The Guy Who Didn't Like Muscials - Spoiler Free Review

4.5 out of 5 stars - DON'T MISS OUT

https://www.trybooking.com/events/landing/1253244

Orignally produced by StarKid Productions, Book by Matt & Nick Lang, and Music by Jeff Blim, this is the first musical in the Hatchetfield trilogy.

Everything in Hatchetfield is seemingly normal until people begin singing... Then, they begin dancing... And now, a musical pandemic is sweeping the entire city. It’s up to Paul (an average guy who doesn’t like musicals) and his eccentric group of friends to stop this musical apocalypse and fight for humanity’s future. It’s a story filled with dark humour, drama and a little bit of romance and a little bit of gore. Parental guidance required.

For a musical that hates on musicals, The Guy Who Didn’t Like Musicals (TGWDLM) opens on a strong note, but then carries on consistently at the high bar set for itself. Every performer involved in this production should be proud of their Opening night performance. The usual nerves and technical issues associated with a first performance weren’t evident among the production. A couple of small (tiny) things that I picked up on that would only emphasise the strengths of this production include putting salt in the sugar dispenser so there’s something coming out, and that it was difficult to hear Immi’s beautiful voice in the quieter parts of Not Your Seed over the tracks. But don’t let this take away from every single wonder that was experienced.

How often do we come across a musical where the leading male star doesn’t sing until the final two songs? A musical as such, only puts more pressure on the actor where he can’t hide any weaknesses behind a strong singing voice. If there was any pressure of this kind for Flynn Turley, it wasn’t evident. Everything Turley did in his performance as Paul was deliberate, extra and purposeful. His character development throughout the musical was spot on, from his no-nonsense business guy at the beginning of Act One through to his transformation at the end of Act Two – it all carried through in his character arc without any slips.

Anna Symonds as Emma Perkins, ensured every scene and moment she was involved in had purpose and a developed character. The small interactions with other characters while the attention isn’t on her was deliberate in a way that didn’t pull focus but kept her character thorough. There are moments where she’s part of an ensemble song, but Emma isn’t like the others, and this was evident, particularly in Cup of Roasted Coffee. Her final moments in Inevitable that carried into the curtain call was a genius way to end the show while reminding the audience that this indeed contains horror elements.

The standout performance is Harry Liam, portraying Mr. Davidson, Sam Sweetly, and General MacNamara. Each of these characters had their own song/s which complemented Liam’s vocal abilities. There were small moments where vocals were a little too quiet alongside the tracks. Liam’s presence onstage, his chemistry with other cast members and his comedic timing kept the audience in stitches.

Every story needs a sleazebag that eventually redeems themselves (or tries to), and Parisya Mosel had that character brief down to an art, portraying Ted. His comedic timing was brilliant with all his jokes and pop-ups landing perfectly with the audience. Mosel has a strong voice, and I look forward to seeing where his musical theatre journey takes him across Adelaide.

Alongside Ted is Bill, portrayed by Samuel Cannizarro. Having a subplot within the story gave Cannizarro additional material to develop his character motives and decisions, climaxing with the opening number in Act Two and he took what details were provided in the script and made a character that can resonate with divorced parents within the audience.

Much like Jeff Blim, the Funk Soul team decided to follow in the same footsteps and insert themselves into roles within the cast. Doing this presents challenges for many well-established theatres, production teams, and directors. But Teagan Garvey (Director, Professor Hidgens), Immi Beattie (Co-Producer and Music Director, Alice, Zoey and Greenpeace Girl), and Gracie Greenrod (Co-Producer, Melissa and Colonel Schaeffer) found an equation that successfully created a piece of theatre in a genre that is still new to Adelaide but worked so brilliantly.

Garvey’s Professor Hidgens was great, having created many nuances within his body language to sell the quirkiness of the character. Show Stoppin’ Number was a highlight of Act Two. Beattie and Greenrod took on several smaller ensemble roles that were imperative to the storyline. They both created solid character choices that differentiated from their other characters to ensure nothing was lost in ‘hat’ changes.

The choreography by Allycia Angeles was multi-layered throughout the production, with numbers that openly parodied musical theatre, using dance number cliches that are prominent in high-profile musicals. This was complemented with dance numbers that were original and deliberate to further the story, underpinning that horror theme across the show.

The lighting design was brilliant, giving a musical that produced so many laughs the horror-vibe that sits in it. The lighting plot was cued and executed purposefully and in the way that the medium is designed for – to drive the plot. Equally, 98% of the sound effects (there were a lot) were timed perfectly – Alexa’s chime, breaking things offstage, computer keyboards and mouse clicks, phones ringing… the list goes on. The costume design and coordination is always a mammoth task that was executed well, with the many costume changes among the ensemble to consider. The set was simple, but effective.

Overall, there were many notable moments not mentioned in this review, such as the quick-thinking improv moments to get a lost hat offstage, but all of the small notable moments are part of the larger experience that I hope many more people across Adelaide will get to experience over the 2-week season.

As a company, and for the individual talents showcased in TGWDLM, I’m invested in what Funk Soul Productions produce next because they have set the bar high with an astounding amount of emerging talent… might it be Black Friday?