Musicals in Sydney

 Hi there

When I was in Sydney last week, I saw three shows:  

Back to the Future - the musical

Goodness, the special effects in this show were the best I'd seen in any musical.  The DeLorean car was definitely the star. At the end when Marty had to drive the car at exactly 88 mph to get through the time barrier whilst simultaneously Doc Brown was trying to get to the top of the clock tower, and all in the middle of  a lightening strike....?   Well, I would have one hundred percent sworn that the car was speeding, skidding along roads, turning corners, and not in a theatre at all. There was noise, and light, and rain, and darkness, and the speedometer registering the mileage neon-like to the audience.  And Doc Brown doing his thing up there on the clock tower....  And the car flew.   Wow.

above:  me, standing in front of an outdoor poster advertising "Back to the Future - the musical".  The poster is made to look as if the DeLorean car has crashed through it.

above:  Before the show has started.  No swishy curtain, just the title.

Calamity Jane - the musical

Oh, I so loved this.  Well, I've also loved the songs in the movie musical, though when I re-watched the movie a good 40 years later, I was stunned that it was so not politically correct in many places (see earlier blog).  Several lines of song and dialogue were changed in this stage adaptation to appeal more to modern audiences.

The show was in The Studio at the Sydney Opera House, a small venue that I believe had once been a storage area under the high dome.  The whole inside of the theatre was done up like a western saloon. The stage was really small and the cast did most of the acting away from that stage.  They walked, strode, argued, sang in the aisles and around the tables.  I was sitting right in the front row of the entrance aisle and just behind the tables and chairs.

above:  inside The Studio theatre at the Sydney Opera House.  Calamity Jane - the musical

above.  Side view of the Sydney Opera House.  The Studio theatre is under a dome.

Calamity Jane made her entrance, singing, and as she sang she shook hands with people in my row.  Including ME!   Then later on, when there was a sort of hoedown going on, the bar floozie pulled me up from my seat and we did a jig.  My attending senior improv classes had prepared me well.  I noticed the actress only chose women to dance with her.

A guy in a front table had a bartender part.  He had to read a line from a card held out in front of him.  And when he said "What's Your Poison?" to a cowboy, all of the audience cheered.

Here You Come Again

This musical is about a sad young man who's fave singer is Dolly Parton.  In moments of crisis she appears to give him advice and, my gosh, she sounded just like Dolly when she both sang the most-loved songs and when she spoke.  Perfect.

NB:  I've got to find out how to get rid of the automatic underlining and that bold print...