Arthur Sullivan, it's said, had grown
tired of the farcical nature of the comic operas he scored for W. S.
Gilbert before the pair reconciled in 1885 to stage The Mikado. If
only he had seen Simon Gallaher's latest production now loudly
stomping the boards of the Lyric Theatre in Brisbane.
Gallaher has the fairly remarkable
ability to make Gilbert and Sullivan even sillier. His latest crack
at the Japanese-inspired Mikado is a riot.
But then, the works of Arthur and W.G.
were always pop musicals of their time. That Gallaher's Mikado is so
unashamedly pop is in the grandest traditions of the famed Savoy duo.
We're talking an Umbilical brother, a
Lano (of Woodley fame), an obligatory reality TV star, and a Mel and
Kochie joke within the first five minutes. Minus Myf, it's next
week's panel on Spicks and Specks.
Oh no, there's nothing subtle about
this. Roll up kids, this one's for you.
The last time Gilbert and Sullivan came
to Brisbane, in Pirates of Penzance, it was carried by the trained
and tuned voices of David Hobson, Anthony Warlow and the Opera
Australia chorus. Those expecting something similar would have walked
out before intermission. Gallaher has torn up the score and let his
cast scat their way through.
In fact, the show bares more
resemblance to the Lano and Woodley finale on the same stage in 2006.
If David Collins, one half of the Umbilical Brothers, was auditioning
for the part of Woodley alongside Colin Lane he passed with flying colours.
Lane performs his usual silly straight
man shtick as the ubiquitous Pooh-Bah, the town of Titipu's
bureaucratic everyman, the perfect foil for Collins' rubbery,
child-like Ko-Ko, the Lord High Executioner, naturally complete with
mime and sound effects. But who knew Collins could sing? He
out-shines Lane with an impressive register.
It's the self-deprecating humour that
wins the biggest laughs. "Mime comedy is overrated,"Lane
declares in one of many deviations from the score. "At least
we're still together,"Collins shoots back. It's probably all in
the script, cleverly updated by Melvin Morrow, but it has all the
freshness of a bit of improv riffing by two very good, very
experienced comics.
Gallaher was never going to deny this
audience what it came to see. As the curtain rises, in leaps the
wandering minstrel Nanki-Poo into an extended dance sequence. Graeme
Isakko, apparently, had girls texting votes by the thousands in So
You Think You Can Dance earlier this year.
For what it's worth, Isaako, a graduate
of playing Oliver as a 13 year old, can actually sing, even if it is
in that sickly-sweet, pantomime sort of way that would make him a
shoe-in for an Australian version of High School Musical. Battling
for the affections of Yum-Yum (accomplished opera performer Helen
Donaldson, who isn't afraid of a bit of silly herself), the pair make
quite the Disney-manufactured couple. If nothing else, they deserve
credit for keeping a straight face throughout.
Particularly in the finale of act one,
when none other than National Living Treasure Julie Anthony plods
down the staircase to ham it up as ice queen Katisha, belting it out
with all the fire and brimstone she never injects into the National
Anthem (and more's the pity). Dressed outrageously in lavish coat and
spiked head-dress, berating the bumbling Lane and Collins, it's an
inherently funny sight.
Add veteran Gallaher company tenor
David Gould as the title character, the crisp harmonies of vocal trio
the Absolutely Fabulettes as the somewhat sexy three little maids, a
chorus of buff young men in back-up, accompanied by a swinging
six-piece band under Kevin Hocking's baton that seamlessly melds the
traditional score with jazzed-up additions, and you have a cast that,
happily, are all in on the joke.
The plot hardly matters. Certainly not
for the likes of Lane and Collins, who along with Gould contributed
to the script and use it as a mere springboard to launch into some
impeccably timed shtick fans of both will instantly recognise.
And yet, it has to be said, the
cavernous Lyric Theatre was embarrassingly more than half empty for
this Saturday night performance. Despite Gallaher's best intentions,
the kids, perhaps, are still preoccupied with their iPods and
interwebs.
It's a shame, because Brisbane hasn't
seen a sillier, or funnier, musical at the Lyric since Mel Brooks'
The Producers.
Essgee Entertainment presents The Mikado
Venue: Lyric Theatre, QPAC Season: From 5 August for a limited season. Times: Tuesday to Saturday, 7.30pm; Matinees: Wednesday and Saturday, 1.30pm, Sunday 2pm. Tickets: Children from $39; Adults from $49.95 Bookings: 136 246 or qtix.com.au
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