THE STAR CHILD

Sophia Harrison, Daniel Hitchings and Christina Swan in THE STAR CHILD. Pic Mark Banks
Sophia Harrison, Daniel Hitchings and Christina Swan in THE STAR CHILD. Pic Mark Banks

With their adaptation, Roger Gimblett (book and lyrics) and Nicholas Edwards (music) have taken a sparse, precise Wilde morality tale-THE STAR CHILD (1891)- (the story is about a boy who is brought up believing that he has sprung from divinity- come down from the stars- only to discover that he is actually the son of a beggar woman…and how he deals with it) and turned it into a full scale, high energy, bright musical

The duo have gone for broke… there’s no lack of imagination here!…The show incorporates some twenty songs- all lively and all ‘carrying’ the story forward. My favourites were ’Trensdsetter’, when The Star Child is at his most arrogant, ‘The Transformation’, describing the ‘magical’ times when the Star Child is transformed into another ‘state’ and the big Company number simply called ‘The Star Child’.

I am not sure what Oscar would have thought…quite likely he would have been amused…the production even includes a fun tap dancing number featuring some quite jumpy rabbits, well choreographed by Debbie Smith.

In no slight achievement, director Gimblett manages to fit a 5 piece orchestra- piano, guitar, bass, drums and trumpet- onto  the tiny Genesian stage. The players do a great job under the batonship of Timothy M Carter.

The show kicks off well with a strong opening scene featuring blizzard sound and lighting effects (Michael Schell) and a great starry backdrop (Owen Gimblett).

Wilde’s original story only features a few characters…Gimblett has created many more, which means that a lot more actors get a gig.

All the central roles are performed well; Ben Bennett as the Star Child, Elizabeth MacGregor as his beggar mother and Robert Green as his leper father figure, Martin Searles and Amber Wilcox as the good hearted woodcutter and his wife, and Robert Wells and Greg Thornton as the Evil Magician and his sidekick, Pongo. The supporting cast do well.

The show features plenty of one liners.. Wilde of-course had a penchant for them, well he was one of the wittiest men to have graced the planet, however all the ripostes in the show are Gimblett’s own creations. Whilst some of them worked well others were too obvious and telegraphed.

Great period costumes are a feature of Genesian  productions  and Susan Carveth and Lissa Knight did not disappoint. The garb of the Beggar Woman and the striking red costumes of the Tower guards were stand-outs.

With this world premiere production  Gimblett and Edwards have added THE STAR CHILD to the long list of works by the brilliant Irish writer that have been given musical adaptations.

Good family entertainment, Roger Gimblett and Nicholas Edwards’s new musical THE STAR CHILD opened at the Genesian Theatre on Sunday November 24 and is playing until Saturday December 14, 2013. Check the website- www.genesiantheatre.com.au– for playing times.