State Fair - stars are for pre-schoolers

Please excuse any errors, as I have written this review late at night. STATE FAIR Director: Carole Dhu Musical Director: Merle Brown State Fair, a stage adaptation based on the film, is a production presented by Murray Music and Drama Club of Pinjarra. It centres on the Frake family who attend the biggest event of the year, the Iowa state fair. At the annual fair, the Frake children, Margy and Wayne, are confronted with a world outside their farm with when they meet journalist Pat Gilbert and singer Emily Arden. A number of elements of this show enhanced what is, in my opinion, a very typical and overdone narrative. The mise-en-scene was remarkable - a fantastic back drop, supported by two thrust stages which were used as a house and an announcement scaffold. The costume design was essential in establishing time and place, and I believe this was done with a great deal of research and care, displaying not only clothes from different areas, but also different economic groups. However, there were some technical faults which distracted from the overall performance. The microphones hissed and crackled and amplified noises that shouldn’t have been (footsteps and actors talking offstage). I do see the relevance in using this piece of technology, but insist that unless they were flawlessly, they should not be used. The side of stage was not adequately covered by the wings. In several scenes I saw a naked brick wall and several actors standing around. Although these were minor errors, it still broke the created illusion, by revealing to the audience that the show was a construction. Several performances stood out in this production; Sian Dhu as Marky Frake, Damian Lalor as Pat Gilbert and Melissa Treby as Emily Arden. A fantastic effort was made by Sian and Damian who replaced the leads roles a week out from the opening night. Damian played his wise-cracking journalist was a great deal of sass and confidence, while Sian won the audience’s approval with her multi-layered character and sweet, gentle voice. Melissa Treby, an experienced musical performer, who has appeared in productions from Playlovers and the MS society, sung with complete control, which set herself apart from the other vocalists. As mentioned, the plot was rather average, not assisted by cliché dialogue and over used scenarios. The music was very enjoyable, which is not the least bit surprising, being that it was a Rogers and Hammerstein production. Even a small band of three, which accompanied the performers, created an atmosphere unmatched by the best backing tracks. By my knowledge, this was the first production of State Fair performed in W.A and I am glad that the director and the theatre company decided to put on a lesser known music, at the risk of losing bums on seats. I had not seen the film and thought that seeing it for the first time on stage gave it as fresh appeal that can not be replicated.