This production is a community partnership between Laughing Horse Productions Inc. and the Koorliny Arts Centre. The show is in the comfortable, 72-seat, black-box theatre, with cabaret seating, so BYO food but no alcohol.

The 90-minute shows are at 8.00 on Friday and Saturday nights until 23^rd July, with a matinée on Saturday at 2,00 pm.

The scene is backstage at the Theatre Baroque. The stage has had one third removed, so part of the acting area – the green room – is at the same level as the cabaret seating. The raised stage shows the on-stage area, behind the back wall flats of the play being enacted. The very realistic set, with numerous props, was the work of the whole team. The sound and lighting was professionally operated by the Koorliny staff.

       The actors and crew gradually drift onto the stage ready for the final rehearsal of ‘Don Juan in Cleveland’, an absurdist play written by young Jenny (Emmalee Bialas) – or ‘Skippy’ as she is known to the cast. When called by the stage manager, Maxine (Kelly van Geest), the arrogant stage idol of a generation ago, Burton Cavendish, does not appear. The director, Lou (Nicola Chapman), who is being driven mad by the demands of the aging diva, Mercedes (Shelley Whiteaker) sends her young assistant director, Polly (Alexis Mercer) into Cavendish’s dressing room to chase him up.

        Meanwhile, the cast with minor parts, including multi-talented, character actress, Claire (Tracy Bolton) and Roman soldier, Agnes (Jodie Sweetman) are settling down off stage for a game of cards with the costumer, Yolanda (Linda Bickley) – a born card shark. Poverty stricken actor, Efrem Lockhart (Zac Nesbitt) is actually living in the theatre, unknown to the cast or management.

        Minutes before curtain-up, Cavendish is found dead. Whatever happens, the show’s producer, Mr Oberclaw (Michael Forman) must not find out. Cavendish’s understudy is newcomer, Ajax (Sam Barnett) but will he be good enough to fool the audience that he IS Cavendish? Perhaps if lighting tech, Goose (Jaime Bialas) dims the lights the ruse might come off. Then several of Ajax’s worst nightmares happen together – his mother (Rach Hayter, great) arrives followed by Cavendish’s biggest critic, Tyler Barrington (Mishka Miller) and a threatening, heavy built man, Pete (no name credit given – Lawson Sweetman? – but one of the stars of the show) who is a sex magnet for Ginger (Philippa Bialas) yet another starving actress.

        Will the show be a disaster? Will it be cancelled? Their future looks grim.

With a cast of 16 and a complex scene set by the playwright, I thought the first few minutes could have been edited and the characters reduced by 3 or 4. However, in the hands of such an experienced director, Adam Salathiel, aided by his assistant director, Cally Zanik, the cast conquered their characterisations perfectly, and ensured the show moved along at a cracking pace.

The director was faced with how to blend of a straight comedy, a drama and a farce? How should he direct the show? Well he achieved the ideal balance between all genres. With the dialogue constantly moving around the stage, from one group of actors to another, it could easily have become bitty, but the cast knew when to keep their chatter almost silent and never missed a cue. The actors playing the stage crew, had just a touch of panic, but played their parts straight; whereas the actors of the ‘cast’ had the right amount of ‘ham’ and ‘temperament’ without becoming caricatures or it turning slapstick. Well done to all.

My wife, who strongly dislikes farces, loved this show. It was very well received by the audience at the curtain call, and there were many comments like ‘great fun’ heard afterwards.

Just a couple of shows left, and with a limited audience of only 71 seats per show, booking is advisable.

On a cold night, good fun in a cosy venue.

After a very successful tour in 2007, HIT Productions and Christine Harris have brought this brand new production, under the directorship of AFI Award winning Denny Lawrence, back to Kwinana. It was presented for one show only, at 8.00 pm on Thursday 19^th May in Theatre 1 of the Koorliny Arts Centre, 6 Sulphur Road, Kwinana.

The set comprised two walls of bookshelves, a desk, side table and several chairs. Then of course there is the 1610 painting of ‘Samson and Delilah’ by Rubens.

     The music ‘Ferry across the Mersey’ faded as the lights came up to show us an unkempt lecturer, Frank (Colin Moody) dressed in beige corduroy trousers. As he peered over his spectacles, supported by a cord around his neck, and explains how mixed-up his life is, and how now – for extra drinking money – he works at the new Open University (set up in the UK to give everyone a chance to attain a degree whilst living at home and working fulltime).

     Frank’s office door rattles, before almost being broken down by a young hairdresser, Rita (Francesca Bianchi), naïve but will ‘take no crap’. She is full of enthusiasm to learn and so wastes no time in telling Frank that he has to dry out and get his act together. Frank takes an instant dislike to Rita and her attitude and is not keen to have her as a student. Will his feelings change?

The two actors are instantly recognisable; Francesca Bianchi is partnering Sydney’s, Helpmann Award winning actor, Colin Moody – both of whom have numerous major TV roles and prestigious stage appearances to their name.

I have seen many versions of this play, including the film and this one won hands down. The grasp of the characters was amazing; they both had more depth than the Grand Canyon. It was a full house, and the audience were ‘educated’. Every pedantic comment that this Professor of English made was absorbed and appreciated.

Francesca is diminutive in stature, looking very much like Twiggy in the era of the play, but she was huge in delivery. She had a perfect Scouse accent, the look of innocence whilst still being streetwise. Rita’s many costumes were straight from Carnaby Street.

Colin took Frank from being a dry confused lecturer, to a thoroughly inebriated, repulsive being with no self-confidence. His eyes and expressions were masterful. It was wonderful to watch the cold antagonism of the couple, slowly change to affection and in Frank’s case repressed lust.

This is a play and performance that could fill theatres night after night. Not often I give a standing ovation, but here was performance that certainly deserved it.

This colourful, two-and-a-half hour production is a community partnership of Koorliny Arts Centre and the 9 Lives Theatrical Production Company (a witticism on the director, Cat Baxter’s name). 9 Lives is a company that provides an opening for actors, designers, directors and playwrights, gathering them, young and old, from all walks of life. They raise money for these shows with their Bunnings Sausage Sizzles – hard work – so yet another reason why this team deserve to be seen.

Book you tickets online, or at the Koorliny Arts Centre, Sulphur Road in Kwinana, and the show can be seen each evening at 8.00 until 30^th October.

The stage is black, with the set comprising multifunctional black boxes. The courtroom scene was well constructed (Steve Newman, Wayne Gayle, Mel Sklenars, Judy Rippon). The atmosphere relied largely upon the colourful lighting design by Mick Rippon, operated by Bart Rippon.

The quintet is seated under an arched bridge that stretches across the rear of the stage – scaffolding by Orvad Pty.

     Elle Woods (Annika Kononen) is a beautiful blonde, stunningly dressed in pink and who is the school’s Delta Nu sorority president. She is in love with Warner (Brad Tudor), but he is in love with himself. He has his whole life laid out in his mind, eventually becoming a senior politician. Whilst dining with Warner, Elle who expecting an engagement ring is dumped for not being serious enough. Devastated, but on the advice of her closest friends, Margot (Jessica Dean), Serena (Peta Kuchel) and Pilar (Shel Italiano), she goes to study at Harvard Law School – where Warner is enrolled – in an attempt to win back his heart. Waving goodbye to her loving parents, father (Peter Shaw) and Mum (Sylvia Mellor), she travels East with her friend Kate (Caris Read).

     When Elle does none of her homework, Professor Callahan (Gary de-Vries) bans her from his classes, favouring the arrogant, bitchy, Vivienne (Caitlin Alford). Elle learns of a fitness trainer and TV star, Brooke Wyndham (Sarah Hubber) who is in the penitentiary, accused of killing her husband; she goes to offer free legal advice.

      Elle finds that prisoner Brooke is an old school friend, and with the aid of her law-teaching assistant, daggy Emmett (Jethro Pidd) decides to help Brooke. To look more professional, Elle decides that the ‘dumb blonde’ look must go, so calls in the help of a hip hairstylist, Paulette (Vikki Walker). Whilst in the hair salon, a gorgeous hunk of deliveryman (Clayton Mitchell) arrives with a parcel – Paulette is in love!

      Elle, along with her gay friend, Enid (Taneeka Loreto), gains an internship. She can now defend her friend Brooke. The court’s police officer (Darren Gould) brings in the first witness for the prosecution, Spanish pool boy, Nikos (Nathanial Prosser) soon followed by Brooke’s step-daughter, Chutney (Paige Mews).

     Will justice prevail, and who will marry whom?

I saw the opening night of this fast-paced show, and although in the first five minutes there were a few first night nerves with the odd wrong musical key, the whole production suddenly took off. Smiles came to the faces of this young cast, the enthusiasm was most apparent as they radiated an infectious energy. The audience just loved every second. Even the primary school children in the audience were entranced.

With such songs as the famous ‘Bend and Snap’ and the politically incorrect ‘Gay or European’, the production was wild with energy.  Director Cat Baxter and her brilliant assistant, Joshua Munroe, filled the show with humour and style. With such a large ensemble, Cat was wise to employ a cast liaison helper (Marie Earle-Sadler).

Choreographer, Anita Telkamp had several complex numbers, all perfectly rehearsed, with the ensemble smiling as they went through difficult routines, such as the skipping and singing ‘Whipped into Shape’ by the prison inmates. Anita passed the Irish dance routine to Philippa Rippon; again, the cast did her proud, as Irish dancing is a tricky genre to learn.

There were several costume changes for this large cast, ranging from the sporty Cheerleaders to students in gown and mortarboard, from the sedate lawyers suits to the bright, prison boiler suits. The hard worked costumiers were Cat Baxter, Tina Wayne and Marie Earle-Sadler.

Musical director and keyboard player, Kenn Ellis, was accompanied by Chris Johnson on guitar, Talitha Broughton and Krispin Maesalu on reed instruments, and Mark Beasy on drums. The lively backing vocals were by Chantel Bell, Cat Baxter and Maddie Earle-Sadler.

This show bounced along, full of fun, colour, energy and style.

This well-crafted play is a joint Koorliny Arts Centre and Kwinana Industries Council production, and can be seen at Theatre One, Koorliny Arts Centre, 20 Sulphur Road, Kwinana Town Centre at 8.00 pm on Friday and Saturday nights until 29^th August. There are two matinees, one on Saturday 22^nd and the other on Sunday 23^rd August – both at 2.00 pm. Kwinana is closer than you think.

The scene is an upmarket hair salon in north western Louisiana. The set is exceptional, with all the trimmings of a real beauty parlour (design Jon Lambert, Kate McIntosh, Ryan Taaffe: construction by Stephen Carr, Julian Williams). There are the hydraulic chairs, working sinks and washing sprays, electric drying hoods, trolleys with all of the necessities for hair and nail care. At the rear is a kitchen. To the side is the shop door leading onto a walled patio. The floor has a large tiled pattern. (Décor and props are by designers and Allen Blachford, Lee Germain).

The scene changes, under Kate McIntosh’s supervision, were some of the best I have seen. The stage crew, Jon Lambert, Allen Blachford, Brittany Kirk, and Josh Germain were outstanding, they knew precisely what was expected, they had their own tasks, moved in with the dimmest of light, replaced and removed props and left silently.

Alex Coutts-Smith’s lighting design was evenly spread over the large area (harder than it sounds), with one or two special effects (operated by Lee Germain). The sound was perfectly cued by Alex Coutts-Smith.

The costumes were perfect, from the designer label clothes of Clairee to the mad Christmas outfits – Lisa Watts excelled.

     We enter the salon as a young nervous girl, Annelle (Chantel Bell) is applying for the trainee’s job. The beauty parlour’s owner, Truvy (Natalie Burbage) is seated in the chair whilst scatty Annelle, totally lacking in self-esteem and with hands shaking, tries to impress her. Annelle gets the job just as a wealthy client, the former Mayor’s widow, Clairee (Sue Murray) arrives for her weekly trim.

     Truvy explains to Annelle that their main client today will be Shelby (Jamie Tunbridge), who is getting married that afternoon. No sooner has Shelby arrived with her mother, M’Lynn (Tracy Noble) when, being a diabetic, she has a hypoglycaemic fit. M’Lynn explains to the ladies in the salon that due to her type 1 diabetes, sadly Selby cannot have children.

   Momentarily, the peace is broken by the arrival of a brash and rough-as-guts farmer, Ouiser (Leanne Tunbridge), who wants to know all about Annelle’s past and has no qualms about telling the stylist what she thinks about it.

   Several months later, as Truvy is putting up the parlour’s Christmas decorations, Selby’s mum – M’Lynn – announces that she is to become a grandmother; Selby is pregnant and thankfully her diabetes seems stable.

   Will Shelby’s pregnancy go uneventfully?

What a ridiculous challenge to take on, presenting one of the cinema’s Top Ten ‘weepies’, but director Ryan Taaffe – assisted by Hillary Readings – has done just that, and succeeded ! The first hurdle to overcome was the Deep South accent. Wisely, the cast have been given just a hint of the twang, and not the full annoying drawl.

Annelle and Truvy were required to deliver their lines perfectly, whilst appearing to have all of the hair dressing, cutting and trimming skills of a real stylist. Because of the warm chemistry between the actors, the emotion and tenderness of the story built up beautifully, the audience really cared about the story’s characters. Annelle oozed insecurity, Truvy was the caring motherly type, even wealthy Clairee was loved in this small village and she loved back.

Shelby and her mother could easily have overacted and ruined the effect; instead they understated their parts and immediately captured the audience. Finally there was Ouiser, an absolute rat bag who treated everyone abruptly, but in the end showed she too was a compassionate part of the community. Some richly observed scenes, beautifully presented.

After adoring the film, you may be a little apprehensive in case you see a disappointing play, thus spoiling the fond memory. Don’t worry for a second, this is a powerful production, with all of the sentiment and comradery of the book and film – you will still need the tissue box.

This cast is as good as you will see anywhere, so try and catch this production, it deserves to be seen.