First Night Review by Frank Wilkie
Up the Tiber without a Toga is a daring adventure which thrusts the cream of local talent and career professionals together in an on-stage Bacchanalian orgy created by Melbourne Philharmonic Orchestra founder Paul Coppens and internationally acclaimed word smith John Cundill.
The love child is an entertaining creature, recommended for hard-core lovers of irreverent musical comedy, the curious and supporters of quality original theatre.
Highly accomplished tenor Chris Fennessy, whose talent propelled him to international stages including Les Miserable in London's West End, impressed opening night audiences with his vocal range, Romanesque bust and bike riding skills. He played Mark Antony, an orphaned innovator whose highly advanced inventions titillate the twiddling inhabitants of Nero's Rome.
Fennessy was complemented by classically trained soprano Sarah Knight as the captivating Cleo the beautiful slave girl/love interest whose dark secret is melodramatically revealed in the visually arresting Act Two vignette, The Undercover Brotherhood.
Especially enjoyable were the high-octane and verbally dexterous antics of Darren Heskes as buffoon senator Maximus. It was during Heskes' articulate and energetic performances that the audience caught snatches of Cundill's clever lyrics, which in the more satirical pieces resonated with a “Gilbert and Sullivan-like” rhythmic brilliance. While billed as a musical comedy, the choreography by former British professional Virginia Mason lent this upbeat and entertaining production a more static and stately operatic quality.
The comedic story line- featuring a search for a long lost father, the plottings of lascivious wives, attempted murder, love, lust, some anarchistic and fun anachronisms and the Burning of Rome- is revealed via the verses of the 30-plus songs. For this particular performance, technical sound support for the on-stage cast generally failed to match the soaring power of the sixteen-piece Brisbane Chamber orchestra which dominated under Coppens' command. With some audio
tweaking, future audiences may hear the verses penned by the prolific and skilled Cundill.
Other surprises and delights included the appearance of The African Rentinue - Imanzi, the stage presence of former UK professional Jennifer Rousset as Donnabella, the appearance of former national and television entertainer Jenny Keys as Statilia, Kitten Styler as Scrufulus and the overall quality of the locally sourced cast and chorus.