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Tick, tick.....Boom!
Presented by: Fab Nobs Theatre Inc
Venue:
The Fab Factory, Bayswater
North
Reviewer: Melissa Trickey
Date Reviewed: 20th July 2007
“Tick,
tick… Boom!” tells the story of Jonathan Larson’s life before his
untimely death, just as his musical RENT became the phenomenon we
know today. There are no big show stopping song and dance razzle
dazzle moments, just raw emotion and honesty, the story of one man’s
life, his decisions, and the people that support him. Because of
this, I think it is a very difficult musical to produce as it is
reliant on clever direction and staging, and extremely strong
performances. Fab Nobs’s production had all this and more.
It always
amazes me what can be done with that Factory! For this production it
was transformed into a theatre in the round-type arrangement. The
audience surrounded the performance space, which utilised the stage
already present and had many different levels. The set was minimal,
but very appropriate, with nice personal touches around from some of
the different characters.
With such a
complex performance space and the fact that the audience were in no
one fixed position, the staging of this show in the factory could
have been a logistical nightmare! But the co-directors Andrew
Johnson and Erin McMahon demonstrated an intimate knowledge of both
the show and the factory space to deliver the most intelligent and
well conceived staging I have seen in a long time. They knew exactly
what they wanted to achieve and why, and they knew the characters so
well.
In this show
there are a lot of changes in the characters that some of the
performers play and these changes were handled marvelously.
Sometimes the stage direction was a simple as two characters
crossing the stage away from each other at the same time, but even
that was so effective! Particularly, the phone conversations between
Jonathan and Susan was very well done, and the tribute to the
painting that inspired Sondheim’s “Sunday in the Park with George”,
who of course had such influence on Jonathan Larson, was a very
clever and interesting way to end the first act. I don’t want to
give anything else away, but they are just a few examples of the
effectiveness of the direction. Congratulations Andrew and Erin, you
should really be proud of what you have achieved.
The Band,
under the helm of Phil Haeusler, gave a tight and polished rendition
of the score. They worked seamlessly with the actors and supported
the performance so very well. At times they did overpower the
singing, but this was minor. I particularly liked the use of the
band as part of the story line!
The central
character of Jonathan Larson was played by Jonathon Sebastian. From
the get-go, Jonathon (Sebastian) gave us everything he had, he
showed us all of the complexities of his character; the anger,
frustration, uncertainty and sadness, but he also brought the
humorous and the joyful moments to life too. A wonderful
performance. Particularly, I thought his singing was powerful and
fantastic- perhaps Jonathon, you should consider fronting a rock
band as a possible career move?!? An extremely touching moment was
the song “Why”, such discernible emotion and such a tender delivery
of a powerful song.
What struck me
about Michael Butler’s performance as Michael was how affecting a
performance can be when subtly is used. Not many performers master
the art of containing their performance; the employment of restraint
can sometimes be so powerful, more powerful than any gesture or
expression. Michael (Butler) demonstrated his knowledge of this with
a thoughtful and calculated performance. His portrayal of Michael
(the character, boy this is getting confusing!) was so balanced.
Supporting the central character and story-line, never pulling focus
when it was someone else’s, but when the focus was on him, he took
it with force and left a lasting impression on the audience. Well
done Michael, an appropriate and mature performance.
Sorry boys,
but Hannah Free as Susan was the stand out performance of the night
for me! What a voice! So beautifully tender in parts, but boy, can
she belt! Her acting was just excellent. Particularly, the
versatility she shows when she changes characters about three times
in one minute, each one with different mannerisms and accents- such
a skilled actress. Her Susan was likable and so easy to identify
with. Hannah really brought the complexity of Susan’s feelings for
Jonathan to life. I’m not really sure what else I can say, you blew
me away, Hannah!
I don’t like
reviews that gush about a show and have nothing constructive to say,
but I am very hard pressed to think of any flaw that I can point
out. I was so very impressed by this show, for me it has been one of
the highlights of the theatre year so far. I urge you all the get
down to the factory for the last ever show in a wonderful
performance space, as you will be treated to a wonderfully, raw,
emotional and honest show. Oh wait, I’ve thought of my flaw…. It was
very, very cold- make sure you take a coat!!!!
Melissa
Trickey is one of the resident writers for the Theatre People
Website and Newspaper. She has performed with companies around
Melbourne;
from Pakenham to Frankston to Bayswater, performance highlights
include Dorothy Brock in
42nd
Street,
Fluffy in Honk! Melissa will next be seen in City of
Angels
with PEP Productions in July, and HMS Pinafore / Trial by Jury with
Babirra Music Theatre in October.
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