Presented by The Hills Musical Company
Reviewed 5th November 2021
The Hills Musical Company are rocking out at The Stirling Community Theatre until Nov 20th, in their latest production, High Fidelity. This is a fast, loud, fun show, that audiences will love, regardless of whether they’re familiar with the film or Nick Hornby’s novel.
High Fidelity is the story of Rob and his current and past relationship breakdowns. As he tries to work through his immediate challenges, we’re privy to stories of his past break-ups and the effect they have on him. Throw in an array of comedic supporting characters, and the whole show tackles the topic of break-ups and heart ache with good humour and rockin’ music.
Michael Butler shines in the lead role of Rob, with a great voice, timing, and presence. Omkar Nagesh and Lindsay Prodea provide many of the humorous moments, as Rob’s less than valued employees. Kristin Stefanoff plays Rob’s ex-girlfriend Laura with just enough bite that we don’t know whether to be on her side or not.
But it’s Ian, played by Jay Mancuso, who brings the most fun and silliness to this production. It’s a great character, and it feels like Jay has decided to go to town with it. Ian should be unlikeable, but he’s just too much fun.
Ben Stefanoff’s band is solid, tight and loud. But occasionally the sound balance causes them to appear a little too loud, drowning the actors volume. The set is brilliant, and would have taken considerable thought and effort to create. The costumes were spot on, but probably not a huge challenge I suspect. Direction by Hayley Horton is quite good, with no one on stage ever looking like they were unsure or out of character.
There’s the odd bit of bad language and occasional risqué mention, but these are in context and seemed to only raise the eyebrows of the most senior members of the audience.
Stirling Community Theatre is 20 minutes up the freeway, and well worth the drive for this latest offering from The Hills Musical Company.
Reviewed by Doug Phillips
Twitter: @DouggyOz
Venue: Stirling Community Theatre
Season: 5th to 20th November
Duration: Approx 2 hrs (with interval)
Tickets: $26 – $34
Bookings: https://hillsmusical.org.au/highfidelity/
Disclaimer: Ben Stefanoff and Kristin Stefanoff are both reviewers for Glam Adelaide
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