Eagerly looking forward to an entertaining evening of "The Witching Hour (and a half)" by the…read moremasterly band of chic freaks and geeks I scurried up the wooden stairs of the quaint and charming theatre that is the "Climate Theatre" a good 30 minutes before the published show time. The show was an intimate affair between performers and audience as they practically rubbed shoulders over the course of the show in the charming & cozy ambiance of the auditorium.
Without giving away the story or any of the non-too-infrequent risqué humor, I will attempt to describe the evening of melodious tunes, mesmerizing voices, heart stopping performances, and smouldering beauties. As we all know, the story is predicated on a young naïve girl who stumbles upon a family of other-worldy beings on her way to a party.
Talula (Alissa), the matron of the freaks, endearingly labeled as one that shares an acronym with a Mommy In Love (with) Falafels, took the stage with a seasoned vocal that manifested itself from the get go that screamed "I am the first lady here". The songstress's vibrato was impeccable and seemed to suggest years and years of operatic singing (not that I am an expert in such matters).
The buxom Madame Laveaux, played by the bodacious beauty Nicole, is a captivating presence that cannot easily be ignored (nay, make that "never"). And Lordy, when she accentuates those God-given bountiful curves wrapped by a diaphanous viel that do nothing to hide those lovely limbs, clean thoughts are the last thing on my mind (Lord, forgive me my trespasses!). As with most singers, the high vocal note is expected and delivered but Nicole's low in the second half that plumbed the depths of the frequency range was eye-brow raising impressive.
And of course, we now have the bumbling and innocent Ann, the *ahem* Virgin, whose merry naïve ways happens to be the raison d'être of this tale. Played by the versatile Alison, it was indeed an eyeopener as she went from a naïve waif to a red-hot vivacious vixen that makes one wonder if she was indeed the same giggling girl at the start of the story.
Our very own Luke the gay cannibal playing himself, save for the cannibalism, wowed the crowed with an inspiring, rib-tickling performance ably backed by his powerful vocal chords that filled the room from wall to wall. His odd humanitarianism and zig-zag attributes that disallow him from eating kitty-cats can only be understood from watching the show.
(Now pardon me for this is the part where I get a little sketchy as I was busy ...ummm... critiquing the luscious ladies of the stage that my memory doesn't serve me quite as well)
The schizophrenic psychopathic Jekyll&Hyde, played by Sam, was a study in contradiction, switching between amiable party host to not-so-amiable personalities. In one of his many avatars was an oblique humorous reference to Mikado that, I am afraid, escaped a majority of the audience.
The imposing Edward ("Cullens"?) literally stood above the rest of the cast with his imposing stature helped in no small part by the ridiculously pale visage as befits any self-respecting, luxury-coffin-dwelling vampire.
After the highly entertaining performance, I had a little chit-chat with Sean, the Musical-Director, who revealed that the script was somewhat close to it's final form only about 3 weeks before the premiere! I guess the old habits of cramming for the exams in the last minute never really dies --- they merely resurface in various forms that can leave even Jekyll & Hyde scratching their bi-polar heads in absolute bewilderment.
In conclusion, I admit my 5-star rating may have been slightly biased by the fact that I know the Composer. For the complete stranger, you might want to expect a 4-star performance as nothing is worse than arriving with an unrealistic sky-high expectation that leaves you wanting for more.
Now Hurry along and catch it before it's limited run ends October 31st.
