2008: Olivia! Oliver with a Twist by Malcolm Sircom

Olivia! Oliver with a Twist by Malcolm Sircom.  Presented by Music for Everyone: Act up Sing out, directed by Nina Stevenson, musical director Rose Shorney.  Belconnen Community Theatre, Wed 1 Oct 11am only, Thurs 2 Oct 11am & 7pm, Fri 3 Oct 11am & 3pm, Sat 4 Oct 3pm only, Sun 5 Oct 3pm only, Mon 6 Oct 3pm only, Tue 7 Oct 11am & 3pm, Wed 8 Oct 11am & 3pm. Bookings: Canberra Ticketing 02 6275 2700

The purpose of Music for Everyone in this production is to encourage children to sing, and at the same time to learn the important basics of stage production.  Nina Stevenson proves to be just the right person to direct Olivia! with its traditional stage musical structure and comic devices.  The result is an effective show which both enables the chldren on stage, ranging in age from 7 to 16, to learn performing technique, and provides for the mainly children in the audience a model which they may now wish to emulate.

The essential learning for the performers was clearly how to work as a highly cooperative team, become aware of each of their individual parts in relation to the whole, and how to maintain focus on performing in front of their peers.  Even for adults an audience of feisty children can be a challenge, but this year’s Act up Sing out group hardly missed a beat.

Stevenson and choreographer Emma Tattam enhanced the original script by the adroit use of group movement, which I thought came to a great finale in Sircom’s scene imitating Gilbert and Sullivan’s Trial by Jury, rebadged here as Trial by Judge. Olivia (Georgina Davidson) becomes a star of the London stage as the supplicating criminal’s daughter with a nice touch of old-fashioned melodrama.

There were many promising performers, which included particularly Maddison Furner as Eliza Doolittle for her all round characterisaton, and Sarah English as Annie, whose singing voice is already pleasant and clear, without being forced.  This was an important feature of the show, that the children sang with their natural voices without amplification.  It’s pleasing to see Music for Everyone fulfilling its promise to our community.

©Frank McKone, Canberra