Reviews

A host of musical theatre fans all enthusiastically squeezed into QPAC's Concert Hall yesterday to view and hear an eclectic selection of popular excerpts from some of the greats of the repertoire. With four guest soloists and a chorus of Bachelor of Musical Theatre students from the Queensland Conservatorium Griffith University providing the vocals and with popular host and conductor Guy Noble at the helm, this was yet another evening aimed at delighting all age groups and putting the orchestra in the spotlight, a welcome transition from the norm in musical theatre.

Once again, the Brisbane Music Festival has shown itself to be the hidden gem of Brisbane’s festival scene, with an intriguing Mini Piano Festival programme. Roger Cui opened with ‘Transcendence’ and he introduced his programme of pieces, explaining that Franz Liszt’s 12 short evocative Transcendental Études were originally designed as study exercises.

Nikki Shiels alone commands the stage for close to an hour and fifty minutes.  Known in the text only as ‘Woman’, she’s winning, she’s attractive, she’s funny.  She meets the challenge of holding the audience over that length of time with well-judged changes of rhythm, of tone and attack. Under Kate Champion’s direction, she travels around Marg Horwell’s sparse utilitarian set with what looks like confidence, but her moves are in sync with the story she tells us, and we start to realise she is keeping herself in control. 

This is a sparkling production of a refreshed interpretation of Cinderella which will delight children and engage adults.

The musical is not one of the Rodgers and Hammerstein blockbusters, but it has a rich score that was originally written for a television special. It is best known for the song In My Own Little Corner first performed by Julie Andrews.