The Questions - Review

 

State Theatre Company
Space Theatre, Tue 30 July

The stage set for The Questions immediately catches your attention: bright, modern, urban, and obviously high above the ground. The adjoining band practice room, visually separated by just a thin set of Venetian blinds, suggests life lived at close quarters. Enter Chaya Ocampo singing a charming little ditty about dating being a digital shit show!

From the outset she is engaging and vivacious, and she’s excited about meeting her online date (Charles Wu) for the first time. It doesn’t begin well. Both Ocampo and Wu quickly realise they preferred the online version of the person in front of them and want out. Then comes the lockdown and there’s no escape. They have to deal with each other for a long time.

You can imagine the fear, angst, frustration and anger that accompany this realization. Things initially get very heated but over time they begin to accommodate each other’s presence with relative calm. Key to this connection are The Questions they agree to ask each other to wile away time and get to know each other. Curiously, effectively, some of the more personal questions are asked and answered in song adding a level of poignancy that rises above mere words.

Not once was I surprised or bothered by the characters breaking into song. In so many musicals the transition between spoken dialogue and song can feel blatantly contrived. Here the transition from dialogue to song felt natural and perfectly integrated into the fabric of the narrative.

And Ocampo and Wu are such fabulous singers. I especially enjoyed the warm tones of Wu’s lower register – really quite special – but the songs they sing together are sensational. A wonderful blend of emotion and harmony – often telling the story from opposite perspectives in the same song in a complex lyrical dance. Quite magnificent writing by Van Badham and Richard Wise, and delivered in near flawless fashion with conviction, compassion, and honesty.

Using the band next door as live accompaniment for the songs was a masterstroke, and the proximity of these inquisitive neighbours offers plenty of opportunity for comedy. Not only does The Questions look and sound great, but it is also very funny.

This really is an exceptional piece of theatre – a stunning set used so creatively, an entertaining story, and great music in the hands of two fine performers equally adept at acting and singing. A must see.

(This review also published on The Clothesline.)

From the archives: SUN RISING - The Songs That Made Memphis (Jun 2015)

 

Space Theatre, Thu 11 Jun

Sun records holds a prestigious place in the history of early American pop music, and the Sun Rising Band have put together a selection of mostly well-known hits recorded at the Memphis Recording Studios in the 1950s. I, and many in the audience I imagine, have read the story many times, heard all the songs, and watched documentaries of this period, But seeing it recreated live on stage was much more engaging and a great way to relive those exciting times.

Sam Phillips was the main man behind Sun Records and is credited with launching the careers of many musical luminaries – among them Howlin’ Wolf, Elvis Presley, Carl Perkins, Roy Orbison and Jerry Lee Lewis. Front man David Cosma narrated the stories behind the songs, and in an accidental touch of authenticity, plays a right handed guitar upside down (Some early blues players apparently did this because they didn’t know any better. I don’t know what David’s excuse is!).

Photos of all the early Sun recording stars were displayed on a screen behind the excellent band as they played their songs. Damon Smith on piano is a blues/boogie virtuoso, and Trent McKenzie is a treat to watch plucking away on his double bass. Local singer Cookie Baker provided an infectious cameo appearance to represent the female Sun stars.

Musically this show couldn’t be faulted. The band transformed relatively simple pieces of blues, pop and rock and roll into musical showcases. I wondered if the Sun singers back then had musicians of this calibre.

Towards the end the narrative was let slip and we didn’t get to hear what happened to Sam Phillips and Sun records in the long run and that was a shame. But by then most of the audience was too busy enjoying the music to notice – at least half the audience rose for a standing ovation at the close of a really enjoyable reliving of the roots of pop music.