Reviews

Few World War II stories are more touching than schoolgirl Anne Frank’s naïve description of the three years she and her family spent hiding with others from Nazi occupation above her father’s factory in Amsterdam.

Her guileless words tell the story of eight people crowded together in a makeshift hideout, keeping silent by day lest the factory hands grow suspicious. How they shared meagre rations scrounged on the black market by two trusted friends. How they lived in fear every moment of being informed upon by ruthless Nazi sympathisers.

It’s always incredible and maybe even a bit disconcerting to watch a piece with personalities that you feel you really know. The characters in Spencer are so keenly written that they felt immediately recognisable, especially if, like me, you come from a family of Aussie bogan sports nuts.

This year’s third-year student showcase was extremely well-co-ordinated, with the segues from one item to another handled with melodic invention, making it one of the best showcases of recent times. Singing mainly contemporary musical theatre pieces from the past 20 years (a lot of Jason Robert Brown and Justin Paul and Benj Pasek), the hour quickly disappeared as the cast showed off their considerable talents.

This performance highlights the strange and troubled times that we face in the current global political landscape. The show imagines the former White House Press Secretary, Sarah Huckabee Sanders, on tour in Australia and wreaking havoc. McGlensey cleverly structures the comedy routine as a press briefing where the audience stands in as the members of the press.