Review by Michelle Kemeny
Standing in the Loading Dock foyer at Qtopia is always special as I love the significance of this space and the fact that history has been turned around and from a place of sadness and cruelty it has become a place of celebration.
And, on Wednesday night it was definitely a place of celebration as Little Triangle began its mainstage residency. Before we enter the theatre, the magic has already begun with a singer and a piano accordionist singing their first number to an enthusiastic audience still milling around with drinks in hand waiting to enter the theatre to see their latest production 'A Gay Escapade.'
It was a dynamic start to an evening that just kept the momentum soaring. As the audience filed into the theatre, the buzz and excited chatter was palpable.
And the buzz was warranted… what lay ahead was an excellently rehearsed, high-quality hour and half of world class entertainment. The voices of the entire ensemble were strong and beautiful, the story cleverly woven around Kander and Ebbs classic songs and the props and staging though minimal were perfect and used with aplomb.
Kander and Ebb’s extensive repertoire of fabulous songs have been cleverly manipulated and with the very talented ensemble singing and acting, create beautiful vignettes all centred around the concept of love. The stage is set with a huge heart with arrows in it and is an appropriate backdrop for the entire show.
The highlights for me personally were some of the Kander and Ebb catalogue that I was less familiar with – the very poignant “Sometimes a Day Goes By”, the sassy “Everybody’s Girl” and the hilarious “Ring Them Bells” added to the always popular Chicago and Cabaret numbers to complete a well rounded and clever use of the music that was popular with the all the audience.
The talented Ensemble comprising of Allegra Wilson, Gavin Brown, Nina Carmen, Jayden Castle, Juliette Coleman, Izzy Hanly, Claire Harrison and Sebastian Nelson are without exaggeration the best I have seen in Independent Theatre anywhere in the world. I would see any of them individually or together in whatever they next do and look forward to the next Little Triangle production I have the pleasure to see. And I very much hope we will see them again here at Qtopia Sydney where the significance of getting to tell stories like this in a space with the history this building carries is never lost on the audience.
Little Triangle’s 'A Gay Escapade' is a show for every one of every age who loves musical theatre. Using some of the best-known songs in the musical theatre genre they have collated stories of love and relationships –the good and the bad and the sad and maybe some not ever meant to be.
This is a fun night out which will leave you smiling and humming for days – so grab your besties and head to The Loading Dock at Qtopia to catch 'A Gay Escapade' before it closes on Aug 31.
Image Credit: Annabelle Radford
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