"Jasper in Deadland" Spoiler-free Review
4 out of 5 stars - 4 SHOWS REMAINING
https://www.trybooking.com/events/landing/1334418
Book by Hunter
Foster & Ryan Scott Oliver, and Music & Lyrics by Ryan Scott Oliver,
Jasper in Deadland is a thrilling pop rock adventure based in the Greek Tragedy
of Orpheus and Euridice, that you don’t want to miss.
Keladry
Rozitisolds, Kiara Irvine, Jarrod Matulick and Charlotte Miller have
collectively put together a piece of theatre that isn’t regularly portrayed on
stage – female teenage queer romance – highlighting many of the same struggles,
highs and lows depicted in heterosexual relationships, and it paid off in spades
with a tight ensemble that worked really well together, doing what they could
to overcome the few tech issues throughout the night. The direction afforded to
the cast to make their characters their own and do what feels right created
many small moments (most are spoiler-worthy) that were both impressionable on
the rest of the story but helped make their character “pop”.
As a “thrilling
pop rock adventure” majority of the songs were difficult huge numbers to sing,
and the work Matulick put into this production needs to be noted. I hope that
vocal health was a regular conversation and discussion throughout the rehearsal
period and continues into the show season to nurture and protect the many
voices of our future. Miller’s choreography was spot on! Every time I looked throughout
the ensemble, the timing was impeccably placed, whether it was in unison or in
cannon. I look forward to seeing what the future holds for Miller.
In the
titular role of Jasper, Olivia Tod pulled out all the stops to create a believable
character. Originally a male role, Jasper being portrayed as a female worked
REALLY well. Tod’s acting ability and vocal technique made Jasper a character
the audience could connect with and cheer on as she made her journey through
Deadland to find Agnes. Her song, and its reprises, Stroke by Stroke, was the
ear worm on the way home, and still lives rent-free in this reviewer’s head.
Her bio states that she’s studying a minor degree in French but is now also
able to speak Portuguese – what ever will be next!
Playing
opposite Tod with one of the more difficult songs is Veronica Rogers, playing Gretchen,
a ukelele-playing tour guide that decides to give up her Deadland job and partner
up with Jasper to help her through Deadland to find Agnes. There were a couple
of moments along the way in Act One, but Rogers recovered and pushed on like a
trooper! Remaining spoiler-free, the tragedy that is the end of Act One pulled
at the heartstrings of the audience and rested heavily on the shoulders of
Rogers and Tod to pull it off – and together, they did… mouths gaped open and
all. Rogers’ character development in Act Two created many opportunities to
showcase her talent and she seized each one and made her character equally lovable
for the audience.
With a hero and her sidekick, we need the villain. Marley Haitana portrayed Madame Lethe and had it all! Madame Lethe was written for Haitana, with the many character choices quite comedic. Her song is another that would be difficult for many to execute, but she did it well and was a highlight for many in the crowd.
Madame
Lethe’s assistant, ensuring everything was perfect, was a small role, but Macey
Lawson excelled in this role. I can’t wait to see what Lawson brings to their next production.
Embellishing the main characters was a tight ensemble that took on many roles throughout the musical, each filled with personality, strength, flair, comic relief and spirit. Madelin Wilholt’s Persephone and Lucas Tennant’s Pluto (not the dog) was a quick cameo in Act Two, but is worthy of mention, receiving many laughs from the audience for their relationship dynamic. Persephone’s sacrifice for Tod and Rogers’ characters was touching... and made Pluto a happy God
Equally, Jules Moylan and Will Faulds’ cameos of Loki and Hel were small, but made for some great comic relief, constantly in chase of Jasper. Moylan’s second role as Eurydice was a highlight with her song. It was powerful, piercing and beautiful.
As far as cameo roles are concerned, Jessie Chugg’s portrayal of Beatrix,
based off of Beatrice in Dante’s Narrative, the gatekeeper, stole the scene
(even if it was her scene) and is something audience members will remember.
Tom Hodgkinson portrayed a couple of essential roles, Virgil the ferryman, and Little Lu (aka Lucifer). Both roles showcased Hodgkinson’s comedic timing and varied in characterisation, ensuring both characters were distinctly different.
Mixing in a little Egyptian
mythology, Alana Lymn pulled out all the stops to give the audience a great
scene with Jasper as Ammut, the goddess who weighs your heart against a feather,
except Ammut is a sore loser and cheats… I don’t know if Ammit’s the same. Hungry
for your Heart was a fun song to showcase Lymn’s singing ability.
In addition
to Loki and Persephone, Faulds and Wilholt join Katherine Wicker as the 3-headed
Cerberus (aka Fluffy). While there were technical issues during their musical
number, the 3-headed dog acted and sung equally as one, in time and in
movement. A notable Wicker performance is her snowman building skills at the
end of Act Two – keep an eye out for that one!
Historically,
Opening Night always comes with its challenges, and Jasper in Deadland was no
exception with unbalanced sound levels, mic issues, and track issues – but that
didn’t take away from the top-quality performances provided by the whole cast,
with talent that is on par with another Adelaide-based theatre company
that performed a StarKid production in 2024. If you don’t have tickets, it’s
not too late! You’ll be doing yourself a favour.
FUPAS is a student-led group created to provide all Flinders Uni students an opportunity to be involved with the performing arts, regardless of their degree, and as such, there are many upcoming talents in this production who would be assets to the many other theatre companies across Adelaide and beyond.
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