A CHORUS LINE - Free Rain Theatre Company. The Q, Queanbeyan.

 

 

Conceived and originally directed and choreographed by Michael Bennett

Directed & choreographed by Michelle Heine

Musical Director/Conductor: Craig Johnson

Set Design: Matthew Ovenell – Costume Design: Michelle Heine

Lighting Design: Zac Harvey – Sound Design: Telia Jansen

 Acting consultant: Isaac Gordon – Producer: Anne Somes.

The Queanbeyan Performing Arts Centre 30^th September – 19^th October 2025.

Opening night performance on 2^nd October reviewed by BILL STEPHENS

The Chorus Line company performing "One"

In 1974, Broadway choreographer Michael Bennett had an idea for a musical about the lives of the performers who provide the colour and movement behind the star performers in Broadway shows.

As part of his research, Bennett invited some of his colleagues to allow him to record their stories. By the time it opened on Broadway in 1975, those interviews had been distilled into a show, embellished with an exceptional musical score by Marvin Hamlisch, to become “A Chorus Line” a musical phenomenon about the journey of a group of dancers auditioning for spots in the chorus line of a Broadway show.

Producer Anne Somes could hardly have chosen a better director for Free Rain Theatre’s production of “A Chorus Line”.

Although this is the first musical for which Michelle Heine has taken on directorial responsibility, she is no stranger to the mechanics of putting on a show. Her multi-award-winning choreography has been a highlight of many Free Rain Theatre productions, and her annual dance extravaganzas for Legs Dance Studio are legendary among dance aficionados.

Heine’s deep understanding of Bennett’s choreographic style allows her to incorporate many of his movements into her own original choreography as well as draw on her own early career experience as a dancer in multi-million-dollar extravaganzas in Sun City, South Africa to bring authenticity to her direction of the characters.

Ylaria Rogers (centre) as Cassie with Rylan Forsyth (Greg) - Jordan Kelly (Bobby)
Ashleigh Maynard (Diana)

Therefore the  stunning solo, “The Music and the Mirror”,  which she’s devised for Ylaria Rogers to perform brilliantly as Cassie, the star dancer, desperately reminding the show’s producer, Zach, of her dance skills, but instead only confirming his opinion that those very skills will prevent her from successfully blending into the chorus of his show,  is thrillingly staged and executed.  

The atmosphere of a professional audition, replete with testing audition dances, is brilliantly evoked in the extended number “I Hope I Get It”. The interaction between the auditionees entering the rehearsal room at the same time as the audience enters the theatre, provides tantalising clues as to the stories which will be revealed as the show progresses.  

Cameron Taylor (Mike) - Connor McNaught (Mark) - Jordan Kelly (Bobby) - Rylan Howard (Al) and The Chorus Line Company performing "I Hope I Get It"

Exhilarating solos like “I Can Do That” performed by Cameron Taylor as Mike, “Dance: Ten, Looks: Three” cheekily interpreted by Emma Sollis as Val, and Ashleigh Maynard’s “Nothing” performed as the cynical, Diana, all provide highlights.

While the shattering effect of the monologue delivered by Alexander Matthews in the role of gay dancer, Paul, and the apparent ease with which Heine combines brilliant costuming with clever choreography to achieve the spectacular finale “One”, all exemplify Heine’s directorial skills in respecting Bennett’s original vision while stamping the production with her own.

The Chorus Line company performing "One"

But it is not Heine’s directorial skills alone that make this production such a ‘must see’.

Heine has cleverly surrounded herself with an outstanding team of creatives, headed by Craig Johnson as her musical director and conductor.

 Having assembled a first-rate orchestra, helmed by Leisa Keen and John Yoon on keyboards, Johnson has also applied his considerable conducting skills to ensuring Marvin Hamlisch’s brilliant score was done proud.

But while the orchestral sound on opening night was magnificent, sound balance issues had soloists struggling to have Edward Kleban’s clever lyrics heard. Hopefully this will have been sorted out by the time you read this review.

Matthew Ovenell’s deceptively simple set design featuring revolving mirrors, cleverly enhanced by a stunning lighting design by Zac Harvey are particularly noteworthy elements in the success of this production.

But in the end, no matter how good the physical production appears, it is ultimately the cast on which the responsibility for the success of any production rests, and for this production, Free Rain Theatre has assembled a corker.

Michael Cooper (centre) as Zach in "A Chorus Line"

Michael Cooper is perfectly cast as the director, Zach, offering an excellent performance that achieves exactly the correct level of authority and compassion as he puts the dancers through their paces to find eight who will be his final pick.  

Ylaria Rogers’ performance is a revelation as the star dancer, Cassie, who’ s willing to restrain her exceptional skills in order to get the job. Revealing herself as a brilliant dancer and an exceptional actress, Rogers’ attention to minute but important details, whenever she is on stage, even when she’s working in the background, is fascinating to watch, making the second act altercation between Cassie and Zach a highlight of the show.

Special mention of the performance of Lachy Agett as Zac’s assistant, Larry, who hovers in the background during the auditions. His is a perceptive performance and a wonderful example of the old adage “There are no small roles only small actors”.

There are many other fine performances in this production, far too many to mention individually. However, it’s the way each person in this ensemble cast works to make their character believable, that makes this production exceptional. 

Ashleigh Nguyen (Bebe) - Laura Evans (Maggie) -Kay Liddiard (Sheila) and dancers
performing "At The Ballet"



Photos by Janelle McMenamin. 

 

 

Looking for Alibrandi

 

Looking for Alibrandi. State Theatre Company South Australia presents Brink Productions at Canberra Theatre Centre October 3 / 4, 2025.

Reviewed by Frank McKone
Oct 3

CREATIVES
Director Stephen Nicolazzo
Playwright Vidya Rajan
Author Melina Marchetta
Set and Costume Design Kate Davis
Lighting Design Katie Sfetkidis
Sound Design Daniel Nixon
Musicians Rosa Voto + Renato Vacirca
Tarantella Choreography Rosa Voto
Dialect Coach Paulo Bongiovanni + Rosanna Morales
Cultural and Language Consultant Lucia Mastrantone

CAST (National Tour in Canberra) 
Chanella Macri: as Josephine "Josie" Alibrandi
Amanda McGregor: as Christina (Josie's mother) and Sera
Natalie Gamsu: as Nonna (Josie's grandmother), Sister Bernadette, and Margaret Throsby 
Ashton Malcom: as Ivy and John Barton
Riley Warner: as Jacob Coote
Chris Asimos: as Michael Andretti
(Photos provided may show Lucia Mastrantone, Jennifer Vuletic in place of Amanda McGregor, Natalie Gamsu)

CREW
Production Managers Lachlan Turner + Steve Tilling
Stage Manager Jacinta Anderson
Assistant Stage Managers Ashlee Scott + Charlotte Welden

LtoR: Nonna, Christina and Josephine in the set symbolically overloaded with tomatoes.
Brink Productions: Looking for Alibrandi 2025
Photo: Matt Byrne

This upfront post-modernist expressionist presentation of Looking for Alibrandi, on the brink of satire, turns the story of the sensitive, intelligent daughter – Josephine – of Italian single mother – Christina – away from what could be an empathetic, though perhaps sentimental, approach to the racism, sexism and social class conflicts in Australia, into a blistering blast of social criticism, leavened by laughter.

Essentially, the point of the play, as an up-to-date stage adaptation of the 1992 novel, is a justifiable feminist view of both Italian and colonial Australian treatment of women over the generations from Nonna to Tina to Josie.  To make this clear and strong, Chanella Macri plays her character forcefully; and, in expressionist style, at significant points, speaks directly to us in the audience.

In this way we become not merely observers of someone else’s story, but members of the modern Australian community with responsibilities towards people of difference, as migrants and in other ways.  Just as Josephine comes to an understanding and acceptance of her mother’s and grandmother’s position in life, we learn to appreciate Josie’s as she is about to begin university education.

Aimed by Brink particularly for school groups, it's worth noting that nowadays more than 50% of university entrants are women.

Country Arts South Australia provide a useful run-down:

Award-winning director Stephen Nicolazzo (Loaded, Merciless Gods) brought Melina Marchetta’s iconic best-selling novel – which she adapted into the cult 2000 movie – to the stage for the first time, where Vidya Rajan’s AWGIE nominated adaptation joined three generations of women in a passionate, heart wrenching, and unmissable rendering of the Australian classic. With live passata sauce making, traditional Italian music and a soundtrack of Australian pop classics, "Looking for Alibrandi" is a vibrant theatrical experience full of passion, laughs, and beauty.

Performed in English and Italian
Warnings: Frequent strong language; themes of suicide; mild violence. Suitable for ages 12+.

Tonight, Saturday October 4, is the final performance in Brink’s national tour.  My thanks to Canberra Theatre Centre for the opportunity not to miss Looking for Alibrandi.

Curtain call: Looking for Alibrandi Brink Productions 2025

LOOKING FOR ALIBRANDI

 

Looking For Alibrandi

Written by Melina Marchetta. Adapted by Vidya Rajan. Directed by Stephen Micolazzo. Set and costume design. Kate Davis. Lighting designer. Katie Sfetkidis. Composer and sound designer. Daniel Nixon. Cast: Chanella Macri Josie. Amanda McGregor Christina/Sera. Natalie Gamsu Nonna/Margaret Throsby/Sister Bernadette. Brigid Gallacher Ivy/John Barton. Riley Warner Jacob Coote. Chris Asimos Michael. Brink Productions. Canberra Theatre Centre. October 3-4 2025. Bookings; www.canberratheatre.com.au or 62752700.

Reviewed by Peter Wilkins.

The cast of  Brink Productions' Looking For Alibrandi

All one can do is survive and be loved Josie Alibrandi tells the audience in the final scene of Vidya Rajan’s award-winning adaptation of Melina Marchetta’s classic novel Looking For Alibrandi. For those unfamiliar with the popular novel or film, Looking For Alibrandi is the story of three generations of the Alibrandi women and their navigation through life’s struggles and conflicts. In a deeply moving performance, Natalie Gamsu plays Nonna with a firmly held belief in tradition, yet harbouring the pain of disillusionment, shame and abuse. Amanda McGregor’s Christina is a young woman struggling to cope as a young mother of a seventeen year old schoolgirl, while seeking to find true identity and freedom. McGregor touchingly captures the guilt and the shame of a Catholic woman and single parent who gave birth out of wedlock. Josie, played with the rebellious spirit of a young woman in search of her dreams, in an animated and riveting performance by Chapella Macri, navigates her way through adolescence and confusion in search of understanding and meaning. 

Chapella Macri as Josie. Natalie Gamsu as Nonna

It is the conviction of affinity with character and circumstance that makes the performances by these three fine actresses so believable. Not only do they convincingly play the three Alibrandi women in Marchetta’s story but they also take on the supporting roles of Josie’s hyperactive friend Sera, Sister Bernadette at Josie’s school, the snobbish North Shore schoolgirl, Ivy, Josie’s friend, John, living with the emotional pain inflicted by a neglectful MP father and the voice of Margaret Throsby.  Gamsu, McGregor and Macri are well supported by the two men, Josie’s estranged  and contrite father Michael in an empathetic performance by Chris Asimos and Riley Warner as Josie’s working class larrikin boyfriend Jacob Coote. This is a cast with a deep grasp of the issues that an immigrant family faces in a rapidly changing world. Stephen  Micolazzo directs with a deep respect for authenticity. The pace is orchestral in its movements from the opening image of Nonna in a spot dreaming of a past life to the family bond of preparing the tomato sauce in a large tub to Nonna’s revelation of abusive suffering to the awkward confusion of Josie’s sexual encounter. Micolazzo maintains a keen eye for detail and character and his cast delivers with a conviction that is touching and moving, at times hilarious, at times discomforting and at times heartwarming in its humanity.

Amanda McGregor as Christina. Natalie Gamsu as Nonna.
Chapella Macr as Josie in Looking For Alibrandi

Looking For Alibrandi is a profoundly personal account of the Italian immigrant experience, but it is a story for all people who have had to face struggles within the family and in the outside world and have had to find ways of surviving and with the support of family and loved ones. Brink Productions’ adaptation for the stage encapsulates Marchetta’s themes and characters in a performance that is as rich and flavoursome as a freshly cooked pasta sauce. This is no Leggo substitute. E la cosa reale. This outstanding production is in Canberra for only three performances. If you love the book or the novel or you know nothing about this heart-warming story don’t miss its brief stay. It’s a treat.

 

 A Chorus Line. Music by Marvin Hamlisch. Lyrics by Edward Keban. Book by James Kirkwood Jr and Nicholas Dante. Directed and choreographed by Michelle Heine. Musical director Craig Johnson. Free-Rain Theatre Company. The Q Theatre, Queanbeyan. Sept 30-Oct 19.

Photo: Janelle McMenamin

Taking on A Chorus Line is a massive thing to do but Free-Rain are up for it. It starts with a stage full of characters, all in a wild variety of practice clothes as Zach (Michael Cooper) begins auditions.  We never really find out what the show being auditioned for is, but being the 1970s things have certainly moved on from Oklahoma. 

There is a story line of sorts that involves the ruthless process of weeding out the auditionees until the final cohort is chosen. The first half of the show is about this process intercut with a few life stories as Zach sorts out who will stay and who will go in a savage audition process. 

Early dance experiences and struggles are sketched in, too many to be detailed here.  The deceptive romance of dance is nicely pinpointed in the number At the Ballet by Sheila (Kay Liddiard) Bebe (Ashleigh Nguyen) and Maggie (Laura Evans). The struggles of Paul (Alexander Matthews) with his sexual identity and the physical dangers of a dancer’s life are sensitively focussed on more toward the end as the auditionees wait to find out who will finally be chosen. And Ashley Maynard gives a strong rendering of What I Did For Love, an anthem to all the feelings toward a highly uncertain profession. 

The show becomes more intensely extended with a long section focussing on Cassie (Ylaria Rogers) and her difficulties finding her way back in New York after an unsuccessful go at Hollywood. This is a more sustained sequence than some of the other life stories, particularly since she and Zach have had a relationship. Rogers sings and dances up a storm and she and Cooper maintain an excellent dramatic tension. 

The pit orchestra under conductor Craig Johnson never puts a foot wrong in a demanding show. 

Black and white replaces the usual gold for the final turn out. Brave choice, daring to be different, but I reckon it doesn’t quite dazzle enough. However, the power and the energy of the show never diminishes. A classic, given a perceptive production by Free-Rain. 

Photo: Janelle McMenamin

Alanna Maclean 

TYPO CLOCKWORK CIRCUS

 

 

           Typo 

           Co-devised by the cast. The story within the show was co-written by Kerrin Forrest and Cora McHugh. Warehouse Circus. Canberra Circus Festival. Chifley Oval. September 26-October 5. Bookings and Information: www.canberracircusfestival.com.au.

Cast: Finlay Forrest (Director, aerial counterweight, Acrobatic Base),Clare Pengryffyn (actor at the desk, Hamish Forrest (Chairs), Samara Glesti (Acrobatic Flyer ), Jamie Johnston (Aerialist). Indigo Newnham (Acrobatic base), Georgia Wallace (Juggler, Clown), Jamie Gumbrell (Juggler),Cora McHugh (Contact Juggler, Base

 Reviewed by Peter Wilkins

 

A writer (Clare Pengryffyn) sits gazing at the typewriter on the desk before her. She searches for the opening line to her story. Like the pieces of paper screwed up and strewn across the stage, members of Clockwork Circus enter the stage. They somersault, roll, cartwheel and handstand as the writer struggles with writer’s block. It is the familiar quest for inspiration, probing the imagination until the writer becomes swathed in the magic of the circus and the storyfinds its way to the pages of her book. Director Finlay Farrell and the Clockwork Circus Ensemble of young performers have woven an intriguing concept around a collection of carefully rehearsed and expertly performed acrobatic, juggling and aerial skills. Like the circus, Typo entices the ensemble to take risks, attempt daring feats of using the performer as a skipping rope or balancing precariously on bodies or juggling glowing balls across the darkly lit stage to each other. Aerialist Jamie Johnson lures Pengryffyn to her trapeze to let the imagination soar. Samara Glesti gives herself up to absolute trust as she is swung from side to side, hurled into an airborne somersault or climbs a mountain of bodies. Audiences hold their breath as Hamish Forrest performs a balancing duet with Johnson and then solo, supported only by a n attached wire should he fall, climbs a tower of dangerously balanced chairs.

Circus and story coalesce in the wonderment of an imagination that has no limits. Each circus act by the amazingly talented troupe of performers is a story in itself of passion, dedication, skill and tireless practice in the quest for perfection. The animated smile of Georgia Wallace’s clown and the beaming grin of the story’s dragon of the valley in the writer’s unfolding legend is a beacon of enjoyment, inviting an audience to share in the entertainment of the ingeniously conceived concept.

Outside, a chill wind blows across the Chifley Oval. Inside the Big Top, the audience stands in joyful ovation as the circus performers come forward with the glowing balls in their hands to salute the end of the story of Jim and Sam and the dragon. The story and the show are complete, triumphs of the creative spirit, perseverance and the artistic passion that unites the writer and the world of the circus performer.

Typo takes this circus company on the path to a bright future. Johnson’s work on the trapeze is already a feat of enchanting accomplishment, Forrest’s balancing chair act holds the audience in suspense. Glesti’s trust in her fellow performers indicates a troupe that thrills with an assurance of safety and success. Typo is a show where potential meets great promise, a promise realized by discipline, trust and talent.  

I would have liked a greater touch of pizzazz, a more carefully designed performance that could lift the magic of showbiz in costume and design. Johnson’s aerialist costume lends the act a touch of glamour while allowing the magic of the skill to shine. The earthy brown clothing may have lent the show a touch of the ordinary but there was a great deal of extraordinary circus magic in this show that could have shone a little brighter in its presentation.

I am always excited by  young performers on the journey to excellence in their art. Clockwork Circus is such a collective and I is a thoroughly enjoyable salute to the magic of story, the power of the word and the thrill of the circus. I look forward to Clockwork Circus’s next exciting project.