Guys and Dolls -- GMS Juniors
Thu, 8 July 2004, 01:32 pmWalter Plinge2 posts in thread
Guys and Dolls -- GMS Juniors
Thu, 8 July 2004, 01:32 pmTHursday 8th June I was able to see a matinee performance of the musical Guys and Dolls by the Gosford Musical Society Juniors at Laycock Street Theatre, Gosford, NSW.
What I look for in a junior musical is talent, enthusiasm, and training opportunities for the less experienced members of the cast and crew. GMS provides all of this in Guys and Dolls, and does so in buckets. Over 60 singers, dancers and musos onstage, as well as techos.
The staging is excellent ; the orchestra is visible on one side of the stage, in a kind of "low dive", as part of the street scenery. Two raised platforms on either side of the stage function as extra rooms, but the pièce de résistance is the rotating circular platform in the middle of the stage which is transformed into various scenes, allowing the production to go at a great pace. The lowering of a couple of tubes, some lighting and curtains transformed the set into an underground sewer!
The dancers were excellent (many come from local dance schools, which have a high standard), and their costumes great -- they managed several quick costume changes surreptitiously.
The band was good, but perhaps needed a little tightening. To my ear, it was held together by the delightfully-named Julie Plunkett, whose double bass was always audible but never obtrusive. Likewise, the lighting was a little slow in on or two places, but there's no point being picky in what is a training ground.
The chorus was well-rehearsed, and acting (including accents) was top-knotch. One standout in a minor part was Matthew Johnson, one of the youngest cast members, who showed great comic timing and projection in several minor pieces of "business".
The four main leads were all absolutely fantastic: Zack Smith, as the shady gambler, was very funny ; his fiancée, played by Kasey McKenzie had a powerful stage presence and voice, and worked well with Zack. Nathan Hunt, the reformed gambler had several standout songs which displayed a great voice ; Josephine Gleeson played the Salvation Army lady beautifully, especially when she goes to Havana and gets drunk. She worked so well with Nathan Hunt, that when they paired up at the end, the audience gave an audible sigh of approval.
Director Chris Walker can be proud of his cast, crew and directorial assistants, who have given the audience a high quality show, with lots of fun for all concerned. He has thrown down the gauntlet to the adults' GMS, who will be performing "The King and I" when "Guys and Dolls" finishes its run. They will have a hard time following this one.
Get along and see it if you can!
What I look for in a junior musical is talent, enthusiasm, and training opportunities for the less experienced members of the cast and crew. GMS provides all of this in Guys and Dolls, and does so in buckets. Over 60 singers, dancers and musos onstage, as well as techos.
The staging is excellent ; the orchestra is visible on one side of the stage, in a kind of "low dive", as part of the street scenery. Two raised platforms on either side of the stage function as extra rooms, but the pièce de résistance is the rotating circular platform in the middle of the stage which is transformed into various scenes, allowing the production to go at a great pace. The lowering of a couple of tubes, some lighting and curtains transformed the set into an underground sewer!
The dancers were excellent (many come from local dance schools, which have a high standard), and their costumes great -- they managed several quick costume changes surreptitiously.
The band was good, but perhaps needed a little tightening. To my ear, it was held together by the delightfully-named Julie Plunkett, whose double bass was always audible but never obtrusive. Likewise, the lighting was a little slow in on or two places, but there's no point being picky in what is a training ground.
The chorus was well-rehearsed, and acting (including accents) was top-knotch. One standout in a minor part was Matthew Johnson, one of the youngest cast members, who showed great comic timing and projection in several minor pieces of "business".
The four main leads were all absolutely fantastic: Zack Smith, as the shady gambler, was very funny ; his fiancée, played by Kasey McKenzie had a powerful stage presence and voice, and worked well with Zack. Nathan Hunt, the reformed gambler had several standout songs which displayed a great voice ; Josephine Gleeson played the Salvation Army lady beautifully, especially when she goes to Havana and gets drunk. She worked so well with Nathan Hunt, that when they paired up at the end, the audience gave an audible sigh of approval.
Director Chris Walker can be proud of his cast, crew and directorial assistants, who have given the audience a high quality show, with lots of fun for all concerned. He has thrown down the gauntlet to the adults' GMS, who will be performing "The King and I" when "Guys and Dolls" finishes its run. They will have a hard time following this one.
Get along and see it if you can!
Re: Guys and Dolls -- GMS Juniors
Thu, 19 Aug 2004, 06:01 amWalter Plinge
oh... hi