Downtown - The Mod Musical, Queanbeyan Players, Belconnen Theatre, 24 Feb-5 Mar

 

Queanbeyan Players have kicked off the last two years with a perfectly framed smaller musical at the Belconnen Community theatre- last year with Keating, this year with Downtown. It's a nice vibe to see something intimate and fun from one of the region's longest-lasting theatre companies, and it gives us a chance to see performers in a more intimate environment, carrying on the spirit of Supa, which QP has absorbed along with the life members and the history. It's a valuable separate string to QP's bow and I hope it continues.

In this case, it's a show billed as "a celebration of the 60s", made up of British hits of the era. Often jukebox musicals get a bad rap, taking advantage of a song catalogue to shoehorn them into a half-formed biography or an all-new plot that doesn't accommodate them very well - but this one uses the songs as an insight into how the era felt.  - as an era of shifting trends affects five archetypical women, all colour coded for audience convenience. The script takes a keen eye on the era - mocking its naivities as much as it celebrates the liberation, using the device of new issues of a 60s pop magazine, "Shout", and its nitpickingly conventional advice columnist, Gwendolyn Holmes, to comment on the feelings, dramas and pressures felt by young women of the time. 

It's cast with a strong quintet of actresses, whether singing together in tight harmonies (including vocalising the brass parts that the two-keyboards-and-drums band can't cover), or taking centre stage in solos. As Orange girl, the young wife finding 60s marriage conventions too limiting, Anna Tully is the alternate performing for this night only, but based on how she seizes the role you'd think she'd been playing it for the full run - she's got a great sense of poise, charm and strength as she finds a way to stand up for herself. As the naive Red Girl, Kay Liddiard has a great sense of enthusiasm and crash-through-it-ness, goofy, charming and ever-ready for more. Emily Pogson as the Blue girl is drop-dead gorgeous, statuesque and able to drop that all when more complex emotions start to kick in later in the snow. Hannah Lance as the easygoing Green Girl has a great sense of fun, suggestiveness and just-plain-enjoyment of her material. Sarah Hull brings her experience as one of our most regularly-appearing-character actresses to the Paul-McCartney Crazy American, and also a strong soul voice we haven't heard out of her in a while, letting loose on staples like "Shout" and "Son of a Preacher man" in ways that are incredibly delightful. And Tina Meir makes great cameos both in voice-over reading the magazine articles, and as the increasingly batty advice columnist, finally appearing on stage in full crazy-eyed-ness to add to the fun. There's a great four-piece ensemble behind the leads too which adds to the fun.

Anita Davenport directs in a way that keeps the action flowing constantly, giving attention to all the leads in a well-balanced ensemble. Laurenzy Chapman's choreography is perfectly of the era, throwing in the monkey, the frug, and the twist in stylish combinations. Tara Davidson's music direction uses the cast's harmonies as a strong part of the overall sonic palate, and Helen McIntyre's costumes and Steve Galinec's set both capture the sense of the era stunningly. 

In short, this is a fun look back at an era with great tunes and great performers showcased well. It's a triumph of the form and a great night out.