Musical Theatre Gala - Queensland Symphony Orchestra

Musical Theatre Gala - Queensland Symphony Orchestra

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Posted 2022-11-04 by John Andrewfollow

Sat 29 Oct 2022

The choir seats, on either side of the orchestra, were full - a sure sign of a capacity audience. And the deafening applause as Guy Noble stepped up to the rostrum made it clear that this was an expectant audience - expecting to have a good time.
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And we did.

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Once again, the QSO exceeded expectations, just because music is popular doesn't imply that you lower your standards, and the QSO's wonderful orchestration and superb musicianship gave us an evening to remember.

Guy Noble was his usual combination of expertise and ebullience, leaving most of the introductions to the soloists, but interacting with them with his usual transparent enjoyment, and capacity for spontaneous one-liners.

My guess is that much of the choice of songs depends on the repertoire of the soloists but we didn't feel in the least short-changed with selections ranging from Gershwin and Sondheim to Lloyd-Webber. Were some of my personal favourites absent? Well, yes, but it didn't matter. There were too many "old friends" present for me to cavil. The opening overture from "Girl Crazy" gave the QSO a chance to showcase their brass section and strut their jazz stuff. Heads were bopping and toes tapping throughout the Concert Hall to tunes such as "I've Got Rhythm" and "Who could ask for anything more?" Who indeed? A great start.

All of the soloists were excellent but for my money Amy Lehpamer was the stand-out. That lady knows how to make an entrance and sell a song.


Her over-the-top rendition of "All That Jazz", ably supported by 29 Queensland Conservatorium students, set us back in our seats.

Alexander Lewis came next with a hard act to follow and did Leonard Bernstein proud with "Something Coming" from West Side Story segue-ing into "A Boy Like That" with Amy and Lucinda - the super extrovert and the somewhat more reserved singers complementing wonderfully.

Amy had sung the part of Maria in The Sound of Music and it showed, but her sensitive and gentle duet with Lewis of "Something Good" tugged at our heartstrings and contrasted beautifully with earlier and later razzamatazz.

Sondheim is not easy to sing and many find him complex and difficult. Alexander Lewis made it look easy and his "Soliloquy" from Carousel was one of the stand-outs of a superb show.

Many of us can remember when we first heard and saw Les Miserables and Amy showed us yet another side of her technique with a solemn "I dreamed a dream" with a gloriously rich QSO accompaniment.

The last song before the interval often throws everyone and everything at it. "One Day More" was no exception. The four principals and the student cast gave it their all. Lucky enough to have a seat near the stage, I could see that two of the students (Oliver Clisdell and Sophie Gulloch) were visibly nervous as they waited for their duet – but not when they sang. They nailed it, and we were so pleased for them. With the orchestra, soloists and students at full stretch we left at the interval with a tune in our heads and a spring in our steps.

Lucinda Wilson (dressed in a beautiful white evening gown) opened the second half with "Wishing you were somehow here again". She may not have Amy's show-stopping powerful voice but her pure clear soprano showed itself to full advantage in this sensitive and almost painfully perfect rendition ending on a perfect stratospherically high note. We want to hear more from this lady.

O'Cleirigh can sing and dance – and demonstrated this well in "Herod's Song" with two other dancers. Loved it.

Lewis came into his own in Sondheim's "Being Alive" reaching richness of tone, amazing breath control and powers of projection that Bryn Terfel might have envied. Just magnificent.

Amy shone, particularly in "Don't rain on my parade". This lady has amazing lungs, a great voice and the capacity to sell a song. But she is by no means confined to "belting"songs. Cabaret's "Maybe This Time" let her demonstrate how she can get inside heartfelt wistful songs. And she can.

Once again everything was thrown at Bernstein's "Make our Garden Grow". It was a spectacularly good ending – had not Guy Noble flagged that (given appropriate applause) there were encores galore. Much fun was had with multiple curtain calls and then we had Amy strutting her stuff as she led the audience in a singalong of "Do a Deer" . This was followed by the Monty Python song from Spamalot.

I loved the show - but this song on its own was worth the ticket price - and it was clear that soloists and orchestra were having fun.

Lehpamer and Lewis closed the show with a beautiful rendition of "You'll never walk alone".

The audience came expecting a light-hearted evening celebrating highlights of the musicals, and that's what they got.

Expect a well deserved full house for their next Musical Theatre Gala.

Listening Guide
Gershwin
Overture from Girl Crazy (arr. Rose)
Kander
All That Jazz from Chicago (arr. Tycho)
Bernstein
Something's Coming from West Side Story
Bernstein
A Boy Like That from West Side Story
Sondheim
Agony from Into the Woods
Rodgers
The Sound of Music from The Sound of Music
Rodgers
Something Good from The Sound of Music
Sondheim
Finishing the Hat from Sunday in the Park with George
Schönberg
I Dreamed a Dream from Les Misérables (arr. Boublil)
Schönberg
One Day More from Les Misérables (arr. Boublil)
Lloyd-Webber
Entracte from Phantom of the Opera
Lloyd-Webber
Wishing you were somehow here again from The Phantom of the Opera
Rodgers
Soliloquy from Carousel
Schwartz
Popular from Wicked (arr. Young)
Lloyd-Webber
Superstar from Jesus Christ Superstar
Lloyd-Webber
Herod's Song from Jesus Christ Superstar
Kander
Maybe This Time from Cabaret (arr. Young)
Sondheim
Being Alive from Company
Styne
Don't Rain on my Parade from Funny Girl (arr. Buc)
Bernstein
Make Our Garden Grow from Candide

#Musicians

Guy Noble
Conductor and Host

Amy Lehpamer
Vocalist

Alexander Lewis
Vocalist

Lucinda Wilson
Vocalist

Aidan O Cleirigh
Vocalist

Peter Wallis
Photographs

#music
#brisbane_city
#musicals
#performing_arts
#shows
#theatre
#october
!date 29/10/2022 -- 29/10/2022
%wnbrisbane
207637 - 2023-06-16 06:02:02

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