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I
Did It Her Way
Presented by:
CEL
Productions
Date
Reviewed:
20th January, 2009
Venue:
The Renaissance Theatre, Kew
Reviewer:
Julia Roper
I
did it HER way…
conjures up a few thoughts, doesn’t it? Add JC La Fontaine into the
mix and the possibilities multiply. Suspected options aside, this
original cabaret has been formed with songs usually performed by
women.
Before I go on, I should start by congratulating JC on his song
choices. The repertoire was varied but all popular choices in the
current music theatre climate. And JC obviously enjoyed singing
them.
Now
back to the show’s concept…. On top of the gender switch, the show
has also been advertised as an attempt at making a statement on
feminism. With only an hour to play with, establishing a theme with
any sort of depth is challenging.
The
feminism theme wasn’t really explored in the show. Instead JC set
himself up as a ‘divo’ – a narcissistic, arrogant, self-absorbed,
semi-successful performer who enjoys berating his trusty Personal
Assistant, played by Julia König. In divo style, JC precedes each
song with a personal story – all the while barking orders at Julia.
Eventually she has the sense to call it quits but returns on her own
terms when she sees how miserable he is without her.
I
think I’d be right in saying JC has poured his heart and soul into
this project. He is the author, director, MD, choreographer, costume
designer, performer and promoter – an ambitious workload for a
seasoned performer, let alone someone making a debut performance so
JC should be proud of his efforts. The writing shows great potential
– although I must say some of the content was a little tasteless.
I
would have liked the story to have a smoother progression, rather
than having one thought stop abruptly as a song ended followed by
scripted dialogue to introduce a new subject. Introducing a new
subject for each song also meant there was little opportunity to
create the important journey JC needs to take for the audience to
believe he has had an epiphany to realise just how much he needs and
appreciates his PA.
The
home stretch of songs – the argument in “Take Me or Leave Me”,
saying farewell in “For Good”, and the soul-searching and
reconciliation in “Cabaret” – provide a good vehicle to reveal a
special bond between the two performers, romantic or otherwise.
Sadly, this wasn’t the case and Julia was left looking like she
agreed to stay in her PA role out of pity.
Highlights of the show include JC’s “There Are Worse Things I Could
Do” (Grease), “Spark of Creation” (Children of Eden)
and “Nothing” (A Chorus Line) – although I’m not sure how the retort
about BAPA will go down. Other highlights include Julia’s “Wherever
He Ain’t” (Mack & Mabel) and the duet “Anything Goes” (Anything
Goes) which also features a tap solo from JC.
Julia was a pleasure to watch and at times she outshone JC with her
characterisation, comic timing and versatile voice. Geoffrey
Urquhart provided sensitive piano accompaniment and should be
commended for his adaptability in moving with the performer. His
solo was also a highlight.
Lighting and sound by Daniel Schuller was well designed. Only one
slight hiccup with a microphone was obvious throughout the show,
which I’m sure will be rectified for opening night. The set was
simple and effective and the costumes were great.
Congratulations to JC on his first cabaret effort and to all
involved.
I
did it HER way
opens 21 Jan and runs until 24 Jan at the Renaissance Theatre. Check
the What’s On page for
more details.
Julia has been an on-stage performer for many years and has also
undertaken roles in vocal training and Musical Direction. Drawing
from a professional background in media, journalism, marketing and
events management, Julia made her debut as a Director in 2006 and
hasn’t looked back since!
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