Presented by: Pelican Productions
Reviewed: 18 January, 2025
For the past twenty years, the best of the best in South Australia’s up-and-coming young theatre performers spend two intensive weeks in January training in singing, dancing and acting, led by some of Australia’s leading musical theatre professionals. The result, like we witnessed on Saturday night, is a joyous celebration of the arts and theatre. Pelican Productions are in a league of their own. The quality of their work is world-class and you can’t help but leave the theatre at the end of the night with your heart full.
I’m going to be very honest…it was hard to summarise the sheer joy and outstanding level of performance that I experienced. Pelican Productions should be commended for what they are able to produce in two short weeks. It is very inspiring to see our next theatre stars be so nurtured and encouraged. There are many names in this year’s program I know we will see on billboards for professional touring shows in the future.
The first half opened with a high-energy and amusing set from The Book of Mormon. The humour of this musical was perfectly captured by the cast. Special mention must go to each of the featured Elders, especially in Two By Two. However it was Casey Mifsud as Elder Price and Aidan Salmon as Elder Cunningham who nearly stole this set with their brilliant vocals and perfectly executed comedic timing.
This was followed by a set from Annie, which featured some wonderful soloists. The choreography performed by the young cast was full of cheek and wonderful character work from everyone. This set concluded with a beautiful performance by Pelican Production alumni, Chloe Bremner, with a beautiful rendition of the classic song Tomorrow.
The first half concluded with a set from Charlie And The Chocolate Factory. The choreography in this set, especially for Queen of Pop and Juicy, was impressive and brilliantly performed. Grace Christou brought a sweet innocence to Charlie Bucket and Matilda Binetti had sass by the bucket loads as Violet Beauregarde — and what a voice!
The second half opened with a visually stunning set from The Lion King. Poppy Saleeba, Zara Millhouse, Charlotte Sproston and the ensemble brought the emotional drive for Circle of Life, and Max Jury as Zazu, Malin Mensforth as Young Nala and Odessa Bueti as Young Simba captured the humour in The Morning Report. The Pelican costume team needs a special shout out for the stunning costumes for this set — complete with massive giraffes!
This was followed by selections from Guys and Dolls and Beetlejuice. Hanno de Klerk as Sky Masterson lead Luck Be A Ladysupported by an energetic ensemble of crap shooters, whose vocal harmonies were as slick as their choreography. Pelican alumni Finn Green certainly created a splash leading the cast in Sit Down You’re Rockin’ The Boat with excellent vocals and effective chair choreography.
The final set was a selection from the smash hit musicals & Juliet and Six! The Musical. Sebastian Cox brought the smooth moves and swagger needed for Shakespeare, and Mercedes Nash, Ava Sirico, Lluka Wadey, Lucy Rice, Mia Kratounis and Isla Willsmore executed the tight vocal harmonies in Ex-Wives perfectly.
The evening concluded with a moving performance of From Now On from The Greatest Showman. This number featured a large number of alumni from the past twenty years of Pelican’s Music Theatre Camp. They were joined by the Broadway Cast to close the number. This number really highlighted the theatre family that each of these current and past students have found in Pelican.
For this reviewer, the standout set of the night has to go to The Great Gatsby set. This set was tightly choreographed by Pelican Alumni Joe Meldrum, and the energy oozed off the stage. You couldn’t help but dance in your seat. This set featured several outstanding young vocalists. Henry Green as Nick Carraway was excellent. His voice soared over the cast with ease. Joel Howis delivered a powerful performance as Gatsby, especially in his solo number For Her. What a voice and stunning vocal control. Emma Pool shone as Jordan Baker, both vocally and in choreography. Her soaring vocals were faultless and came with such ease. Belle Letic melted your heart with her moving performance as Daisy in her number For Better or For Worse. It’s not easy to hold an audience’s attention during a ballad, but Letic had the audience hanging on her every note – simply stunning.
There were two other standout numbers throughout this two and a half hour celebration. Shadowland from The Lion King was goose-bump worthy. Annabelle Pearce as Nala and Tahlia Sabatino as Rafiki lead the exquisite vocals and powerful choreography. I instantly flashed back to when I saw The Lion King on Broadway many years ago. A faultless performance from the entire cast. Lluka Wadey’s rendition of Heart of Stone (from Six The Musical) was breathtaking as well. This young performer is one to watch. The emotional charge in this number was phenomenal. Bravo!
Pelican Productions have once again produced a high-quality performance, showcasing these brilliant young performers. The time and love that Pelican invests into the education of its young performers is inspirational.
As Pelican’s directors rightly put in their program notes, ‘Music Theatre Camp is more than an arts program — it’s a community. A place of belonging where joy and creativity thrive, where dreams take their first steps towards reality, and where every smile and song become part of a larger story.’
Directors Jen Frith and Kylie Green should be commended for what they have achieved over the past twenty years, and hopefully will continue for a long time to come. The legacy of Music Theatre Camp is a vital part of so many young performers’ lives. It was an absolute honour to see the future of musical theatre perform.
Reviewed by Ben Stefanoff
Photo credit: Oliver Toth at Accent Photography
Season: Ended
More News
