Post by Talissa on Jan 17, 2004 9:18:07 GMT 11
New musicals don't tend to have the best reputation, with the flops and failures making people particularly wary, but Republic of Myopia is one which certainly shines as one of those pieces which have something to please any audience member.
Looking at the play solely on the surface, it is a bright, perfectly choreographed music box, with much of the music scattered with the beautiful discordance and brightness of a carnival. And in fact, this theme is used cleverly throughout the play to represent the choreography and deceit present in politics, as well as holding the simple purpose of drawing everything together, especially in the use of the ageless technique of beginning and ending with a play.
The characters are beautifully written, deep and motivated, while keeping the light air of a farce. There was an air of Baratarian equality in the cast, with few characters truly able to be said to stand out far above the rest, and this was reinforced by the lack of individual bows.
This is not to say, however, that the talents of individual performers were in any way muted. One who particularly stood out was Peter Carroll, in the dual roles of the President of Myopia and his impersonator, Maximillian Sault. The two characters were flawlessly performed, and the brilliant choreography of scenes such as the bedroom scene in Act 2 strengthened the illusion that there were in fact two identical actors on stage, with wonderful distinction between the President, Max, Max pretending to be the president, the President pretending to be Max pretending to be him... He was able to draw the audience with him as he moulded himself and his characters into a hundred shapes before our eyes.
His acting was particularly endearing when he shared the stage with his daughter, Tamsin Carroll, who played Olivia, the daughter of the President. Tamsin portrayed well the parody of the traditional lovesick maiden, without losing the depth of the character in her cute, over-the-top performance. The only point at which her character slipped was in her solo Poverty, in which her own voice shone through too grandly, but this was easily forgiven in the delight of the song itself.
Simon Gleeson as Captain Von Reisenschein combined with Tamsin to create a pair of lovers worthy of Sir Gilbert himself. His singing voice was perhaps a touch abrasive in his Serenade, but that works in well with the character of the young soldier, and the cadenza-like passages were very enjoyable.
Genevieve Lemon was a gorgeously obnoxious and haughty Adelaide McKinley, the American envoy, with a brilliant belt and the ability to adapt to all aspects of the character. Together with Mitchell Butel as Oswald, they were a delightful pair who were a joy to watch.
Isadora Sault was played beautifully by Helen Dallimore, fitting into the clockwork of this music box perfectly. Her acting and singing were equally admirable, and she portrayed the motives of the character well.
William Zappa's Chancellor Schlitz was perhaps the least remarkable of the major characters. Though his acting was good, his singing voice was often flat, making his Politics Song slightly arduous. However, his Torture Song was very well done, though it seems a brilliant song in itself.
The other character worth a mention is Drew Forsythe's Dr Furtwangler, who was fabulously eccentric, and performed Firconium brilliantly.
The minor characters were very well performed by Drew Forsythe, Melissa Jaffer and Christopher Pittman, each keeping every character strong and enjoyable to watch. The sets were beautifully constructed, completing each scene wondefully, while keeping to a simplicity reminiscent of a travelling troupe. Doors and screens were well utilised, especially in the aforementioned bedroom scene, a piece with timing reminiscent of Noises Off, and the only hitch was one of the dungeon doors, which at one point didn't open, and didn't close at another, giving one of the stage crew an opportunity for a slight cameo. However, these were well concealed, and the show did indeed go on.
The theatre itself is well-designed, with brilliant acoustics, and seats laid out in such a way that a brilliant view was to be had from any seat in the Circle, though it appeared that the first couple of rows in the Stalls may have been rather low.
Overall, it was a wonderful night, and it's just a shame that I'm not in Sydney longer, or I'd see it at least once more. I suppose all I can do now is hope fore that MTC/STC trade, and recommend everyone who is at all able to open this music box themselves, and delight in the dance.
Looking at the play solely on the surface, it is a bright, perfectly choreographed music box, with much of the music scattered with the beautiful discordance and brightness of a carnival. And in fact, this theme is used cleverly throughout the play to represent the choreography and deceit present in politics, as well as holding the simple purpose of drawing everything together, especially in the use of the ageless technique of beginning and ending with a play.
The characters are beautifully written, deep and motivated, while keeping the light air of a farce. There was an air of Baratarian equality in the cast, with few characters truly able to be said to stand out far above the rest, and this was reinforced by the lack of individual bows.
This is not to say, however, that the talents of individual performers were in any way muted. One who particularly stood out was Peter Carroll, in the dual roles of the President of Myopia and his impersonator, Maximillian Sault. The two characters were flawlessly performed, and the brilliant choreography of scenes such as the bedroom scene in Act 2 strengthened the illusion that there were in fact two identical actors on stage, with wonderful distinction between the President, Max, Max pretending to be the president, the President pretending to be Max pretending to be him... He was able to draw the audience with him as he moulded himself and his characters into a hundred shapes before our eyes.
His acting was particularly endearing when he shared the stage with his daughter, Tamsin Carroll, who played Olivia, the daughter of the President. Tamsin portrayed well the parody of the traditional lovesick maiden, without losing the depth of the character in her cute, over-the-top performance. The only point at which her character slipped was in her solo Poverty, in which her own voice shone through too grandly, but this was easily forgiven in the delight of the song itself.
Simon Gleeson as Captain Von Reisenschein combined with Tamsin to create a pair of lovers worthy of Sir Gilbert himself. His singing voice was perhaps a touch abrasive in his Serenade, but that works in well with the character of the young soldier, and the cadenza-like passages were very enjoyable.
Genevieve Lemon was a gorgeously obnoxious and haughty Adelaide McKinley, the American envoy, with a brilliant belt and the ability to adapt to all aspects of the character. Together with Mitchell Butel as Oswald, they were a delightful pair who were a joy to watch.
Isadora Sault was played beautifully by Helen Dallimore, fitting into the clockwork of this music box perfectly. Her acting and singing were equally admirable, and she portrayed the motives of the character well.
William Zappa's Chancellor Schlitz was perhaps the least remarkable of the major characters. Though his acting was good, his singing voice was often flat, making his Politics Song slightly arduous. However, his Torture Song was very well done, though it seems a brilliant song in itself.
The other character worth a mention is Drew Forsythe's Dr Furtwangler, who was fabulously eccentric, and performed Firconium brilliantly.
The minor characters were very well performed by Drew Forsythe, Melissa Jaffer and Christopher Pittman, each keeping every character strong and enjoyable to watch. The sets were beautifully constructed, completing each scene wondefully, while keeping to a simplicity reminiscent of a travelling troupe. Doors and screens were well utilised, especially in the aforementioned bedroom scene, a piece with timing reminiscent of Noises Off, and the only hitch was one of the dungeon doors, which at one point didn't open, and didn't close at another, giving one of the stage crew an opportunity for a slight cameo. However, these were well concealed, and the show did indeed go on.
The theatre itself is well-designed, with brilliant acoustics, and seats laid out in such a way that a brilliant view was to be had from any seat in the Circle, though it appeared that the first couple of rows in the Stalls may have been rather low.
Overall, it was a wonderful night, and it's just a shame that I'm not in Sydney longer, or I'd see it at least once more. I suppose all I can do now is hope fore that MTC/STC trade, and recommend everyone who is at all able to open this music box themselves, and delight in the dance.
