And the World Goes Round

And the World Goes ‘Round the songs of Kander and Ebb is the latest musical offering from Players Theatre Company.

 This musical revue is a fast paced collection of songs from the celebrated musical duo of John Kander and Fred Ebb and while you may not have heard of them, you will surely be familiar with the work they produced over the 40+ years they worked together. In this production, the classic shows of Cabaret, Chicago and Kiss of the Spider Woman have been balanced by their near-misses and flops such as Steel Pier, Flora, the Red Menace, The Rink and 70, Girls, 70 and Curtains. For the most part, the fault lay not with the songs, but in the concept of the shows themselves. The songs are wonderful and this musical revue shows them off to their very best.

Director Michaela Smith has provided many moments when emotion and humour vie for the spotlight. Because of the knockout songs, there is the potential for over-direction throughout a show like this. I was pleased that the direction allowed for natural movement and transition, giving her experienced cast the freedom to give the show a strong sense of life and energy. Each song/show had been well researched, accents were consistently strong, mood changes were clear and it was as if each character had simply been lifted out of the original show. Michaela never intruded on the songs, but simply allowed the cast to bring them to life.

Choreography would have been difficult with such a small space but; Victoria Rendall used every inch to her advantage. Whether it was the effervescent Coffee in a Cardboard Cup, complete with coffee cups and 40’s inspired choreography, or Money Money; the choreography matched the songs and the cast members beautifully. While opening night nerves did get to some; the dances were clear and thoroughly enjoyable. The highlight of the show was without a doubt the end of Act 1 The Rink with its fabulous tap routine expertly done on rollerskates.

One of the first things I noted as I entered the theatre was that the band was located in the corner of the stage facing away from the working space. What concerned me specifically was that MD Phill Scanlon couldn’t see the cast on stage; however, there was no option for placing the band anywhere else. Despite this, Phill worked well with the band and none of the songs were brassy or overbearing in the small space. It was pleasing to see an MD who had clearly working with the singers to give the music the light and movement it deserves. My musical highlights were each rendition of And the World Goes ‘Round and New York, New York. New York, New York in particular was a great build-up to the end of the show.

While the Doncaster Playhouse is an intimate space, the set, accompanying props and costumes allowed for free movement from the whole cast. As the audience enters the theatre, the cast are already in their ‘dressing room’ getting ready for the show. Placing the show within a dressing room meant that all costumes and props were close to hand and easily accessible. With old show posters, flowers and notes on the wall, it gave a lovely cosy feeling of your favourite dressing room. The only thing missing for me was the loads of ballet kisses/lipstick testing on the walls, which seem to adorn every dressing room of every theatre!

The lighting design was simple and mostly unobtrusive for the show. Unfortunately, there was a light or two set at a slightly wrong angle which bathed the audience in a pale blue light for some of Act 1 but that aside the lighting was used well to add mood and pace to the production. I did enjoy Mister Cellophane (Mario Mohorko) and his missing spotlight and the mood lighting of Kiss of the Spider Woman which added to the drama of the song.

Simple black costume with highlights of individual colour formed the base of the costumes for this show. This allowed for the smooth transition between shows by the small additions of character costume and this was a simple yet effective way to distinguish between characters & shows.

The production opens with the talented Adrienne George introducing us to the title song for its first performance. Adrienne provided an emotionally strong start and this strength was built on for each of her songs. Opening night nerves may have played a part because I just wanted her to open up what promised to be a huge voice. While we were shown glimpses of it in the opening number, it wasn’t until New York, New York when the real belt came out. I thought Adrienne’s character in Class (with Felicity) was hilarious and perfectly gauche for this rarely performed duet.

Greg van Bergen followed two frenetic ensemble numbers and I found his voice to be light on for his performance of The Happy Time. As an ensemble member, he hit the mark for every song and I thought his Act 2 duet We Can Make It with Glen Barnett was strong. Overall, I wanted more connection from Greg in his songs and with his characters.

The Rink is not a show I am familiar with, but will be making friends with after seeing and hearing the four songs featured in this production. Beryle Frees performed the first of the four, with a touching performance of Coloured Lights. My favourite moment, was The Grass is Always Greener with Rebecca Dupuy-Purcell which was hilarious, acidic and made us laugh in all the right places.

Krystal Shute was one of my two highlight cast members in this production. With a bubbly style and lively character, Krystal had us at Sara (without an H) Lee. For some reason, I expected a small voice but I was excited that the energy shown in the ensemble numbers was just a taste of the power and commitment given in her solo songs. Clearly having a ball on stage, you couldn’t help but get caught up in her infectious performance.

Arthur in the Afternoon is one of the racier songs in the show and Kerryn Hoernel was saucy enough to play up to the character of the song (ably supported by the delightfully amusing Glen Barnett as Arthur). Vocally, Kerryn was well suited to the number and strong without driving the song or making too much of the innuendo-laced lyrics. Shoes Dance was a wonderful opportunity for Kerryn to tap-duel it out with Sarah Elijah while channelling those gorgeous snaky ballet-girls we all grew up with. Kerryn’s experience and technique shone through all dances and it was a joy to see her back on stage.

Rebecca Dupuy-Purcell has a lovely lyric soprano voice which she used expertly in all of her songs. Unfortunately, many of her songs are ensemble pieces (There Goes The Ballgame and The Grass is Always Greener), so it was a great opening to Act 2 to have her perform Ring Them Bells. Her characterisation was strong, her accent was flawless and she was just adorable in the lolly pink shoes and glasses. My only criticism is that I wanted to hear more of her as she was a stand out in each ensemble song.

How Lucky Can You Get is one of my favourite songs and I wanted Felicity Elizabeth Eastwood to sing the pants off it. How lucky for me, that she did! With a very simple setting (just her & the three boys), she captured the hope, excitement, drama and finally dread of this song beautifully. Felicity’s other solo; My Coloring Book was unfortunately one of the few songs that I felt dragged. Vocally I wanted more and wondered if it sat comfortably in her range. But as this was out of place with the later performed duet Class (with Adrienne), I conclude that it was the song that failed to impress me.

My surprise packet for the show was without question the performance of Glen Barnett. I was more than pleasantly surprised by the rich tone and wide range of his voice. From his first note in I Don’t Remember You, I was sold and I could have listened to him all night. I wanted him to relax after cracking a note in Kiss of the Spider Woman as that one note did not make his whole performance. Overall I found his performance to be commanding, warm and totally engaging.

All that Jazz is a difficult number to perform; Sarah Elijah, however, performed with all the strength and sass needed to carry it off. Clearly a strong dancer with a solid technique, she performed well throughout the show and was well suited to both her solos. Her tap-off with Kerryn Hoernel was one of the highlights of the show for me and she pulled it off with flair.

Mario Mohorko had an uphill battle for me as he was performing one of my least favourite songs Mr Cellophane. Instead of counting the moments till it was over, I was taken on a heartbreaking journey which started by having to ask for light. Mario had such depth and sadness in his performance that I couldn’t help but get swept along. He added to that later with his sadly hopeful Marry Me with Kerryn Hoernel. As with the whole cast, I felt Mario was totally committed to every song throughout the show.

Revues that simply cover a song-writing team’s history can end up a drawn-out catalogue of songs without story but this production is one of those where you walk out humming the tunes and tapping the rhythms. The songs of Kander and Ebb rival anything by Sondheim for their intelligence and emotional quality and it’s this combination, together with a talented cast and crew that makes this production so worthwhile. So, if you are wondering what to do on a cold Winter's evening, make your way down to the Doncaster Playhouse. Not only is the theatre heated but you will laugh your way through a very enjoyable evening’s entertainment.

Sarah Somers has been involved in theatre & dance for over 20 years. She studied music performance (Opera) at VCA and has coached Calisthenics at Championship level. Sarah’s most recent music theatre roles include Katie Brown in Calamity Jane (Babirra Music Theatre), Doreen in The Sentimental Bloke (Babirra Music Theatre) and Assistant Director for the recent production of Kismet (Babirra Music Theatre). Sarah is currently engaged with Melbourne Opera and will next be performing in the upcoming productions of Cavalleria Rusticana/Pagliacci.