Loserville

I was asked to attend and review two performances of this show because the Principal roles were being played by two teams.  Never having seen a performance of this relatively new show, it was helpful for me to understand the story.  The story was as traditional as it could be but the setting, based on the discovery of email and the advances in computers in the period, was refreshing and, clearly resonated with the cast.

The two main parts, Michael and Holly, were beautifully played by Jake Bailey and Luke Reid (Michael) and Laura Joseph and Elloise Bennett (Holly).  Each brought a different dimension and strong set of skills to their performance, all of which were very watchable.  Maybe the dialogue was a bit rushed by both Luke and Jake at the start but this soon passed as the show got into its rhythm. 

These two characters were ably supported by a team of other Principals.  Jack Tobin and James Gordon played the dumb jock, Eddie, with just the right amount of arrogance and stupidity.  His girlfriend Leia was well played by Rosie Walton and, in her first (but I suspect not last) named role, Sophie Carrick.  Michael’s best friend, and putative author, Lucas was played by Abdullah Khalif and Ben Neagan, another actor playing his first lead role (of what I hope will be many more).  Samantha played by Abbie Fuller and Gabrielle Klein only came into prominence in the second half but the character was well played by both.  The remaining Principals, all of whom worked extremely hard at their parts, were Ellis Smith and Oliver Corkett (Marvin) William Lester and Henry Fisher (Francis) Megan Fane and Edie Jarvis (Elaine) Josh Sweeting (Huey) Connor Calgary (Wayne) and Charlie Guiver (Finch).  Also featured were Paige Dadds, Nicole Crane, Reece Emery, Mia Doney, Olivia Bennett and Nathan Smith.

The ensemble cast were, as always at Shoebury, outstanding; with well drilled dancers, strong supporting singers and a vibrant and enthusiastic chorus.  What was particularly enjoyable was seeing those actors who have been Principals in one performance still giving total commitment to the show as a chorus member in the other performance.  Shoebury High School consistently improves on their previous productions which are a complete joy to see.

I must compliment the backstage crew, the scene changes were almost choreographed in their movement and slickness, often completed well before the scene change music had finished.  The scenery was simple but very effective and the use of different marquees to indicate the scene was well thought out.  Costumes were beautiful, well thought out and co-ordinated and, even when clearly provided by the student there was a lot of thought given to the overall effect.

The band produced a good sound, although there were occasions when they drowned out some of the dialogue, which brings me to the sound.  Generally this was fine, although there were occasions when it appeared that the actor’s mic was not turned up in time to catch their dialogue.  This is the trickiest part of any sound engineer’s job and, in this show, there were a lot of single lines that did not get properly heard.

However that is being really picky; overall both performances were energetic, well performed and enjoyable to watch.  Well done to the whole team front and back stage.

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