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The
Club
Presented by: Fab Nobs Theatre Inc.
Venue: The New Fab Factory, Bayswater
Reviewer: Angela Ellis
Date Reviewed: Wednesday 5th August 2009
I am a rare breed of Melbournian. I have absolutely no interest in
football. If it was possible, I would leave the state for the whole
of September every year! So you can imagine my reservations at
spending a few hours watching a show about Football. But I got
lucky. The Club is much more than that.
The Club tells the story of the inner workings of a professional
football club. The stories they try to leak to the press, the ones
they try to hide and the relationships between the men that just
want what is best for the group and themselves. This could be any
group or committee, be it sport, theatre or work. A group of
mismatched personalities that are only in the same room together
based on one common interest: trying to find a way to deal
with or without each other.
The setting is simple. A clubroom with the all the usual acquired
memorabilia, past players pictures hung proudly on the wall. Past
success measured in the trophy collection and the furniture that
suited the era of the “interesting” taste of the 70’s. Which leads
me to the excellent costuming. Just enough flares and tight pants to
go around in all the outrageous colours you could think off.
Congratulations to Leanne Gooding on some interesting and totally
appropriate choices.
Directed by Barry Mitchell, The Club is a tight, pacey, fun show.
Barry keeps the action that is centred in the one room of the
clubhouse from becoming stale and predictable. Lighting and sound
have been kept to a minimal. The song choices were excellent in the
foyer and during the interval and I found I knew enough about the
game to recognise the appropriate sirens. You don’t become
distracted by anything other than the performances and that is just
how it should be.
If there is one thing Barry can do, its surround himself with a
stellar cast and The Club is certainly no exception.
Brett Whittingham plays the Club Administrator. Brett delivered such
an understated performance in the first Act that it took me by
surprise with the turn he took in the second. A very natural and
convincing portrayal and one that I enjoyed despite my growing
dislike for the character. A very well rounded performance.
The development Richard Thomas must have undertaken to become the
truly awful Club president, Ted must have been a riot to watch
throughout rehearsals. The characterisation was excellent. From his
mannerisms (the neck strain when speaking was a particular
favourite) to the voice he chose to give Ted made every audience
member almost want to cover their eyes and cringe every time he
spoke. A truly awful character and one that everyone wanted to keep
on stage just to see what he would say or do next! The energy that
Richard brought with him whenever he made an entrance never faltered
and was exactly what was needed. Congratulations Richard.
Kevin Trask played Jock, the player/coach who has been around the
Club almost as long as it’s been running. Kevin has a presence that
can be quite commanding and he made certain that Jock was one bloke
you did not want to get on the wrong side of. His scenes with young
Geoff were particularly entertaining.
Andrew Roberts as Coach Laurie battling with above average players
and a below average club president, gave an excellent portrayal of a
man who is totally frustrated with the running of his beloved team.
Andrew brought a relaxed and natural charm to Laurie that had you
totally convinced as to why the players would stand behind him if,
as threatened, things started to crumble around them.
Rohan Dodd as the long term player Danny, whose passion for the club
runs deeper than his natural ability as a football player, certainly
seemed to be having a lot of fun with his role. Rohan gave his
character the energy and naivety that was required and was a lot of
fun to watch.
In his first non musical role, Adam Kennon took on the role of the
cocky new upstart player, Geoff. Adam took a little time to hit his
stride coming into the first Act and I must admit that I found Adam
lacked some of the arrogance that was needed to play the character
truly convincingly. However, in saying that, I did enjoy his work
with Kevin in the very funny scene of discussing his ‘interesting
family dynamics” and I look forward to seeing Adam challenge himself
more outside the realms of musical theatre.
Fab Nobs is truly a one of a kind theatre company. Their unique
environment is always welcoming and the enticement of seeing a show
that very few company’s think or dare to add to their repertoire
have always kept me coming back, and The Club is no exception. If
you want a fun night out be it as a lover of football or just good
theatre make sure you see this deserving production of The Club.
Angela Ellis has worked both professional and non-professionally in
the industry for over 15 years. Having worked in all aspects of
theatre including, direction, stage management, sound and lighting,
her acting roles include Cherry in Cosi, Hero in Much Ado About
Nothing and Bobbie in the recent production of Losing Louis.
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