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Hearts On Fire
Presented by: Dandenong Theatre Company
Venue:
The Castle, Dandenong
Reviewer: James Cutler
Date Reviewed: 5th October, 2007
Whenever I go to a concert, I’m always slightly wary. Cheap to put
together and simple to execute, they are often minimalistic,
self-indulgent, ballad-heavy and spared of creative energy.
Dandenong’s ‘Hearts On Fire’ delivered a fresh, vibrant and
interesting contribution to the concert genre. I was pleased to see
each scene fully-staged, with plenty of costume changes and
choreography throughout.
Essentially an exploration of the theme of love,
Director/Choreographer Robbie Carmellotti selected material which
was unconventional and surprising. From musicals and movie
soundtracks, to scenes from Moulin Rouge and Mean Girls, to the
interesting opening tap sequence ‘Rhythm of the Night’, each scene
was given a very visual, energetic treatment, incorporating lots of
dance, so this show moved far from the stand-and-sing concert
tradition. Robbie has assembled a cast who understand his vision and
work really well together.
Most of the first act took place in a bar, a brilliant choice of
setting. I found the first song, Cell Block Tango, slightly puzzling
when compared to the rest of the show. Whilst the dance and vocals
were fierce, it seemed to lack the irony and humour required. This
song could have appeared later in Act 1, inside the bar, as it
didn’t quite set the show up for me.
Latecha Cadle’s Old Fashioned Love Story gave the brash, boozer
charm reminiscent of Ladies Who Lunch. The stillness of Danielle
Negri, Colin Morley and Ines Medica’s ‘Maybe This Time’ provided a
lovely respite from the thrusting and groping to which we’d so
quickly become so accustomed.
Mark Doran and Trent Brockman’s version of ‘Take Me Or Leave Me’ was
a highlight. It was a shame
Trent
didn’t feature more, as his commitment to character and vocal
ability added an important element to the show. I wish the song was
put into a male range, as most of the vocals were lost. Songs like
this lose all the rawness and passion written into them when they’re
not in a singable range for the vocalists.
I
loved the trio at the end of Act 1, a wonderfully put together and
exquisitely blended medley of Unexpected Song, How Many Tears and
What I Did For Love. The three female voices were simple, clear and
far from overstated, making a strong end to Act 1.
Act 2 moved the action to a classroom. Skimpy school uniforms, more
groping and thrusting. The cast worked really well for a good 20
minutes straight, injecting lots of character and humour, with
audience highlights being Grease 2’s ‘Reproduction’ and ‘I Can Hear
The Bells’. I enjoyed what the cast did with the Hairspray song. The
costume change was great!
The audition room scene hosted some true show highlights. While
Colin Morley’s characterisation of the audition panellist was a
triumph, Carina Waye’s ‘When You Come Home’ was performed with ease
and she held the audience the whole way. She placed her own brand on
this well-known song. Fantastic. Mark Doran’s ‘What Is It About Her’
was the standout song of the night. He presented true passion and
got to the real meat of the song more than any other performer.
Kissing You was a beautiful moment for soloist Emma Caldwell and the
whole cast. A clear change of pace from everything else seen
onstage, wonderfully and artistically staged. The finale, Seasons Of
Love, was genuine and beautiful for the ensemble. It was relaxed and
not contrived, as it can be.
Despite the high energy, innovative arrangements and inventive
staging, there were some odd choices of content. I was entirely
confused throughout the Mean Girls scene and a Robin Williams stand
up routine, which seemed long and largely irrelevant (though well
executed by Colin Morley).
I
did feel the theme was not as thoroughly explored as it could have
been, with a large proportion of the show (eg Lovely Ladies,
Reproduction and Cell Block Tango) really more about sex and teen
lust than love. Most of the show had the cast acting as skanky
teenagers who seemed too ignorant about love to reflect on it. The
only ‘mature’ cast member, Ines Medica, would have been a great
vehicle to present a different, beautiful perspective of love – I
felt she was underused, where she could have provided a great
dimension to the theme and would have rounded out the show.
I
also felt a lack of connection with many of the songs due to the
performers singing above our heads. Often singers pinpointed a spot
on the back wall for their whole song, and I wanted to yell out,
‘We’re down here!’ Given the nature of a concert and the anecdotal
style of many of it songs, it’s so important that a character can
connect with the audience for the brief time they appear.
The band, under Phil Haeusler’s guidance, produced some great
sounds, especially with some of the reworked and rearranged songs.
Musical Director Brice Sedgwick had the cast singing well, though I
would have liked a little more attention to detail in some of the
larger numbers. The sound seemed unbalanced and at times the band
overpowered soloists, which may have contributed to the problem.
The lighting and set were tremendous assets to what the cast were
doing. Simple yet effective colours, moveable furniture, and easy
exit spaces made the show flow well, and the lighting really
accentuated the raw passion and energy throughout. Robbie made great
use of the cast on a relatively small stage though it never once
felt too small or inappropriately crowded.
The Castle is a really fun and comfortable venue to watch a show in,
and the team revelled in the challenge of creating a piece of
theatre there. Robbie and Dandenong Theatre Company should be
commended on taking an eclectic collection of scenes and songs and
making an interesting and
engaging show. It’s a non-traditional approach to a concert that I’d
love to see more of from now on.
‘Hearts on Fire’ closes October 13.
Tickets: $26 / $21
James has
worked in both the production and the performing side of theatre.
His directorial work includes the Victorian amateur premiere of
Witches of Eastwick with ARC, planning, devising, directing and
performing in For a Change directing Godspell for the Blackburn
Community Church of Christ and Come Celebrate – Carols by
Candlelight for the City of Whitehorse. Performing credits include
ensemble in NOVA’s Chess, CLK’s Sweeney Todd, WMT’s Bye Bye Birdie
‘and the featured roles of ‘Amos’ in Chicago, ‘Frederic’ in Pirates
of Penzance, ‘Action’ in West Side Story, ‘Lesgles’ in WMT’s Les
Miserables, ‘Leo Frank’ in the Australian premiere of Parade at
Monash University and ‘Danny’ in Fab Nobs’ Baby and ‘Giorgio’ in
Mornington’s Passion. He recently directed MumCo’s Urinetown and in
November will appear in the Fab Nobs’ First Five Years Concert.
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