BWW Reviews: THE ADELAIDE FESTIVAL CENTRE'S CHRISTMAS PROMS 2013 Brings in the Christmas Spirit

Reviewed Friday 13th December 2013

Each year, Santa arrives in Adelaide with the Christmas Pageant but, for many, Christmas really gets under way with the annual Christmas Proms. The Adelaide Art Orchestra, led by their Artistic Director, Timothy Sexton, who now also runs the State Opera of South Australia, get into the festive spirit to present a seasonal concert. Each year, however, there is a theme and, this year, it was Broadway Proms: Christmas on 42nd Street.

Along with the traditional Christmas songs and carols, that simply have to be included to give the willing and enthusiastic audience a chance to sing along, there were plenty of familiar show tunes presented by the orchestra alone, or with the help of The Follies Five, who were occasionally joined by Sexton to make six for some impressive a capella numbers, and also the two special guests. Considering the Broadway theme this year, the choice of Chelsea Gibb and Mitchell Butel was inspired. They are both highly regarded Australian musical theatre stars, and both are very well known to cabaret audiences as well.

The two Christmas clowns, Moose and Boppa, were there as usual, six snappy tappers, from Ding Productions, added some Broadway glitz and glamour, and the old chap with the white beard put in an obligatory appearance What more could anybody ask of an event designed specifically to get everybody right into the Christmas spirit?

So popular has this annual concert become that, this year, it has expanded to four performances, two in the afternoon and two in the evening on Friday 13th and Saturday 14th. That is most impressive, considering it has only been running for a few years, and also taking into account that the theatre holds 2,000 people.

The evening began with Sexton conducting the orchestra in a lively medley of numbers from Girl Crazy, by George Gershwin, leaving no doubt about the theme for the evening, and demonstrating the superb musicianship of the orchestra and their conductor. Sexton is also responsible for many of the arrangements and, again, exhibiting his skill with his effective and imaginative use of the low woodwinds, a notable feature of his writing for this group.

Acknowledging that there is a particular atmosphere to the Christmas season, Jerry Herman had Mame, at a low point in her life, sing We Need a Little Christmas. The Follies Five: Kristen Hardy, Rachel McCall, Gabi Carter, Mark Oates, and Nicholas Cannon, gave a lively interpretation of the piece

Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas introduced Chelsea Gibb, in an impassioned rendition, filled with subtle variations in light and shade. We really do not see enough of her in Adelaide. It was then our turn to join in to sing Joy to the World, which was followed by a medley of show tunes from Mitchell Butel: About a Quarter to Nine, Steppin' Out, with the six tap dancers, and Tonight.

Then came the first of the a capella numbers, with Sexton joining in to sing bass. Blue Moon is one of those evergreens that never fails to please, and if you ever liked the Swingle Singers or any of the other great vocal groups, this would be just your cup of tea

And so the evening continued, mixing show tunes, seasonal songs, and carols, in orchestral arrangements, vocals for the singers, community singing, a capella songs and, naturally, showcases for Gibb and Butel. Plenty of gentle comedy from Moose and Boppa, more tapping, and Santa's appearance, all added to a fun packed evening.

Near the end of the evening Mitchell Butel was joined by Mark Oates and Nicholas Cannon to sing, There is Nothin' Like a Dame, from South Pacific, a great taste of what is to come in a few weeks when he returns to Adelaide to play the role of Luther Billis in the production currently touring Australia which, incidentally, will have the Adelaide Art Orchestra playing for it. It opens in Adelaide on New Year's Eve and is sure to draw large audiences.

Another moment of great appeal was when, making an early start in show business for him, Chelsea Gibb carried her new baby onto the stage, accompanied by the appropriate "ooh"ing and "ah"ing of the audience.

Catherine Fitzgerald directed the production, and she certainly kept up the pace and made good use of the space around the orchestra. Kathryn Sproul came up with a classy design, that was further enhanced by the lighting design of Phil Haddy.

Everything, unfortunately, must come to and end, and so it was with this performance, although not before an encore had been provided. The applause went on and on, announcing another successful Proms night. If another dozen encores had been played the audience, I suspect, would still have left wanting more. The only question now is, how many more performances will need to be added next year?

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