Reviews

In the early 70s Brian Hansford produced some Mozart Operas to give his students performing opportunities. These were staged with minimal sets, costumes and piano accompaniment. In the late 70s and beyond, Bettine McCaughan’s students formed Melbourne Opera, which performed a number of operas on a similar basis.

Since then the number of semi-professional opera companies has exploded. Singing teacher Joseph Talia founded Globe Opera, which evolved into Melbourne City Opera, and many of the minor roles and some major were allocated to his students.

It’s nice to end the year with some fun, and there are lots of laughs in this almost-farcical comedy set in a country town west of Hollywood around the 1970s. However, it hasn’t been all that much fun in the two weeks leading up to opening night! Annette van Roden, who plays the leading role of Myra Marlowe, broke her arm, necessitating quite a few changes for both the cast and the backstage crew – as Myra has many costume changes, runs up and down stairs several times, and is involved in a little bit of a scuffle with one of the male actors.

QTC’s first original musical in 16 years, Ladies in Black, is appealing in its evocation of an era (the late 50s), but lacks emotional conflict to make it really engaging. Not an easy book to adapt, most of what is in the pages of Madeleine St John’s wisp of a novel is on stage in Carolyn Burns’ episodic adaptation of it which has been stylishly staged by Simon Phillips using revolves.

Take a racist, paranoid, melodramatic novel of the late 19th century about a Chinese invasion of Australia, masterminded by evil Russians, but resisted by some dinkum blokes.  Add an agile writer, three highly talented cast and a bold, inventive director.  Mine the novel for every cliché, stereotype, stock character and situation. Note the disturbing parallels with contemporary racism and paranoia. Improvise, rehearse and, I assume, fall about laughing.