Musical theatre / Musical of Musicals, The Musical. At ACT Hub, until October 25. Reviewed by IAN McLEAN.

Four outstandingly talented performers were just brilliant in their interpretation of this cleverly written parody of musical theatre.

The basic premise of this hilarious satire is that one story (I Can’t Pay the Rent!) becomes five short musicals, each written in the distinctive style of five different masters of the musical theatre genre.

The stories, Corn (Rodgers and Hammerstein), A Little Complex (Stephen Sondheim), Dear Abby! (Jerry Herman), Aspects of Junita (Andrew Lloyd Webber) and Speakeasy (Kander and Ebb) mangle everything from Oklahoma and Into the Woods through Hello Dolly and Phantom of the Opera to Cabaret, and many more shows in between, into storylines featuring the four actors – Louiza Blomfield as Abby (the Matron), Will Collett (Billy, the hero), Hannah Ley (June, the ingenue who can’t pay her rent) and Jarrad West (Jitter, the villain). 

The versatility of the four performers is breathtaking. The characterisations of multiple personas is perfect, vocalising of often complex harmonies just outstanding, comedic timing fantastic and energy and stage presence a marvel to observe. These four are triple threats personified!

Equally impressive is the fifth actor – the narrator, played by Duncan Driver, who, along with Duncan Ley, directed the original Canberra production presented some 11 years ago. Duncan was also the rehearsal director for this production. He bobbed in and out with quirky little lines spoken in a multitude of accents to glue the stories together and to move around various bits and pieces of set and props. 

Musical accompaniment was provided by pianist, ex-Canberran Nicholas Griffin, nowadays a major force in Australian professional musical theatre. His playing of an incredibly complex and difficult score was testimony to his abundant talent and ability, and he joined in the frivolity and storytelling with subtle, and quick, little costume changes for each of the five parodies.

The original choreography was created by Hannah Ley and Jarrad West and its varied and contrasting styles were danced with slick professionalism and obvious participant enjoyment.

The perfectly appropriate overly cluttered set was designed by West, while Fiona Leach was smart and inventive in gathering together, or constructing, the vast array of costumes necessary for the quick-change artists. Lighting cues happened at a rapid pace and were slick and accurate and designed by Nikki Fitzgerald. 

For me two weaknesses on the technical side of production marred an otherwise flawless show. 

Despite excellent enunciation and clarity of diction, lines went missing simply because the natural sound of the piano overpowered the voices. The clever lyrics of parody form the basis for this form of entertainment but, too often, despite the top-notch performers, words were lost. The decision for the performers not to utilise mics I believe was in error.

The rake of seating in the Hub was shallow so the audience in the rear seating suffered from poor sight lines. This was exaggerated as, in many scenes, action occurred on the floor of the stage so was unable to be seen by those seated at the back. Maybe safety issues prevented the stage being raised to eye level (movement on and off stage is very rapid) but the inability to see every bit of action did detract. Alternatively, a steeper temporary rake could perhaps have been possible.

Despite those two points, this is a marvellous show as evidenced by a sustained standing ovation, and lovers of musical theatre will revel in its cleverness and the mesmerising talent of the performers.

Big tip – seating is unallocated so hover near the entrance door in the foyer and be first in to snaffle a seat in the front two or three rows. You will experience a remarkable evening of entertainment of the highest quality.