Brisbane Review - New Musical Quirky and Thought Provoking

 By Lilian Harrington

Production: 74 Redland Grove

Writer /lyrics: Mark Westby

Company:  Sunnybank Theatre Group

Directors:  Chris O’Leary & Tammy Sarah Linde

Location: Sunnybank Theatre 14 Mains Rd. Sunnybank Qld.4109

Season: July 3 -18 Fri / Sat evgs. 7 30 pm and mats 2 pm.

Bookings: Box Office: 0411277157. Or email; boxoffice@sunnybanktheatre.com

Directed by Chris O’Leary and Tammy Sarah Linde, “74 Redland Grove” the musical, premieres at Sunnybank Theatre Group this July. From the pen of local playwright/ musician, English born, Mark Westby, this rather quirky and creative production puts a spin on family life in the lower classes, with its large cast of actors and puppets. Inspired by the writer’s own upbringing in Nottingham, U.K, along with his mother’s story, it tells the story of Riffs, an unwanted, youngest, eighth child in the Coningsby family. The mother, Marina Coningsby /MC (Annie O’Callaghan), struggled to bring up her eight children and cope with her husband, Johnathan (Michael Lawrence), who is always out working, or off to the local pub at night.

The story is told from the point of view of Riffs (Josephine Stockdale), the eighth child, who is different and not like his brothers and sisters. They are all identified chronologically, but Riffs, who was a difficult birth, is always identified as Riffs. This musical –comedy – drama, is told with an ensemble of puppets and actors. It touches on community issues in 1970’s England, and it deals with the problems a mother faces bringing up a large family when times are tough for them, in a fun and entertaining way.

The production is designed with cutout props and well-crafted, handmade puppets made by Mark Westby, along with an open stage plan, video screen, and special lighting. While the cast played various roles, both as puppeteers and characters, some of the puppeteers had had more technical experience than others. The ensemble sounded well-balanced and sung beautifully, however, some of the spoken local English dialogue was a little thick at times. The story is narrated by the older Riffs (Jason Lawson), after his mother Marina’s funeral and he provides flash backs to the past.

This musical provides some key insights into the social situation in Nottingham in the 70’s.  The lower class struggled with poverty and hardship, living in low socio- economic conditions. Life could be very hard for large families, especially for the caregiver, who was often stressed and had to cope with the everyday matters, which could result in some forms of abuse and mental health issues, so there was a need for medical help. The musical also dealt with missing children, stranger danger, family abuse, plus fathers who don’t cope with family hardship and escape from their responsibilities by going in search of pleasure elsewhere, or leave their frustrated wives like Marina, to earn extra money in the “back streets” at times. Puppets were used for some of these scenes, and like in the story of Pinocchio, Mother Marina or MC puppet, changed into a person. These changes worked best when the characters were all costumed the same way.

After the final curtain the ensemble chorused a selection of songs from the show. This is a different style of musical, but it had energy and pace. Further, it is encouraging to see new musicals being written and performed in local community theatres. It is good to see puppetry also being included and creative alternatives being used on stage. 74 Redland Grove is a thought provoking and well- organized musical experience, which local audiences can enjoy.