Bubble Boy. Book by Cinco Paul
and Ken Daurio. Music and lyrics by Cinco Paul.
Directed by Tijana Kovac. Musical
director Tara Davidson. Choreographer Sally Taylor. Costume, Set and Properties
Remus Douglas. Lighting design Eve Perry. Sound design Telia Jansen (Eclipse)
Production manager Benjamin Martin. Stage
manager Lucy van Dooren. Band. Band leader/Keybord Adam Bluhm. Drums
Jarrah Palethorpe. Bass Callum Richens, Guitar Chris Bennie. Cello Nicky
Philipse. Reeds Lauren Duffy. Queanbeyan Players. Belconnen Community Theatre.
February 14 – 23 2025. Bookings: queanbeyanplayers.com or 0402353443
Reviewed by Peter Wilkins
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Rylan Howard as Bubble Boy with the Ensemble
If the young talented team behind
the current production of Bubble Boy – The Musical at the Belconnen Community
Theatre is anything to go by the future of Queanbeyan Players is looking
bright. Bubble Boy is a fun-filled feel good musical with a moral. Queanbeyan
Players embrace it with gusto and the company of new and experienced performers
bring this Canberra premiere to the stage with a confident grasp of character
and story.
Jimmy Livingston (Rylan Howard)
is born with a serious immunity deficiency that confines him to a carefully
controlled germ-free environment. His obsessively protective mother (Aleisha
Croxford) keeps him confined to the bubble and safe from any outside
contamination. His father (John Potter)
retreats into a silent world of avoidance, leaving his wife to control the
situation and read Jimmy children’s stories at bedtime. However, the arrival
next door of Chloe (Kay Liddiard) upsets the apple cart when Jimmy finds
himself falling in love. When it appears that Chloe may marry college friend
Mark (an excellent performance by Andrew Taylor with his comedy act offsider
Shawn played by Sam Thomson)), Jimmy has no choice but to break free and find
his way to Niagara Falls to attend the wedding. On the way he meets the happy Bright and Smiley cult members, a
bikie gang under the leadership of Slim (Valeria Arciniega Vidurrizaga), two
State policemen and an immigrant Indian
doctor, Pushpa ( a very engaging performance by Roya Safaei),who, unable to
practice, tellingly sells icecream. Writers Cinco Paul and Ken Daurio take well-aimed jibes at American society. Bubble Boy may finish in a flurry of schmalz,
but Queanbeyan Players’ production, tightly directed by Tijana Kovac and
energetically choreographed by Sally Taylor shines a light on human behaviour
and attitude. It does so with energy and flair and the largely young cast revel
in the opportunity to poke fun at the absurdity of human nature and touch the heart in the
moments of pathos.
In a show full of catchy tunes,
musical director Tara Davidson and her band members capture the energy and the
fun of the large ensemble numbers such as Bubble
Boy and Outa Here. as well as the
tender duet by Liddiard and Howard (Falling
for the Boy) or Croxford’s patter song Bring
Back The Boy.. Musical director Davidson, choreographer Taylor and director
Kovac work expertly as a team with a clear understanding of the obvious strengths
of their cast and their limitations. This is not a flawless performance but the
discipline, commitment and talent are unmistakeable in a show that bubbles
along. There are excellent performances from the principals, supported by a
bouncy ensemble and able musicians.
It is refreshing to attend a
rarely performed musical that is sheer fun from start to finish, highlighted by
believable performances, laugh out loud comedy , foot tapping melodies and off
Broadway simplicity. At times I found the miking strident, and would have
preferred natural voices in the small theatre, but it is a small quibble that
did little to lessen the enjoyment of an audience that applauded heartily and
had a great night at the theatre.
Photo by Damian Magee
