THE NUTCRACKER - BIG Live - Canberra Theatre, 2025

 

BIG Live dancers in the finale of "The Nutcracker".

Music by Pyotr Illyich Tchaikovsky – Choreographed by Joel Burke, after Marius Petipa

Set Design by Joel Burke, TVS Arcitect and Christopher Osborne

Costumes: Sophia Drakos, Anne Tytherleigh, Brisbane Arts Theatre.

Lighting Design by Ben Hambling & Steven May.

Presented by BIG Live, Canberra Theatre, 6^th & 7^th November 2025.

Matinee performance on 7^th November reviewed by BILL STEPHENS.

BIG Live dancers perform Act 1 of "The Nutcracker".

Christmas came early this year for Canberra ballet lovers with what now appears to have become an annual event, the BIG Live production of “The Nutcracker”.  

Since it was first created in 2021 by Co-Directors, Khalid Tarabay (Executive Director) and Joel Burke (Artistic Director) with a mission to broaden the audience for classical ballet, while creating more job opportunities for dancers, BIG Live has been steadily building its audience and touring schedules.

Commencing with International Ballet Galas and full-length productions of popular classics, “Romeo and Juliet” and “The Nutcracker”, the company broadened its ambitions to include original full-length productions of “Dracula” which premiered in 2025, and “The Great Gatsby” to premiere in 2026, as well as a Christmas Spectacular which will play Sydney and Melbourne, all choreographed by its Artistic Director, Joel Burke.  

It has also increased its international touring schedule, which already includes New Zealand, with performances of “The Nutcracker” in Singapore with guest artists, Iana Salenko and Marian Walter, both seen in Canberra this year in the 2025 BIG Live International Gala. 

Not content to rest on its laurels, BIG Live has enhanced its production of “The Nutcracker” with the addition of some sumptuous new costumes and settings. The company has   very noticeably, strengthened the line-up for the corps, and its attention to detail for the execution of the choreography, so that the spectacular Snowflakes scene that concludes act 1, and the Waltz of the Flowers in Act 2, can now truly claim to be of world standard.  

Burke’s version of Act 1 was always a highlight of this particular production because of the clarity of the storytelling and vivacious interaction of the party guests. But with Alexander Taber opting to create a warm and attentive Drosselmeyer, rather than the usual scary magician;  with Mia Zanardo, quite lovely as Clara, confidently partnered by Joel Burke as her Nutcracker, through a succession of  elegant overhead lifts for their swoon-worthy pas de deux, with William Cheung just a little too disobedient as Clara’s naughty brother, Fritz, and Janae Kerr (Doll), Timur Dymchikov (Jester) and Ervin Zagidullin (Sailor) each offering virtuosic solos, together with the well-staged battle between the rats and the toy soldiers, this act now becomes a delight in its own right, rather than something to be endured while waiting for the spectacle of act 2.

BIG Live dancers perform the Act 1 finale of "The Nutcracker"

With its new setting and costumes, Act 2 is a visual delight, even it the decision to have Clara and the Nutcracker sit on the steps of the great gates to watch the proceedings did create an odd moment  when both had to vacate the steps to allow the Nutcracker to open the gates to allow the Sugar Plum Fairy and her prince to make their rather awkward entrance.

 Elsewhere, each of the series of testing divertissement was well danced. Timur Dymchikov captivated with his energetic Russian Dance; Maria Zagidullina and Bella Collishaw delighted as the sprightly Merlitons; Brock Tighe, Janae Kerr, Jack Jones and Summer Duyvestyn offered a dramatic Spanish Dance; and Huw Pritchard and William Cheung were suitably oriental for the Chinese.

However, it was Charles Herkes and Giselle Osborne who really raised the temperature with their superbly executed Chinese. This fascinating pas de deux requires great strength and total trust from each of the dancers to execute the demanding lifts and manoeuvres, while appearing completely calm and showing no strain. On this occasion it was given a tour-de-force performance by both dancers.   

Abbey Hansen as the Sugar Plum Fairy partnered by Ervin Zagidullin as her Prince added the proverbial icing to the cake with their execution of the famous Grand pas de deux which climaxes the ballet before the whole cast take the stage for the rousing grand finale. 

                                                     Images provided by BIG Live 

   This review also published in AUSTRALIAN ARTS REVIEW. www.artsreview.com.au

THE LOVERS A Musical by Laura Murphy. Theatre Royal Sydney until 16th November, 2025.

Loren Hunter (Hermia) - Mat Verevis(Lysander) - Stellar Perry (Oberon) -Jayme-Lee Hanekom (Puck) - Natalie Abbott (Helena) - Jason Arrow (Demetrius) in "The Lovers". 

Book, Music & Lyrics by Laura Murphy - Directed by Nick Skubij

Choreographed by Yvette Lee – Designed by Isabel Hudson

Lighting design by Trent Suidgeest – Sound and Video design by David Bergman

Fight and Intimacy direction by Nigel Poulton.

Presented by Shake & Stir Theatre Co and John Frost for Crossroads Live,

Theatre Royal, Sydney until 16^th November 2025.

Opening night performance reviewed by BILL STEPHENS.

Jayme-Lee Hanekom (Puck) - Stellar Perry (Oberon) in "The Lovers". 

Enjoying the rare phenomenon for an Australian musical, a second new production, Laura Murphy’s whip smart “The Lovers” was first premiered in Sydney by Bell Shakespeare in 2022.  

Reconceived by director, Nick Skubij for Shake & Stir Theatre Co, Queensland Performing Arts Centre in association with Brisbane Festival, and premiered in Brisbane in September of this year, “The Lovers” now returns to Sydney fresh from its Brisbane season, for this very brief season at the Theatre Royal, courtesy of Shake & Stir Theatre Co and John Frost for Crossroads Live.

Now, Frosty knows a good show when he sees it, and his interest in this particular musical, bodes well for its international potential.  

10 years in the making for Murphy, who wrote the book, music and lyrics, “The Lovers”, offers a contemporary riff on Shakespeare’s “A Midsummer Night’s Dream”, concentrating on the four lovers, Hermia, Lysander, Helena and Demetrius, and the complications caused in their relationships by Puck’s careless handling of Oberon’s love potion.

Loren Hunter as Hermia in "The Lovers".

With Loren Hunter as a feisty, Hermia, who’s in love with Lysander (Mat Verevis), who’s in love with Helena (Natalie Abbott), who’s in love with Demetrius (Jason Arrow),  the four lovers commence the show in an imaginative designer’s version of Elizabethan gear complete with white ruffs, which they eventually doff for more practical creations for the hilarious shenanigans in which they later become embroiled.    

Stellar Perry, costumed in a sparkly red cowboy suit, plays Oberon, while Jayme-Lee Hanekom wears fluffy red pants, red & yellow striped stockings and pom-poms on her head to play a delightfully mischievous, Puck.  All are uniformly excellent in their roles, responding to Nick Skubij’s erudite direction with enthusiasm and flair.

Although she draws on Shakespeare’s text for her spoken dialogue, most of the storytelling is told through Murphy’s catchy songs. There are about 27 in the show.  Each crammed with clever, ear-catching, rap-style lyrics, quite a few of which were lost on opening night, due to a sound balance that tended to favour the excellent on-stage band.  

Natalie Abbott (Helena) - Mat Verevis (Lysander) in "The Lovers"

Visually the show is gorgeous. Utilising revolving stages, ultra-romantic lighting design by Trent Suidgeest, and melting video imagery by David Bergman, designer, Isabel Hudson has created a lusciously romantic forest environment dominated by a huge blossom-laden tree, with a huge love-heart which drops in at appropriate moments.

The over-all effect is of dream-like, original, young, fresh and very funny show, which was given a rapturous reception by the Sydney opening night audience.   

Not only is “The Lovers” an outstanding addition to the growing list of musicals inspired by Shakespeare’s writings, it is also a compelling showcase for the depth of Australian creative talent currently vying for attention on the world’s stages.

While Shake & Stir Theatre Co and John Frost for Crossroads Live are to be commended for bringing this outstanding production to Sydney, hopefully some way will be found to allow it to be enjoyed by audiences beyond this short Sydney season.  

Natalie Abbott (Helena) - Jason Arrow (Demetrius) in "The Lovers"



Special note for Canberra readers: - If some of these names sound familiar - Laura Murphy and Loren Hunter played Glinda and Elphaba respectively in Free Rain Theatre's 2016 production of "Wicked", and Laura Murphy played Princess Fiona in Free Rain Theatre's 2018 production of "Shrek" 




Photos by Joel Devereaux



This review also published in AUSTRALIAN ARTS REVIEW.    www.artsreview.com.au

 

  

Dark Matter 2025

Visual Art (Photography) Review | Brian Rope

Dark Matter 2025

Joshua Catanzariti, Danica Chappell, Kristian Häggblom, Bingham Thurgate

Photo Access, Canberra

23 October 2025 – 22 November 2025

The 2025 Dark Matter residency program brought together four most interesting artists. They each spent part of this year working in the Photo Access darkroom and developing new works through experimentation.

At a conversation with the artists event I attended at the gallery, Joshua Catanzariti spoke about his research regarding how other people have used digital negatives and how, the more he explored, the more he felt that printing images onto paper and then using those prints as negatives was something he wanted to pursue. A large collage of images displayed in this exhibition was created in that way, using Japanese washi paper. The fibres of that paper got translated into those prints. Using film negatives, layering them on top of each other in the enlarger, was another technique he used. Overall, the created artworks are a marvellous portrait of the outcomes of the artist’s experiments.

Joshua Catanzariti’s artworks – installation image © Eunie Kim 

Joshua Catanzariti, passage to Kasuga - installation (detail), 2025 © Eunie Kim

Joshua Catanzariti, Fuji – framed, 2025 - installation image © Eunie Kim

Danica Chappell’s artworks are absolutely different. She pressed her hands directly to surfaces, breaking a golden rule that had previously been instilled in darkroom workers: a film or paper surface should never be touched. She has investigated the history of photography through experimentation and touch, drawing inspiration from pictorialism photography, which links the hand and chance. Both colour and light are valued in the materials she employed, such as egg whites and old typewriter paper, as well as in the actual production of her final products. She clearly has a strong interest in geometry and abstraction, receding spatial forms, and advancing photography's methods while appreciating its past.

Danica Chappell’s artworks – installation image © Eunie Kim 

Danica Chappel, selection from the series Kaleidoscope, 2025 – installation image © Eunie Kim 

Two most interesting pieces amongst those on display are from a series, appropriately titled Shadow Shaping (light-modulated-form). The shapes, the colours, the light - all are fascinating.

Danica Chappel, Shadow Shaping (light-modulated-form #6), 2025 – installation image © Eunie Kim

Kristian Häggblom has drawn on his childhood memory. He has used surviving darkroom photographs made by his father as the impetus for his explorations. In particular he has referred to images his parent made relating to the 1986 Halley’s Comet celestial occurrence. He has sought to re-tell and speculate about that and other associated stories of destiny and doom. And he has spoken about embracing mistakes in the darkroom. The integrated placement of the displayed completed artworks provides a complete, and most enjoyable, visual portrayal of this project – in many ways a homage. However, the artist has suggested we may not be able to read it all.

Kristian Häggblom’s artworks – installation image © Eunie Kim 

Kristian Häggblom, Halley’s Comet, 1986 – photograph and print by Robert Haggblom, analogue print with wooden base – installation image © Eunie Kim

Kristian Häggblom, On the Beach (Kunihiro Hanasaka & Kristian Häggblom), 2004 – photograph by Souma Sato, framed archival digital print – installation image © Eunie Kim

Bingham Thurgate’s work is accompanied by text written for the catalogue by Mae West on his behalf. It seeks to shift our focus to the “spatial, objectual and material qualities of the photographic image and the ways in which these elements, once manipulated, both shape and guide his methodology.” Four created three-dimensional pieces of art use a variety of materials, such as acrylic paint, hinges, chair legs, bolts, paraffin wax, polyester fabric, and balsawood, in addition to their photographic content.

Bingham Thurgate’s artworks – installation image © Eunie Kim

It is good to view these works from various angles rather than simply front on. Doing that reveals so much more, better enabling us to see their qualities in the way West has identified.

Bingham Thurgate, Photographic print #1, 2025 (dye-sublimation print on eco lycra, MDF board, chair legs, bolts) - installation image © Eunie Kim (detail selected by Brian Rope) 

All four artists have created excellent artworks from their individual programs of experimentation, demonstrating once again that the annual Dark Matter residencies program is successfully achieving its aims.

This review is also available on the author's blog here.

RENT - Opera Australia and LPD Productions - Sydney Opera House

 

Jesse Dutlow as Angel in Opera Australia's production of "Rent"

RENT - Opera Australia and LPD Productions – Sydney Opera House

Book, Music and Lyrics by Jonathan Larson.

Directed by Shaun Rennie – Musical Direction by Jack Earle

Choreographed by Luca Dinardo – Set Design: Dann Barber

Costume Design: Ella Butler - Lighting Design: Paul Jackson – Sound Design: Evan Drill

Joan Sutherland Theatre, Sydney Opera House until November 1^st 2025.

Opening Night Performance on October 1st reviewed by BILL STEPHENS

The cast of "Rent".

   

Watching this production in the vastness of the Joan Sutherland Theatre in the Sydney Opera House it was impossible not to be struck by how incongruous it looked in this environment.

Although creator Jonathan Larson drew his inspiration from a well-loved opera, Shaun Rennie’s brilliant stripped-back, low-tech interpretation, with its op-shop costumes, stark steel scaffolding scenery, with components manipulated around the stage by the cast, that had worked so well in more intimate venues as it toured the country last year, now seemed the very antithesis of the purpose for which the opera house was built.

Voices are now amplified to the point where it is often impossible to hear the lyrics, with  the predominantly new cast appearing to have been directed to broaden their performances  to the point, where for this reviewer at least, it is no longer possible to empathise with the characters, who have now become caricatures, who prefer to embrace the squalor of their environment, and despise those of their number who aspire to lift themselves out of it, with shouting, pushing and shoving replacing subtlety and nuance.

Although none of that seemed to worry those in the audience on opening night determined to greet their efforts with rapturous applause.  

“Rent” is a director’s show, in much the same way as abstract shows like “Hair” and “Jesus Christ Superstar” offer possibilities for daring interpretations. Shaun Rennie has embraced this opportunity and surrounded himself with an outstanding creative team who include choreographer, Luca Dinardo.  Dann Barber designed the sets, Ella Butler the costumes, and Paul Jackson and Evan Drill respectively, responsible for the lighting and sound.  Jack Earle is the Musical Director.

Outstanding moments include a representation of The Last Supper, an eye-popping orgy scene, the death of Angel, and a glorious rendition of “Seasons of Love”. However, it is hard to forgive Larson’s misguided decision to have Mimi come back to life at the end to join her friends in the finale singsong, thereby robbing the show of a potentially shattering climax.

Despite the reservation expressed above, this production remains a remarkable interpretation of the show, including innovative staging and thrilling performances, but perhaps the magic moment of the Sydney Opera House opening night was the introduction of members of the cast of the very different original 1998 Australian production including  Rodger Corser, Justin Smith, Michelle Smith, Genevieve Davis, Prinnie Stevens, Peter Murphy and Troy Woodcroft.  

Whether the global success of “Rent” is due to the legend surrounding the death of the writer and composer of the work, Jonathan Larson, who died just one day before his show opened in New York, or because of the quality of the writing which earned Larson a Pulitzer Prize for Drama, and the show, multiple Tony Awards, “Rent” continues to be a magnet for audiences and creatives alike. 

The cast of Opera Australia's production of "Rent".



Photos by Neil Bennett.



This review originally posted in the digital edition of CITY NEWS on 04/10/25.

 9 to 5 THE MUSICAL. Music and lyrics by Dolly Parton. Book by Patricia Resnick. Directed by Sarah Hull. Choreography by Lauren Chapman. Musical director Jenna Hinton. Queanbeyan Players. The Q, Queanbeyan. Oct 31-Nov 9.  

Judy (Sarah Copley), Doralee (Sienna Copley), Violet (Kate Eisenberg). 

(Photox - Canberra Photography Services)

Is it really over 40 years since the film 9 to 5 came out? Some aspects have dated but this musical still has all that gusto about women’s rights and justice in the workplace that made the film good. And it is good to see the women’s roles foregrounded. 

Young wide eyed Judy (Sarah Copley ) arrives  to take up a job in an office and is soon enmeshed in office politics. She has no skills, not even typing or photocopying, and has to learn on the go. Violet (Kate Eisenberg) has ambition and is a single mother but the males get preference when it comes to promotion. And Doralee ( Sienna Curnow) is looking for friends who will see her for the good and positive person she is.

The office is run by the uptight Roz (Shennia Spillane) who is very strict with the underlings but is secretly carrying a torch for the dreadful boss, Franklin Hart (Steven O’Mara). Franklin has no time for women’s rights or workers’ rights and is also up to some shady financial  activity. 

Excellent performances all round, with the three central women doing more than justice to the songs and the themes. This show is not all comedy and the production remains aware of that. . 

How the women plot their boss’s downfall and achieve some kind of workplace justice is at the core of the story and a big cast give it great energy and drive. Office furniture and walls move around with flexibility to create the many settings and there’s a somewhat 70s feeling to the costumes. 

Jen Hinton leads the pit orchestra powerfully in all the scores’s nuances and energy.  Choreographer Lauren Chapman creates some splendidly coordinated moves, especially with all those men in grey suits. And it is great to see some subtlety in the follow spot work.

The sound was not the best in the first half but came good in the second. 

In a way, despite the vigour of Parton’s songs we are really waiting for the title number, which is hinted at then finally used full bore at the end. Fans of the film will find much to satisfy in this production which is clearly a creation in its own right. 

Alanna Maclean.

9 to 5: The Musical - Queanbeyan Players - The Q.

 

Sarah Copley (Judy) and company  in "9 to 5: The Musical"

 “9 to 5: The Musical” - Queanbeyan Players – The Q, Queanbeyan.

Directed by Sara Hull – Musical Direction by Jenna Hinton

Costume Design – Samantha Marceddo – Set Design: Thompson Quan Wing.

Lighting Design: Jacob Aquilina – Sound design: Telia Jansen

Presented by Queanbeyan Players – The Q, Queanbeyan, Oct.31 – Nov. 9, 2025

Opening night Performance reviewed by BILL STEPHENS.

Kate Eisenberg (Violet) and male ensemble in "9 to 5: The Musical"

 Hard -working Violet, is employed in the offices of Consolidated Industries, and is   frustrated at continually being passed over for promotion for less talented men. After accidentally poisoning their boss, Franklin Hart, her two workmates, Doralee and Judy, persuade Violet to join them in a plot to kidnap Hart, and take over the running of Consolidated Industries.  

Such is the premise of “9 to 5: The Musical”, a female empowerment musical based on the 1980 film of the same name and given an exuberant production by Queanbeyan Players.

The main attractions of this musical are the songs by Dolly Parton, well sung by a cast of talented principals and the large ensemble;  choreographer, Lauren Chapman’s spectacularly staged production numbers; and Musical Director, Jenna Hinton’s  excellent band, so good, that many of the first night audience remained after the finale  to enjoy the play-out music.

Shennia Spillane (Roz) - Steven O'Mara (Franklin Hart) in "9 to 5: The musical"

However, whatever the charms the originating film, they seem to have evaporated in this strident musical adaptation. So that despite the best efforts of director, Sarah Hull and her team, it was difficult to become invested in the collection of charmless cardboard characters that inhabit this musical.

However, Steven O’Mara was particularly good at being bad as the impossibly misogynistic boss, Franklin Hart, even if his adversary, Violet, as interpreted by Kate Eisenberg, is so aggressive, that it is difficult to imagine how her management style would be any different to Hart’s when she took over the management of Consolidated Industries.   

Sienna Curnow (Doralee) and company in "9 to 5: The Musical"

A tendency to gabble her lines, together with her thick Southern accent, compromised the effectiveness of Sienna Curnow’s portrayal of the warm-hearted blonde, Doralee, making it difficult to understand what she was saying.

 Of the trio, only Sarah Copley, with a delightful comedic performance as the insecure, Judy, managed to capture the convincing tone for her character. Her self-discovery solo, “Get Out and Stay Out”, was one of the show’s highlights.

Among the supporting characters, Dave Collins as Joe, found warmth in his character, so that his second act duet with Violet,” Let Love Grow”, was another highlight.

Dave Collins (Joe) - Kate Eisenberg (Violet) in "9 to 5: The Musical"

Shennia Spillane is delightful, as Hart’s nosy secretary, Roz, who harbours a secret passion, while Andrew Taylor is extraordinarily cast-off-able, as Judy’s ex, Dick.

Elsewhere among the large cast, Joshua Galang (Josh), John Whinfield (Dwayne), Kirsten Smith (Kathy), and Kara Sellars (Maria) revel in their opportunities as various of the office dwellers at Consolidated Industries.

Thompson Quan Wing is responsible for the imaginative set design, Samantha Marceddo for the tasteful costuming, Helen McIntyre for the myriad properties, and Stage Manager, Sarah Morris for marshalling the large cast.

Jacob Aquilina and Telia Jansen created the Lighting and Sound Design and special mention to Sophie Hope-White for the delightfully clear and informative Printed Program design.         

 

                                               Photos by Ben Appleton - Photox

     This review first published in the digital edition of CITY NEWS on 1st November 2025.

 

 

9 To 5 THE MUSICAL

 

9 to 5 The Musical Music and Lyrics by Dolly Parton. Book by Patricia Resnick. Based on the 20^th Century Fox Picture. Arrangements and additional orchestrations Stephen Oremus and Alex Lacamoire. Orchestrator Bruce Coghlan.

Directed by Sarah Hull. Choreographer Lauren Chapman. Musical Director Jenna Hinton. Assistant Director Anna Tully. Production Manager David Tricks. Repetiteur Brigid Cummins. Stage Manager Sarah Morris. Costume design Samantha Marceddo. Lighting design Jacob Aquilino (Eclipse) Sound Design Telia Jansen (Eclipse) Properties Master Helen McIntyre, Queanbeyan Players. The Q Queanbeyan-Palarang Performing Arts Centre. October 31 – November 9 2025. Bookings 62856290 or www.theq.net.au

Reviewed by Peter Wilkins

 

Sienna Curnow (Doralee Rhodes), Sarah Copley (Judy Bernly), Kate Eisenberg (Violet Newstead) and Ensemble Secretaries

The year is 1979 and it’s a man’s world. But the times they are a changing and secretaries Violet Newstead (Kate Eisenberg), Judy Bernly (Sarah Copley) and Doralee Rhodes (Sienna Curnow) are out to champion the cause for women.

Consolidated Industries is led by CEO Franklin Hart, a hypocritical, lying, sexist and egotistical bigot (Steven O’Mara). It is time for the women to make a drastic stand to overthrow the patriarchy and show what it takes to restore integrity, dignity and respect to the worksplace.

The instant the ensemble launches into Working 9 to 5 as the opening number, bursting with gusto and verve it is obvious that Queanbeyan Players’ production of 9 to 5 The Musical is going to be one helluva powerhouse production.

Shennia Spillane as Roz Keith and Ensemble women

In recent years I have watched Queanbeyan Players cement its place as one of the leading musical theatre producers in the ACT and Qiueanbeyan. 9 to 5 The Musical is no exception. It is assisted by Dolly Parton’s lively music and lyrics and Patricia Resnick’s fun filled book of moments of hilarity and tongue in cheek satire. It’s no earth-shaker of a musical but it is based on a trailblazer of a film that gave voice to women and exposed the injustice of rampant sexism. More than that 9 to 5 The Musical is a showcase of the remarkable talent that continues to bring high quality amateur musical theatre productions to the community. Director Sarah Hull keeps the action rollicking along in a tightly directed work. She is assisted by Lauren Chapman whose chorography is stylish slick and diverse and can make every performer look good on the stage. The cream on the top of this cherry pie production is Jenna Hinton’s musical direction and the professionalism of an orchestra that is musically excellent and imbues the spirit of the show. Hull, Chapman and Hinton have cast an amateur cast that in this production are not only fabulous singers but also terrific actors.

Eisenberg is the long-time employee of the company, Violet, constantly overlooked for promotion by the misogynistic Hart. Copley’s naïve and innocent newcomer is a delight to watch on stage as Judy grows in strength and confidence, supported by her rebellious sisters in arms. Curnow brings a touch of Dolly to the trio and proves that Doralee is a force to be reckoned with. O’Mara’s Hart oozes sleazy sexism but in the end Pat Gallagher’s chairman of the board is no fool and it is inevitable in every good story that the villain should get his just desserts.

In a company as talented as this there are standouts. None more so than Shennia Spillane in the role of the devoted lackey, Roz Keith. Writer Resnick has cleverly drawn a character to contrast with the feisty trio. In a knockout number Heart To Hart, Spillane burns with unrequited love as her devotion to the lecherous Hart reaches orgasmic longings. As Violet’s lovelorn admirer, Joe, Dave Collins’s fine voice is layered with sentiment in his duet Let Love Grow with Violet.  Copley show Judy’s strength when she asserts her independence from a fickle ex-husband in Get Out and Stay Out.

Shennia Spillane as Roz, Steven O'Mara as Franklin Hart

My only criticism of this finely staged production of 9 to 5 The Musical is that the sound levels on Opening Night robbed the production of clarity of lyrics in the ensemble numbers and the subtlety of the show might have been enhanced by more sensitive modulation. This is an opening night issue and is easily fixed so that each number in the show is a unique rendition of Parton’s original numbers. This was less of a problem in the dialogue scenes and individual numbers such as I Just Might with Judy, Doralee and Violet or One of The Boys with Violet and the Boys.

Sienna Curnow as Doralee and Line Dancers

In a rousing Finale of Working 9 to 5 Queanbeyan Players hit the high note of a fun filled night at The Q. However, it is worth noting the 9 To 5 The Musical is no flibbertygibbit night of froth and bubble. The 1980 film with Jane Fonda, Lily Tomlin and Dolly Parton hit the screens almost fifty years ago. Australian society has come a long way since then with more women occupying CEO positions and the Chairs of important organizations. But what of the working woman, their working conditions and attitudes that prevent Violet’s demands of respect, integrity and dignity. Queanbeyan Players’ excellent production continues to blaze a trail for change as well as providing a night of first-rate entertainment.

The Orchestra: Conductor Jen Hinton, Guitars 1 and 3, Christopher Bennie and Lindsay Hunt, Bass Liz Collier, Reeds 1 and 2 Sarah Pfeiffer, Kirsten Nillson/Casey Paige Magnussen Trombone Maddy Upfold/James Harding. Percussion Tim Cole. Drums Stephen Barrat. Keys 1 and 2 Brigid Cummins and Lauren Duffy. Trumpets 1 and 2 Andrew Terracini and Chris Cutting. Pit Singers Hannah Miller, Luke Ferdinands, Rachel Baker, Hannah Osbourne.

Photography by Photox- Canberra Photographic Imaging