Post by boredboy29 on Nov 24, 2004 23:48:28 GMT 11
Is There Life After Highschool - Craig Carnellia
Presented by: Fab Nobs Theatre Inc.
Venue: The Fab Factory
Reviewer: Russell Lath
Fab Nobs has once again managed to find a show suited to their location and style of theatre with the well conceived and equally well executed production of 'Is There Life After High School?'
There's no doubt that the performers did brilliantly. Each one carried their roles with the right level of self awareness and sensitivity, yet none stood out from the others. And for much of this I credit Shaun Kingma's direction . We've seen some of the performers be larger than life on stage, and to make them an ensemble of performers each managing their stand out highlights was great to see. Shaun managed to reign in the extremes and create a powerful ensemble which, along with a deft understanding of how to make the slender script come alive, made the whole production hang together.
The story, as such, is a series of vignettes set in flashback or remembered through reunion, of the stories and emotions which pervaded high school. While the succession of generic-American high schools is clearly the locale, the emotions, personalities, drama and fun of growing up is comfortably, funnily and, more often than not, scarily accurate. And, true to the story, the production kept the feel of monologue-to-song-to-monologue such that in some scenes I wasn't sure where the 'play' stopped and the 'musical' started. Each scene placed the 'musical monologue' in context, so what happened was the songs came alive in the lyric they portrayed. It 's how the show was obviously written, and it was great to see that brought to life.
There were, of course, songs which acted and behaved a lot more like traditional musical flair. Watch for the 'beer' song and 'thousands of trumpets', in which the cast obviously relish the chance to move the drama aside and just get to perform. Simple choreography and the use of human tableaus completed the effect.
I wasn't alone in looking around the room and seeing the audience engrossed. In the relaxed Fab Nobs dinner-theatre environment there was no chip eating, there was little drinking or even side chats occurring. Rather, different members of the audience reacted at different times to different things. Everyone recognised a bit of themselves in the characters, and recalled a way of feeling. I was at both my 10 and 20 year high school reunion -the show writers hit the nail on the head there. The internal feelings expressed through song, juxtaposed with the physical 'fake' reactions of 'hi, how are you' all worked extremely well. If you've ever bumped into an old friend from high school, odds on this production will pull a string of familiarity.
The production delivers a great close to Act I - letting the focal point wrap us in the disconcerting truth of the woman who had so much promise and adulation in high school and trying desperately to rationalise it against the hum-drum existence they'd evolved to. 'Was this the life I dreamt for myself?'. A very memorable piece of theatre expressed well by Lizzie Matjacic.
I'd be happy to come and watch the show again. The performers are a true ensemble, which doesn't undermine their individual strength but more enhances it. In the small space Chris Shute's band fits the bill, even as underscore becomes song and back again, (apart from the odd bit of overenthusiastic drumming). The static set works - and is probably more a clever piece of show selection for the space, rather than the other way around - it never felt like too many people crammed onto the stage (as, I must admit, sometimes it appeared during Fab Nobs '...Forum').
It's a great piece of theatre. I couldn't tell you what the standout moment was, because it was all so consistent - and that's I guess why it worked. The show does not have a narrative thread to give dramatic highs and lows, so as an audience we could ill afford to be 'let down' if a vignette didn't work, as otherwise we'd have been holding our breath every time the scene shifted. Rather, people were attentive, waiting the next insight, not knowing where we'd be transported to next or which memory was going to be pulled.
I really did enjoy the show, and I know the rest of the audience did as well. If you get the chance, don't miss a great piece of far-off Broadway, just this side of the Dandenongs..
Presented by: Fab Nobs Theatre Inc.
Venue: The Fab Factory
Reviewer: Russell Lath
Fab Nobs has once again managed to find a show suited to their location and style of theatre with the well conceived and equally well executed production of 'Is There Life After High School?'
There's no doubt that the performers did brilliantly. Each one carried their roles with the right level of self awareness and sensitivity, yet none stood out from the others. And for much of this I credit Shaun Kingma's direction . We've seen some of the performers be larger than life on stage, and to make them an ensemble of performers each managing their stand out highlights was great to see. Shaun managed to reign in the extremes and create a powerful ensemble which, along with a deft understanding of how to make the slender script come alive, made the whole production hang together.
The story, as such, is a series of vignettes set in flashback or remembered through reunion, of the stories and emotions which pervaded high school. While the succession of generic-American high schools is clearly the locale, the emotions, personalities, drama and fun of growing up is comfortably, funnily and, more often than not, scarily accurate. And, true to the story, the production kept the feel of monologue-to-song-to-monologue such that in some scenes I wasn't sure where the 'play' stopped and the 'musical' started. Each scene placed the 'musical monologue' in context, so what happened was the songs came alive in the lyric they portrayed. It 's how the show was obviously written, and it was great to see that brought to life.
There were, of course, songs which acted and behaved a lot more like traditional musical flair. Watch for the 'beer' song and 'thousands of trumpets', in which the cast obviously relish the chance to move the drama aside and just get to perform. Simple choreography and the use of human tableaus completed the effect.
I wasn't alone in looking around the room and seeing the audience engrossed. In the relaxed Fab Nobs dinner-theatre environment there was no chip eating, there was little drinking or even side chats occurring. Rather, different members of the audience reacted at different times to different things. Everyone recognised a bit of themselves in the characters, and recalled a way of feeling. I was at both my 10 and 20 year high school reunion -the show writers hit the nail on the head there. The internal feelings expressed through song, juxtaposed with the physical 'fake' reactions of 'hi, how are you' all worked extremely well. If you've ever bumped into an old friend from high school, odds on this production will pull a string of familiarity.
The production delivers a great close to Act I - letting the focal point wrap us in the disconcerting truth of the woman who had so much promise and adulation in high school and trying desperately to rationalise it against the hum-drum existence they'd evolved to. 'Was this the life I dreamt for myself?'. A very memorable piece of theatre expressed well by Lizzie Matjacic.
I'd be happy to come and watch the show again. The performers are a true ensemble, which doesn't undermine their individual strength but more enhances it. In the small space Chris Shute's band fits the bill, even as underscore becomes song and back again, (apart from the odd bit of overenthusiastic drumming). The static set works - and is probably more a clever piece of show selection for the space, rather than the other way around - it never felt like too many people crammed onto the stage (as, I must admit, sometimes it appeared during Fab Nobs '...Forum').
It's a great piece of theatre. I couldn't tell you what the standout moment was, because it was all so consistent - and that's I guess why it worked. The show does not have a narrative thread to give dramatic highs and lows, so as an audience we could ill afford to be 'let down' if a vignette didn't work, as otherwise we'd have been holding our breath every time the scene shifted. Rather, people were attentive, waiting the next insight, not knowing where we'd be transported to next or which memory was going to be pulled.
I really did enjoy the show, and I know the rest of the audience did as well. If you get the chance, don't miss a great piece of far-off Broadway, just this side of the Dandenongs..
?
