BWW Reviews: THE MYSTERY OF THE HANSOM CAB Arrives in Adelaide Once Again

Reviewed Thursday 21st November 2013

The Adelaide Repertory Theatre Society, who operate at their own ARTS Theatre, are ending their year on a light, fun note with a melodrama last performed in Adelaide in 1988, The Mystery of the Hansom Cab. Fergus Hume's 1886 mystery novel, The Mystery of a Hansom Cab, set in Melbourne, is the basis for the plot of Barry Pree's 1961 stage melodrama, but this version of the parody has been relocated to Adelaide, allowing lots of topical and local references.

The villain, Felix Rolleston, kills a man in a hansom cab, as the unaware cabbie sleeps peacefully, and then he steals some papers from the body. This is not a spoiler as the audience witnesses the foul deed at the very start of the piece. The body is discovered and Detective Samuel Gorby sets about his investigation, but there appears to be some link between the murdered man and the very respectable Frettlby family, Mark and his daughter, Madge, the beautiful heroine of the piece. The handsome hero, Brian Fitzgerald, the man who Madge loves, knows Mark's secret, but he would rather die than reveal it. This would suit Felix as he, too, has set his sights on Madge.

The body turns out to be that of Oliver Whyte, who also had an unwelcome amorous interest in Madge. Sal Rawlins, a staunch member of the Salvation Army, has the misfortune to be the daughter of the Queen of the Underworld, Mother Guttersnipe, who also seems to have some involvement. Sal also keeps busy trying to avoid marrying Clements Rankin, who was the driver of the hansom cab. A deceased burlesque music hall star, RosAnna Moore, also appears to be part of the ever more complex mystery that Detective Corby must unravel.

As well as the basic melodrama, there are songs and a number of short pieces of material in the style of the music hall, including one most authentic comedy routine by the great, Phyl Skinner, billed as Ethel Schwartz in the programme, a lady who trod the boards for many a year on the old Tivoli circuit and has passed on much of that knowledge and skill to younger people who have performed in recreation of the music hall shows in more recent times.

The Master of Ceremonies is Joshua Coldwell, who actually wrote his own script, emulating the style of those who introduced the acts in verbose language, drawing forth "oohs" and "ahs" from the audience. He has a strong stage presence, a very bright personality, and is well suited to that position.

The evil villain, Felix, is played, Barry Hill, who brings his extensive experience as an actor and director to the role, drawing forth boos and hisses galore from the appreciative audience. The sneers, the whirl of the red lined black cape and all of the other gestures and facial expressions one expects of a music hall villain are there in his wickedly engaging characterisation, with a complete change of character when he presented one of the music hall interludes, a recitation as the mousey little man who had the unenviable job of being the rear end of an elephant.

Madge Frettlby, the heroine, is played by Hannah O'Grady, who took over the role with only three weeks of rehearsal left. She presents a charming and warm characterisation, but couples that with strength and determination, when the man she loves is wrongly imprisoned for the murder. Ryan Dooley plays the hero, Brian Fitzgerald, giving the role a clever combination of righteousness and stupidity in his refusal to tell what he knows in order to save his own life, for fear of ruining the reputation and lives of others.

Her father, Mark Frettlby, is played by Neville Phillips, and his good friend, Colton, is played by Chris Meegan, the two giving complementary performances as upright citizens, Colton mentioned as being a member of the prestigious Adelaide Club. The two work well together to create an impression of a long standing friendship, each presenting a very individual characterisation, but the two fitting hand in glove with each other.

Meegan also offers an interlude, singing an excellent rendition of Danny Boy, the famous song based on the tune, The Londonderry Air. This is probably a good time to mention that all of the music for the evening was provided by Sandi McMenamin on piano and Rowan Dennis on drums. As it happens, the 1988 production was directed by Phyl Skinner, with the late George Scheel on piano and myself at the drums, so I do have some rather personal affection for this show.

The long arm of the law, in the shape of Detective Gorby, finds Tamara Bennetts adding Edwardian sideburns and lowering her voice to take on the role. Magnifying glass in hand, she struts and frets her hour, or two, upon the stage, following a trail of red herrings in pursuit of the perpetrator of the vile crime. That should, of course, be crimes, as Felix finds that he needs to dispose of quite a few others along the way to avoid detection.

One of the interesting points of interest during the evening was that, when the audience had a chance to sing along to a number of songs of the past, hardly anybody seemed to find the need to refer to the words that were in the programme, a testimony to the enduring nature of these numbers.

Christopher Evans and Penni Hamilton-Smith play Clements Rankin, the cabman, and Sal Rawlins, his intended. Sal's mother, Mother Guttersnipe, is played by Jude Hines. Evans and Hamilton-Smith are a great double act but, when Hines is added the trio have the audience belly laughing. Evans also joins up with Lindy LeCornu, who plays Rubina Hamilton, for another of the interludes, supposedly defecting members of The Ballet Russe who perform the balloon dance, an old favourite that has not always been performed with the precision of theirs, eliciting admiration as well as causing much hilarity.

Gary Anderson, who also stepped in late due to the illness of the original director, ensured that there was plenty of action, lots of "business" and way over the top performances, befitting of a rollicking melodrama. Anderson and Vinnie Eustice are credited with the very fine set design, which incorporated scenes of Adelaide from a century or more ago to depict the various locations, aided by very effective lighting from Richard Parkhill.

This is not high art, merely a jolly romp that will cheerfully entertain the entire family as you boo, hiss, cheer, applaud, and sing out to your heart's content, in between the bursts of laughter. Don't miss it. It could be another couple of decades before you get the chance to see it again.

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