Adelaide Fringe 2013
The Musical of Musicals (The Musical!)
By arrangement with ORIGIN Theatrical on behalf of Samuel French
Venue:
Nexus Cabaret Lion Arts Centre - Cnr North Terrace and Morphett Street, Adelaide
Festival: Adelaide Fringe
Low Down
Written by Eric Rockwell and Joanne Bogart, "The Musical of Musicals (The Musical!)" cherry-picks some of the catchiest riffs and styles previously immortalised by the likes of Richard Rodgers, Oscar Hammerstein, Stephen Sondheim, Jerry Herman, Andrew Lloyd Webber, John Kander and Fred Ebb.
Review
If you are hankering for some well written musical satirical comedy this show should definitely be on top of your list if it is not already!
Presented by Mark DeLaine’s small ensemble of highly accomplished performers it is a slick and imaginative production that relies on the sheer talent of the four performers and one musician.
No sets, minimal costumes and lots of pitch-perfect vocal gymnastics carry the show through to a triumphant and family friendly finale.
Written by Eric Rockwell and Joanne Bogart, "The Musical of Musicals (The Musical!)" cherry-picks some of the catchiest riffs and styles previously immortalised by the likes of Rodgers and Hammerstein, Stephen Sondheim, Jerry Herman, Andrew Lloyd Webber, Kander and Ebb.
The story is deliberately (and amusingly) repetitive because it isn’t really important. What is important is the music and the lyrics. The accompanist driving the show is Angela Turner, and she never misses a beat as she recreates the sounds of Broadway and the West End on her Roland keyboard magnificently. Each of the five scenes require little more than a change of simple accessory for her costume as she provides the major part of the atmosphere for the ensemble, much credit is owed to her for her undeniably demanding contribution.
As for the performing ensemble Fiona DeLaine, Mark DeLaine (who also directs), Rod Schultz and Michaela Burger – they were faultless; I have seen each of them in other major shows around Adelaide before and seriously enjoyed their work in acclaimed productions of "Sweeny Todd" (Fiona DeLaine and Rod Schultz) and "To Kill a Mockingbird" (Michaela Burger) to name only a couple, but here they effervescently glimmer, obviously enjoying the delectable satire that mocks the mainstream musicals and draws attention to the ingredients that hook us into enjoying those big shows.
It is a strong indication of how a simple set and collection of accessories can make a great impression when the music and the singing are spot on. Family friendly and very much a favourite of the Fringe this is one show that is deceptively good on so many levels it should probably be listed under "Magic Acts."
Show Website
http://www.musicalofmusicals.com/