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Don’t miss The Addams Family this weekend, before they disappear for ever!  Tickets are still available for this Saturday’s 1.30pm matinee at www.decc.net.au or from the Box Office on 6420 2900.

by a Theatre Fan

13/05/2016

Sid Sidebottom and the Devonport Choral Society have once again delivered firsts for Devonport; the first performance of The Addams Family on the NW Coast and a first class production of this gothic musical comedy. Sid is known for his innovative choices of musical theatre and high production values and while this show may not be top of everyone’s list of favourite musicals it is undoubtedly as good as or better than anything the DCS has presented to date.

Many members of the capacity Opening Night audience came suitably dressed in gothic makeup and attire, expecting to see their pop culture heroes in “real life” and they wouldn’t have left disappointed. The Addams Family of cartoon, celluloid and TV fame were stunningly brought to life in living black and white (plus many shades of grey and some muted colours) by the family members, the Ancestors and the Beinekes.

Old love, new love, secrets, family and what it means to be “normal” are all explored in this wacky, humorous and spooky musical comedy.

The “glue” of the family and this production is Gomez, wonderfully portrayed by relative newcomer Mike Brooke. What a find he is for the DCS! From a supporting role in All Shook Up, to the lead in The Addams Family in only his second show, Mike is impressive in both his vocal and character work. He is wonderfully complemented by Carolyn Harris as his wife Morticia, who looks fabulous in her slinky black dress.

Their children, Wednesday (Bronwyn Darvell) and Pugsley (Gus Viney) both do justice to their roles. The torture scene in Act 1 was a comedy highlight. The family is completed by Uncle Fester (John Parry) who made the most of his fabulous comic role, and Grandma Addams (Julie-Anne Jolly) who looked amazing and also made the most of her comic opportunities.

The faithful butler Lurch (Les Van Oosten) gave a “ towering” performance and nearly stole the show when he finally found voice!

The Addams Family Ancestors looked fabulous in their take on fifty shades of grey. Their ensemble work was tight and terrific.

The muted colours were provided by the Beinekes – Wednesday’s love interest, Lucas (Alastair Yeates) – what an interesting pair they make — and his parents Alice (Tash Turner) and Mal (Tim Squire). Supposedly the “normal” family in this show (but as Morticia says “normal is an illusion”) the Beinekes prove her correct. Tash’s performance at the dinner party, when under the influence of the “dark-truth” potion was outstanding.

The Addams Orchestra under the direction of David Turner was excellent, although on rare occasions the balance between the instruments and voices was missing and lyrics were lost. A musical and choreographic (Elizabeth Viney) highlight was the Tango De Amor – it left both the dancers and audience breathless!

The sets, both in terms of construction (Barry Hardy) and design/painting (Jenny Slater and Belinda Gunson) were outstanding. The gothic gates, complete with gargoyles, were magnificent, as were the staircases in the Addams Family mansion. The sets were brilliantly functional as well as visually stunning. Scene changes were slick and the lighting design, by Nick Glen, and function showed the performances and sets off to their best advantage.

Who would have thought that black and white and fifty shades of grey (plus a little colour) could looks so wonderful? As good as the Family outfits were, the Ancestor costumes were outstanding. The attention to detail and myriad shades of grey made the ensemble “stand out” – Wendy McCrae take a bow! The costumes were complemented by fabulous hair and makeup, on both the living and the dead!

Special mention needs to be made of the special effects – the Addams Family mansion projection, the woman in the moon and Uncle Fester’s flight to the moon added to the slick professional presentation of this production.

The creative team of Sid, Shayne Lowe, David Turner and Elizabeth Viney and the production team headed by Maree Brodzinski and John Lee-Archer have created and presented a slick, entertaining and ultimately heat-warming show. One that will long be remembered by the audiences who saw it.

Today, the Theatre Council of Tasmania announced the nominees for the 2016 Tasmanian Theatre Awards. Congratulations to the cast and crew of our 2015 production of All Shook Up for the following nominations:

Best Production – All Shook Up – Devonport Choral Society
Best Performance in a Leading Role – Female – Laura Gillard for All Shook Up – Devonport Choral Society
Best Performance in a Supporting Role – Male – Mike Brooke for All Shook Up – Devonport Choral Society
Best Direction – Sid Sidebottom for All Shook Up – Devonport Choral Society
Best Musical Direction – Bronwyn Darvell for All Shook Up – Devonport Choral Society
Best Choreography – Phoebe Wootton for All Shook Up – Devonport Choral Society
Best Technical – Jeff Hockley, Lighting Design for All Shook Up – Devonport Choral Society
Best Design – Jennifer Slater, Set Design for All Shook Up – Devonport Choral Society

For more information on the awards, go to: http://www.tasmaniantheatreawards.org/

 

The Devonport Choral Society choir, Right On Cue will be kicking off the year in style with it’s first rehearsal being a social sing, before diving in to this years all new repertoire.

New members are very welcome to attend.  For more information about the first rehearsal on Thursday 4 February, please contact us at dev_choral@hotmail.com.

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Congratulations to our wonderful cast for The Addams Family!

Thank you to all of the talented people who auditioned for The Addams Family over the past weekend.  The panel was very impressed with the auditionees.

Thank you also to the very hard working Production Team.  It was a marathon effort by the creative team.

The cast list will be released when all cast members have confirmed their roles.  Watch this space.

An information session for those wishing to audition for Devonport Choral Society’s 2016 production of THE ADDAMS FAMILY will be held at Forth Primary School Performing Arts Centre, Wilmot Road on Sunday 25 October.  The session will start at 2pm.

The information session will be a great opportunity to meet the Production Team, find out more about the show and get some tips on what the Team will be looking for at auditions.

The production will be directed by Sid Sidebottom with musical direction by David Turner, vocal direction by Shayne Lowe, and choreography by Elizabeth Viney.

Anyone thinking of auditioning or wishing to find out more should attend.  Nominated cast to be 15 years and older.

No bookings for auditions will be taken prior to the information session and additional information is not available until then.  Auditions will be held 13 – 15 November at the same venue. Auditions are by appointment only.

Rehearsals will commence in mid-January.

THE ADDAMS FAMILY will be performed at the Devonport Entertainment & Convention Centre 13 – 28 May, 2016.

From the Annual General Meeting held on Monday 21 September.

Welcome to the 2015 Annual General Meeting of the Devonport Choral Society.

Firstly, I would like to thank my fellow Committee Members for their support and assistance during the year. Additionally I would like to thank those members who have offered their talents, assistance, time and support in several special projects throughout the year.

We have had another eventful year, with many opportunities for the Society to be showcased in our community. We have continued with our Heads of Agreement with Devonport City Council and thank them for their backing.

Our main production for the year was All Shook Up. Breaking box office records for the Devonport Entertainment & Convention Centre, due to public demand, the original 10 show season was increased by an additional show. Over 4300 patrons saw the production, which ran from 15-30 May.

Director, Sid Sidebottom gathered an impressive cast of 32 to the stage, some of whom were seasoned performers, others, novices on stage. All on-stage performers were required to act, dance and sing their way through 24 Elvis Presley hits, while telling the story of a guitar playing roustabout who transforms a dreary mid-western American town with his hip-swivelling dance moves and his love of rock and roll music.

The cast were very strong vocally, with several of the lead characters having had professional band experience. The choral power in the ensemble was exceptional. Shayne Lowe, Vocal Director, had the group singing in six and eight-part harmony for many of the songs. The arrangements of the Elvis hits, while all very recognisable and treated with a great deal of respect, were renewed, as the cast made them their own.

From beginning to end, the energy being projected in every dance number, choreographed by Phoebe Wootton, had toes tapping in the wings and in the auditorium, as well on the stage.

The 15 piece band, led by Musical Director Bronwyn Darvell, was outstanding. Again, the band utilised the talents of some previous members, however many of the musicians were new to the Society. The band boasted a full brass and woodwind complement, alongside a rock band line-up.

The set design, by Jenny Slater, turned the Town Hall stage in to a giant juke box, even taking in the front of the proscenium arch. All the elements on stage reflected records and music while still giving glimpses of the fictional town. The vibrant costuming by Vicki Purnell also added to the visual and auditory feast.

The back stage crew consisted of 10 members, guided by Stage Manager John Lee­Archer, while the technical crew utilised the skills of the DECC staff, Matt Groom and Tom Rippon, along with newcomer Dean Mainwairing, the lighting operator.

The front of house team provided by the Society, led by Gráinne Hendrey, worked closely with the front of house staff at the DECC. Those working in the box office, ushering and selling programs dressed up in 1950’s inspired clothes and accessories, adding to the theatre experience for patrons.

This production also benefited from the recent purchase of new microphones and audio equipment using a grant from the Tasmanian Community Fund. The new equipment enhanced both the singing and the dialogue. This equipment is vital to the Society and the delivery of high quality sound for our shows and we appreciate the TCF’s contribution to its purchase.

During the run of the show, Guy Carey and I took great pleasure in announcing our newest Life Member, Shane Wolfe. Shane has featured in many DCS shows, has choreographed several shows and, more recently, has been involved behind the scenes, designing and painting sets and specialised set pieces.

The recipient of this year’s Life Members and Patrons Bursary was All Shook Up cast member Caitlin Singleton. Caitlin was recognised by the Committee for her dedication to the production and willingness to assist others. She is an outstanding talent and we hope that she will continue to work with the Society in to the future.

Jenny Slater is currently working with the Devonport Repertory Theatre Society combining our wardrobes at the Uniting Church. There are still a few things to be moved in and Jenny will continue to work with Rep as our wardrobes are merged.

Right On Cue has had another very busy and successful year with performances at the Empty Stocking Appeal in Launceston, Ulverstone Carols By Candlelight, the Devonport Australia Day Ceremony, the ANZAC Day Centenary Celebrations, Gospel Song at Devonport Jazz, at the Devonport and Burnie Eisteddfods and at the Cancer Council Gala Dinner. The choir is very excited to be hosting another workshop weekend with Brett Weymark in October. Thank you to ROC Musical Director Petrina Jahnz, Assistant MD’s John Lee-Archer and Erin Benson and ROC Committee Chair Jake Jacobson, along with the ROC Committee for their hard work and enthusiasm.

We are looking forward to a thrilling 2016, with auditions coming up in November for our production of The Addams Family. There will be opportunities for everyone on the Committee to help out with this production and I would encourage everyone to contribute to this show in any way they can.

Very recently, we lost Life Member, Meg Titmus. Meg was one of the founding members of the Devonport Choral Society. She was the leading lady in many productions and was also the Musical Director in many of the Society’s best remembered shows. We should be very proud of the legacy Meg has left, both for the Society, as well as the NW Coast’s musical community.

Again, my thanks to our Life Members, Patrons and members of the Committee for their ongoing support of the Devonport Choral Society, and my personal thanks to Treasurer John Lee-Archer, Secretary Gràinne Hendrey and Minute Secretary Melanie Woods.

Maree Brodzinski
PRESIDENT