The Musical Of Musicals in Vancouver
The Hit Vancouver Fringe Show Returns to the Stage
Fighting Chance Productions and their Artistic Director Ryan Mooney knew they had a hit on their hands and that plenty of theatregoers were unable to see the show the first time around, and so they decided to bring it to two venues one last time.
The show re-opened in early January at the Jericho Arts Centre, and is currently on stage at the Presentation House in North Vancouver. Lucky for us, the show is still as funny, creative, original as when it first graced the stage at the Vancouver Fringe last year.
The show, written by Eric Rockwell and Joanne Bogart, began life at the York Theatre in New York, and has since become a fixture in the dinner theatre and fringe circuit across the United States.
The concept is simple - take the same idea (people can't pay their rent and they must deal with an insane landlord) and see how five of Broadway's biggest and best composers would do it. All the big names are there - Stephen Sondheim, John Kander and Fred Ebb, Jerry Herman, Andrew Lloyd Webber and Oscar Hammerstein and Richard Rodgers. What we get is 90 minutes of sheer hilarity, and musical theatre at its best.
The cast includes Steven Greenfield, fresh off his stint in two productions of Seussical, Colleen Winton who most recently was in The Black Rider in Vancouver and Toronto, Mikal Grant and Anna Kuman, who recently completed work on Bruce! The Musical and all four of these fine performers shine in this production.
The performances are universally strong, and it's difficult to find flays in any of their performances. Colleen Winton is delightful as the old prostitute in "Speak Easy", Mikal Grant is hilarious as a neurotic painter in "A Little Complex", and Steven Greenfield is wonderful in "Aspects of Juanita". In fact, all three are solid throughout, with very little exception.
Anna Kuman steals the show though as the young and innocent June/Junita/Jeune/Juny/Junie Fae who struggles to pay her rent on time. She has a powerhouse voice, is absolutely stunning, and can dance with the best of them. She grabs hold of the audience and doesn't let go. There is something that draws you to her, and you end up watching her throughout. A recent Capilano College Musical Theatre graduate, she is certainly going to be someone to watch for many years to come.
Every performer has the chance to shine, and shine they do. They handle the clever and rather difficult lyrics of the Sondheim section (A Little Complex) with ease, they all play up the absurdness of the Jerry Herman section (Dear Abby!) to near perfection, and by far, the most ridiculous section of the show comes from, or was inspired by, John Kander and Fred Ebb. Kander and Ebb brought us such classics as Cabaret, Chicago and Kiss of the Spider Woman, and it is truly a showstopper.
The show is directed by Ryan Mooney, who knows how to play up the camp of each section in the show to sheer perfection. He uses a simple lighting design with minimal set pieces to move the show along at a lightning fast pace and doesn't allow the show to get out of control at any point.
It's truly no wonder that this "little show" has been nominated for 4 Ovation Awards including Best Musical. It's really one of the best and funniest 90 minutes you'll spend at the theatre this season.
The Musical of Musicals: The Musical
Fighting Chance Productions
Presentation House (North Vancouver)
****1/2 (out of five)
For tickets, call the Presentation House at (604) 990-3474.
What do you think about this article?
More in Visual & Performing Arts
Latest Articles