Tuck Everlasting - Spoiler-free Review

 

4 out of 5 stars - 2 SHOWS REMAINING - TODAY!

Tickets: https://www.trybooking.com/events/landing/1348486

I took the opportunity before the lights dimmed to educate myself across the Tuck Everlasting universe, and I quickly became invested in the story. 11-year-old Winnie Foster yearns for a life of adventure beyond her white picket fence when she stumbles upon the Tuck family and their secret to everlasting youth and faces the extraordinary choice of returning to her ordinary life or continue with the Tucks on their infinite journey. Westminster School produces a musical every 2 years, and after Mamma Mia in 2023, I needed to come back.

The work itself first, the musical is based on the children’s classic by Natalie Babbitt. Music by Chris Miller and Lyrics by Nathan Tysen, while libretto by Claudia Shear and Tim Federle. I love the music – the folk-like tone through many of the songs is fun and different to many other musicals currently doing the rotations. Similarly, the songs were fun. 90% of the script was great, until the final scene where it felt really rushed in a dance, however graceful the dance was. I’m laying this out here and now because the cast and production team have no control over this, and so we move on.

First time director, Emma Williams, returning MD Chris Gould, and Choreographer Carolyn Obst have all done a great job in piecing together a collaborative ensemble that brings the likeness of a renaissance fair to life in every dance number throughout the production.

Ellayna Hails was the standout performer in this production as Winnie Foster. Hails has a strong vocal range within her chest, and this helped in being able to understand her lyrics in the storytelling. Her acting was very warming and believable through her innocent eyes, while bouncing all over the stage and driving the story forward appropriately, showing her knowledge of the plot, the story and the motivations behind her decisions.

Playing opposite is Lachlan Dyer as Jesse Tuck. Dyer worked well with Hails in what could have become a love story had the script gone in a different direction. The quick friendship that formed between these two characters was believable, as was the relationships within the Tuck family. Partner in Crime, with Hails was a fun song to experience

It was fantastic to see Sarah Gomez on stage again, previously playing Sophie in Mamma Mia. Her role as the matriarch of the Tuck family, Mae, was fun to watch and see it develop as the story continued. When Gomez had the opportunity to sing in various songs, it was a treat. Mae had some fun scenes to work with, and the interest within these scenes were evident.

Playing opposite Gomez, as the patriarch of the Tuck family was Michael Pope as Angus. Pope had a fatherly demeanour about his character that worked in his treatment of Winnie in varying scenes, including taking her fishing, or letting her and Jesse sneak out to the fair in town. Quick note that the dry ice in the boat scene invaded the first 8 rows of the audience and was hugely distracting from Pope’s song, The Wheel.

Ollie Mattinson was great to witness portraying Jesse’s brother, Miles Tuck, and really stood out in his song, Time, which was a personal favourite. As a character, Miles has a deeper background than originally meets the eye which is explored within this song, and Mattinson portrayed the emotion, and the connection needed for the audience to care with seemingly ease. His relationship with his varying family members was fun to witness. One of the stronger male actors.

How often is the villain also the comic relief within a production? Theo Fox, as the Man in the Yellow Suit portrayed both sides of his character effortlessly, and was a crowd hit throughout, including the malfunctioning moustache in the Act 2 opener, Everything’s Golden – unless it wasn’t a malfunction, in which was a funny character trait to have a fake moustache purposefully fall off halfway through the number.

Constable Joe and his son bumbling son Hugo was played brilliantly by Jack Parkinson and Max Junge. While sporting much smaller roles than characters already covered, their presence was fun and enjoyable to watch. Similarly, Lily Laan and Lucia Burvill-Fernandes portrayed Winnie’s Mother and Nana respectively, which were also fun characters to watch acted out. Naturally with a smaller role, difficulty levels increase in finding subtext within a script to base character decisions on, and I’m sure this contributed to some of the final acting choices made across these 4 characters.

As Miles’ son, Thomas, Albie Bowden had such a small role but was very cute to watch in his simple yet effective choreography in Time, and then his reappearance as Winnie’s young child in the ballet sequence at the end.

Upon entering the auditorium, I quickly noted the orchestra on stage and braced myself for the usual imbalance of volumes, but that didn’t happen – I heard every character sing their songs while simultaneously appreciating the many instruments featured throughout the experience. There were a couple of stumbles with microphones being turned on in time, but it wasn’t a regular occurrence. The lighting design was spectacular and spot on. Sets, costumes and props all fulfilled the requirements this production needed without a fault. The timelapse between 1808 and 1960 was effectively overcome with simple projection, either on the central tree or conveniently across the top of a flat on a stage truck. It was a shock to discover the cost of programs are now $10 – beware of this when planning your outing.

Special mention to the backstage crew with their efficient scene changes, sometimes with multiple large set pieces moving on and offstage, it looked like a well-oiled machine – something other theatre companies can learn from or avoid by using minimal set pieces. Overall, the cast and crew have done a great job in tackling a demanding theme putting a not-so-well-known production on stage, and there should be many proud families.