Reviews

In her solo show, Julia Grace gives a masterclass in storytelling, characterisation, audience engagement, timing, transitions, and the use of silence, space and props. With these finely honed tools she explores how people make meaning in the face of life’s challenges by following the central character, Wren, from her ‘failure’ in her Chicago advertising job, to making the decision to donate part of her liver to Kate, her best friend.

CLOC has created an extraordinarily exuberant and vivacious production of Chicago that captures the sizzling nature of the era and story that the show depicts. The very strong cast is led by Emily McKenzie as Roxie Hart, Melanie Ott as Velma Kelly and Will Hanley as Billy Flynn. The power of their vocal performances enhances the emotional impact of the characters (and their bizarre circumstances) and generates a wondrous atmosphere of fun and impish playfulness.

A whopping 34-piece orchestra under the baton of Rod Mounjed set the tone with a lush ten-minute overture that featured a crashing symbol and piercing brass, which refreshed the audience like a gentle wave of surf at a beach near Penzance.

This was a night of comic opera in a production style of the work as originally written in 1879 with all the trimmings.

Primadonna Productions’ Lucky Stiff, is, as per its subtitle, “a Dead Funny Musical”. In possibly the WA premiere of this manic little musical, eleven actors work their socks off to present a pacey show that delights its audience and has laughs at every corner.