. After all, this is a musical to make you merry!
As Jimmy Winter, Luke Ferdinands
is a musical theatre star in the making. Keep an eye out for this talented performer.
He shows enormous promise as a performer should he choose to pursue a
professional career. What is exceptional about this production is that he is
wonderfully supported by a committed and talented cast of performers, musicians
and creatives that made for a night of sheer entertainment. The performers were assisted by Jess
Zdanowicz’s excellent costume designs, Jacob Aquilina’s lighting and Telia
Jansen’s sound design. My only quibble was that the sound levels were too loud
at the start but settled as the show progressed.
All in all, Nice Work If You Can Get It was a trip down memory lane that will
remain an unforgettable musical theatre highlight of the year. On Friday night
it was made even more memorable by Dave and Kirsten Smith’s interval on stage renewal of their wedding vows on the
tenth anniversary of their marriage. This was a family affair attended by their
mothers and their three children. Nice
Work If You Can Get It was the perfect occasion, highlighted by the cast’s formation
of a receiving line before a floral wedding arch.
This is the kind of production
that has you leaving the theatre with a spring in your step and a song in your
heart. Nice work Queanbeyan Players!
