Rob Mills Is…Surprisingly Good

 

Rob Mills Is…Surprisingly Good

Brisbane Powerhouse, Queensland Cabaret Festival

& Mackay Entertainment And Convention Centre

Powerhouse Theatre

Sunday June 14 2015

 

 Reviewed by Xanthe Coward

 

 

Rob Mills Is…Surprisingly Good. It’s a humble, slightly bemused premise on which to base a show (they’re the words of critics of course), and it works. Mills is sensational, surprising East Coast audiences with his self-deprecating humour, natural musical ability and charisma. Anyone who has seen Mills in a musical theatre production, as Jamie (The Last Five Years), Fiyero (Wicked), Warner (Legally Blonde) or Danny (Grease), won’t be nearly as surprised as the rest. Again, this time within the challenging realm of cabaret, Mills shows his mettle.

 

I loved how they put the word grease in the hair of the logo. It made it exciting as soon as we sat down. The direction was beautiful and the song Sandy almost made me cry in Mum’s lap. Sandy is a beautiful song and Rob Mills sang it perfectly. I’m sure I saw the movie, but I thought this version was much better than the movie.

 

– Poppy Eponine

 

The “not really a Rodgers and Hammerstein kind of guy” clearly has a ball sharing his personal stories, which stem from a childhood of singing and playing guitar, and a heap of pub gigs followed by his 15 minutes thanks to Australian Idol, and an eclectic assortment of rock songs and musical theatre faves. The show is loosely based around notions of Dancing Through Life (Wicked), [He] Knew You Were Trouble (Taylor Swift) and finding one’s Purpose (Avenue Q).

 

We’ve seen and heard a lot from Mills via TV and THOSE headlines, and he doesn’t shy away from any of it, in fact he relishes all of it (even a boy band medley moment, which is GOLD); he reminisces and laughs with us.

 

 

He’s unashamed and beyond reproach. He’s dancing through life, and why not?

 

Striking the perfect note, Mills opens with Live in Living Colour (Catch Me If You Can). He is at once disarmingly cute, irresistibly charismatic…although he takes a few minutes to comfortably settle into the space.

 

The Powerhouse Theatre is a good deal bigger than the intimate surrounds of RACV Noosa Resort for example, which is where you’ll catch him next, in a Supper Club version of the show during Noosa Long Weekend Festival after a final performance this weekend in Melbourne.

 

There are some static moments, easily fixed by a deep breath, a bolt of confidence and consistent pace (the show picks up after the whole Paris tryst bit), and I feel like the more intimate venues, which allow a closer connection with the audience, will serve Mills well. It’s as if this show has come too soon and also, at precisely the right time for Mills. His gorgeous larrikin characters from musical theatre are somehow at odds with the Rob Mills he professes he wants to be seen as. So there’s clearly another show in this, but it will need to be revealed through the execution of this one.

 

 

 

 

Penned by Mills and Natalie Garonzi, and directed by Tyran Parke, Mills and his hot band (hello, Kuki Tipoki!), led by MD Andrew Worboys, impress and delight the Queensland Cabaret Festival crowd.

 

A final cheeky appearance in the tight white pants of Fiyero seals the deal, in case we weren’t already, er, enamoured. The audacity and cheek of this increasingly confident performer even wins over sceptical Sam, who’s relinquished his +1 role many times, missing some previous performances about which Poppy and I have raved. After the show too, handing out “Surprisingly Good” buttons and posing for selfies by the bar, Mills proves he has the goods to stay at the top of the entertainment tree. So I think it’s time we dropped the “surprisingly good” and acknowledged that Rob Mills is sensational! I’ll look forward to seeing this show again, and whatever it is that must come after it.

 

 

A Give Away – Win a Double Pass to Bat Boy: the Musical!

 

Underground Productions presents the musical comedy hit Bat Boy: The Musical, the hilariously dark tale of a half-boy, half-bat discovered living in a cave, and the obstacles he faces as he tries to integrate into a small, rural town in West Virginia.

 

It’s an explosively entertaining take on how we fear the strange and unknown, set against a score that mixes rock with contemporary musical theatre.  With elements of satire, comedy-horror, irony and forbidden love, Bat Boy is a thought-provoking and thoroughly entertaining work that has garnered massive critical and public acclaim, including the Outer Critics Circle Award for best off-Broadway musical in 2001.

 

Because we loved Underground’s Urinetown so much we want you to see Bat Boy: The Musical so we’re giving away a double pass to the opening night performance on Friday August 30 at The Schonell! Just tell us in the comments section below the best thing about Brisbane theatre!

 

 

Matilda Award nominee Alex Feifers jumped at the opportunity to direct this exciting, yet challenging show.  Undaunted by the imposing text, she says “The real challenge is perfectly balancing the dark and dramatic themes with the comedic irony and wit.  But backed by such a strong creative team and crew, not to mention the stellar cast, I have a big feeling this is going to be the highlight of the local Brisbane musical theatre scene this year.”

 

By the writer of the recent hit Legally Blonde The Musical, Underground Productions couldn’t be more proud and excited to present the Queensland premiere of Bat Boy: The Musical, running from August 29 until September 7.

 

 

About Underground Productions:

Underground Productions is the University of Queensland’s resident theatre group.  It has been running (under different names) since the 1970′s, with artists such as Geoffrey Rush and Bille Brown beginning their careers with the company.  Since its venue transition to the wonderful 440 seat Schonell Theatre in 2010, Underground has evolved to produce some of Brisbane’s finest theatre, whilst still maintaining its close-knit and fun-loving attitude.  Along with 4 mainhouse shows a year, Underground Productions provides opportunities for all things theatre, including drama workshops, backstage crew training, arts festivals, and an annual musical.

 

Underground also strives to showcase original works that the talented Brisbane community has to offer and provides a thorough sense of fun to both members and audiences alike.

 

N.B. The story deals with many dark and mature themes.  Although respectfully handled and often punctuated with humour, we nevertheless recommend that audience member be at least 15 years of age.  There will also be strobe lighting effects, and loud sound effects and music.

 

Performance Dates:

Thursday – August 29 at 7:30pm – PREVIEW NIGHT1

Friday – August 30 at 7:30pm – OPENING NIGHT*

Saturday – August 31 at 2:30pm

Saturday – August 31 at 7:30pm

Tuesday – September 3 at 7:30pm – STUDENT SPECIALS2

Wednesday – September 4 at 7:30pm

Thursday – September 5 at 7:30pm

Friday – September 6 at 7:30pm

Saturday – September 7 at 2:30pm

Saturday – September 7 at 7:30pm – CLOSING NIGHT

*After the opening night performance, stick around for free food, drinks, live music and a meet-and-greet with the cast and crew

 

Tickets:
$20 for adults / $18 for students / $15 for Underground Members
Tickets available from July 15 and can be booked online: http://www.undergroundproductions.org.au

 

1 $18/15/12 tickets for adults/students/members on Preview Night

 

2Students and members pay only $12 on Student Night

 

For your chance to win the opening night Double Pass follow this blog, like us on Facebook and tell us in the comments section below what you love about Brisbane theatre! Winner will be notified via email and announced on our Facebook page.

 

Legally Blonde the Musical

Legally Blonde The Musical

Music & Lyrcs by Lawrence O’Keefe & Nell Benjamin.
Book by Heather Hach

Ambassador Theatre Group & John Frost

QPAC Lyric Theatre

19^th March – 21^st April 2013

 

Reviewed by Xanthe Coward

 

If you’re  following us on Instagram and/or Twitter, you probably had a say in which opening night dress I selected! This was the more elegant of the three, from Sunshine Coast vintage specialists in Mooloolaba Retournez-vous. Thanks girls! Image by Glowbored. 

 

“You never have to compromise.” Elle Woods

 

If I was to tell you you’d care deeply about the plight of a gorgeous blonde 4.0 Delta Nu Porsche-driving president who comes complete with a killer wardrobe and obligatory small dog, you’d …….laugh, right? Heather Hach

 

Omigod You Guys! Mad props to everybody involved! I LOVED Legally Blonde The Musical! Not only did it deliver on every single promise, it did so in STYLE! The sort of style Elle Woods would be proud of! I admit, I was dubious after the friends and live-tweeters at last week’s previews questioned the show’s saccharine sweetness, but this is largely what I loved on Thursday night; the show is unquestionably sweet!

 

So Much Better than the movie – sorry Reese but it is – the musical is fun, uplifting and surprisingly powerful in its light delivery of many heartfelt messages, which seem at first to be very thinly veiled, that is, until Elle succeeds in following her heart and ends up in the right place with the right friends and the right man. See? Sweet! Lucy Durack is the ideal Elle (she auditioned for 8 months to prove it to producers!), and without a hint of Glinda – okay, maybe just a hint – Durack is proving to audiences once again what makes her one of the hardest working (with a fractured foot on opening night!), and best loved leading ladies in the Australian musical theatre scene. She’s simply glorious as Elle Woods; full of joy, vulnerability, ambition and optimism, as befits the character, and it’s hard to take our eyes off her.

 

Hot on her heels though, are Helen Dallimore, the powerhouse voiced Paulette with perfect comic timing, and Erika Heynatz, the model-turned-television-presenter-turned-triple-threat! As Brooke Wyndham, Heynatz stops the show with Whipped Into Shape, making singing while speed skipping look like child’s play (and yes, I had already promised Poppy, when we watched the (MTV) Broadway footage online, that we’d practice this number together at home. We’re still learning the routine, actually, thanks for asking). Of course, as you would expect (I’m being facetious), there’s a Greek Chorus comprising Elle’s best friends from the Delta Nu sorority, and these are the girls who may need to listen to some of what Elle has to say about true self-confidence.

 

On opening night there appeared to be a little bit of competition going on. I felt like somebody should tell them, “Don’t sweat it, girls, remember, YOU GOT THE PARTS! FIND YOUR INNER ELLE” and make them sit down at Interval to watch the Rumor Has It episode of Smash, you know, when Karen is taught to FIT IN. I’m sure they’ve settled already.

 

 

The boys are no less impressive, with Rob Millsy Mills dripping charm as the apparently perfect boyfriend, Warner, Cameron Daddo oozing that awful, all-too-familiar “I can make you or break you baby so (a-hem) *kiss* me” vibe as the Professor, and David Harris delivering on all accounts as Emmett, to give us our fairytale ending. Not sure why we’re not seeing Harris regularly on Broadway yet but I’m glad he’s here for the moment! Omigod you guys, we should have asked him that! The male ensemble is strong, with its standout in Mike Snell, in his first actual role (as opposed to a succession of nameless ensemble roles, which have brought him this far), who sells his “package” with aplomb. Even with an Austin Powers sorta sight gag in there (really, it’s just a phallic reference but I thought it was time we all enjoyed a bit of Austin again!). Surprisingly, it’s not too much. In fact, as big and shiny as every element is, there is nothing overplayed or over produced to the extent that we question it. What this company, along with the extended creative team, and in particular Andrew Pole (Resident Director), have managed to do, is to stage in the Lyric Theatre, a shiny, glossy, sparkly, saccharine sweet Broadway smash-hit without losing anything of the original, except Laura Bell Bundy et al! (I’m including this link so you can appreciate even more, Lucy Durack, and our Australian daytime television talk shows. JUST SAYIN’ Y’ALL!).

 

The set is fabulous, the wardrobe is a new season Preppie-inspired fashionista’s dream, and the dogs, omigod you guys, the DOGS! If nothing else, the dogs in this show will steal your heart. You’ll be grinning from ear to ear over the too-cute antics of Bruiser (Sparrow, Quinn & Audrey) and Rufus (Luka & Harris).

 

Legally Blonde The Musical has so much energy, so much excitement, so much FUN and so much PINK! This production is the perfect example of the new John Frost brand of bread and circuses (we saw it in Mary Poppins); it’s not for the masses with nothing, but for the masses with everything, who demand more, much, MUCH more. Legally Blonde is seriously fun, super slick and shiny; it’s sublime entertainment for everyone.

 

Ha! You’re bending and snapping now, aren’t you?!

 

 

Legally Blonde Stars Share Stage Secrets with Students

Wow, I just haven’t had a chance to put this together for the blog until now, but you might remember that a few weeks ago, I arranged with Cinnamon Watson Publicity for leading Australian musical theatre stars Lucy Durack and David Harris to join Patrice Tipoki on stage, to share their hot tips for aspiring performers, and tales of their own theatrical journeys during a special visit to my favourite Sunshine Coast school (you know Sam was a Foundation Student!), Matthew Flinders Anglican College in Buderim. I’m lucky enough to be invited to teach there sometimes so it was the obvious thing! Of course I couldn’t have the students missing out on such a fabulous opportunity! Also, I didn’t want to miss the chance of quickly capturing some pics with these guys on the day. They are always so busy on opening nights and I don’t do the Stage Door Thing anymore either. So even though I think I look generally EXHAUSTED this year (it could be the longer, darker hair. It could also be the lack of restorative sleep), I seized the day and stopped for those shots, along with the most eager students! Thanks to Tully Grimley and Mr Quirk, we now have the pics to prove it…

 

#exhausted

 

So it was on an ordinary Monday afternoon, before Year 8 Drama, that I facilitated a Question and Answer session with the stars, which we realised was as valuable to staff as it was to the students so all were made welcome, and even Mr Price managed to pop in! You might have seen the Channel 7 news story, or caught the feature in the Sunshine Coast Daily.

 

Patrice, a former Flinders student and Music Scholar, was delighted to catch up with her good friends Lucy and David, who are starring in Legally Blonde the Musical, which opens in Brisbane’s Lyric Theatre on Thursday.

 

Lucy will play leading lady Elle Woods made famous by Hollywood actress Reece Witherspoon, and David will play heart-throb Emmett.

 

The leads of this year’s Flinders musical, Guys and Dolls, joined other students in the hour-long Q&A session with the theatre stars, hosted in the College’s Performance Centre.

 

Questions included how the stars discovered their passion for the theatre and tips to help their performances.

 

While Lucy and Patrice studied together at WAAPA (Western Australia Academy of Performing Arts), David unsuccessfully auditioned for both WAAPA and NIDA (National Institute of Dramatic Art), but then scored a role in The Boy from Oz.

 

“If one door closes then go knock on another one,” David told his young audience.

 

David said he first found himself on the stage back in Year 8 when no-one would try out for the school musical.

 

Drama was just a hobby and he always thought he would become an architect. But after spending just two days at university, David decided that he was destined for a career on stage.

 

Lucy said when she was at school she did not have such an amazing facility to use as the Performance Centre, however, she found inspiration in her passionate drama and music teachers.

 

“I was heart-broken when the school musical was over every year,” Lucy said.

 

Like David, Lucy started a university degree (appropriately, for the role of Elle Woods in Legally Blonde it was Law), but after a semester she was “miserable” and headed back to the theatre.

 

Lucy, who auditioned for eight months to get the role in Legally Blonde, said some of the best advice she could give to aspiring actors was to learn their lines – “then you can focus on everything else that is going on around you”.

 

David encouraged the students to find their “spice”. “We all have our individual spice flavour – know what your spice is and use it,” David said.

 

Patrice, who was one of the youngest to be invited into WAAPA at just 16, encouraged the students to enjoy all the experiences on offer while at school.

 

Patrice, who graduated from Flinders in 2000, was raised in a musical family and has been performing all her life. Her credits include starring as Nala in The Lion King, We Will Rock You touring Australia and Japan and most recently in the hit musical, Wicked. Patrice has moved back to the Sunshine Coast where she lives with her husband and two young daughters.

 

Both Patrice and David said their next big dream roles would be from Les Miserables, while Lucy is working on a project and would love to star in that when it is produced.

 

This article was published originally on mfac.edu.au

Thanks to Debbie Southern

OMG YOU GUYS! Legally Blonde opens in Brisbane this week!

OMG YOU GUYS!

 

The worldwide smash hit musical

LEGALLY BLONDE opens on

 

Thursday night at QPAC’s Lyric Theatre …

WHAT WILL YOU BE WEARING???

 

If you didn’t get tickets in your Christmas stocking, you’d better get them NOW!

 

C’MON! YOU KNOW IT’S WHAT YOU WANT!

Preview performances continue on Tuesday 12 March and Wednesday 13 March.

Tickets to the preview performances are only $69.90

Elle Woods can handle anything.  So when her boyfriend, Warner, dumps her for someone ‘serious’ she decides to follow him to Harvard Law School and win him back.

With some help from new-found friends Paulette, Emmett and her Chihuahua, Bruiser, she learns that it’s so much better to be smart.

The all-star Australian cast includes LUCY DURACK (Wicked) as Elle Woods, ROB MILLS (Wicked, Young Talent Time) as Warner, DAVID HARRIS (The Boy From Oz, Miss Saigon) as Emmett, HELEN DALLIMORE (Into the Woods – UK) as Paulette, ERIKA HEYNATZ (Australia’s Next Top Model) as Brooke Wyndham and CAMERON DADDO (Beaconsfield, Packed to the Rafters) as Professor Callahan.

Nominated for seven Tony Awards® and ten Drama Desk Awards in its first year on Broadway, and having won seven major theatre awards in London, including the Olivier Award for Best Musical, LEGALLY BLONDE is an international sensation.

LEGALLY BLONDE is a joyful, uplifting, inspirational musical that guarantees a great night at the theatre. Welcome to the sorority!