Stepping Out
Sat, 30 Mar 2002, 03:40 pmWalter Plinge1 post in thread
Stepping Out
Sat, 30 Mar 2002, 03:40 pmWHAT: Stepping Out
WHERE: Melville Theatre (WA)
WHEN: Thurs, March 28 (also Mar 30)
WHO: Directed by Geoffrey Leeder
Also known as "Hamming It Up". There is nothing too deep about Melville Theatre's latest production, it's just a good, fun, piece of fluff that's very funny. I believe the production is touring to the Kwinana Performing Arts Centre after their Melville run, but I couldn't find any details on this page.
An evening tap dancing class for adults is invited to put together a presentation so they can participate in an upcoming community fair (or something along those lines). The play follows their exasperating rehearsal period. To say that the one male and seven female students are not very good, would be a polite way of putting it.
There was an awful lot of overacting going on, but this is a tongue-in-cheek show and it suited the characters. Everybody appeared to be having great fun, particularly tiny Linda Gefken who couldn't help being BIG and overdoing every movement, and Lisa Skrypichayko as the Polish Rose, with a new hairstyle that would put Effie to shame. Lyn Atterton had some of the funniest lines in the play, delivered with the sledgehammer honesty of someone to whom "subtlety" is a foreign word, and Collette Jimmieson was born to play the role of Maxine, best student in the class and is happy to remind everyone of it (Hello Darling!)
Director Geoffrey Leeder took the only male role of "Geoffrey" (apparently a complete coincidence, and having nothing to do with the Tony Danza Syndrome). One can hardly blame him since the bashful, inhibited Geoffrey has both the audience's sympathy and many of the laughs. An excellent job. It is also essential that the play have at least one accomplished dancer to play the role of the instructor, Mavis, and this was realised most effectively by Hannah Leeder. Hannah and sister Kate devised all the choreography, and slightly-older sister Lyn put together the lovely costumes. The Multi-Talented Performing Leeders are available through the above address for Weddings, Christenings and Bar Mitzvahs.
The penultimate dance scene was a scream. I particularly liked Grace Hitchen's look of unadulterated terror, Linda Gefken's frozen determination, and the most beautiful smile in WA theatre on the face of Lisa Skryp. At any one time, there were usually ten people on stage and it was difficult to catch EVERY physical gag. This is the sort of play that would benefit from another viewing - there was so much going on in the dance sequences!
In my humble opinion, I thought there might have been a little bit too much of the "laughing at their own lines" and "pausing until someone's finished their line before I deliver my own" syndromes. I wasn't particularly thrilled with the script either. True, it does have many funny lines, but several important subplots are just thrown away. For example, one of the students (a nurse) discovers that another of the students may be a victim of spousal abuse. Also, it is strongly implied that Mavis's partner is a layabout bastard that she cannot talk to, prompting Mavis to take actions in her personal life that she may never reconcile with. These potentially interesting subplots are simply jettisoned.
But, as I said at the start, this play is designed for easy viewing and frequent laughs. If that's what you're looking for, as was Thursday's full house, you won't be disappointed.
JB
WHERE: Melville Theatre (WA)
WHEN: Thurs, March 28 (also Mar 30)
WHO: Directed by Geoffrey Leeder
Also known as "Hamming It Up". There is nothing too deep about Melville Theatre's latest production, it's just a good, fun, piece of fluff that's very funny. I believe the production is touring to the Kwinana Performing Arts Centre after their Melville run, but I couldn't find any details on this page.
An evening tap dancing class for adults is invited to put together a presentation so they can participate in an upcoming community fair (or something along those lines). The play follows their exasperating rehearsal period. To say that the one male and seven female students are not very good, would be a polite way of putting it.
There was an awful lot of overacting going on, but this is a tongue-in-cheek show and it suited the characters. Everybody appeared to be having great fun, particularly tiny Linda Gefken who couldn't help being BIG and overdoing every movement, and Lisa Skrypichayko as the Polish Rose, with a new hairstyle that would put Effie to shame. Lyn Atterton had some of the funniest lines in the play, delivered with the sledgehammer honesty of someone to whom "subtlety" is a foreign word, and Collette Jimmieson was born to play the role of Maxine, best student in the class and is happy to remind everyone of it (Hello Darling!)
Director Geoffrey Leeder took the only male role of "Geoffrey" (apparently a complete coincidence, and having nothing to do with the Tony Danza Syndrome). One can hardly blame him since the bashful, inhibited Geoffrey has both the audience's sympathy and many of the laughs. An excellent job. It is also essential that the play have at least one accomplished dancer to play the role of the instructor, Mavis, and this was realised most effectively by Hannah Leeder. Hannah and sister Kate devised all the choreography, and slightly-older sister Lyn put together the lovely costumes. The Multi-Talented Performing Leeders are available through the above address for Weddings, Christenings and Bar Mitzvahs.
The penultimate dance scene was a scream. I particularly liked Grace Hitchen's look of unadulterated terror, Linda Gefken's frozen determination, and the most beautiful smile in WA theatre on the face of Lisa Skryp. At any one time, there were usually ten people on stage and it was difficult to catch EVERY physical gag. This is the sort of play that would benefit from another viewing - there was so much going on in the dance sequences!
In my humble opinion, I thought there might have been a little bit too much of the "laughing at their own lines" and "pausing until someone's finished their line before I deliver my own" syndromes. I wasn't particularly thrilled with the script either. True, it does have many funny lines, but several important subplots are just thrown away. For example, one of the students (a nurse) discovers that another of the students may be a victim of spousal abuse. Also, it is strongly implied that Mavis's partner is a layabout bastard that she cannot talk to, prompting Mavis to take actions in her personal life that she may never reconcile with. These potentially interesting subplots are simply jettisoned.
But, as I said at the start, this play is designed for easy viewing and frequent laughs. If that's what you're looking for, as was Thursday's full house, you won't be disappointed.
JB
Walter PlingeSat, 30 Mar 2002, 03:40 pm
WHAT: Stepping Out
WHERE: Melville Theatre (WA)
WHEN: Thurs, March 28 (also Mar 30)
WHO: Directed by Geoffrey Leeder
Also known as "Hamming It Up". There is nothing too deep about Melville Theatre's latest production, it's just a good, fun, piece of fluff that's very funny. I believe the production is touring to the Kwinana Performing Arts Centre after their Melville run, but I couldn't find any details on this page.
An evening tap dancing class for adults is invited to put together a presentation so they can participate in an upcoming community fair (or something along those lines). The play follows their exasperating rehearsal period. To say that the one male and seven female students are not very good, would be a polite way of putting it.
There was an awful lot of overacting going on, but this is a tongue-in-cheek show and it suited the characters. Everybody appeared to be having great fun, particularly tiny Linda Gefken who couldn't help being BIG and overdoing every movement, and Lisa Skrypichayko as the Polish Rose, with a new hairstyle that would put Effie to shame. Lyn Atterton had some of the funniest lines in the play, delivered with the sledgehammer honesty of someone to whom "subtlety" is a foreign word, and Collette Jimmieson was born to play the role of Maxine, best student in the class and is happy to remind everyone of it (Hello Darling!)
Director Geoffrey Leeder took the only male role of "Geoffrey" (apparently a complete coincidence, and having nothing to do with the Tony Danza Syndrome). One can hardly blame him since the bashful, inhibited Geoffrey has both the audience's sympathy and many of the laughs. An excellent job. It is also essential that the play have at least one accomplished dancer to play the role of the instructor, Mavis, and this was realised most effectively by Hannah Leeder. Hannah and sister Kate devised all the choreography, and slightly-older sister Lyn put together the lovely costumes. The Multi-Talented Performing Leeders are available through the above address for Weddings, Christenings and Bar Mitzvahs.
The penultimate dance scene was a scream. I particularly liked Grace Hitchen's look of unadulterated terror, Linda Gefken's frozen determination, and the most beautiful smile in WA theatre on the face of Lisa Skryp. At any one time, there were usually ten people on stage and it was difficult to catch EVERY physical gag. This is the sort of play that would benefit from another viewing - there was so much going on in the dance sequences!
In my humble opinion, I thought there might have been a little bit too much of the "laughing at their own lines" and "pausing until someone's finished their line before I deliver my own" syndromes. I wasn't particularly thrilled with the script either. True, it does have many funny lines, but several important subplots are just thrown away. For example, one of the students (a nurse) discovers that another of the students may be a victim of spousal abuse. Also, it is strongly implied that Mavis's partner is a layabout bastard that she cannot talk to, prompting Mavis to take actions in her personal life that she may never reconcile with. These potentially interesting subplots are simply jettisoned.
But, as I said at the start, this play is designed for easy viewing and frequent laughs. If that's what you're looking for, as was Thursday's full house, you won't be disappointed.
JB
WHERE: Melville Theatre (WA)
WHEN: Thurs, March 28 (also Mar 30)
WHO: Directed by Geoffrey Leeder
Also known as "Hamming It Up". There is nothing too deep about Melville Theatre's latest production, it's just a good, fun, piece of fluff that's very funny. I believe the production is touring to the Kwinana Performing Arts Centre after their Melville run, but I couldn't find any details on this page.
An evening tap dancing class for adults is invited to put together a presentation so they can participate in an upcoming community fair (or something along those lines). The play follows their exasperating rehearsal period. To say that the one male and seven female students are not very good, would be a polite way of putting it.
There was an awful lot of overacting going on, but this is a tongue-in-cheek show and it suited the characters. Everybody appeared to be having great fun, particularly tiny Linda Gefken who couldn't help being BIG and overdoing every movement, and Lisa Skrypichayko as the Polish Rose, with a new hairstyle that would put Effie to shame. Lyn Atterton had some of the funniest lines in the play, delivered with the sledgehammer honesty of someone to whom "subtlety" is a foreign word, and Collette Jimmieson was born to play the role of Maxine, best student in the class and is happy to remind everyone of it (Hello Darling!)
Director Geoffrey Leeder took the only male role of "Geoffrey" (apparently a complete coincidence, and having nothing to do with the Tony Danza Syndrome). One can hardly blame him since the bashful, inhibited Geoffrey has both the audience's sympathy and many of the laughs. An excellent job. It is also essential that the play have at least one accomplished dancer to play the role of the instructor, Mavis, and this was realised most effectively by Hannah Leeder. Hannah and sister Kate devised all the choreography, and slightly-older sister Lyn put together the lovely costumes. The Multi-Talented Performing Leeders are available through the above address for Weddings, Christenings and Bar Mitzvahs.
The penultimate dance scene was a scream. I particularly liked Grace Hitchen's look of unadulterated terror, Linda Gefken's frozen determination, and the most beautiful smile in WA theatre on the face of Lisa Skryp. At any one time, there were usually ten people on stage and it was difficult to catch EVERY physical gag. This is the sort of play that would benefit from another viewing - there was so much going on in the dance sequences!
In my humble opinion, I thought there might have been a little bit too much of the "laughing at their own lines" and "pausing until someone's finished their line before I deliver my own" syndromes. I wasn't particularly thrilled with the script either. True, it does have many funny lines, but several important subplots are just thrown away. For example, one of the students (a nurse) discovers that another of the students may be a victim of spousal abuse. Also, it is strongly implied that Mavis's partner is a layabout bastard that she cannot talk to, prompting Mavis to take actions in her personal life that she may never reconcile with. These potentially interesting subplots are simply jettisoned.
But, as I said at the start, this play is designed for easy viewing and frequent laughs. If that's what you're looking for, as was Thursday's full house, you won't be disappointed.
JB