Because the original story was named ‘a Carol’, Dickens preferred to think of the book’s five chapters as being musical ‘Staves’. The first run of the book, bound in Moroccan leather, was sold for $45 a copy (today’s prices). Six thousand copies sold in a few weeks, however, even after seventh editions, Dickens made very little money from the book, being ripped off by a real-life Scrooge on the way. This had also happened to him earlier with ‘Martin Chuzzlewit’.

This lively and hilarious pantomime is two-and-a-quarter hours of guaranteed merriment. The show is being presented by The Darlington Theatre Players at the Marloo Theatre, Marloo Road, Greenmount every Wednesday, Friday and Saturday evening at 7.30 until Saturday 10^th December. There are Sunday matinées at 2.00 pm.

The main set is the office of Scrooge’s Chocolate Factory, with shelves of books and pictures of the many lollies made there. Other vivid scenes include Jan Butty’s kitchen, a graveyard, and of course Scrooge’s meagre bedroom. The colourful sets were designed by George Boyd, and the numerous props provided by Lesley Sutton.

The full sized – 3-metre – flats and furnishings for each scene were changed silently and speedily under the supervision of Stage Manager Rob Warner, aided by his assistants David Bain and Belinda Beatty. The backstage ‘muscle’ was Guy Jackson, Adrian Ashman and Luke Miller.

       Author, Charles Dickens (Allan Lai) takes us into the office of a Chocolate Factory and points out the miserly owner, Ebenezer Scrooge (Richard Hadler). Since Ebenezer’s partner, the friendly and well-loved Jacob Marley (Timothy Presant) had died several years earlier, the work conditions at the factory have been getting increasingly miserable. The factory shop steward, Bob Cratchit (Peter White) has been paid minimal wages for decades by Scrooge. Cratchit lives in one of Scrooge’s crumbling houses with his dear wife, Mrs Cratchit (Sarah White) and their daughters, Susan (Molly O’Hehir) and Katy (Sophie David). They also have a weak and disabled son, Tiny Tim (Joshua White).

      Scrooge announces to his staff (Marjorie De Caux, Katherine Leevers, Shelly Miller) that they must come into work as normal on Christmas Day. The factory cook, Jan Butty (Jacqui Warner – fabulous) and her two useless, but hilarious assistants, Dough (Rachel Vonk) and Nut (Suzy June Wakeling) decide to cheer up their boss by baking him a cake.

      Just as he is about to go home, Bob answers the office door to two charity workers, Shirley (Jacqui Ashman) and Marjory (Lee Thompson), who are asking for donations for the poor. As they leave, Scrooge’s nephew, Fred (Blake Prosser) and his girlfriend, Elizabeth (Simone Willis) call around to invite Scrooge to their home for Christmas dinner – the reply is naturally ‘bah humbug’.

      On Christmas Eve, as the clock is striking midnight, Scrooge climbs into bed. Soon he is asleep. In his dreams, he meets the Ghost of Christmas Past (Ray Egan), who shows him the happiness that once surrounded him as a child. He sees his school friend, Jacob Marley (Caitlyn Moloney) trying to encourage young Ebenezer (Timothy Zuiddam) to enjoy himself. Then, years later as a young man, Scrooge (Guy Jackson) is seen spending his Christmas doing bookwork and trying to make more money. Even a visit from his childhood sweetheart, Belle (Natasha Smith, under-studied by Katherine Leevers) fails to make him happy.

       In a creepy sequence, Scrooge sees the people that he has treated badly, led by Head Spook (Tim Ward) and his Spook team (Jana Gardner, Lilly Miller, Niamh O’Herir, Sam White, Sarah Zuiddam) rising from their graves and dancing before him. (The first few seconds of this scene may disturb very young children, who have not experienced Halloween fun).

       The nightmare continues as the Spirit of Christmas Present (Suzanna Matla) appears in a beautiful white fur coat; she shows Scrooge the sadness and poverty of the Cratchit’s home. The Spirit of Christmas Future (Luke Miller) then arrives and demonstrates to Scrooge what a difference he could make to his workers’ lives.

       Scrooge goes into the street where he meets a paperboy (Jacob Clayton – very good) and asks him to buy a giant turkey from Mr Brisket, the butcher (Adrian Ashman), and then take it to the Cratchit household.

      Could life be changing for this wretched old miser?

 Choreographer, Rachel Vonk has done a wonderful job with such a large and young cast. With guidance of the experienced directors, Amanda Minutillo and Sallie Ketteringham, Rachel has mingled some of the performers amongst the audience, encouraging punter involvement. Well-rehearsed dancing and singing, accompanied by the catchy, perfectly balanced, pre-recorded tracks from Tony Perry, made specially to the directors’ requirements.

Richard Hadler was brilliant as Scrooge, insulting the audience and drawing plenty of boos and hisses banter throughout.

As Fezziwig, Luke Miller gave an energetic dance performance in the Gangnam style sequence. Little Lilly Miller, whilst very young, was faultless.

The singer of the evening was Tiny Tim (Joshua White), who must be congratulated on his beautiful rendition of ‘Where is Love?’ from ‘Oliver’, which he sang – unaccompanied – with great emotion and perfectly in tune. The sound designer for this fast moving complex show was Tony Perry, with Greg Rusha operating the desk. Great lighting from designer Mike Smale.

There must have been around a eighty costumes for this colourful show, but costume designers, Marjorie De Caux and Shelly Miller, along with their seamstresses gave us a real visual treat.

This really is a show for ALL of the family. Great songs, colour, jokes, slapstick and dancing, what more could one ask for? Another Marloo triumph.

DEAF and HARD OF HEARING  Wednesday 22nd June enjoy Terry Pratchett’s ‘Wyrd Sisters’ with AUSLAN SIGNING by Christy Filipich

It is Mediaeval England. There are several, very different scenes. The flats, which cover the full width of the stage, are built on castors so they can rotate. Some flats are like books with a few pages on each revolve. Owen Davis’s scenery was bright, quirky and superbly built. Between scenes, 4 or 5 stagehands could make the change in seconds; even when the crown room with a dais and two thrones was turned into the witches kitchen, with workbench, two armchairs and a table – 8 seconds! That must be one of the best-organised and speediest crews ever (stage manager David Bain, ASM Belinda Beatty, James Scott, Guy Jackson). The props were unusual and very demanding on the poor Lesley Sutton.
The lighting design (Mike Smale) was complex and well planned, picking out the actors as they moved around the stage. The two follow spots were operated by Emma Dee and Charlie Montgomery. The sound effects (Alice Carroll) were crisp and perfectly cued – a few zany effects brought belly laughs.
The costumes ranged from witch Ogg’s tat, to Lady Felmet’s gown, from the soldiers’ uniforms to the town’s peasants. A great deal of thought had been carefully sewn into every garment. Marjorie DeCaux at her very best.

        To the sound of thunder we meet the three witches, the Wyrd Sisters; they are the highly regarded and tough old bird, Granny Weatherwax (Fi Livings), mother of fifteen Nanny Ogg (Chantelle Pitt), and Magrat Garlick (Alisha Napier), an apprentice witch who believes in the old fashioned methods of magic involving covens and cauldrons. They are discussing the recent murder of King Verence (Rachel Vonk).
        The Wyrd Sisters see a peasant (Verity Lux) fleeing the evil Duke Felmet (Ryan Marano), who has the Lady Macbeth syndrome of constantly cleaning his hands. Now that Felmet has become King, his cruel, mercenary wife, Lady Felmet (Taneal Thompson) demands that the taxes are collected. The peasant has in her breadbasket a baby – the newly born prince, who is rightful heir to the throne. However, a bowman (Thomas Outred) shoots the peasant and the witches rescue the infant, Tomjon. They give him to a childless, loving couple of touring actors, Mr Vitoller (Ryan Marano) and Mrs Vitoller (Kathleen ‘Martha’ Nyland).
        Whilst in their kitchen, the witches are visited by a Demon (Bailey O’Hehir) who warns them of the troubles ahead.
         The witches realise that it will be at least 15 years before the prince will be able to rule, so with advanced magic, they travel forward in time.
Felmet sends the court Fool (Billy Darlington – delightful) to find the performers’ troupe, and Tomjon (Lochland Baynham) who is now a talented actor. The court jester sees Magrat being robbed by a conman (Aryan Menon) saves her and falls in love. Duke Felmet fears Tomjon will take his rightful place as King, so he orders a playwright Hwel (Suzy June Wakeling) to weaken the witches powers by writing a play that mocks them.
        The witches trick their way past the guards (Verity Bruce, Sabrina O’Brien) at the castle gate. The witches meet the ghost of the King who tells them how Felmet stabbed him. Felmet sends out his soldiers to capture the crones, but instead they encounter a set of actors dressed as witches (Rosemary Bruce, Sabrina O’Brien, Martha Nyland, Kira Pearce).
        Felmet’s Sergeant (Kayleigh Lux) catches the real witches, and his soldiers (Kira Pearce, Glenda Napier) throw them into prison.

Will the witches escape? What will happen to the Duke and Lady Felmet? Will Tomjon become King?

The script has numerous amusing links to Shakespeare’s plays, especially ‘Macbeth’.
I think this may be the first major production directed by Harrison MacLennan, who was ably assisted here by Guy Jackson. With a massive cast to handle and some actors as young as 12 yrs. (Bailey O’Hehir – a star in the making?), I was expecting the show to stagger through. However, EVERY member of the cast was superbly rehearsed and totally focused. There were no vacant faces when other actors were talking, and everyone acted with their bodies and faces. Good, solid and natural performances from this young team. The magnificent witches had some hilarious lines, delivered with perfect comedic timing.
The entrances and exits worked smoothly, even when a dozen actors were involved.
This is a complex script, and so was a major undertaking; but the direction is so clear and the performances so confident that children from 8 yrs. and up will enjoy the madness. Great fun.

This two-hour play can be seen at the KADS Theatre in Barber Street, Town Square Centre, Kalamunda each Wednesday, Friday and Saturday until 28^th May.

For any new people in the area and potential audience members, may I suggest that your beautiful posters and first-class website mention which theatre the show is at, and where the theatre is situated?

The scene is the year 2014, in the shabby lounge room of Herringbone Manor in Sussex. Due to encroaching poverty, the buildings have fallen into disrepair, with many of the artworks and treasures having been sold off. The set is the work of Richard Woolman, Bill Weighell, Paul Hodges and the designer Geoff Rumsey. The stage manager is Liam Rogers.

       Act One – The pedantic and painfully overbearing, Lord Alfred Herringbone (Paul Anderson) is reading his ‘Times’ and sipping on a whisky. Meanwhile, his tolerant wife, Lady Penelope (Marsha Holt) tries to ignore Alfred’s demands for perfect syntax. Their aging butler, Wick (Geoff Rumsey) is now a luxury they can barely afford, but as the Wicks family have been attendants and loyal servants to the Herringbones for centuries, they keep him on.

       On returning from holiday, their daughter Caroline (Rachel Vonk) suggests that they contact her friend Alyce (Natasha Smith) who works as a producer’s assistant on a TV show, dedicated to saving old manors. Will she be able to help? What will she unearth?

 

     Act Two – We find ourselves back three centuries at the beginning of the Herringbone dynasty, where the first butler, Wicks (Les Marshall) takes care of handsome, debonair Amberley Herringbone (Paul Reed) who is being chased by a gypsy girl (Natasha Smith). When he rejects her, she puts a terrible curse on the House of Herringbone for generations to come. Perhaps antiques expert, Justine truelove (Charlotte Weber) may hold the answer to the misfortune.

 

The two stories are both very funny, the first Act was slick and worked well, however, the second Act suffered from the ‘Curse of the Herringbones’. With only days to go, two actors had to withdraw due to severe illness; unfortunately, this left the second story under rehearsed. A little bit of script editing would also help, but it was a good storyline and well thought out.

Paul Anderson gave a hilarious, supercilious performance, with Martha Holt brilliant as the frustrated, long suffering wife – great chemistry between the pair. Geoff Rumsey was perfect as the present day, gracious Wicks with all his subtle quirks.

Quite a complex lighting schedule designed by Don Allen and operated smoothly by Tiernan Stevens. Julie Hickling’s soundscape was operated by Jason Millman.

Having the author direct his own play can be a risk, but Bob Charteris has had plenty of experience both on and off the stage, and with this very good cast he did extremely well.

This Darlington Theatre Company production can be seen at the Marloo Theatre, Marloo Road in Greenmount on Wednesday, Friday and Saturday evenings until 12^th December, curtain up 7.30 pm, Sunday matinees 2.00 pm.

Incidentally, the Marloo Theatre website now requires an ‘au/’ at the end of the address. Their real website is not ‘for sale’, so please use   http://www.marlootheatre.com.au/

All of the flats, at the rear and side of the stage, were very pale, dappled blue. Colourful fruit barrows and their attendants stand at the side. There was the exterior of a small cottage. In another scene was the corner of a harem and a small swimming pool.

      Thunder can be heard as beautiful Fairy Bowbells (Natasha Smith) strolls onto the stage, in search of her lost friend, Rosalind (Sophie David). She finds her pal locked in a cage, and as she releases her, there is a flash of lightning and the evil Esmerelda (Siobhán Vincent) – boo hiss – arrives. She cons Bowbells into giving her a magic neck talisman. With this new power, Esmeralda turns Rosalind into a black cat, Kitty (Tanya Doogan).

      In the town square, Bosun Bowleg (David Seman) and two seamen (Adrian Ashman, Paul Presbury) are searching for a new captain for Alderman Fitzwarren’s (Paul Reed) boat. The Alderman’s atrocious cook, Sarah (Suzanna Matla) is destroying even more food in her oven. Two local idiots, ‘I’ (Jonathan Quinn) and ‘Spy’ (Angus Cummings) have been hired to follow and kidnap, Alice Fitzwarren (Melissa Bull), the Alderman’s daughter; however, Esmerelda’s press gang, the evil Rats (Sophie David – radiated stage presence, Thomas Outred, James Dick,) led by King Rat (David Bain) – boo, hiss – were also out to kidnap any able-looking man.

      As handsome Dick Whittington (Channing Whitworth – good singing) is helping scout leader, Miss Peabody (Jacqui Ashman), he is captured and whisked away onto a ship. They set sail for Morocco but their boat sinks.

       The extremely wealthy Sultan (Michael Hart – at his best) and his gorgeous daughter, the appropriately named Maneeta (Tyler Morgan) capture the crew. The Sultan’s butler, Jeeves (Timothy Presant) pleads on behalf of the captives, but the Sultan continues to admire the harem dancers (Jenny Trestrail, Natasha Smith, Rachel Vonk).

       Will dangerous Esmerelda be stripped of her powers? Is there any happiness or love left in the World?

 

Marloo has one of the largest stages in the WA community theatre group, and although the small amount of set was of quality (George Boyd), the quantity let it down. The stage often looked stark. Whenever the chorus left the stage, the two or three actors remaining appeared lost in a void. Perhaps leaving a few ‘peasants’ loitering whilst the singers performed would have helped. There was good and speedy set changes by stage manager Hayley Derwort’s team of Jordan Tabb, Elanor Cooper-Ritter, Graham Dick, Michael Dick and Ashley Johnson. When the LED lighting changed from white to colour, it certainly helped make the scene more intimate and less clinical (lighting designed by Michael Hart and David Bain, operated by Mike Smale).

The lightning and explosion effects were MOST impressive, especially when topped off with Greg Rusha and Brendan Tobin’s inventive sound design.

The costumes (Rachel Vonk, Tracy Vonk, Sallie Ketteringham) were perfect for the characters, ranging from the beautiful gown of Fairy Bowbells, to the ‘horrible rats’ outfits. Then there was the diaphanous dress of the Sultan’s drag queen daughter, Maneeta – great fun. Then there is that very different camel (constructed by Annie Bramble) – not your typical Panto camel – it was meant to be ridiculous, matching the two mad characters inside.

‘Dick Whittington’ was enthusiastically directed by the talented Rachel Vonk. The intricate choreography was clever and well rehearsed, thanks to Joanne Neesham. The musical directors, Brendan Tobin and Amanda Minutillo gave us catchy tunes, with a sensible sound level to ‘accompany’ rather than take over the singer’s vocal cords. At times, perhaps too many different themes were taking place on stage simultaneously. Plenty of action is wonderful, but to have serious singing, with dancing and a comedic camel altogether can be a little overwhelming.

A thought :- Who was the Dame of this panto? What does a Dame normally look like?

When comedians crack jokes, the script can be first-class, but much of the success depends upon the style of delivery. The cast were word perfect and well-rehearsed, but often the lines were delivered as though they were part of a drama – clearly, at a good pace but in the wrong genre, so many of the jokes did not quite work correctly. The corny humour especially needs to be spelt out – as though telling a four year old a joke – with even a boom boom noise from the musical accompaniment or a simple bass drum just to drive home the point. Pantos are the one time that ‘ham’ is best.

‘Marloo’ can be relied on to entertain children of all ages. Your kids would love this.

This very funny two and a half hour, dark comedy by the Darlington Theatre Players, can be seen at the Marloo Theatre, 20 Marloo Road, Greenmount on a Friday and Saturday nights at 8.00 until Saturday 16^th May. There are two Sunday matinees at 2.00 pm.

It is present day in the upmarket living and dining area of the Patterson’s home, somewhere in Australia.

Another magnificent set from George Boyd. The dining area is raised and the table is set for a special family meal. The sitting room area has a comfortable three-piece suite and jarrah furnishings. There are two arches leading to the bedrooms and front door. The director and his assistant, the technical crew, George Boyd, Michael Hart, Dennis Sutton and the stage crew, Graeme Dick and James Dick, combined efforts to build this stunning set. Lesley Sutton has carefully chosen props give a truly authentic ‘lived in’ finish.

Very good, well thought-out, lighting design operated by David Bain. Two large pendants light the area. David has taken the time to light passageways, and when the room door was opened the area beyond was lit up and not, as often seen, just a black void. Chantelle Pitt operated George Boyd’s sound design with precision.

       A spotlight picks out a wall clock and dour Ron Patterson (Ray Egan). Ron explains how three months ago his specialist told him he is dying, and that he had three months to live. Ron took him at his word – not 3 and a bit months, but three months precisely to the minute. Today is the day; he has 111 minutes left to live. His wife Dawn (Siobhán Vincent) has decided to gather the family around for party pies and Pavlova, in an attempt to help Ron tie up the loose ends of his strained family life.

      The lights dim, and seconds later we join Ron’s high flying, businessman son, Michael (Richard Hadler) and his elder daughter, Debbie (Belinda Djurdjevic), 35 and still not married! They are trying to decide why their father has called the family gathering. Could he have discovered that Michael is gay?

      The younger daughter, Karen (Laura Williams) arrives, wearing a miniskirt, bright red shoes and a massive chip on her shoulders. She moans and complains, ‘why is her Dad wasting her time?’, but as soon as Ron and Dawn enter the room, her little pet-lip pouts and they tell her how wonderful she is, so much better than the two disappointing older children.

      Before long, at Ted’s request, a young undertaker (Harry MacLennan) calls to check the funeral details.

This is a hilarious script, and with a laugh about every twenty seconds, it required a first class, inspired director and Brendan Tobin was just the man, most capably assisted by Rachel Vonk. The dialogue was perfectly delivered by a cast that thoroughly understood their characters. All of the personality traits were there, brought to life by great body language and facial expressions. The father’s stern and miserable outlook, the loving caring mother who went with the flow, the petulant and jealous Karen, Michael was anxious and impatient with Debbie trying to be patient despite being the one who is bottom of the family tree. The euphoric undertaker, Ron, just sat with an angelic smile. Rarely I have I seen such a perfectly integrated cast, everyone gets 10/10 for performances. The pace and chemistry outstanding. A massive compliment but thoroughly deserved.

Happy Birthday for tomorrow to director Brendan, you deserve a rest and be pampered.

The laughter did not let up for a moment; sit near the aisle you will need it to roll in. Try to catch it, funniest show in years.