Catchy beats, colourful costumes and slick choreography could not stop this performance of Cruisin’
from feeling like a high school production. Two key components - script
and technical aspects - failed miserably and marred what could have
been a breezy, entertaining show.
Written by Rod Christian and Peter Waterman, Cruisin' tells of the Italian Russo family, newly arrived in Australia in the 1950’s. The teenage children Vinnie(Andre Ford) and Maria(Estelle Lewis), embrace Australia and the Rock ‘n’ Roll lifestyle, creating conflict with their parents Rosa(Katherine Jenkins) and Vincenzo(Glenn Shorrock). Other key characters include the love interests of Vinnie and Maria, Pamela and Phil (Samarah Clements-Shepherd and Simon Loughton respectively), and Tina Jackson as Maria’s friend Giovanna. Chris Murphy takes a lead role as the family’s friend Johnny Di Maccio (also known as Johnny Angel). Courtney Murphy has a small part (and a great song) as Rory Storm.
It
was obvious that more time had been spent on the songs and choreography
than the script revisions and execution. The spoken scenes were clunky,
stop-start and forced, creating cringe worthy moments. The scene changes were worse. Although I was impressed by the grandiose set by Nathan Weyers and Cale Watts,
it was too much for the technicians who struggled to change in time.
This created awful moments where the interlude finished, the lights
came up and we heard (and saw) technicians still working. Scenery flew
in at the wrong time and there were some very near misses between set
pieces and people.
Whilst the script was ghastly, I was impressed by the singing. The
majority of the performers are relative unknown amateur performers, and
whilst it showed in their acting, for the most part the singing was
well executed, passionate and well harmonized. The band, lead by musical director Rod Christian was tight and skillful. Of particular note was Mike Collinson on alto saxophone, Paul Millard on tenor saxophone and Pete Di Losa and Mark Underwood
on trumpet. Unfortunately, the sound mixing left a lot to be desired,
including an amplifier fault that drowned out the singing for the first
half an hour. Choreography by Alex Poor
was sharp and varied, and the large ensemble pieces were enjoyable to
watch. I was impressed with the swing dance moves by some ensemble
members and the ability to separate into groups and then rejoin (always
harder than it looks). Costumes by Peta Korb were bright, bubbly and very stylish.
The
Regal Theatre is getting outdated and it is showing. The seats are
cramped and uncomfortable, with faded, dated carpet and paint peeling
off the walls inside. The distance from the upper seats where I sat to
the stage feels immense, creating an unwanted sense of distance and
disassociation. This atmosphere added to the let down feeling I came out with after the show. I wanted to cheer for the performers because they tried hard, and gave it their all, but could quite manage it. This
musical could be impressive with more effort on the script and
technical aspects. At the moment however, it hasn’t graduated from high
school cheese and cringe.
JCM Theatre Productions in association with David Spicer Productions presents Cruisin’ - The Musical Book, Music and Lyrics by Rod Christian & Peter Waterman
Venue: Regal Theatre, Perth Dates: 26 October - 4 November 2007 Bookings: TICKETEK
I saw cruisin at the matinée performance on saturday, the stand in for Rosa, was amazing it certainly did not feel as though i was watching a matinée like i have been used to.
The choreography and dances were tight and varied which was nice, and the on stage band as little a part they played, were still fantastic! there unnoticed acting was priceless and the actual musicianship was evident which was good continuity for a musical
I saw the musical on Wednesday evening when they caste had had time to fine tune it. Glenn Shorrock was only able to have a few days to rehearse prior to the opening. Also they were only able to start rehearsing in the theatre just a few days before opening. Therefore I think Anna Locke's comments are unfounded.
The caste should be commended for their enthusiasm and wonderful performance and Anna Locke should have praised a local production for taking up the challenge to produce the show and give local entertainers the chance to perform.
Catchy beats, colourful costumes and slick choreography could not stop this performance of Cruisin’
from feeling like a high school production. Two key components - script
and technical aspects - failed miserably and marred what could have
been a breezy, entertaining show.
