Strip

I played rock music once, but it was earlier than the '80s. Rock of Ages was a musical about '80s rock, the perennial mystique of sex and drugs and rock and roll. I watched people laughing with gusto and wondered if they watch daytime TV and listen to classic rock radio. Suffice to say it's not my scene, but you know what, I enjoyed it in the end. It's set in Sunset Strip, LA, a high-life slice of Sunset Boulevard. We drove along it once. During the day. We stayed just out back of Hollywood Bld. Ugly but with stars and red carpet when we drove out in the taxi. All strange, this world. The rock world, too, has its own ugliness and authenticity. It's not a place for feminism, at least given the skint costumes on the dancing girls against the daggy jeans on the blokes. Probably always thus. The skint costumes covered for the strip club as well as the dance floor, so apt, I guess. The band was 2xguitar, keys, drums, bass, conductor (? ... but this is musical theatre). The story was of a long-term dive threatened by developers against one main and several ancillary love stories. Jokes of drugs and knockers and the rest. It works out in the end after various misunderstandings. The strip is saved; the nice girl eventually gets with the nice guy after she's spent time in the strip club; the nice guy fails at rock but wins in love; the narcissist rock god is on the run from police over sex with a 16 year old; the developer father makes up with the gawky son. It was a Broadway hit (what, 16th longest run, or something of the sort). And the music. Lots of rock from the late '80s. I recognised some, not least We built this city on Rock and Roll, which is an attractive and ear-worming melody. I checked it out later on YouTube and it's all ridiculously young faces, but this era was just that. There were lots of songs that meant nothing to me. But you know, for all that, I came out having enjoyed it all. The performers were not Broadway, but this isn't Broadway and they were genuinely impressive. This is local, non-professional theatre, after all. I admired the voices; the dancers and the staging were great; the music was just what it was, but that's what guitar rock is and they did it well. But most of all, I enjoyed the open smiles at the end when the cast drops their characters and relaxes for the curtain calls. Suddenly these were community and I could feel for their satisfaction in completing another energetic 2.5 hour marathon performance and I felt it with them. I'm not one who knows or warms to this era, but I could admire the effort and skills involved and enjoy it with them and I did. This is the Canberra Philharmonic Society, also known as Philo, the long-established local musical theatre company, and they did a great job. Many congrats to all.

The Canberra Philharmonic Society presented Rock of Ages. The principals were Dave Smith (Drew), Emma McCormack (Sherrie), Tim Stiles (Lonny), Ian Croker (Dennis Dupree), Will Huang (Stacee Jaxx), Shell Tully (Justice), Berin Denham (Hertz Klinemann), Hayden Crosweller (Franz Klinemann), Anita Davenport (Regina), Pat Gallagher (Mayor), Andrew Haese (Ja'Keith), Max Gambale (Joey Primo) and an ensemble of about 20. Production by Jim McMullen (Director), Max Gambale (Music director) and Rachel Thornton (Choreographer).

Image used with permission of Canberra Philharmonic Society. Photo: Pat Gallagher. Nice pic!

Eva Evita

Evita is not an attractive character and the politics of it all and even the musical itself has me in a quandary. She's presented as a grasping, self-important, self-serving person who yet has a connection with her people. She's a woman and they often get the bad rap. She drives her President husband to support the workers (or perhaps to use them) against the richer classes and seems to nationalise British-owned industry but leave the country's finances and welfare in tatters and her Swiss bank account (but not in her name) swelling. There's some history research needed here, partly because I never trust dramatic recreations of historical events and partly because I struggled to hear lots of the text anyway. Just nice to see the Italians saw through her, but they had the experience of Mussolini. Evita was fabulously presented by a large cast (44 cast members appeared for the curtain call and that's without the band of ~20 and sound and lights and backstage and the rest). It's a mega-success for Andrew Lloyd Webber (music) and Tim Rice (lyrics). I don't remember any text that was not sung. The music was constant and pretty interesting. I felt a previous work by Lloyd Webber seemed to have just a few themes appearing repetitively. This was more varied if still something like leitmotiv with melodies matching characters or sometimes situations or themes. The big casts were well used for some graphic scenes, of mourning or cheering peasants or complaining plutocracy. There were some amusing military scenes, too: a musical chairs that Peron wins through a trivial ruse at the end and some marching toy soldier song scenes. Evita was strong in voice and personality and Peron was decently-voiced and believable but Che (Guevara?) was ever-present and very strong in role and voice. Given the continual music, this was a great workout for the band and singers. I noticed how much I enjoyed the big scenes of big casts which professional productions will probably not afford. Whatever, this was a great show and I can only stand in awe that an amateur group could present it. And it's just one of many in the Canberra musical theatre scene this year. Great work.

Evita was performed by Canberra Philharmonic at Erindale Theatre. Key cast were Kelly Roberts (Evita), Grant Pegg (Che) and Tony Falla (Perón) under Jim McMullen (director), Casey White (musical director) and Eliza Shephard and Shasha Chen (choreography).

Thanks to Wikicommons for the pic of Eva Peron

Mikado @ Philo

I’ve been busy with family visits and an upcoming jazz event (attendance is essential, see JazzUncovered.net) so CJ has suffered of late, but my musical outings picked up over this weekend. Friday evening was to be a Toucani gig, but that ended up as a double booking, so it was a free night and they owe us one.

But Saturday was more productive: an outing to comic opera, Savoy opera as in Gilbert & Sullivan. It was surprisingly good and quite funny. It took me some time to adjust to the style, the Victorian themes, and settling in to the skills of catching the lyrics, but it turned out to be a very satisfying night. My 21st Century mind found the theme of executions a challenge, but it was also a cute love story, and works out OK in the end: as long as you accept that the matching of meek Lord High Executioner, Ko-Ko, with the she-wolf, Katisha, is acceptable. I love the duets with tenor and soprano harmonies, and there were some lively choral parts. Joseph McGrail-Bateup played the central charater of Ko-Ko. He has years of experience in Dirty Dick’s theatre and it shows. He minced around as this innocent executioner who couldn’t swat a fly, to the hilarity of all. Erika Tolano, as one of the three little girls, was hilarious throughout. Robyn Collins and Yum-Yum, and Grant Pegg as Nanki-Poo were well voiced; not that I felt their love so intensely, but it is comedy. Peter Dark was in great humour as the corrupt public servant, Pooh-Bah, with his all-knowing bass voice. Miriam Miley-Read as Katisha was imposing and fearful; no longer a sweet nun in Puccini’s Suor Angelica. The theatre was a surprise, too. Erindale Theatre is well presented, well raked, well provided with a little phased-array PA and a decent orchestra pit: most impressive. We all know of Canberra Philharmonic, but I must admit this is my first outing. This is a semi-professional group, but their output is worthy. I enjoyed the night immensely, and I trust it’s not my last. They are doing my favourite musical in Aug/Sept, West Side Story, so I must pencil that in.