Lynn Belvedere

ACTT PRESENT THE BOYS FROM SYRACUSE

The Actors College Of Theatre and Television (ACTT) presented the musical comedy THE BOYS FROM SYRACUSE, directed by Stephen Lloyd Helper, the final show of six unique student productions this year, that have elegantly showcased the talents of their graduating Advanced Diploma acting students.

This is a revival  of  Rodgers and Hart’s entertaining musical adaptation of Shakespeare’s COMEDY OF ERRORS that was first produced back in 1938- book by George Abbott, music by Richard Rodgers,  lyrics by Lorenz Hart.

Stephen Lloyd Helper has reset the musical to the 21st century and the audience location has also been changed to the beautiful tropical island of Manu, which has within it a completely mismanaged tourist “holding centre” with two security guards (actors) on constant patrol. Welcome To Paradise?!….

On entering the auditorium, we were racially profiled, and then separated into two groups, the bananas and the pineapples.

The ensemble cast were the forever waiting tourists, who decided to put on a musical show, for the bananas and the pineapples. Think along the lines of Shakespearean version of  Fawlty Towers with everyone in a frenzy, searching  to find their twins and many women-chased and chaste scenes.

Here  is a ‘shorthand’ version of the scenario. Two sets of identical twins, and as young children they were separated from each other in a shipwreck. Antipholus of Ephesus and Antipholus of Syracuse, and their servants, both named Dromio. The Syracuse master and servant arrive in Ephesus, a comedy of errors and mistaken identities becomes more and more complicated with wild mishaps galore.

The wives of the Ephesian master and servant, Adriana and her servant Luce, mistake the two strangers for their husbands, creating a huge comedy delight. Adriana’s sister Luciana and the Syracuse Antipholus experience love at first sight.

This was an impressive final student production put on by the ACTT.   All the cast were in good voice and showed considerable acting talent. In particular, Daniel D’Amico showed a great vocal range singing across the tenor, baritone and bass strands. Hopefully we will see some of these performers in upcoming music theatre productions around Sydney.

Show running time- 2 hours with one interval.

The ACTT Graduating Class production of THE BOYS FROM SYRACUSE played the Bondi Pavilion Theatre, Queen Elizabeth Drive, Bondi Beach between the 19th and 21st November.

Published by Lynn Belvedere

Once we were old enough, my parents took the whole family to the Sydney CBD cinemas every week. Thus began a lifetime interest, in going to the cinema every week, and became a passionate cinephile by watching all those very heavily edited ''Australian Film Censorship Board'' true cinéaste versions of brand new release ''Cinematograph Films''. Greater Union always gave my father (who worked in Cinema Distribution Exhibition) guest double movie passes, to every first-night ''red carpet Opening Night'' at The State Theatre Cinema at 49 Market Street. Up until his death, my dad always received ''two house seats'' for every Opening Night performance events at the Theatre Royal SYDNEY and at Her Majesty's Theatre SYDNEY. As a child, when mum choose not to go, I often went with him, to those live performance events. As a young child, I remember being taken for each new show, at both The New Theatre at 60 Sussex Street, and the Phillip Street Theatre when located at 150 Elizabeth Street, and for classical music concerts at Sydney Town Hall. = = = ★★★★★ = = = Being happy is a choice, and I have always viewed my life, as material ready be made into a series of amazing tentpole movies. My New Years Resolution is kept every year: ''Get to see/review five new live theatre shows each week, and get to see/review six new cinema movies each week'', plus is one of the Australian Cinema Pioneers, and apparently have seen far too much already, but always wanting to experience more and more each year. I am also able to do almost everything that I enjoy doing. Yes, I do have a great daytime job in I.T. as ''Software Design Project Manager'', PLUS each evening until quite late - - - Australian Cinematograph Films historical censorship consultant - product-placement consultant - mystery-shopper consultant - playwright, writer, author, director, producer, photographer, cinematographer, color-grader, subtitles proofreader - arts/ drama/ music/ film critic and judge, journalist, member FIPRESCI & FCCA & AFCA, member AACTA accredited film reviewer-critic-writer, accredited IMDB.COM critic-reviewer-author, projectionist, plus an innovative iconoclast - - - ★★★★★ LYNN BELVEDERE ★★★★★ - - - [usr 5] - - -