The Rise & Fall of Little Voice
Tue, 18 June 2002, 05:32 pmWalter Plinge3 posts in thread
The Rise & Fall of Little Voice
Tue, 18 June 2002, 05:32 pmWhat: The Rise & Fall of Little Voice
Where: Melville Theatre, Melville, WA
When: 24 May, 2002
"Little Voice" is familiar as a play and recent movie. Mari Hoff (Joy Northover) is a loud, coarse, alcoholic mother with a penchant for tacky clothes. Her introverted daughter rarely speaks and has earned the name "Little Voice". LV spends most of her time listening to and imitating the records she cherishes as the last link to her dead father.
Sixteen year old Lisel Avey portrayed a very vulnerable LV. Unfortunately, Lisel had been suffering from severe flu during the season, but still managed to belt out some fine numbers. Although some of the imitations were a little stronger than others, her projection and rhythm were great. I imagine she'll only improve over the next few years and it'd be great to hear her once her health improves.
But the dominating character in the play is Mari. Dear God in Heaven, Joy strutted around in furry high heels (stripper shoes), negligees, fishnets and patterned skirts that had the audience asking, "How many stuffed toys died to make that outfit?" Her arse wiggled as she tottered on the stilettos, one hand seemingly always holding a cigarette whilst the other carried a drink, she swore like a trooper and ranted and raved with the best of them (still without going too far over the top). Politically incorrect white trash personified, she wouldn't have looked out of place on a British version of Jerry Springer.
You may ask, "So what?" Well, I do know Joy and I know that she doesn't always dress and behave this way. In fact, a few people were mildly surprised to see her flat on her back on the couch with her fishnetted thighs wrapped around Mr Kim Taylor. A manic, energetic, acting tour de force from one of the nicest, loveliest, most talented actresses I know.
When he was able to get the smile off his face, Kim Taylor also did a fine job as Mari's boyfriend, Ray Say. A nasty piece of work who uses Mari to get what he wants (LV), then emotionally destroys her. Initially an amiable, amusing character, Kim's transformation was very unpleasant to watch.
In my opinion, I didn't feel the play flowed as smoothly as it could have. There are lots of little scenes within each act, and most of them started or ended very abruptly, almost jarringly at times. Often we'd be immersed in the dialogue then seconds later plunged into a blackout. House music would simultaneously erupt into the auditorium (usually in the middle of a lyric) as someone released the "pause" button on the CD player. I know it sounds picky, but I really felt it disrupted the flow of the production.
My other quibble would be that some scenes didn't quite make their point. For example, towards the conclusion of the play, LV is trapped in her burning house. The scene ended as the fiery effects arose, then two minutes later, LV and her boyfriend are making their way to the nightclub. I know the audience shouldn't be spoonfed, but it would have helped to see that her boyfriend rescued her.
Nevertheless, congratulations to first-time director Craig Menner. The strong performances, great costumes, effective set and hilarious script made his directorial debut an enjoyable one.
JB
Where: Melville Theatre, Melville, WA
When: 24 May, 2002
"Little Voice" is familiar as a play and recent movie. Mari Hoff (Joy Northover) is a loud, coarse, alcoholic mother with a penchant for tacky clothes. Her introverted daughter rarely speaks and has earned the name "Little Voice". LV spends most of her time listening to and imitating the records she cherishes as the last link to her dead father.
Sixteen year old Lisel Avey portrayed a very vulnerable LV. Unfortunately, Lisel had been suffering from severe flu during the season, but still managed to belt out some fine numbers. Although some of the imitations were a little stronger than others, her projection and rhythm were great. I imagine she'll only improve over the next few years and it'd be great to hear her once her health improves.
But the dominating character in the play is Mari. Dear God in Heaven, Joy strutted around in furry high heels (stripper shoes), negligees, fishnets and patterned skirts that had the audience asking, "How many stuffed toys died to make that outfit?" Her arse wiggled as she tottered on the stilettos, one hand seemingly always holding a cigarette whilst the other carried a drink, she swore like a trooper and ranted and raved with the best of them (still without going too far over the top). Politically incorrect white trash personified, she wouldn't have looked out of place on a British version of Jerry Springer.
You may ask, "So what?" Well, I do know Joy and I know that she doesn't always dress and behave this way. In fact, a few people were mildly surprised to see her flat on her back on the couch with her fishnetted thighs wrapped around Mr Kim Taylor. A manic, energetic, acting tour de force from one of the nicest, loveliest, most talented actresses I know.
When he was able to get the smile off his face, Kim Taylor also did a fine job as Mari's boyfriend, Ray Say. A nasty piece of work who uses Mari to get what he wants (LV), then emotionally destroys her. Initially an amiable, amusing character, Kim's transformation was very unpleasant to watch.
In my opinion, I didn't feel the play flowed as smoothly as it could have. There are lots of little scenes within each act, and most of them started or ended very abruptly, almost jarringly at times. Often we'd be immersed in the dialogue then seconds later plunged into a blackout. House music would simultaneously erupt into the auditorium (usually in the middle of a lyric) as someone released the "pause" button on the CD player. I know it sounds picky, but I really felt it disrupted the flow of the production.
My other quibble would be that some scenes didn't quite make their point. For example, towards the conclusion of the play, LV is trapped in her burning house. The scene ended as the fiery effects arose, then two minutes later, LV and her boyfriend are making their way to the nightclub. I know the audience shouldn't be spoonfed, but it would have helped to see that her boyfriend rescued her.
Nevertheless, congratulations to first-time director Craig Menner. The strong performances, great costumes, effective set and hilarious script made his directorial debut an enjoyable one.
JB
Re: The Rise & Fall of Little Voice
Wed, 26 June 2002, 03:26 pmWalter Plinge
yes, Jessica, she did sing. Lisl has a very fine voice, but as Jarrad said, she was overtaken by the flu the day we opened.
Stuart
Stuart