Presented by Pelican Productions
Reviewed 21 August 2021
School of Rock by Pelican Productions is a highly anticipated South Australian Premiere. With a cast that oozes talent from every pore, and Pelican’s reputation for producing high quality shows, expectations were high for this production, and in most areas it well and truly delivers.
Oliver John, in the iconic role originated by Jack Black, owned the stage exactly the way this character should. John was larger than life and showed he has the vocal chops to handle this incredibly high rock tenor part. It was refreshing to see him make the character his own instead of mimicking the movie or original Broadway actors.
Millicent Sarre approached Principal Rosalie Mullins with her usual professional finesse, with impeccable vocals, nuanced characterisation and an impressive Queen of the Night aria. Connor Russell’s Ned Schneebly was believably dorky, though his lack of accent compared to the other leads tended to jar. Kenya Styles as Patty showed her skills as a strong actress and singer, with a great deal of potential. Leading the way in the children’s cast is Madeleine Schroeter, who embraces the role of Summer with such confidence and flair that it’s difficult to believe it’s her first lead role.
It’s a real feat to find kids who can act, sing, dance AND play a specific set of instruments, but Pelican Productions have managed to pull together a cast of remarkable talent. Kyle Mobbs (Jack), Inara Lang (Katie), William Fleming (Freddie) and Joshua Tretheway (Lawrence) play their characters with finesse, sing up a storm, and, for the most part, play their instruments live. The only disappointment in their scenes was the sound balance between the prerecorded tracks (used for most of the show) and the live instruments, making it difficult to know whether the kids were in fact playing live, and in so doing, sometimes failed to showcase their definite talent.
One element that often drew attention was a lack of consistency in accents among the cast. Ranging from Standard American to ‘ocker’ Australian, the differences here were jarring at times, and it’s a shame that this seems to not have been addressed by the director. While it can be a challenge for young actors to act and hold an accent at the same time, it’s a vital skill for any young actor to learn, especially in Australia where we often find ourselves performing works set in the US or UK. Choosing one accent for the cast to stick to (whether US or Aussie) may have been a better choice.
Youth shows often have large casts, and this production is no exception, with up to fifty bodies on stage at one time. From a song and dance perspective, this is great – big numbers both looked and sounded impressive with so many strong singers and dancers. However, getting large groups on and off stage is always a challenge, and unfortunately there were times where the momentum of the show had to stop while the crowds left the stage. There were also times when blocking of ensemble members was clunky or without purpose, such as ensemble members walking across the stage to say something to one of the characters and then leaving, rather than them being properly incorporated into the scene. The same can be said for some of the scene changes, which sometimes took longer than expected considering the minimalist set. This would undoubtedly have become smoother if the show had the chance to do a longer run.
While most of the casting choices were absolutely spot on, one choice that this reviewer found questionable was the choice to cast Tomika’s parents, originally a gay couple, as male and female. While finding enough male actors to cover all parts is undoubtedly difficult (and not just in youth theatre), the choice to ‘straighten’ Tomika’s parents was disappointing.
The set was minimalist but effective, consisting of simple scaffolded levels with stairs leading up to the higher level. Apparently, this same set was used for Pelican’s recent production of Chicago Junior, which is a clever and economic choice. Locations were shown simply, with items such as a couch or blackboard indicating the setting without cluttering the stage. Effective and consistent costuming across the board combined with the set to make a very visually cohesive show.
With tight, strong ensemble numbers, soloists with voices to rival the Broadway cast, and strong characterisations across the board, Pelican’s School of Rock is a show of which every cast member should be incredibly proud. Sadly, their run has now ended, but look out for these talented young actors in future productions.
Reviewed by Kristin Stefanoff
Twitter: @StefanoffK
Season Ended
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