Greenwicks! The Musical!

I had no involvement in the production of 'Greenwicks,' but I have worked with 50% of the cast and crew at UDS before. In saying that, this may seem completely subjective, but I was asked to give an honest opinion, so here we go. Firstly, a very entertaining show. Well done M & M on creating yet another musical. The humour, while quite basic at times, had the audience in hysterics. I didn't realise that anyone could string out a "shrinkage" gag for as long as Mr. McPherson, but you did. The writers have come a long way since 'Fresher' in 2007, and there was a sense of greater maturity in the music, as well as in its presentation. The choreography was a delight to watch, and in true Jess Dunn style, was complex involving brooms, fedoras, a shopping trolley and difficult lifts which were done with precision. The stagecraft was excellent, and if any one of the cast did falter, the audience could not tell. Well done. Sound and lighting were first rate, with only one radio mic faltering at the end of the first act. At times the levels were slightly overwhelming, and I would suggest that James Marzec's mic be watched closely as in the higher registers he really belts it out, and takes over. If there is another mic within ten feet of James, he'll be picked up by it. Some highlights for me. Jake Webb as Jude Lamond and his ballad "If I Can't Love." Amazing voice and lovely to watch. My only criticism would be the dancing in the background. I really felt like I just wanted to watch and listen to Jake and his emotions, but I found myself distracted. Some of the lyrics were hilarious, others displayed a raw emotional distress for the character, and it was wonderful. Like I said though, slightly distracting with what was actually a very moving piece of choreography. The checkout girls were fantastic, and your harmonies were a sheer delight to listen to. I don't know how long you must have worked on those, but well done. Kristian Barron bursting on stage during "The Overtime Blues," shouting "What the hell is going on here," had myself and the whole audience in raptures. The self-referential treatment that UDS does so well has never been better than here. Well done Kristian all round. I loved the character of 'Gordon Collins' played by James Marzec, whose comic timing was immaculate. Offset with the weasly, horrid little man of 'Lawrence' played by Christopher Grabski provided some laugh-out-loud moments. Well done to both of you. The band was tight, and the music did not disappoint. I remarked after the show that at the end of the first act, I was confused as to the genre, in that, I didn't quite feel a cohesion of the style. About an hour later when I got home, I realised it didn't matter because it was just damn good. One final point. I thought the direction was sound, but at times it faltered with the actors seeming to just wander around the space. This is most probably due in part to the fact that the directors were on stage for a lot of the time. Ironically, the scenes where neither Kristian nor James appeared had the most amount of meandering on stage with little motivation. That aside, a big kudos to UDS. A very entertaining show, and at $14 a ticket, it's better than going to see some third rate, dare I say even first rate movie. 'Greenwicks' closes tonight, and if there are any tickets left, I'd strongly advise you to head to the Dolphin for this raucously funny, outstanding original musical - Thanks guys and my congratulations to all of you involved.