2006: Shout! by John-Michael Howson, David Mitchell and Melvyn Morrow

Shout! by John-Michael Howson, David Mitchell and Melvyn Morrow.  G-String Productions at The Street Theatre, directed by Rod and Liz Beaver, January 6-14 8pm.

    I found this production of Johnny O'Keefe's life story strangely disappointing. 

    The first half seems to intend to be a celebration of his early years to 1960 - when he suffered severe injuries in a car accident - but instead of the great burst of excitement that I was expecting as the King of Australian Rock 'n' Roll swung into action, there was a rather flat series of short scenes. Each had its song, but the build up of dramatic tension was missing.

    I looked then for the real guts of O'Keefe's life to spill out as his mental stability was seriously affected not only by the road accident, but especially by the drug induced death of the manager he so much believed in, Lee Gordon, in 1963, his inability to keep his marriage together, his fightback to success on occasions like the Sunbury Festival in 1973, and finally his early death from alcohol and prescription drug poisoning in 1978.  Some scenes in the second half had dramatic strength - especially the Kings Cross party scene - but still there wasn't the sense of foreboding that his life story required.

    Then, literally at last, the show returned to the 1959 hit Shout! and a celebration burst out from the stage and engulfed the audience - as it should have at the beginning.

    Musicality was not the problem, either from the band or the singers.  I haven't seen any previous production, but the dialogue seemed minimal to me, to the point that no real characters became established, except the awful conniving Lee Gordon.  O'Keefe's songs were used to illustrate the story, but they were not the type of songs to carry the drama without rounded characters to sing them.  After the show I remember best Pat Gallagher as Lee Gordon and Tony Maxfield as Marianne, O'Keefe's first wife.  Rod Beaver made JO'K memorable only in the final song.

    Costumes and dance steps were a problem for me too.  I couldn't see the detailed research needed to clearly identify each change in style belonging to the dates of the original performances, and Beaver was dressed entirely unlike the mod suits and ties which O'Keefe wore most of his career.  Maybe I expect too much, but I have seen better G-String productions.

© Frank McKone, Canberra