Rockdale MS - The Wedding Singer - couldn't be more **awesome** if it tried!!!

Last night I was lucky enough to watch the second performance of Rockdale Musical Society's "The Wedding Singer". As the Australian amateur premier of this show, there isn't an equivalent performance to compare it with - and I can tell you now, that any company attempting it from here on in has an AMAZING act to follow!! There was absolutely nothing in this show that was not flawless (well, a few late sound cues - but that's pretty much unavoidable in all shows). The staging was effective, simply moved and appropriate, the band were meticulously correct, the costuming (I WANT a blue sparkly jacket!!!!) just pure 80s (as as most of the cast was probably still breastfeeding in the 80s, it wasn't sourced from them), the choreography was precise and so perfect for the show... but there's nothing much that beats the pure vocal and acting ability of the leads. Across the board, the leads were outstanding - but the unsurpassable "rightness" of Max Newstead in the lead male role of Robbie Hart, matched with a clear, emotional, rich voice on top of absolutely classic comic timing made Max a joy to watch on stage. Special mention must also go to Laura Murphy ("Holly") - in a role which is (perhaps) the perfect blend of Ado-Annie's "fun", with Mimi's sex-appeal... and Laura conveyed both perfectly. And is extremely cute, too :) Oh, and can sing!!! Gosh, can she sing. From the comments from the audience around me and during interval (and it was a night packed with "the theatre crowd", who are happy to be critical most of the time) there was nary a voice in the house that didn't love this performance. The most common comment heard was on the energy level of the cast (which is something you can't teach a cast, you have to assemble an amazing bunch of people and hope for the best), and the absolute polish of the whole show (for which every piece of praise possible should go to director Jay James Moody and his production team). Often in amateur theatre, even the most professional mob will often have one or two people trying desperately to copy the dance moves of their neighbour (I've seen it even at RMS productions before). But this was not observed even once in this performance. Every person on stage knew where they were supposed to be, what they were supposed to be doing, and were there doing it with 250% energy levels. It was an amazing thing to experience. The leading lady - Julia - was sweetly sung and acted by Kate La Peyre. It's a role that you have to have in a musical, but not as much fun to do (most likely) as Holly. Kate showed that she could both ballad and belt, but it was her acting that really stood out. Kate managed to convey the "simple girl waking up to a big mistake, and then finding the right man..." storyline effortlessly. Her chemistry with Robbie was gradual and appropriate - the leads are a perfect matching in this show. Robbie's two sidekicks, Sam (Jason Oxenham) and George (perfectly done by Osman Kabbara, who looks NOTHING like his program photo!) were an excellent balance for Max. Although the hairstyles (Max's is real) did cause a bit of confusion as to who was who - particularly with the small measure of one-upmanship which seemed to be going on as the high jumps and "flits" off the stage at times got going. Particularly praise must go to Osman as George, who was such a joy to watch in the genderbender role. Go the glitter! The entire ensemble seemed to be packed with phenomenal dancers, and very strong vocalists. Mention must go to Jess Burns, who stepped out of the ensemble to play Linda for this performance - on top of around 20 other bit-pieces. Well done on ther energy and versatility! In short, there is nothing not to like about this show. There is nothing that could really be done better in order to make this more enjoyable. The audience cheered and whooped their way through, and wolf-whistled too (or perhaps that was just me - bad habit). If you can beg borrow or steal tickets, chuck a sickie to get off work and see this production next weekend. You will be missing the best production of ANY show by an amateur company in Sydney in recent memory if you don't. Fantastic ** awesome ** Well done cast and crew!