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One Night Only
Presented
by: Entertainers Anonymous
Venue: Wendouree Centre for Performing Arts
Reviewer: Michelle Rogers
Date Reviewed: 26th August 2007
It is not every night in Ballarat that one can be treated to a
stellar evening of entertainment staged by a select group of the
best talent around. It is not every night one is serenaded with
songs from diverse genres such as Cabaret, Broadway, Jazz, Rock and
Pop by a group dedicated to promoting theatre in a community that
seems to be monopolised by football and beer-swilling. In fact, this
ensemble performing these songs was strictly for ‘One Night Only’.
It’s this reason that the new venue in town, the Wendouree Centre
for Performing Arts, was the perfect location for this rare
opportunity to observe some amazing local talent. The newly built
concert hall was erected in a part of town that has a less than
brilliant reputation – it stands proud, instantly giving the street
a facelift with its promise of all things musical and art-driven,
like an awe-inspiring oasis in the desert.
This night of nights had something for every discerning music fan,
with the wartime hit ‘Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy’, all the way through
to the funny yet thoughtful ‘For Now’ from the modern musical
‘Avenue Q’. Broadway fans were also delighted with hearing their
favourite numbers from ‘Wicked’, ‘Dreamgirls’, ‘Spamalot’ and ‘Miss
Saigon’.
The show was off to the right start, with all performers standing on
stage to sing the beautiful ‘Seasons of Love’ from Rent, displaying
all the voices and talents of each individual while doing so.
Some wonderful duets were performed, with the charismatic Scott
Leggo and Gareth Grainger performing a character-driven ‘You’re
Nothing Without Me’ from ‘City of Angels’.
Luke Tonkin and Maxine Montgomery wowed the audience with their
heartfelt rendition of ‘I’d Give It All For You’ from ‘Songs for a
New World’. The audience loved Allie Sutherland and Bridget Davies’
inspired performance of the popular ‘Sister Act Medley’. The most
awe-inspiring duet would go hands-down to Tessa Pavilach and Brent
Trotter, who sang ‘The Prayer’ by Andrea Bocelli. The strength of
their voices and performance was a most pleasant surprise.
Other standouts were ‘And They’re Off’, a horse-racing tune from ‘A
New Brain’, performed by the whole group, and John Farnham’s ‘You’re
the Voice’, complete with appropriate bagpipes.
The singers and musicians all dressed impeccably, in costumes that
hark back to the days when performers were very graceful, proud and
respectable. The five members of ‘Entertainers Anonymous’ sang with
plenty of confidence and fervour, along with nine others, making the
show an intimate affair. Two of the performers, Stewart Greedy and
Richard Hughes, multi-tasked, also being one of nine musicians to
form the basis for the show-stopping numbers performed.
The show began in the right vein, and it also ended on the right
note, with the group singing ‘You Can’t Stop the Beat’ from
Hairspray. With lyrics such as ‘And
if you try to hold me down I'm gonna spit in your eye and say that
you can’t stop the beat!’, it reiterated the fact that these
talented individuals were born to perform, and that they would never
let anyone tell them otherwise.
Although the show was titled ‘One Night Only’, it seems imperative
that another night such as this be held yet again in the near
future. Much thanks must go to Entertainers Anonymous for making the
night happen, and introducing us to some musicals I’d never heard of
until now, as well as performing the much-loved favourites.
Michelle is a musical theatre lover, hooked on viewing and reviewing
musicals. She loves to attend hip hop dance classes and to write as
much as possible and would like to make it onstage herself some day!
Favourite musicals include Sweeney Todd, Wicked (saw it on
Broadway), The Color Purple, RENT and Grease. |