|
The First 5 Years
Presented by: Fab Nobs Theatre Inc.
Venue:
The Old Market Theatre, Billanook College, Mooroolbark
Reviewer: Adam Rafferty - Theatre People Editor
Date Reviewed: 23rd November, 2007
Back
in August of 2002, Eastern Suburbs theatre company The Fabulous
Nobodys bowed out of the Melbourne amateur theatre scene when
founders Jan and Tony Bird decided they needed to spend more time
with their family and shut the group down. Never ones to let the
grass grow under their feet, Fred van't Riet and Leane Gooding
brought together a group of like-minded individuals who wanted to
see the "Fab Nobs" (as they were affectionately known) continue.
By
April 2003, they were already prepared to present their first
production as the reinvented Fab Nobs Theatre Inc, using their set
building factory space in an industrial estate in Bayswater North.
With a staging of A Slice of Saturday Night - the charming
British 60's pop musical, designed to be performed in a club-type
atmosphere - Melbourne's most unusual cabaret theatre venue was
born.
Going
from strength to strength over the next five years, Fab Nobs carved
out a niche in the Melbourne amateur theatre scene by performing
small-scale musicals that most other companies wouldn't stage due to
the 'lack of cast to sell tickets' or because they were 'too small
for a big venue'.
They
also brought some sorely needed 'straight' theatre to the region in
a format that was much more relaxed and far less stuffy than the
conventional proscenium arch staging and raked seating combination.
Along the way they renovated the 'Fab Factory', often with funds
raised by concerts (or "Fabarets", as they were known), to improve
their charming little bar and ticketing area, raised seating at the
rear, an elevated 'bio box' and a wood-burning heater to take the
chill off the mountain air that so often seemed to refrigerate the
venue on winter nights!
Earlier this year though an era's end was signalled as the company
were informed that they would need to vacate the now beloved factory
due to its impending demolition as part of plans for the estate to
be redeveloped. Once again, the Fab Nobs team swiftly moved into
action to ensure their company stayed alive and have now found a new
factory to be made 'Fab' a little closer to town in Bayswater
proper.
But
an empty factory shell does not a theatre make, so The First 5 Years
– a concert and celebration of all their achievements so far – was
developed to help raise funds and keep the 2007 season rolling
without a gap. At the delightful little Old Market Theatre in
Mooroolbark, they found a perfect venue to stage this tribute and
provided a rollicking night of entertainment for all.
Featuring a cast of past performers, they presented selections from
all their previous musicals (and their 2008 season) in chronological
order and interspersed them with reflections on the first five years
from some well-known Fab Nobs faces. The high-energy title track
from A Slice of Saturday Night provided the perfect opener to
the show and an idea of the exciting type of entertainment that was
to come. This was closely followed by 'Don't Touch Me' - featuring
luminous vocals from Emily Doran – and then Karl McNamara brought
his comic flair to the hilarious 'P.E.' setting the audience into
fits of laughter.
'Comedy Tonight' marked the tribute to the Fab Nobs second musical
and Megan Coe delighted, along with Mark Sheedy and Tony Burge, in
their lovely rendition of 'Lovely'! Of course, you can't reflect on
A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum without doing
'Everybody Ought to Have a Maid' so Sheedy and Burge along with
Peter Noble and James Cutler graced us with a very funny recital of
the number including some highly comical daggy dancing – especially
Burge's Jon Heder inspired shoulder shrugs!
The
2004 Fab Nobs season commenced with Nunsense and company
regular Lizzie Matjacic ironically reminded us all of her delightful
performance as Sister Amnesia with the "high-degree of difficultly"
and very amusing 'So You Want to Be a Nun'. A more serious note was
brought to the evening with the glorious harmonies of 'Growing Up
Catholic'.
Next
came two ensemble numbers from the amazing Is There Life… After
High School? – 'Second Thoughts' and 'The Kid Inside'. Seeing
these numbers performed again reminded me of what a hidden delight
this show is. I could easily have sat through the entire score of
that show again on this night and I think the rest of the audience
would have been with me as their appreciation of these two numbers
was palpable. Just beautiful!
Unfortunately the reverse could be said of 2005's
Clue: The Musical, although Tony Burge and Amy Larsen made an
entertaining fist of 'Seduction Deduction', this was the only number
(thankfully!) performed from that show.
Act One came to a close with James Cutler's wonderful
vocals on 'I Know I Chose Right' and the ensemble ladies led by
Emily Doran with the mirthful 'Ladies Singing Their Song' from
Baby. A fitting way to have the audience baying for more in the
second act.
And they did! 'Skid Row' from Little Shop of
Horrors, with its boppy Motown beat, kicked things off followed
by the soaring 'Suddenly Seymour' - batted out the park by Karl
McNamara and Amy Larsen. These two really left nothing to be desired
when it came to vocal dynamics.
2006's honk! brought us the heart-wrenching
'Every Tear a Mother Cries' fraught with raw emotion by the gorgeous
Lizzie Matjacic. Michael Butler and Jennie Kellaway reprised their
well-spun roles as the oh-so British geese in 'Wild Goose Chase' and
delighted along with Megan Coe, Mark Sheedy, Karl McNamara and Peter
Noble in the extended number.
This year's highly entertaining (and disgustingly
over-looked for a Technical Achievement nomination by the Guild)
Return to the Forbidden Planet, was given a healthy showing with
four numbers performed. 'Good Vibrations' gave the returning cast an
opportunity to reinvent the number slightly while still leaving the
audience's collective feet tapping along. James Brown belted out
'She's Not There' and showed off his guitar skills once more.
Jonathon Sebastian displayed his wonderful vocal talents in 'Born To
Be Wild' and the fantastic orchestra got a chance to go crazy with 'Wipeout'.
Sebastian was back with Hannah Free for the comical,
almost honky-tonk number, 'Therapy' from tick, tick… BOOM!
Both did an outstanding job and continued to do so, along with
Michael Butler on 'Louder Than Words'. Sadly, Free's gorgeous
performance of 'Come To Your Senses' from this show didn't get a
chance to be reprised here, but I for one would have loved to have
heard it.
The show came to a close with numbers from 2008's
coming season of Zombie Prom and Disco Inferno. Zombie
Prom is another relatively unknown show, but the two numbers
performed, 'Jonny Don't Go' and 'Case Closed' showed exciting things
are ahead for Fab Nobs audiences, especially after seeing Emily
Doran's lovely performance of the former number.
Disco
Inferno
is a
jukebox musical, so the audience were in raptures as the cast
performed 'Crocodile Rock' and 'I Will Survive' to close the show –
so much so that after the show had ended, they stamped their feet
and chanted for more, leaving the surprised and unprepared orchestra
to play an instrumental version of their suite from
Return to the Forbidden Planet!
As always with a Fab Nobs show the audience were left
highly entertained, but this 'all killer, no filler' (to steal a
phrase from 80s FM radio) type of concert made for one of the most
entertaining nights I've had in an amateur theatre for a long while.
Congratulations to all the Creative Team members from the various
shows that came back to prepare this concert, but especially to the
Production Team of Sarah Cliff, Leane Gooding and Phil Haeusler who
pulled together a stunning night of entertainment.
|