This delightful, Kalamunda Dramatic Society presentation, just short of two-hours, can be seen at the Kalamunda Amateur Dramatic Society Theatre in Barber Street, Kalamunda nightly at 8.00 pm.

This fabulous show finishes its three-week season on Saturday 3^rd December.

The scene is the present day, in the sitting room of a rundown house in the North of England.

The stage apron and the auditorium aisle became the local club. The artwork was by Olivia Peters.

The set designer (Alastair Woodcock) has stripped the small stage back to the bare brick walls. The furnishings are meagre and tatty. To one side of the stage is a staircase leading to a teenager’s bedroom. The bedroom walls are pink and adorned by the LP covers of singing stars from the 1960s and 70s. The props were few but probably very difficult to source, well-done Linda Murray. The busy stage manager was Karen Woodcock.

The lighting (Stephen Marr) and sound (Julie Hickling) designs were very well thought out. With several special visual effects required from a limited lighting rig, a most impressive result. The efficient technical operators were Alexis Marr, Lesley Broughton and Anita Bound. Greg Rusha engineered the sound.

       After her husband died, Mari (Sandra Sando) feeling abandoned, took to the drink. She is desperate for affection – and a regular sex life. However, life has passed her by, and this tarty woman finds herself throwing herself at any man that shows even the slightest interest. Her immature, 15 year old daughter, Laura ‘Little Voice’, or ‘LV’ as her Dad called her (Madeleine Shaw) was devastated by her loving Dad’s death. With only a mug saying ‘The World’s best Dad’, a photo of him on her bedroom wall, and his LP record collection, LV locks herself away. All day she listens to his discs, hoping to find some ethereal, paternal connection by impersonating the singers.

      Mari’s friend, Sadie (Rose Weighell – enchanting) is short of a few brain cells, but understands the circumstances of her friend and her daughter, and shows LV genuine affection. As Mari and Sadie are having an afternoon nip of Bacardi, the telephone men arrive to install Mari’s lifeline to her clients. Mari moves in on the older technician, Clark (Stephen Marr) whilst the very shy young assistant, Billy (Jack Williams) smiles fondly at introverted, nervous LV.

     No sooner is the ‘phone installed but the village’s ‘impresario’, Ray Say (Keith Scrivens – best I have seen him) arrives to ‘see’ Mari. Her neckline lowers and there is more flesh on show than in a butcher’s window. He hears LV singing in her bedroom and cannot believe the quality. Anticipating being the agent to an international star, Ray calls the local club owner, greasy Mr Boo (Derek Russell).

     Could fame be just around the corner for LV? Will Mari find the man of her dreams?

Director Terry Hackett has once again worked her magic. This is basically an absorbing comedy, but with her clever direction and a magnificent cast – not a weak link anywhere – Terry has brought out the frustrations, deep sadness and pathetic lives of the mother and daughter. There are several poignant scenes where the mother grasps at ‘affection’, and poor LV just feels totally unloved and reclusive.

Narelle Belle mentored Madeleine’s numerous vocal characterisations, and in one scene, Madeleine rattled through several well-known personalities, with a confident, powerful, and beautifully melodic voice with the perfect style of the person she was impersonating. The cameos changed in microseconds, requiring a modification of vocal delivery, accent, and body action. A stunning performance.

Sandra Sando was outstanding as the debauched and pathetic mother, filled with jealousy and frustration. Her rough Edinburgh accent grated, and her whole demeanour was daring and repulsive. Superb.

Every aspect of this show was exceptional.

When the play was first produced, American audiences were surprised to hear that Australia even took part in the Vietnam War.

ARENA Arts and Entertainment are a highly respected WA independent, not-for-profit arts organisation, dedicated to supporting Community Theatre and Theatre for Schools productions. They are presenting this, their latest drama at The Latvian Centre (LC), 60 Cleaver Street in Belmont, conveniently situated just off Great Eastern Highway, a couple of kms east of The Burswood.

The 2-hour production is nearing the end of its season, with performances on Thursday 23^rd, Friday 24^th, and Saturday 25^th June. All shows begin at 8.00 pm.

The set comprises several black rostra at heights varying from 20 cms to 1 metre across the rear of the stage. There are brightly coloured cubes acting as seats. An impressive tree fills one corner.

The clever lighting and sound design by Simon James gave the impression of a much more substantial lighting and sound rig. The sound and lighting operators were Callum Vinsen and Brendan Ellis.

Stage manager Simon James was assisted by ASMs Stewart Mulligan, Sarah Langridge and Gema Seenarain, who worked speedily as a team between scenes. They were helped by the sprites and fairies from the Shakespearean opening scene of the play. These fairy costumes were made by Phylissa Meagher and Chris Ellis.

       The audience find themselves as parents watching the last few seconds of Shakespeare’s ‘A Midsummer Night’s Eve’. The sprites and fairies fill the aisles and run onto the stage. Year 12 student, ebullient Tom (Brad Albert) who is acting as Puck, moves to the front of the stage and takes his bow. The surprisingly prejudiced headmaster, Roy (Andrew Smally), congratulates his cast and their director, Miss Latrobe (Gema Seenarain).

     After show, Tom meets attractive student, Meg (Madeleine Shaw). Meg’s hypochondriacal, snobbish mother, Gwen (Valerie Henry) is bossing her hen-pecked husband, Jim (Don Weaver), who loves Meg. Gwen then berates daughter Meg for talking to boys – especially Tom, one of those new Pommie immigrants!

     For their holidays, Meg and her parents are hoping to travel afar in their luxury caravan. Gwen is never happy or satisfied, and even sets up contentious situations.

     As the headmaster and his nervous wife, Coral (Stephanie Locke) leave the school, he starts to bully her for talking to staff and parents. Coral is broken hearted at losing a son decades earlier, and is trying to come to terms with the constant grief and needs friends. Perhaps her overfriendly meeting with Leonie (Sarah Langridge) or her passionate encounter with honeymooner, Rick (Stewart Mulligan) will cheer her up.

     Tom’s Mum, Vic (Phylissa Meagher) proudly cuddles her son; her ‘blue collar’ husband from Nottingham, Harry (Simon James) tells Tom how proud he is. Tom’s parents are struggling financially, and are heading off for a basic camping holiday.

     To everyone’s horror, it is not long before the headmaster and his wife, Meg’s family and Tom’s clan all find themselves in the same camping site for their 1967 Christmas break. The campsite has Christmas entertainment with Hawaiian dancers and a zany and enthusiastic Master of Ceremonies, (Michael Moshos), who parallels Ariel in the ‘Tempest’. However, the weather turns nasty and a storm causes destruction to the camping area – a real life ‘Tempest’.

Director Christine Ellis has lucidly directed this complex character study. Every person has been richly written, and in this production, we can immediately connect and recognise them with people we know in our lives.

The ARENAarts is always keen to give newcomers a chance to act, and in this play the impressive male lead was new to the stage. There were some very good performances, with ‘old troupers’ like Val and Simon giving superb performances whilst generously, but subtly, helping others around them on the stage. One actor was word perfect, with good powerful diction but was so locked off on the script that the acting suffered. Try to think what the words mean as you are saying them, and let your body go with the flow.

The pace was very good, and the mood of the play, which varied from hilarity to deep tragedy well displayed.

It was good to see Simon James – as good as ever – back on the stage, after years of designing the lighting and sound.

A beautifully written play, well presented with some very strong performances.

Presented by Stirling Theatre Players, 25 Morris Place, Innaloo, this almost three hour musical can be seen on a Thursday, Friday and Saturday night at 8.00 until 26^th September. There are Sunday matinees on 13^th and 20^th at 2.00 pm. It is a long show but time flies.

There is little scenery as such, but there are numerous, wonderful props used in the dozen and a half scenes. Michael Stronach, Jack Gordon and Luke Morgan constructed the brightly coloured sets.

The quality lighting and sound came from the reliable team of Ian and Carole Wilson. Sadly the dreaded headsets weren’t quite so reliable, which wasn’t really a problem until the noise of the pelting rain, drowned out the unfazed actors for a couple of minutes, as the storm passed through.

With so many scenes, it was imperative that stage manager, Liz Pemberton and her crew, Cassidy Pemberton, Brad Albert and Christine Pattison perfectly drilled and organised. The changes were slick, silent and speedy; indecisive work could have killed the show’s excellent pace. Well done.

The stage had a deep apron, with a central walkway leading into the first two rows of the audience.

Some of the youngster alternated nights, so both actors have been listed below.

       As in the Vaudeville Shows of the early 1940s, the placards (Annette Underhill) on an easel at the side of the stage were changed before each act.

        A middle-aged, frustrated and failed actress, Rose (Claudia Van Zeller) is shamelessly promoting her beautiful, Shirley Temple-like daughter, Baby June (Bella Freeman, Phoebe Tennent), whilst cruelly ignoring her plain, shy, older daughter, Baby Louise (Caitlin Knock, Mia Martin). At Uncle Jocko’s (David Cosgrove) TV talent contest, Rose berates the other young talent – a young clarinettist (Charlie Martin) and a pretty balloon girl (Elle Simpson).

      Back at her Pop’s (Paul Anderson) house, Rose tries to borrow more money for June’s career, but when she fails, she packs up, taking the girls from Seattle to LA, along with some newsboys (incl. Bailey Jubb) that she meets on the way. They all perform in down-market theatres for several years. (There is a clever transition scene where the family grow up and we rejoin them as young adults.)

     Rose meets Herbie (Trevor Preston) who used to be a theatrical agent, but is now barely scraping a living together. Rose’s gang move in with poor Herbie. The youngest has now grown up to become Dainty June (Tania Morrow), and Rose has added a pantomime cow (Jamie-Lee Olson, Kimberley Hill) to the cast of her ‘new’ show.

      Miss Cratchitt (Liz Pemberton) is the kind receptionist of an impresario, Mr Grantziger. She gives Rose’s troupe a chance, however, the adult newsboys Pastey (Terence Oliver Smith), Phil (Steve Anderson), Little Rock (Alex Fleckner) and Georgie (Caleb Stevens) after years of the same act, are now disillusioned actors.

      June quits, and so realising that they are broke Louise, now an attractive young lady (Madeleine Shaw) – who is in love with Tulsa (Liam Gobbert) – offers to join Burlesque. She shares a dressing room with dim Agnes (Tracey Endelbrecht); gone are the attractive showgirls (Olivia Taylor, Simonne Matthews), now Louise is with the old, worn out strippers (Helen Marshall, Paula Sayers, and Janet Brandwood – good on ya).

      What will happen to Louise, her Mum and her siblings?

The limitations of this community theatre forced the orchestra into a side room, off the main body of the auditorium, and yet the Musical Director, Krispin Maesalu, miraculously managed to follow the stage action. It was a cold night and so some of the embouchures took a couple of minutes to settle in, but after that, the melodies flowed well. From the soft romantic mood of “You’ll Never Get Away From Me”, to the sleazy striptease music; and the old classics the “Everything’s Coming up Roses” and “Together, Wherever We Go” added to the pleasure. The musicians played beautifully.

The orchestra comprised on reeds, Jeni Stevens, Catherine Motteram, Wayne Griffiths and Talitha (Dunn) Broughton with the brass section Sandra McKenna, Paul Marion, Harry Josland, Jo Coveney, Vanitha Hart, Emma Mondy and Ben Harrison. Josh Haines was on Keyboard, Alfred Bangezhano and drums, KudaKwashe Mateta. The string musicians were Rey Lecciones, Kristy Hughes, Stephanie Hughes and Amanda Reynolds.

Never work with children or animals? The brave – or mad – director, Celeste Underhill and her assistant Cassidy Pemberton did both. Without exception, the children were outstanding; from the one metre of dynamite, Bella, and all of the others, we were fed a meal of magic. They gave us splits – front and sideways – polished choreography (devised by Amber Southall, assisted by the director), and powerful singing with beaming smiles all of the way. Tremendous performances.

Fran Gordon was the wardrobe coordinator – a massive job – but with her costumes team of Carol Hughes, Lyn Hutcheson and Machelle Tennent we had everything from Technicolored dream coats that would make Joseph proud, to the stylish dresses of Rose who seemed to  ‘instantly’ change into 5 outfits in mere seconds – and ended with ‘nothing’. You could hear the husbands asking their wives why they could not get ready as quickly.

Congratulations to Claudia and Madeleine for their extra special performances. Liam and Tania for their dance routines and to Trevor for his moving act. The animals? A veritable zoo, all perfectly behaved. Wow!

When it came to the singing, the leads were powerful and clear. This was a long show but the technical skills, along with the quality performances, made it a must for all of the family – but be warned, book in advance, this show was a sell-out on our night, with NO tickets at the door.

Incidentally, Rose’s ‘strip’ routine was sexy and skilfully performed, but still safe to take your 12-year-old son or Grandma along to see. Thanks for a fun, fast paced, proficient spectacular.