Delicious House

Delicious House; A cheeky, silly, fun and clever spin on an old fairy tail favourite. I must admit, I was a little dubious about attending this one. It’s an original show written here in W.A. and never before performed to an audience. I couldn’t ask any friend whether it was worth filling my only free night in the whole week. What to do, what to do? I had no prior knowledge whatsoever of the show or even the company behind it, and I was left asking myself “Could a local lad write a snappy script, catchy tunes and weave it altogether in a cohesive night of musical theatre awesomeness?” and also “Was it worth my time?” Yes, Yes and Yes again. The music was brilliant and fantastically executed by the wonderful orchestra. It was a pleasure to listen to. I could bang on about it but it’s not my area of expertise (nor is anything for that matter). Nothing more to say than, they rocked! The simple yet effective set and props were great, some in particular very clever, very funny. The witches dinning table is worth going along for in itself. The scene changes were swift and painless. Well done to the crew (and the cast) The acting and the comic timing of all the cast was spot on and had me in fits of laughter from the very beginning through to the very end. Overall the singing was well executed and I struggled to find fault with any of the pitching. The stand out for me was Phoebe Jackson. I did find that volume of some the singing from some of the actors was way to low. This was only some of the time, particularly when trying to fit a gazillion words into a couple of bars, very funny words mind you. This is only a minor point and was not a major frustration as it was not an issue for most of the show. This was the 1st time this was performed to a medium sized audience so perhaps it was a “finding the space” thing. Look, overall this show is an absolute cracker and is a great testament to the talent pool here in W.A., not only on stage but behind the pen as well. Well done to Robert Woods, writer, director, visionary. This show is a heap of fun and should not be missed. IT RUNS FOR ONE WEEK ONLY people. Please support this local group supporting local writers. Not just because it’s local but because it’s bloody good. Get to it! Quickly now, run along. Adam Shuttleworth

Details here http://www.theatre.asn.au/production/2010/delicious_house

I agree with Adam, this is a very entertaining production. I myself am not a musical afficionado... in fact it would be more accurate to say that most musicals I can't stand. There's something about breaking into song at a deeply emotional moment that really grates my nerves, gets my goat, and slaps my walrus. So when I was presented with an opportunity to go and see this show out in the wilds of deepest Midland it was with a certain level dread and resignation. Thankfully, I was smart enough to not let my prejudices get the better of me, and ended up enjoying a fabulous evening of laugh-out-loud comedy and songs you can walk away humming. The story follows fairly traditional lines until the characters decide to overthrow the Narrator and do things their way. The Woodcutter wants a change in career, Hansel wants to see something of the world, and the Witch just wants everyone to think she's nice. I agree with Adam that the scene changes were slick, although the appearance of the edible cottage on stage made things a bit squeezey for some of the entrances and exits. Lighting itself was very simple, but effective. I suspect there may have been a minor glitch in the lighting at one point, but the performers on stage covered it so magnificently that even now I'm left wondering if it was planned that way. The performers themselves were highly polished and had their comic timing down to perfection. Unfortunately I don't have the programme with me, and I won't risk getting the performer's names wrong, but I thought the young lady playing the Witch was especially delightful. Keep an eye out for the dinner scene in the second half! The "You're Insane" song had me in stitches. I also agree with Adam that audibility was a problem for most of the performers on stage. I could hear them all clearly when they started to belt, but the quieter moments were lost under the volume of the accompanying band, who were excellent and contributed a lot more to the show than just music. The best thing about this show, especially from my perspective, is that this is a musical which doesn't take itself, or indeed ANY musical seriously. It pokes as much fun at the genre as it does at the classic fairy tale itself. For jaded straight-theatre-tragics such as myself, it was a breath of fresh air and a highly enjoyable experience. Congratulations to all involved. freddie the rocking jedi badger PS- Slap my walrus??

Yeah, I was left at one point thinking was that a lighting glitch covered up brilliantly by the cast or was that planned, not That you have said the same thing, on a different night, I would side on the "planned but not sure why" side of things