Paramour - Original Broadway Cast Recording Review

Source: Amazon.com

Why is it so hard for Cirque du Soleil to engage an experienced musical composer from Broadway to lead their New York based shows?

It's the troupe's third attempt at breaking into the market, and each time has been a sadly disappointing offering. Paramour is the closest Cirque has come to creating a traditional musical, but as always, the composition doesn't fall to a well known composer or team of creatives, but to those they know best, composers Bob et Bill (Guy Dubuc & Marc Lessard), who have scored a jaw-dropping nine original scores for the company. Perplexingly joined by Andreas Carlsson, it was a missed opportunity to let this team write the score for a big scale musical in the Big Apple. Wanting to conquer the New York theatre scene without engaging composers who have ever worked there before - will Cirque ever have the courage of their ambition?

The premise in Paramour is a sticky love triangle set to the backdrop of a movie being made, which spans multiple different genres. It actually wasn't so long ago that we were presented with a musical score of a similar premise - Carter Burwell's score from Hail, Caesar! also had the composer going through different ages, times and styles to the premise of the audience visiting various 'movies'. It was extremely theatrical and probably would have been smarter framework than the flimsy love-story here. To their credit, the team manage to evoke these movie genres extremely well, with all the textures and instrumentation you'd expect in hackneyed spaghetti Western ('Help a Girl to Choose'), biblical epic ('Cleopatra') and mobster crime noir (NYC Rooftops) films. Other songs make interesting homages to old school musicals and Hollywood - 'Everything' sounds like a blend of 'Maybe' from Miss Saigon crossed with some more irritating material from Sunset Boulevard, such as 'Too Much In Love to Care'.

On the other hand, there's the usual Bob et Bill percussion-noise driven filler crap ('Revenge Fantasies', 'NYC Rooftops' - does anyone ever listen to these tracks after the first listen?), but also extremely satisfying moments, such as the highlight 'Egyptian Gift', an instrumental moment both clandestine and exotic, with booming drums and an arresting violin peppered across which sounds like magic. 'The Hollywood Wiz' is exactly the kind of opener a big-scale show needs - a grand, vaudeville feeling show-man tune with a strong contribution from the ensemble and a big voice. Maddeningly, unlike any well structured musical with themes and leitmotifs for characters, each 2-3 minute song in Paramour tries to make a new melody which is dead and buried before it even takes off. There are two brief reprises of songs, but nothing sophisticated or clever . . . maybe there are more, but I don't care to listen to it again to find out.

Who are the key players in Paramour? Ruby Lewis makes her debut with the role of Indigo, Ryan Vona plays composer Joey and Jeremy Kushnier plays AJ. They've all got awesome, powerful and vibrant voices, a belting hybrid of classical musical theatre and pop, with a bit of rough and raw power. It's just too bad that their material ranges from average to awkwardly bad.

The lyrics suck. There are too many instances where the most cringy, predictable rhymes you hope won't happen do happen, so there's really no point identifying examples. Honestly, what were we expecting from Andreas Carlsson, a man who writes lyrics for the likes of Britney Spears, Backstreet Boys and NSYNC? This is Broadway, where the story is sometimes as important as the music - frankly it's not good enough and really lets the whole production down (chuck on 'Ginger Top' and 'Love Triangle' for a laugh, as they are worst offenders).

All in all, a passable but disappointing offering from Cirque du Soleil in their attempt at global domination. Talented cast members can't make up for unforgivable lyrics, and the music is not sophisticated or up to scratch to rank with the best shows on Broadway. Maybe one day, Cirque du Soleil will dare to work with some new composers, but until the day comes, there won't be a stand out performance from them on Broadway.

'Cirque du Soleil Paramour - Original Broadway Cast Recording' by Cirque du Soleil is available digitally on iTunes and Amazon.com, and is also available on Spotify & physical CD.

The bewitching bells of Notre Dame

(Source: Amazon.com)

Sometimes it just doesn't seem feasible to create a product like this - a whole orchestra, brilliant core cast and a choir of 30, assembled for a complete recording of a musical that will probably never make it to Broadway. Therefore, I believe we need to chalk this recording of The Hunchback of Notre Dame up for the sheer sake of artistry.

The Hunchback of Notre Dame is one of the vastly under-rated scores of the Disney cannon. After missing out on the Oscar in 1996 it (along with the movie) disappeared into this void. Which is disappointing, considering the influences it draws upon and the complexity of its composition. This is also a score and film that doesn't shy away from complex themes and issues - the uncomfortable nature of sexuality, death, racism and [exclusion] all rear their glorious, ugly heads here encapsulated in this music. Originally the show was made in German to great acclaim in 1999, before making its long awaited English premiere in 2014. Now, it finally comes to a recording, and it couldn't be more perfect.

The cinematic feel of this recording is absolutely spine-tingling. No corners have been cut - this isn't a typical Disney musical soundtrack where you can hear a piano clomping around in the middle of the music holding it all together. The instrumentation and orchestrations behind the singers are absolute world class quality and pulls out all the stops - it potentially rivals the movie's original soundtrack. This music is powerful, oozing with grandeur and sparkling with brilliance. 'The Bells of Notre Dame' and is repeated motifs are breath-taking, as is 'God Help the Outcasts' and 'Heaven's Light'. And of course, one of the highlights is the brooding and dark twisted cry 'Hellfire'.

This feels like the only Alan Manken musical where the additional material fits into the same world, and feels like it's actually adding something to the story. 'Flight to Egypt', 'Thai Mol Piyas', 'In a Place of Miracles' and 'Made of Stone' are terrific additions, and the excellent 'Someday' which was cut from the original movie is re-purposed here (as a side note, 'Flight in Egypt' replacing 'A Guy Like You' is one of the best choices that Disney has ever made - it totally transforms the mood). A longer score has also allowed him to really flesh out brilliant themes. Stephen Shwartz might not have the same light and silly touch as the late Howard Ashman, but Schwartz manages to craft lyrics that aren't dumbed down to children. They speak esoterically and abstractly, and as such makes the material suitably feel more epic and suited to a musical.

You couldn't find another cast that would reach this level of confluence. The supporting cast are uniformly excellent, and absolutely rock their musical theatre ensemble feel and also . The remainder of the core cast include Ciara Renee's crystaline Esmerelda, Patrick Page's dark and authoratative Frollo, and Erik Liberman's flashing cheek and humour Clopain. The star of the show is Michael Arden, who brings an incredible flavour to Quasimodo. While Tom Hulcet's Quasi is quiet, refined and well spoken, Arden acts the role with a slight . But when he belts - and it's done fairly frequently - it's breathtaking and sounds like he can flatten mountains. 'Out There' made my eyes water from his emotion. Absolutely awesome.

You can tell that this soundtrack is the result of many hours of labor and passion of the collaborators - and for a measly $15 you'll get a slice this brilliance forever, along with a beautiful glossy 32 page book along with lyrics, pictures, and a forward from the creators. Please buy this soundtrack to support these gutsy, incredible artistic gambles. Everyone wins when the product is as great as this!!

'The Hunchback of Notre Dame', composed by Alan Menken with lyrics Stephen Shwartzr, is available digitally on iTunes and Amazon.com, and is also available on Spotify & physical CD.

Pokemon Live! by Temple Theatre Company

Pokémon Live! is Temple Theatre Company's debut production, and it's awesome just how this unsavoury and crusty execution managed to entertain the audience. I couldn't control my excitement for seeing the show - I grew up with the songs, I knew all the characters and the storyline, and I understood all the intertexual humour. And because of all those reasons, I was willing to forgive almost every disastrous aspect of the show and appreciate it in its horrifying glory.

Ash (Adwan Dickson) and his friends Misty (Rhiannon Moushall) and Brock (Thomas Pitiris) are on their latest adventure, which is to win the new Diamond Badge from a new gym leader. Unknown to them, the Diamond Badge is a ruse concocted by Giovanni (Zane Weber) and his minions Team Rocket (John Vizcay-Wilson, Xanthe Jones, Phoebe Ballard). Team Rocket have captured Ash's mum Delia (Georgina Purdie) and Professor Oak (Patrick Aiken), and plan on capturing Pikachu (Elizabeth Witt) so that the new super Pokémon MechaMew2 can learn all the known battle moves, and allow Giovanni to take over the world.

Pitiris as Brock, Dickson as Ash and
Moushall as Misty (Source: Facebook).

For a show that was conceived as a multi-million dollar spectacle, the production value is seriously lacking and in some areas hilariously bad. The music, lyrics and book are puerile and banal while the directing is shambolic, however with material like this, it's very difficult to not make that entertaining - the fact that the team admitted they set out of make something that veered on 'so bad it's good' certainly prevails as a victory. My friend next to me's mouth hung open in sheer horror while I wailed with laughter. There are backouts that have no function, in some instances where NOTHING on stage even changes and the audience are just left in the dark listening to random instrumental reprises. There are pointless dance breakdowns where the story doesn't progress and there is no insight given to character. The lighting rarely does anything emotive and seem to serve as a homage to schizophrenia, and the sound is poorly mixed, usually being too soft but occasionally achingly loud.

All of those elements fed directly into the enjoyment of piece and to top it off there are several great aspects of the production too - the actual performers made the most of their ridiculous material and were clearly having a fantastic time, and the cast was sprinkled with veterans of Brisbane musical theatre with all being apt singers and several members pretty good dancers. Comedic timing was excellent and scenes flavoured with random elements, such as entering on scooters or 'falling' into holes, were glorious. It felt like, seeing as the show was noted suitable for audience under 15, there could have been more tounge-in-cheek comments, and the fact that Pikachu was scantily dressed set itself up for some jokes that just never happened. Regardless, references to the games were fantastic - stepping into the eyesight of trainers, the music, but in particular the voice over at the start is one of the most ingenious introductions and executions of house etiquette I've ever heard. Certain songs were just stellar - 'Misty's Song' was hilariously inappropriate, 'PokéRap' a brilliant opener, and the ridiculously flamboyant 'Double Trouble' were glorious.

I'm amused that I enjoyed Pokémon Live! for the same reasons I didn't enjoy Next to Normal. Pokémon Live! is probably one of the stupidest things I've ever seen, but Temple Theatre Company has completely embraced this puerile work and transformed it into a glorious trainwreck which was hilarious and completely enthralling for 90 minutes. Hopefully this ambition has paid off and the troupe can now afford some real props, costumes and material to perform. But for what it was - wow. My childhood came to life, albeit a little more sexy than what it was.

Temple Theatre Company's Pokemon Live! played at Brisbane Arts Theatre from April 23rd - April 27th.

Oscar Theatre Company's Next to Normal [*]

Next to Normal artwork (Source: Facebook). 

Oscar Theatre Company effectively brings Off-Broadway to Brisbane. When they announced in May last year that they were bringing Next to Normal to QPAC for its Queensland Premier, a lot of people were really excited for it. There's a lot of things I don't actually like about the text itself - the content of the text is sincere but its delivery in the storyline comes across as a bit pandering, and the score isn't great. But beyond all of that, Oscar's Next to Normal is a fairly good vision of the original text, with a good cast that only narrowly miss the punch of the roles.

Next to Normal is about a dysfunctional family where the mother, Diane Goodman (Alice Barbery), is suffering from an intense strand of schizophrenia which causes her to imagine her dead son Gabrielle Goodman (Matt Crowley) is still alive. Her husband (Chris Kellet) desperately tries to save their family by taking her to various doctors, hoping that a newly recommended Dr. Madden (James Gauci) holds the answer they're looking for. Meanwhile, her brilliant but neglected daughter Natalie (Siobhan Kranz) begins a self-destructive relationship with loveable stoner Henry (Tom Oliver) to distract her from her family's unusual situation.

While the cast are fair at acting and have good voices, only a few of them are exceptional in their roles. For the most part the punch is a bit lacking due to their vocal demands - Alice Barbery and Chris Kellet are great but both lack the power and energy to hit the powerhouse mark that their roles provide, and although they're both fine most of the time they often waft into using their head voices and the score looses a lot of drive and its blistering ferocity. They are better actors than singers, although the reverse can be said for Matt Crowley, who is fine in the role vocal wise but occasionally looks frigid and sort of kills the momentum at crucial moments by looking a little ridiculous so immobile. James Gauci is excellent for his combined total of 20 minutes on stage, but Tom Oliver and Siobhan Kranz are easily the standouts. Oliver becomes the most adorable character on stage, and the only thing that really detracts from Kranz's interpretation is how insufferable her character is - it's not edgy saying 'fuck' anymore, it's just irritating (and sometimes laughable). Their final scene was the only moment in the entire piece that really moved me.

I hadn't heard the score of the show before viewing it because I'm not a fan of rock musicals - while Next to Normal isn't an exception, it's still reasonably interesting. Tom Kitt's score is loud and toe-tapping but the drums come across as kitschy in a vain attempt to be edgy, and the small ensemble usually doesn't manage to have enough variation (also, apparently the violinist didn't tune their instrument before beginning the show either). I can remember one song, Super Boy and the Invisible Girl, because my friend yodelled it in the car last week. Some of Brian Yorkey's lyrics are a bit insipid, although there are a few gems and occasionally the dialogue is quite profound, which would probably are enough to warrant it's Pulitzer win. The story didn't really speak to me, and how the whole subject was handled felt a bit pandering, trying to be relevant and edgy but failing by introducing an optimistic ending which cheapened the whole experience.

The Goodman Family (Crowley, Barbery, Kellet and Kranz)
(Source: Facebook).

Timothy Wallace's set is frustrating since while it has an interesting concept its execution is a bit clumsy and much of what happens on the upper level is lost on the lower audience and the only view is of disembodied heads moving around (though I anticipate it would look better from the balcony). There is no exact definition of space either, with characters entering the house from about eighty thousand different entrances. The Cremorne Theatre is ideal for its intimacy but the small space seemed restrictive for creating and maintaing an authentic dramatic universe. The sound design was fine, some characters a little to quiet in some scenes but nothing much to complain about. As usual, Jason Glenwright's solid lighting compliments the action perfectly, occasionally being more emotive than any other aspect on stage.

A lot of people have blubbered about how they cried multiple times during Oscar Theatre Company's Next to Normal, and although I can appreciate why they love the show it's just not my thing. There is a lot to admire in this very ambitious staging of Next to Normal but absence of energy combined with my dislike of the score rendered the show a bit unremarkable for me. What is remarkable is the effort from the cast that really give it their best and only a few narrowly don't deliver. If you're a fan of the score and the show, then the majority of my criticism is irrelevant - it's an enjoyable evening and musical passionates and even casual fans will enjoy seeing this piece presented for the first time in Queensland.

Tickets for Oscar Theatre Company's Next to Normal are $39 - $58, and is showing at QPAC's Cremorne Theatre until May 4th. Duration of approximately 2 hours and 30 minutes, including a 20 minute intermission. Book by visiting QPAC's website.

Less Miserable About Les Mis Soundtrack

Cover of the Les Misérables highlights album (Source: Amazon).

Casting actors rather than singers in movie adaptations of musicals are always at best a necessary evil. Les Misérables has been one of the most anticipated musical adaptations of all time, and a lot of emphasis has been put on acting and pulling out emotion over singing. Unlike the usual filming process of recording tracks months before shooting begins, Tom Hooper's adaption of the world's second longest running musical featured actors singing in realtime on the set and then mixing an orchestra to suit the product after. Claims from the actors insinuate that this 'revolutionary' method allows more flexibility and emotion to be put into the singing, but the reality is that few manage to pull it off properly. Despite fantastic new orchestral arrangements and some wonderful chorus works, there is too much 'acting' in the singing, too many lacklustre singers and bad mixing really detract from what could have been an excellent recording - there are some great moments, however.

At the helm of the recording is Hugh Jackman as Jean Valjean, and he's just bad. He's acceptable on shorter passages and in songs that don't require such strenuous vocal demands, but star moments like 'Bring Him Home' and 'Soliloquy' are laden with dreadfully nasal vibrato it's unbearable, and he sounds like a squeaky puppy in phrases on 'One Day More' - he's also the worst contender for blubbering through lines and drawing out the emotion too much. Russell Crowe is awful - while no-one was expecting him to be Philip Quast, his gravely part-time rock voice is totally unsuitable as he lacks the vocal power that the role of Javert demands, but his timbre makes it sound as if just sounds like he is shouting as he clambers though 'Stars' and Suicide. It's remarkable how unmelodious his voice is, and shocking how amateur they both sound.

Elsewhere the cast are fine. Eddie Redmayne is surprisingly nice as Marius and Amanda Seyfried's voice is thin but lovely for a quiet Cosette, both are appropriately toned down for the movie but Seyfried is barely present on the recording. The same goes for Sacha Baron Cohen and Helena Bonham-Carter, who have the usual unremarkable vocal skills but communicate a good performance through the Thénardier characteristics. The two singers who have performed their respective roles on stage are less than stellar - Samantha Barks returns with her signature wooden-but-pleasent Éponine, as does Aaron Tviet as a passable-but-boring Enjolras who lacks any presence and authority since he sounds significantly demasculinized (look up David Thaxton for a good idea of how the role should sound). The star of the recording is Oscar touted Anne Hathaway as Fantine, who shreds 'I Dreamed a Dream' with ineffable passion and such conviction it's simply breathtaking. While she's not the definitive Fantine, her performance communicates an immensely impressive equilibrium which balances the harrowing anguish and pain of her character with a sensitive delivery of tone and melody.

The gimmick of having the singing live translates poorly from the screen to this recording, and while it's apparently a revelation when it comes to filming, it rarely works to add to the independent musical experience. There are some awful musical decisions such as in 'Castle on a Cloud', where The Grudge graces us with an appearance to cackle "COSETTTEEEE I LOVE YOU VERY MUCHHH" in our ear - it sounds absolutely terrifying out of context. On the other hand, the revised orchestral arrangements are incredibly vibrant, sumptuous and thrilling. Disregarding the vocals, 'Confrontation', 'Look Down' and 'The Final Battle' have never sounded so exciting, nor arrangements like 'In My Life', 'Red and Black' or 'Javert's Suicide' so luscious.

Regardless of both positive and negatives, the recording isn't the most pleasant listen because the mixing is, unfortunately and predictably, awful. The wonderful orchestra is captured perfectly but the recording is marred by the vocals, which are captured with only basic microphones. The result means that there is a lot of hissing and scuffs, with extraneous noises featuring, like people kicking furniture, scuffs of shoes, and over dramatic breathing and lipsmaking. It sounds as though there has been no processing or editing of the vocals - there's not even a basic reverb to unify the numerous tracks together, and it would have greatly improved their placement in the mix - it's very unprofessional and it's irritating to listen to.

There have been some revisions and rearranging to the lyrics, and while they don't do anything major like change the meanings of the song, they're also so minor it didn't really seem necessary (ie. In 'At The End of the Day' - "The winter is coming on fast . . ." becomes "The plague is coming on fast . . .". What's the point? Winter sounds more poetic anyway). 'Suddenly', the new song composed in a scramble to win the Oscar for Best Song, has the complexity of a Christmas carol and is totally unnecessary to the story (if anything, a song should have been written for Cosette). It's not really anything memorable, and I hope it never gets added to the stage show.

All that aside, there are highlights for the CD. Anne Hathaway's incredible rendition of 'I Dreamed a Dream' is the jewel of the album, and anything with the chorus included is wonderful - 'At The End of the Day' and 'Red and Black' are magnificent. 'The Final Battle' is riveting with the sheer grandeur of the orchestra, and for the sake of nostalgia 'One Day More' is fairly good. My absolute favourite track is the 'Epilogue' which, despite its imperfections, is a luminous adaptation which features an elegant and beautiful orchestra arrangement, thunderous chorus, and includes - finally - the Bishop in Valjean's final moments (I can't describe what that means to me).

All in all, I'm less miserable about the soundtrack than I thought I'd be. There are some awful performances from some of the most prominent actors including Jackman and Crowe, but there are some acceptable performances and Hathaway absolutely steals the show with her rendition of 'I Dreamed a Dream', all backed by some glorious orchestration. While mixing is horrible and very amateur, when properly done the chorus shines, and there are a few great moments. This is also only the highlights album, so you can expect another deluxe collector's special Asian limited edition to come out featuring all the tracks at double the price. I'll probably buy that one too. All in all, if you're a fan of the musical then you'll be a sucker for this CD regardless. If you're a fan of the movie and love blindly following crazes, you'll probably like this too. If you enjoy singing rather than acting, perhaps not so much.

The 'Les Misérables' Highlights album is available worldwide December 25th, and is currently available on iTunes. Available on physical CD and digital download.

Underground's Urinetown [*]

Promotional artwork for Urinetown (Source: Underground Productions).

I didn’t know anything about Urinetown until last night, but from the moment where the front of house manager jumped on a seat and yodelled that we all “know the drill”, to the disembodied voice whispering “. . . piece of ass” at the start of the show, I suspected it was going to be a bit of a disaster. 

Urinetown is about a world in turmoil – in an eternal drought, water consumption is monitored and restricted by the tyrannical Urine Good Company who charges the public for the privilege to piss. Handsome boy Bobby Strong, who lost his father to the cruel arm of the law, falls head over heals in love with Hope Caldwell in an ill-fated romance among a revolution that hopes to inspire change and liberate the water rules, so everyone can pee where and whenever they want.

The musical itself is a perplexing and difficult choice since it really has no redeemable features. The premise is insipid and the book, score and lyrics are too inane for a snob like me - while there are a handful of reoccurring motifs (like, 3?) there is no complexity or anything memorable in the score. While the director and script claims that the production looks at the serious issues of the environment, globalisation and consumerism, it doesn't really come through or discuss any of the issues at great length. I don't think anyone was expecting a musical comedy to do such a thing, but if it was trying to it's difficult since there isn't much character development, and sequences and numbers just happen in front of your eyes while you watch in a daze.

There were three standout performers in the cast – unsurprisingly two of them include James Gauci and Rhiannon Marshall. Gauci plays the dashing Bobby with a great exuberance and vitality, easily breezing through the rock-esque score, and Marshall is the picture perfect and plucky heroine with an airy voice and lovely timbre. Their duet, ‘Follow Your Heart’, showcases true musicality and ability to perform. The third standout was a boy with light purple hair, who performs these outrageously inappropriate movements, stealing focus every time he was on stage. And the audience loved him for it - pointing him out and cheering every time he was there. One thing the whole cast is is enthusiastic, although by the ending of the second act, it’s apparent that they’ve all cottoned on about how ridiculous their situation is. Regardless, everyone performs with great élan, and it really pays off in a few musical numbers like ‘Run, Freedom, Run!’ and ‘Why Did I Listen to that Man?’ Pretty much anything involving the whole chorus was a glorious, chaotic mess and barrage of sound. Kieran Davey and Xanthe Jones aptly perform and make the best out of their two roles, an irritating duo who provide unnecessary narration while breaking the forth wall (the whole thing feels very patronising).

The Schonell in its festering glory didn’t help the situation - the cavernous space swallows up any performer or piece of set in it, and the minimalist approach of having a sparse set for the small indie-rock musical totally backfires since the space is about as intimate as a volcano. The set was practical but didn’t really stimulate much, although unfortunately it fell down about a third of the way through Act One. The wretched sound system causes the frequencies of microphones to cancel out sporadically, and (I think we heard one of the lighting operators fall down) it’s impossible for the lighting to evoke any additional emotion and it just comes off as a category I would describe as ‘musical lighting’ – however, there is a lot of comedic lighting cues, like when the cast dance in the dark, characters having to step across into their spotlight, and (my favourite) couples walking across the space in a blackout for apparently no reason.

For a scipt claiming to be a comedy, there are a lot of lines and gags that are emphasised and then re-occur as the script progresses. They’re pretty rancid, but there are a few genuinely funny moments where I laughed out loud – Little Sally retelling Bobby’s final message, Caldwell’s bizarre mannerisms and throwaway remarks, and ol’ purple hair kept us adequately engaged throughout the duration of the show.

It's a huge achievement for a student theatre company to produce a large scale musical with such a huge cast, but this performance of Urinetown just goes to show that even a solid and enthusiastic cast can’t save a truly unpleasant show. There were a lot of mess-ups on the technical side of things due to the shabby venue, but there’s nothing really special in the musical itself. The enthusiasm of the cast carries the show to some extent and there are a few stand-out performers, but it’s not a particularly enjoyable evening.

Tickets for Underground Production's Urinetown are $15-$20, and is showing at The Schonell Theatre at the University of Queensland until September 10th. Duration of 2 hours and 30 minutes including interval. Book by visiting Underground's website.

An Unremarkable Adaptation of Sweeney Todd

There is nothing I recommend about this album (Source: Amazon.com).

Clearly the 2012 London adaptation of Sweeney Todd needs to be lived to appreciate the genius, because the acclaim and rave reviews it's received definitely hasn't transferred on to this cast recording. I am fairly confident that without the presence of Michael Ball and Imelda Staunton this production would have never received a recording.

While I adore Sweeney Todd (it is by far my favourite musical), I don't care for this recording at all. It's utterly bizarre since it has exactly the same material as the Original Broadway Cast recording highlights – the difference between the two being that the Original Broadway Cast has a better cast, better orchestrations and better mixing. I don't know why this version even exists.

There are no cast members that are particularly noteworthy in their roles. The majority of the principals are vocally dull, boasting a serious flaw or undesirable trait on every character - there's a demasculinised Anthony by Luke Brady, an insufferably whiny Johanna from Lucy May-Barker and innocuous portrayal of Tobias from James McConville. There's no trace of Robert Burt's Pirelli and the portrayals of the main antagonists Judge Turpin and Beadle Bamford, played by John Bowe and Peter Polycarpou respectively, lack the authority and menace that the roles demand. Gillian Kirkpatrick is almost tolerable until she croaks out some egregiously guttural cries on her upper register.

In comparison to previous actors who have filled their roles, both of the leads are lacking in their portrayals. Imelda Staunton is an incredibly versatile actor and I have no doubt her portrayal of Mrs. Lovett on stage in stunning, but despite her colourful delivery of the libretto there is no escaping that this is a music recording and her voice leaves a lot to be desired. As for Michael Ball as Sweeney, it's fine, but nothing special and certainly nowhere near the best. There is a sense of distance in his portrayal since his timbre doesn't seem to be suitable in the role, and he also has this inconsistency of switching between accents mid-sentence. His vibrato is in its ridiculous full-throttle here ('Final Scene' is an utter debacle, with him throwing vibrato on every line: “Youuhhhh knewhhhh myhhhh Lucyyhhhhh livedhhhhhhhhh”). Ultimately every principal pales in comparison to every other recorded performer that preceded them in their respective roles, and I don't particularly care to hear any of them again.

This recording offers nothing in terms of being a remarkable, unique take on Sweeney apart from transforming the vivacious score into something unremarkable. The original Broadway cast recording maintains its pedestal for the best performance of Sweeney with the best cast and most complete score, the 2000 live cast was a celebration and collaboration of Broadway stars and a symphonic orchestra, the 2005 revival recording is a fascinating adaptation of a small ensemble performing both instrumentally and vocally, and the 2007 movie soundtrack acts as the necessary companion to the film with luscious orchestrations. This is just a scaled down version of the original and doesn't offer anything new. The mixing is lifeless but the orchestration is okay, with the exception of this new trend of having woodwinds simultaneously playing the melody. I just want to tear my hair out that this 2012 cast recording exists when the incredible 2011 Théâtre du Châtelet Cast, superior in every aspect (which until very recently, was free to download from the Radio France Musique website), will fade into oblivion.

This whole endeavor was pointless - the only immediate use of this recording could serve as would be a tool to listen to so that when you return to any other Sweeney Todd recording the experience is glorified in comparison. If you were planning on buying this recording, don't. Only approach if you're a fan of Micheal Ball or Imelda Staunton, and possibly if you're an avid Sondheim collector. But I wouldn't even recommend this to devoted fans of Sweeney Todd. As far as I'm concerned, any recording of Sweeney Todd that doesn't contain 'City on Fire' isn't real.

Australian Cast of A Very Potter Musical

Left to right: Emma Taviani (Hermione), Dakota Striplin (Harry) and Tom Oliver (Ron) from A Very Potter Musical.

It's dreadful to enter a show with preconceived ideas of what the show should be like, but this is one of the shows where comparisons are inevitable because it wasn't likely to ever be staged again. A Very Potter Musical, with music and lyrics written by Darren Criss and A.J Holmes, was originally performed by Team Starkid in 2009, and broadcast over YouTube. The musical has achieved quite a following, and has made its way to Australia. Brisbane based Lost Boys Theatre Company defied all the odds and staged a new rendition of the production, offering free entry to the devoted public who managed to book tickets at MetroArts' The Studio Theatre for a just under a week. Lost Boys Theatre Company has created a rendition of the musical is extremely enjoyable, with some catchy songs paired with a hilarious book.

Overall the singing is okay, but the acting of the cast is without a doubt the highlight. The cast is helmed by Dakota Striplin who, in addition to rocking a guitar, plays the main character Harry Potter. As Harry he emits a hybrid vibe of the pretentious and egotistical side that you loathe from the movies with undeniable charm and bravado. Team Potter are completed by Tom Oliver and Emma Taviani, who play Ron and Hermione. Oliver's portrayal is bombastic and moronic, but extremely entertaining and somehow oddly endearing. He functions really well in conjunction with Taviani's square, nerdy and neurotic portrayal of Hermione. Together all three boast a great chemistry and bounce perfectly off the cast. Anthony Craig as Quirell and George Kennedy as Voldemort were both great with their voices and their fancy feet (and were adorable as a couple). It was refreshing to see Cameron Whitten not sink into the original portrayal of Snape, instead embodying the role as a high tension, hyperactive borderline insane figure. The standout actor is the phenomenal Lauren Neilson, who plays the obnoxiously androgynous Draco Malfoy. Each Neilson appeared on stage she absolutely stole the show. With the help of Malfoy's sardonic but bumbling henchmen Crabbe and Goyle (played by Lachlan Gerehhty and Nic Mohr respectively), Neilson cascades across the stage to produce ludicrous poses and acrobatic feats which are flamboyantly unnecessary and hilariously self-indulgent.

The songs are okay, most of them lacking real complexity and structure but several pieces like 'Get Back to Hogwarts' and 'Granger Danger' are catchy and really enjoyable. What the audience is there for though is the book, which is unbelievably witty, crammed full of intertextual references to the Harry Potter series, littered with ridiculous continuity errors and sporadically glorious social commentary. Interesting, this is not the first adaptation of the musical in Australia - another production was staged last December.

While some of the additions to the book worked, the majority of the content was tedious or unnecessary, and veered on being grotesque. I didn't really like the copious amount of swearing that was thrown in just for the sake of swearing - the original staging had a few profanities here and there, but it was usually reserved  and utilized for moments of comic timing rather than peppering it on every throwaway comment. Dumbledore is made to look more like a senile, disgusting old man in this adaption and lost a lot of his eccentric charm. The scene where Voldemort and Bellatrix Lestrange are attempting to get it on in the Ministry of Magic was awkward and flat out gross. The use of American accents was hackneyed and totally inappropriate, especially considering that most of the American references (Ron's snacks, the colloquialisms etc) were omitted from this adaptation. I guess it was a request from the creators, but that doesn't make it anymore valid - especially seeing as Harry Potter is set in the United Kingdom.

The set design, including the lighting by Michael Rogerson and sound by Joel Redding work well together despite the limitations of the Studio. The lighting works wonders on such a small stage and manages to evoke different scenarios and manipulate how large the stage looks. Also, fantastic work to the person who decided to arrange the musical score to include a violin. It was really effective and managed to add an extra element to the music. The band, led by Ben Murray, were on the ball and looked like they were having a great time funking out.

All complaints aside, the audience (and I) loved this. People genuinely were having a fantastic time, cheering, tapping their toes along and singing along with the cast. The cast are supremely talented, and despite their bizarre performance with American accents they perform with phenomenal enthusiasm and commitment to their characters. The design elements are great, paired with entertaining music and an amazing book. A really enjoyable theatre event that I'm thrilled I got to experience.

A Very Potter Musical performed by Lost Boys Theatre Company was performed at MetroArts' Studio from February 1st-5th. Admission free.

Thoughts on Zen Zen Zo's 'Cabaret'

One of the few aspects I liked - the artwork.

Zen Zen Zo are once again dipping into musical numbers to attract an audience. I saw their sell-out rendition of Cabaret last Thursday and (naturally?) I wasn't impressed. Not entirely the company's fault, but overall I disliked the story, songs, dancing, and the obnoxious attempts to take it beyond what was required.

Musicals have a reputation for being cheerfully gay and Cabaret is fruity, but not happy. The story was decent, moderately depressing because despite the toe-tapping numbers it's still about racism and the mood is undeniably dark with the impending genocide and Holocaust looming overhead. It also imparts a sense of emptiness because no-one in the play ends up happy (except the Nazis?) and there are a lot of broken dreams thrown around.

Emma Dean leads the Zen cast in the opening tune 'Willkommen'.

Zen Zen Zo try to emphasize points with symbolism, but as usual it's murky and vague. In one scene two lovers talk about their sensitive position among the possible Nazi occupancy on the city. One holds a basket of oranges, and says 'have an apple'. At this point a woman near me snarled in a very matter-of-fact voice "They're not apples, they're oranges!". I was thinking the same thing, meanwhile one character on stage looks like he's juggling in slow motion by waving the oranges in a circle. To represent an Anti-Semitic attack he then changes from the orange to a brick. Luckily I got so bored during this I read the synopsis on Wikipedia, because suddenly the cast on stage were horrified at something for no apparent reason, as the juggler upstage is still moving in slow motion. I know hipsters everywhere will tut and smugly tell me 'it's symbolic' - but in an attempt to make it avant-garde the company has drenched it in stupid symbolism that really detracts from the urgency of this scene. There were lots like that (that I won't go into because this paragraph looks long on my phone) and overall I think it was a flop to try and symbolise something that's so easily understood to begin with - the ending was another disappointing moment as it really failed to indicate the fate of the Cabaret.

During the interval I almost broke down into tears then purchased some pretzels. That was the highlight.

So it's a musical, but how are the songs? This was my first encounter with the show, so I can't really comment on if the arrangements were exceptional or not, but overall I was not a fan of the score. The songs sounded too similar to each other, and too many seemed redundant and didn't progress the story (although I may be biased since the first act went for a devastating 100 minutes and I was not prepared). The choreography and overall staging of the songs were lacklustre, entertaining for some brief moments but after fifteen or so numbers the dancing became tiring and unusually repetitive. The songs were either sung without any movement on stage, or drenched with the scantly-clad androgynous ensemble having a loud 'n' proud orgy on stage.

Don't confuse this with the performers though - the band were simply on fire, funking out like nobodies business and bursting with energy that was snappy and cheeky. The chorus were bang-on tune and executed their parts and harmonies well, and all the soloists were pleasant - it's undeniable that the cast are talented and can bend their bits to almost contorting lengths. Emma Dean stole the stage through her charming portrayal of the vixen-diva Sally Bowls, with her wonderful acting and ferociously powerful voice. She is an absolute gem and I hope we see her in other musical roles (I can see her as Lucille Frank!).

The wonderful Emma Dean as Sally Bowles and Matthew Hadgraft as Cliff Bradshaw.

I haven't been to the Cremorne Theatre in ages, and while it's intimate and small, the staging seemed pretty half-assed. It was just two draw across curtains and a set of curtains at the back that functioned as either a bed or window. The lighting and sound were acceptable but I can't remember thinking they was stunning or particularly noteworthy (especially seeing several shows this week that shined in these areas).

In the end it's preference, and I unfortunately didn't like this rendition, but I can certainly see why it's selling well. Zen Zen Zo's typical patrons will enjoy their usual sexual adventures, passionates of the score and story will find a good execution here, fans of Emma Dean will be more than satisfied by her stellar performance. It's a decent job but not something I'd recommend.

Tickets for Zen Zen Zo's 'Cabaret' ranged from $30 to $50, and was showing from 4th to 20th of August, 2011. Book by visiting QTIX Website or by calling (07) 136 246.

If You Don't Like Musicals, This Isn't Where to Start

'A New Musical' is still the tagline Wicked pops out every now and then.

It's ironic that the majority of the libretto in a musical based on the life of a poet is hilariously bad. On Wednesday I took Anj to see Doctor Zhivago as part of her 18th birthday present. The musical itself is flawlessly directed by Des McAnuff, and the result is a charming recreation of the moving times in Russia. Although the music is lacklustre, and some of the lyrics unforgivable, the design of the show are excellent and the piece is still a good piece of entertainment.

A few factors contributed to me checking out the show. I first heard about Zhivago when the show opened with little fanfare in Sydney during February this year, and I was intrigued to hear that the show would be re-opening and making its official debut in Australia. I admit my interest was hooked by the artwork - I'm a sucker for any esoteric visual design, especially those that involve eyes casting enigmatic gazes (Alegria, Zed). The cast of Anthony Warlow and Lucy Maunder is a great combination and it's always worthwhile to see Warlow in anything. Since Glee has revived an interest in musicals, I wanted to treat Anj to something special and different for her birthday, so off we went. Since it was a matinee on a Wednesday, I wasn't expecting to see many glamorously dressed people - as it turned out, we were the only 2 people (as fas as we could see) who were 'young'. Anj proclaimed in our check in that we were "representing the under 80s". It would be more accurate to say under 40s, but that would be the truth - the musical clearly isn't attracting the same audience that Wicked drew in, which is regrettable because the huge following Wicked got I was hoping would open people up to better musicals. Then again, Brisbane never manages to get the audiences that the cultural capitals do. If you don't like musicals, or you're not sure about them, then this certainly isn't the piece to show up to and hope to enjoy.

On a whole, the musical is charming, and very effectively conjures up a nostalgic atmosphere through the transcendence of time of the political advances in Russia. Although I knew the musical was based off the very famous novel by Boris Pasternak, I haven't had a chance to read the book yet, and I decided I would watch the musical without reading a synopsis to see how well the plot is explained. [Spoilers until paragraph ends] The plot centres around the work of a doctor called Yurii Zhivago, who enters the service of the army during the first world war. There, he is the only doctor working until he is joined by the lovely Lara, and they both slowly fall in love. At the end of the war, Zhivago returns to his wife Tonia to find that Marxism and communism has spread to Moscow, and they have lost their position in society. Persecuted by the communists who discourage his science, Zhivago and his family move to a rustic village in the country. He is then taken into the communist army again, and eventually meets up with Lara after Tonia flees to Paris. From there, Zhivago and Lara live together briefly, before Zhivago sends Lara to escape Russia and he dies healing the sick back in Moscow.

Lara (Lucy Maunder) and Zhivago (Anthony Warlow) perform the ballad 'Now'. Just look at that hair line.

The cast sing perfectly well, all with a level of professionalism that balances and upholds the perfect equilibrium required in musical theatre of not compromising the vocals with the acting. None of them drench their voices with vibrato and they all can control their voices very well (unlike some actors at Wicked). I had the pleasure of hearing both Anthony Warlow and Lucy Maunder last year at the Sydney Opera House in a cracking performance of 'A Little Night Music'. Warlow, playing the titular role, needs no introduction, as he is one of Australia's best male singers, easily transitioning between baritone to tenor with a wonderful texture to his voice. Maunder's soprano range is phenomenal, portraying her character of Lara with a voice that is strong and clear, but with the ability to sound beautifully delicate in the tender moments of the score (read: non ensemble numbers). Both leading figures are wonderful actors also, and they are joined by Taneel Van Zyl who plays Tonia, Peter Carroll playing Alex, Trisha Noble as Anna, Bartholomew John as Kamarovsky, and Martin Crewes playing the antagonist (?) of Pasha. They're joined by a wonderful ensemble who are really well utilised, and when they're required on stage they swarm on it and the energy they put in is admirable. The cast sing perfectly well, all with a level of professionalism that balances and upholds the perfect equilibrium required in musical theatre of not compromising the vocals with the acting. None of them drench their voices with vibrato and they all can control their voices very well.


The downfall of this show is the score - which seems inconceivable. A musical where the only bad aspect is the music? I can count the number of female composers I know of on one hand (yes, I know there are many more female composers than 5, but the average person can't even give me one name). Lucy Simons joins the ranks of female composers along side Elena Kats-Chernin, Violaine Corradi and Kumi Tanioka, and unlike her predecessors, her score for Doctor Zhivago is pretty uneven. On a whole, the music is lovely but very pedestrian. The score seems to aim to fuse traditional Russian musical roots with the sounds of a fairytale or lullaby. The sound is distinctive, a strongly orchestrated score which evokes the patriotism and idiosyncrasies of Russia which is, sometimes imposing, but always nostalgic and regal. There are some really lovely moments, such as Zhivago and Lara's tender moment during 'Now', and the gorgeous melody and flawless cast work of 'In This House', which closes Act One. I remember liking the opening of Act Two but clearly it was quite forgettable, and likewise I remember the excellent use of harmonies and five (!) part performance during 'Love Finds You'. I remember liking 'It Comes As No Surprise', which is a duet between Zhivago's two women and is very pretty, but inexcusably tries to get away with rhyming 'wife' with 'surprise'.

Unlike modern marvels such as Passion or Parade, the lyrics are corny and are quite pandering. Michael Korie and Amy Powers work together to write the libretto, and I get the feeling that one is better than the other. If I had to sum up my initial feelings on the lyrics, I'd say they're generic, uninspired and predictable. I recall some of them being okay, others passable, but mostly they're boring and muddy. The common clichés such as rhyming 'die' with 'eye', and 'you' with 'do' are cringe worthy, but the other material we end up with are throwaway lines that aren't really interesting or stimulating. Without such an important element, the songs in the show can't take you past a shallow and generic emotional journey.

The best song of the show, but I can't remember how it goes. 'In This House'

The main problem with the score is that there seems to be no differentiation between the style or instrumentation of the songs. I can appreciate the difficulty to break away from this style, because the show is a romantic epic, but every song is just about painful love. Solos that are performed are slow, luscious, moving ballads - but they're ALL sung in that fashion, and they all sound too similar. Look at a score like Sweeney Todd - 'Green Finch and Linett Bird' is sung by a soprano covering several octaves of her voice while she is accompanied by sweeping strings and pitched percussion to emulate the sound of birds, before it segues seamlessly into a tenor reprising an earlier tune while introducing 'Ah, Miss!', which leads up to re-introducing the soprano's tune and the two intertwine. Although Simon composes pretty material, the brilliance of composition is absent here, and that's because the instrumentation between the songs never changes or challenges the audience - there are always strings, some kind of bass drum, a soft piano, etc. The other two moulds encountered in the show are pretty ensemble numbers and loud ensemble numbers. The ensemble numbers are usually the faster paced material, but even then the music fails to ignite any real energy despite the cast being on fire. Sitting here right now, I can't recall any of the music with the exception of 'Now', which is available to listen to for free on the website. It's not at all bad music, but in summary it's not all that inspired or ground-breaking, catchy or memorable. I think it would be very beneficial for audiences to listen to the score and familiarise yourself with the material before you attend, but as I understand it the plans to record the score have been terminated... probably not that surprising, but worse scores have made it to print and it's a shame that the talent of the Australian cast won't be captured.

The technical aspects of this production are simply a marvel, and the creative team working on the show have an impressive range of relatively newcomers to life-long veterans - it's the best result you could get when designing a show. McAnuff has managed to retain the interest of the audience without the music by carefully balancing the other elements together. Unlike the clumsy lyrics, Michael Weller's book has some thought provoking moments and some excellent lines (one sticking in my head is when Lara laughs hollowly and says "Innocent love? I'd like to know what that feels like"). The show is centred in Michael Scott-Mitchell's sporadically furnished set, evoking a feeling of oppressiveness with a floor paten that is characterised by slanting and angular designs to manipulate the view of the set. Working in excellent conjunction, Damien Cooper's soft and evocative lighting perfectly compliments the time and set and some of the best moments of the show involve beautiful little snow flakes flashing and twinkling on stage. Teresa Negroponte's work on costumes perfectly capture the era, and Kelly Devine's choreography is very prim and proper when its utilised. The team working on sound include include the fabulous prolific Eric Stern and Danny Troob working together on arrangements and orchestrations - I remember thinking that some moments of the score sounded like a Disney fairytale, so it was no surprise when I saw that Troob wrote and conducted music for many Disney related projects. Kellie Dickerson, Ben van Tienen and Michael Waters all function perfectly in utilising the sound design and the direction of the music, and there wasn't a moment where you couldn't hear anything. Overall, I'm thrilled with the team and presentation of this musical.

The Opening of the show - I'd have a real description but I can't remember what happened here.

So on a whole, I'd give Doctor Zhivago a 3 out of 10 5. A musical without great music and with sloppy lyrics seems to be beyond repair but all the other set design elements are impeccable. Led by two fantastic singers, and backed with a wonderfully talented cast, Zhivago definitely provides entertainment. If you want to preview the show before it toddles off overseas to try and win some awards, and you enjoy musicals, definitely check it out, at the very least to sound cultured at parties or to view the always wonderful Anthony Warlow. If you don't like musicals, just forget it, you'll want to die.

Tickets for 'Doctor Zhivago ' range from $59.90 to $140.90 (plus a $5 booking fee, so make sure you get them to send the tickets to you so that it covers the postage cost), and is showing until July 31st. Book by visiting Doctor Zhivago Official Website or by calling (07) 136 246.