Saturday Night Fever

StageArt keep raising the bar for Independent Musical theatre: so much so that one wonders, when one looks at how far they have come, just how far they can go. It’s certainly an interesting journey, as are their choices in musicals we haven’t seen before in professional productions.

The beauty of Saturday Night Fever is its demographic appeal. The Bee Gees have written so many songs that are now pop standards and it’s unlikely that anyone in the audience hasn’t been touched by these iconic melodies at some time in their lives.

While the book is slight in the first act, it takes a sharp turn left in the second act and delves into rape, abortion and family violence, so, like Jersey Boys (which has a far better script) this can’t be dismissed as yet another Juke Box Musical. It has substance, and….like In The Heights last year…it has truly sensational dancing, thanks to Choreographer Luke Alleva and also director Robbie Carmellotti, himself a talented dancer and choreographer, as well as Executive Producer and Designer, who must be quite exhausted. If the Second Act feels like it could have used another rehearsal or two to ground it, that’s a very small quibble.

The cast, as with all StageArt productions, is exemplary. These are mostly triple…no, QUADRUPLE …threats, who are often buried in the ensembles of main stage productions, but whose super talents qualify them to be Up Front and Personal. They all deserve it.

Mike Snell (Tony Manero) however, has a wealth of major role experience which he brings to the role made famous by John Travolta. Never mind that he looks at least 10 years too old to play the 19 year old, the audience is willing to suspend disbelief because his talent is timeless. He sings up a storm, dances brilliantly, and almost tops Travolta’s swag when he walks. He also brings weight to the drama in Act Two. In short, it’s a great performance.

The two female leads are both excellent, with Elise Brennan (Annette) narrowly taking honours from Sheridan Anderson (Stephanie). Both are highly experienced, both marvellous singers – Brennan kills with an emotional version of ‘If I Can’t Have You’ - and both are fabulous dancers, but Brennan has the edge in charisma.

Paul Watson, one of my all time favourite local performers, is quite marvellous as Frank Senior….somehow managing to look middle-aged and overweight, and creating a complex man who has lost his self-respect and realises life is passing him by. It would be a stunning performance in any production. But it doesn’t stop there. As Monty, the club DJ, he sings fantastic versions of ‘Nights on Broadway’ (what a voice) and ‘Disco Inferno’ and plays great lead guitar and bass. In fact, most of the cast are multi instrumentalists and only drummer Chris Duffy and MD Tony Toppi on keyboards are a constant in the band.

Tony’s mates Double J (Joseph Spanti), Joey (Duane McGregor) and Bobby (Dean Schulz, all have great impact and prove that the future of Musical Theatre is in very good hands. Dean Schulz in particular has amazing versatility. He moves us with a poignant version of ‘Tragedy’, convinces with the angst of a trapped teenage boy, and even plays a mean saxophone.

There isn’t a weak performance anywhere, so huge props to everyone in the cast, with bouquets to the comic talents of Alexia Brinsley, and the dancing skills of young Benito Veneziano, definitely one to watch.

Lucy Wilkins makes the most of her costume and wig budget, but this is StageArt’s one weakness. The flared trousers and suits on the men look great, but don’t seem to fit right in the crotch, the girls’ day clothes were bland…and mid calf skirts in the 70s? Worst of all, the wigs were unattractive and looked cheap. There’s plenty of wriggle room for improvement here when everything else is of high quality.

There is another star in this production – and that is the lighting by the incomparable Jason Bovaird. With a well-designed multi-level set for the small space in Chapel off Chapel, Bovaird presents a design that requires a MONSTER rig, but it pays off. A master in cross lighting, Bovaird throws shafts of light in different colours across a backdrop of dozens of mirrored disco balls….just stunning. He creates moods and storytelling with vari-lights and decals….avoiding colour washes for something more dramatic. When half a dozen white shafts suddenly move to conjoin to create an overhead spot for Stephanie, it’s a stunning moment. The cubes that form part of the set are rimmed with multi coloured strip lighting reminiscent of 70s discos. Bovaird is a master at his craft and integral to any production, and he is more than ably supported Marcello Lo Ricco’s great sound, beautifully balanced between voice and instruments. Saturday Night Fever is a great night’s entertainment. It runs until Feb 28^th and you’d be a fool or a wowser to miss it.

Coral Drouyn

Photographer: Belinda Strodder