Crush: The Musical - Adelaide Fringe Review
Image credit: Gemini Creative Arts & Education
Gemini Creative Arts brings to life their rendition of the 1963 musical comedy classic, originally written by Maureen Chadwick and Kath Gotts.
The basis of the story follows two young high school girls, Susan (Lara Wilson) and Camilla (Cassidy Gaiter) on their sapphic love story to outwardly express their desires for each other whilst at the Dame Dorothea Dosserdale School for Girls. Their ‘unnatural behaviours’ however, are condemned by headmistress Miss Bleacher (Robyn Brooks), who leads an relentless pursuit to unfold their ‘deviant’ selves, aided by schoolgirl Brenda (Maggie Cooper).
Banding together by Susan and Camilla’s side are their classmates who are earnest in keeping their friends feeling validated and liberated to love who they choose.
From the get-go, the snazzy, dramatic, and jazzy melodies have audience members bopping and tapping along to each act.
Equally as spectacular are the opening few scenes of the musical, where each of the other schoolgirls, Daimer (Erica Jones), Judith (Eloise Morris), Lavina (Jazz Garcia), Annabelle (Holly Fennell), and head girl Miss Austin (Bec Pryor) burstingly sing and dance through their school ethos of freedom and liberation.
There’s a couple of minor audio issues during the performance, where some of the cast seemed to be louder than others. This however, doesn’t reflect the overall performance of each member, as they collectively deliver a harmonious performance in both group and solo scenes.
Robyn as Miss Bleacher is exceptional in her role from start to finish. Her vocals are as intimidating as they are powerful, effectively conveying the tyrant of a headmistress that she really is.
A handful of modern-day pop-culture references dropped sparingly in some of the dialogue demonstrates the contemporary interpretation of the story, used in some of the in-between moments during acts.
A tap-dancing ensemble during the hockey locker-room scene adds a brilliant touch to showcase the casts’ dance abilities and is oh so very entertaining.
Liam Phillips, who plays Benny the Bag, Dorian, and Marlene Dietrich in the production does an exceptional job of switching between these characters. From impersonating an overly-stereotypical British school handyman, to a drag rendition of Marlene Deitrich in a cabaret club, these characters couldn’t be more different, but Phillips hits the mark.
The first half of the performance seemingly does a lot to drive the plot, where Susan and Camilla’s love and desire grow strongly in the face of being outed by Miss Bleacher and Brenda.
The second-half of the performance reveals the turning point when Susan is outed and they run away from the school, staying at a place with Dorian, and then somehow end up at a cabaret club. It feels a little odd, but it is acknowledged that this was an original storyline written in 2016.
Overall, the entire emerging and established local theatre cast, band, and set in this contemporary-era production of Crush deliver a fantabulously high-energy, eloquent, and sassy sapphic and pro-feminist esque performance of queer love, camaraderie, and triumphing over the status quo.
Rating: ★★★★1/2
Show details: Crush: The Musical - Adelaide Fringe
