Photos - by Grant Leslie (Perfect Pictures)A musical whodunnit? It might sound improbable, but if any can pull it off, it would be Rupert Holmes (book, 'though the original book & concept were Peter Stone's), John Kander & Fred Ebb.
Hornsby Musical Society are currently bringing it to life at the local rissole, in a cavernous auditorium (it's like being at the Logies, without having to share a table with a multimedia megadoofus, like Kyle Sandilands), and are really packing in the punters. No wonder: lavish wardrobe; full orchestra; passable sets; fanciful props; spirited performances bordering, at times, on superlative.
In essence, courtesy gives licence to parody and ridicule practically every film noir, b-grade, Agatha Christie and musical cliche that's ever been done to death (incurable, hard-case musical addicts will, I suspect, revel in allusions to Oklahoma and Annie Get Your Gun). To effect this, a musical within a musical is created: Robbin' Hood of the Old West. And we have a backstage pass; a device which harks all the way back, of course, to clever-dick Cole Porter's Kiss Me, Kate.
The action begins with the mysterious murder of its loathed and loathsome leading lady (beware men in trenchcoats bearing bouquets). Director Jane Mullen has pulled all the elements together impressively: there are quite a few moments where one is deluded into thinking one is taking in a fully-fledged professional production. Show-stopping numbers with the full cast are just that: the full monty. It's a complex show, too, with countless entrances, exits, stops and starts; a daunting one to stage for any company. Musical director, Andy Peterson runs a pretty tight ship and choreo, Chris Bamford, has interpolated some lovely, showy, flowing, nostalgic Fred 'n' Ginger moves, as well as various other musical theatre staples.
It's down to the mild-mannered, utterly implausible musical theatre afficionado (a kind of effete Colombo), Lieutenant Frank Cioffi, played by James Ford. He has so many lines one has to cut him some slack. He only fluffed a line or two, and then almost imperceptibly, but his diction left something to be desired, even if his timbre was attractive. His singing voice, too, wavers a little. All-in-all, he didn't quite have the goods, edge, or charisma, a leading man needs, 'though it must be said, as with several others, his often challenging dance moves were smooth.
Niki Harris, Cioffi's love interest, played by Cara Dibdin, is a more consistent and convincing character: sweet, clueless and a pretty-as-a-picture corrupter of Cioffi's otherwise unflappable objectivity. Dibdin's is a highly-competent and engaging delivery.
Anne Wilson, as lyricist Georgia Hendricks, upped the ante. She's an all-rounder: acting, singing and dancing are all a cut above, and she could happily find a place in any company.
Dan Placido, as Aaron Fox, estranged but quietly grieving husband and songwriting partner of Georgia, has a magnificent voice, if an uneven one: nothing that a little more training and experience can't hone into a dominant one for the Australian and international stage, let it be known.
Philip Youngman, as director, Chris Belling, keeps things lively, re kindling the high-camp affectations of Mr Humphreys to great effect. The whole show would be much the poorer without him.
Sue Rowe, as Carmen Bernstein, bigtime producer, is the other star performer: a self-assured Ethel Merman, with a Mae West-witty script to milk, which she did, wonderfully well.
Laura Sheldon was successful in tracing the evolution of her character, Elaine 'Bambi' Bennet, sensitively, while Rick Barta, as sleazy impresario & her stepfather, Sidney Bernstein, was distracting, in his haplessly clumsy attempts to adopt a broad Bronx accent. (He, or his chaarcter, got his just desserts.)
There were other solid contributors: too many to mention.
Curtains isn't Kander & Ebb's best work but, let's face it, even their worst is likely to be better than most. It's, arguably, overly long and is, perhaps, entrapped, if not quite murdered, by its own motive; too clever and contrived by half maybe. Having said that, it's highly entertaining on the whole, devious, devilishly funny, mercilessly satirical and very bloody funny. In the end, you have to love a show that has such deliciously bitter-and-twisted lines as, 'shall we observe a moment of silence, the way the audience did during Jessica's opening number?', in relation to the not-so-dear, departed, leading lady. And the overall standard of this production, let alone from an outfit residing in the relative cultural desert that is the upper north shore, gives cause for great optimism as regards the future of musical theatre in ol' Sydney town.
Oh, and the butler didn't do it. There is no butler. It was someone of a much lower calling.
Hornsby Musical Society Inc presents
Curtains - The Musical
Book by Rupert Holmes, Music by John Kander, Lyrics by Fred Ebb | Original Book and Concept by Peter Stone | Additional Lyrics by John Kander and Rupert Holmes
Director Jane Mullen
Venue: Hornsby RSL
Dates/Times: Thursday 20th and Friday 21st May @ 8pm, Saturday 22nd 8pm, Sunday 23rd @ 3pm, Wednesday 26th, Friday 28th @8pm and Saturday the 29th @ 2pm and 8pm
Bookings: www.iwannaticket.com.au or Hornsby RSL 9477 7777
Visit: www.hornsbyms.org
