Lend Me A Soprano - 4 out of 5 stars
Tea Tree Players
TICKETS: https://www.trybooking.com/events/landing/1505720
As I sit waiting for the curtain to rise on the Tea Tree Players latest offering, the dulcet tones of the late Patricia Routlege (Mrs ‘Bouquet’) waft through the theatre, a lovely version of “I Want To Sing In Opera’ and a wonderful tribute to that fine British actress. Then, as the curtain rises, gasps of appreciation sound out from the near full audience, as the beautiful period set from the 1930’s designed by Damon Hill is revealed in all its glory. Good signs indeed for the performance ahead.
I have previously noted the casting skills of Director Barry
Hill OAM (Spamalot 2026), and he has once again aced it for this show. A mix of
experienced and less experienced actors who work perfectly together to deliver
a tight and delightful ensemble, they ably maintain the rhythm and inflection
of the farce style with consistent accuracy of character, pace and energy for
the duration of the show.
Newcomer Amanda Mai, as the unheralded assistant to the
Opera Manager, stood out from the pack as Jo, in her link role between the
ensemble actors, displaying a wide range of stage skills including delightful
comic faces and timing, all without undercutting her fellow cast members. Mai
is a welcome addition to our pool of Adelaide talent.
The Opera Manager Lucile Wylie is confidently played by the
returning Dianne K Lang, as she runs the gamut of emotions from aloof to open
panic with very experienced comic acting skills.
As the opera singer Elena Firenzi, one can only ask while
watching, is there no role that Theresa Dolman cannot play! This role is
perfectly cast for her as she slides from one comic sequence to another with
ease. Her Italian accent, as with others in the cast, adds immeasurably to the
farcical design of the script, while her physical comedy is right on point.
As her husband Pasquale, Jay Mancuso portrays the emotional
Italian husband, living in the shadow of his diva wife, with gusto and is well
cast in matching Dolman’s diva histrionics.
Matt Bryker-Oman performs as Jerry, Lucille’s son and opera
lover. A strong member of the ensemble, his physical comedy skills stood out as
he slipped between faux confidence and trembling starstruck boy. The sock
suspenders were a treat!
Rounding out the ensemble to cement the ensemble balance,
were Kristen Webb as an opera fan and influencer, Marcus Catt as Leo Hoffmeier
the young ‘every chorus girl’s favourite’ tenor and Shannon O’Brien the
Bellhop. Webb provides a nuanced performance in support of the Opera Manager
Lucille, her positioning and timing showcasing her comic skills. Catt portrays
the young ‘eye candy’ role with aplomb and not a small dose of bemused surprise
that he should find himself so happily situated with the ladies around him!
Finally, O’Brien delivers the ‘fan stalker’ role well, annoying pretty much
everyone else on stage with her attempts to insert herself into the
proceedings. All make important contributions to the whole fabric of the show.
The design of Hill’s set allowed the farce to gradually
spread its wings across two settings, a lounge and a bedroom. The positioning
of no less than 6 doors in this space (not at all out of proportion) allowed
Director Hill to have characters weaving in and out of the action with many
humorous results.
The lighting and sound design, by Zack Brittan, highlighted
Hill’s gorgeous set colours and included a well-presented lighting joke that
received laughs each time it presented (fireworks indeed), while the recorded
sound bites used during the production were clear and queued perfectly.
The costumes accurately represented the period, and, tongue
in cheek, it was nice to see guys having to undress on stage instead of the
ladies for a change…I refer you to the sock suspenders and a well-placed towel!
Ken Ludwig wrote this play as a sequel to ‘Lend Me A Tenor’,
some 30 plus years after that show, using gender reversal to present similar
themes and it works well. One of the quirky elements of Ludwig’s writings, is
his common theatrical tool of summarising his entire play in a highly technical
and hilarious 2 minutes before we farewell the cast at curtain down. The
geometric design and cast performance of these two minutes cannot be
understated for its complexity and laugh out loud response from the audience. A
fitting finale.
Director Barry Hill has lovingly rehearsed this ensemble to
deliver a tightly performed, perfectly traditional comic farce that will be
well received by all who see it.
- David Kilsby
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