By Peter Kemp
1812 Theatre
The Larmie Project
The Bakery @1812 Theatre was the venue for The Laramie Project.
A story of real life.
In 1998 a gay man, Matthew Sheppard was tied to a fence and savagely beaten.
Eventually he died of this attack.
The play is where a theatre company went to Laramie and interviewed the residents, media releases and trial judgements.
1812 Theatre’s production had eight actors who handled many roles of the townspeople, judge, police, reporters and TV crews.
Basic sets, three background paintings showing the country around Wyoming, four chairs each side of the stage plus a table brought in when required.
The actors, Daniel Parton, Pia Magonov, Jennifer Rose, Tony Clayton, Josh Hayes, Nathan Williams, Donna Cleverley, and Emily Beggs.
A challenging choice of roles for each actor, playing many parts and giving the feelings of the characters they were portraying.
There was some difficulty in the various voices, some were loud and clear, others were rather hard to hear.
Accents ranged from genuine to Australian.
But it is difficult to keep an accent up for a long play.
There were two intervals, making a long evening.
But the overall standard is what one would expect form the 1812.
And the players certainly did not let the standard drop.
All in all a good production and I reiterate not an easy task to play so many characters.
The Round Theatre
Gypsy
Baby Jane and Louise, the two daughters of rose Hovick play the vaudeville circuit around the USA in the early 1920s.
Rose, the archetype of a stage mother is aggressive and domineering, pushing her children to perform.
While Jane is an extraverted, talented child stare, the oldest girl, Louise, is shy.
Their act has one song May We Entertain You, with June always as centrepiece and Louise in the background.
Rose as big plans for the girls but encounters setbacks when her father refuses to lend her money for those dreams.
But the girls mature, June elopes with Tulsa who has been working with the act.
Rose works with Louise who becomes Gypsy Rose Lee.
Season opens October 11.
Bookings 9262 555.
