The Rocky McLaughlin Show

I shivered with antici…. 

... pation as I sat in my seat (in the back row), awaiting the latest production of The Rocky Horror Show. I was curious as to how Craig McLaughlin would interpret the role made famous by Tim Curry, and most recently delivered to Sydney audiences by the divine Iota. I was clearly not the only cat in the audience; the crowd began cheering at the first familiar base thumps of Sweet Transvestite, eager to greet the man who brought us Mona (which prompted an hilarious aside later in the show). In fact, the applause was so loud that the first lines of this iconic piece were completely obscured, leaving us to wonder for a bit longer what kind of voice McLaughlin was in.

I needn’t have worried – vocally McLaughlin delivered the musical elements of his role well, if occasionally too theatrically. But it was clear this performance was not so much about the singing and music as it was a vehicle for McLaughlin to deliver every hammy cliché he could cram into his fishnets. This is not necessarily a criticism – McLaughlin’s Frankenfurter is laugh out loud funny and immensely likeable. But subtle? I'm afraid not.

Whether intentional or no, this Frankenfurter is reminiscent of the ‘villains’ from Commedia del Arte – brash, loud, pantomimic, scene-stealing and naughty to the point of vulgarity. His comedy is delivered both orally (through frequent asides and ad-libs) and physically (utilising props such as a conveniently delivered microphone to simulate his, er, enthusiasm).

But unlike the Commedia productions of old, this was not an ensemble performance. This show is McLaughlin’s, almost to the point where you can’t help but pity an audience who sees him on an ‘off night’. The other players appear more as set decoration, providing back-up vocals when required. 

Bert Newton promised much, but sadly did not deliver as the Narrator. And whether it was the director’s or the actor’s choice that he leave the stage while still delivering the last line of each scene, it was a bad choice; my drama teacher always used to warn me about walking and talking and now I see why. Kristian Lavercombe deserves a mention for his enthusiastic portrayal of butler and side-kick, Riff Raff, but he could have/should have been given greater room to exercise his talent. Jade Westaby (Magenta) and Angelique Cassimatis (Columbia) all but blend into the background (except for a very random ‘outburst’ from Westaby who humps an ottoman and then promptly exits). Brendan Irving, while a very attractive Rocky, is disappointingly thin (and I’m not just talking about his physique). Stephen Mahy and Amy Lehpamer (as our ‘heroes’ Brad and Janet) try their best to bring something new to the roles, but sadly miss the boat. They’re not nearly so frightened or innocent as their costumes would suggest.

Musically the band does an admirable job, although I felt some of the numbers could have been faster. The one moment of a-capella is delightful but as previously mentioned, this feels like a musical that is not really about the music. This could have been because I was at the back of the dress circle, and a little disengaged from the action, but given its current billing as ‘the rock n roll musical’ I couldn't help but feel a little short-changed.

The set design is bright and cartoonish (matching the live elements of the production), but is not overly inventive. So much more could be done to revamp this show – I feel like this was a bit of a missed opportunity. The lighting, which another reviewer observed was reminiscent of a rock concert, was a clever addition. Sue Balne’s costumes meet the brief without breaking new ground. Again, there is a certain cartoon style here.

Overall, the production was fun and generated the requisite laughs. But as a part of the canon of Rocky interpretations, this one will probably drift from memory like artificial smoke from a stage. In an era where the marriage equality debate features weekly on our news casts and the issues faced by transgender individuals are detailed in documentaries and sitcoms alike, surely there was an opportunity for the deeper issues to be explored with fresh, more tolerant, eyes. Instead, this is a production lost in time, and lost in space… and meaning…

DetailsViewed: 15 May 2015
Venue: Sydney Lyric, Star Casino
Author: Richard O'Brien
Director: Christopher Luscombe
Production Company: Howard Panter for Ambassador Theatre Group and John Frost

Heaven Helpmann the Aussie Musical

The Helpmann Award Winners were announced this week. Television news coverage of the event was, of course, limited, but what did manage to make the 6pm reports was the winner of Best Musical. A Chorus Line.

 

My first thought was – really? 

 

To give some context, I saw this show with my ‘theatre group’. The group is made up of my partner’s mother, sister, sister’s best friend, and aunt, so it is really a family affair and I wouldn’t necessarily call us the most discerning, critical group of theatre goers (and ‘theatre’ generally translates just to musical theatre). However, when I saw that A Chorus Line was coming to Sydney I couldn’t wait to pitch it to the group as our next outing. 

 

Why was I so excited? Well for one, I’d never seen the show performed live. I had also sung a few numbers during my period of regular singing lessons (Dance 10 anyone?) and knew that it was musically very entertaining. Plus, as a fan of dance I had high expectations for a show taking its name from one of the most well-known dance ‘moves’ ever.

 

We booked our tickets months in advance, such was my enthusiasm, and when the day finally rolled around I was so enthusiastic I arrived an hour early (but I bought some killer heels while I was killing time so it all worked out for the best). Program in hand, and safely ensconced in our stall seats, I braced myself for the leotards, chorus shoes and kick lines I’d been dreaming about.

 

Admittedly we did see a matinee, and it was very early on in the season, but I left feeling very disappointed. 

A case of too much anticipation getting in the way of objectivity? No, I don’t think so. Here’s my critique (such as it is being several months after the event)…

• The Director’s voice-overs were terrible. He sounded flat, bored, and for the first part of the show I actually thought they’d been pre-recorded. There was no engagement in the dialogue, and it sounded as though he could care less about the answers to the questions he was asking. I guess maybe he was cast for his dancing ability and not his acting.
• The choreography was dated and formulaic. I realise that the choreographer was one of the original A Chorus Line performers and she was drawing on history but in this day and age I thought a dance show could have benefited from some new ideas and fresher moves.
• The Music and the Mirror dance number was below average. The song is all about how great a dancer Cassie is – so you expect a dynamic, captivating performance. I thought instead that the performer was holding back (perhaps like me she has difficulty keeping balance in chorus shoes and didn’t want to slip over). I wanted a Catherine-Zeta-Jones-In-Chicago-like effort, and I got marking it.
• Finally, the much anticipated Dance 10, Looks 3 – more like Dance 7, Looks 5, Singing 2. This is meant to be a sassy belt and sounded more like a whimper. And I didn’t think the actress looked like she’d had work done or understood why anyone would.

Sigh.

 

Okay, it wasn't all bad. Paul's monologue was beautifully delivered, the costumes were gorgeous and exactly what I expected, and the staging was minimal but utilised mirrors wonderfully.

 

So does all this ranting have a point? Yes. When I heard that this same production had won a prestigious Helpmann I was gobsmacked. But then I looked at the list of nominees:

• An Officer and a Gentleman – probably one of the biggest flops in Australian-premiered musical history
• Rock of Ages – which did so badly in Melbourne it didn’t even make it to Sydney
• Grey Gardens – never even heard of it.

Right, so perhaps it was a case of the best of a bad bunch. I can’t say that any of the others were better as I didn’t see them (because An Officer and a Gentleman had such bad reviews and because Rock of Ages didn’t make it to Sydney and because I’d never heard of Grey Gardens), but I felt saddened that this was the selection this year’s judges had to choose from.

 

Fingers crossed that the 2012-13 crop of musical theatre brings more choice, not just for the judges but also for my theatre group.