Helpmann Countdown 2008: Best Musical Nominees

July 20: Four musicals are battling it out for Best Musical at the 2008 Helpmann Awards. ERIN JAMES looks at the chances of each show as the countdown to the Helpmanns continues...

COMPANY
The Lowdown: Company was presented by national musical theatre company Kookaburra at the Theatre Royal in Sydney. It opened on Thursday, July 5, 2007. There was much excitement about the show's all-star cast, which included David Campbell, Tamsin Carroll, Simon Burke and Anne Looby. While the show was an extraordinary artistic success, it was overshadowed by a scandal surrounding a decision to cut scenes from the show on the July 18 performance after Christie Whelan, who played April, fell ill. The show did not tour.

AussieTheatre.com Review In Brief: "Let's get one thing straight: Company is David Campbell's show. He commands the stage from the very moment he walks on, building with every scene until his emotional, incredibly moving rendition of 'Being Alive', which rightly brought the house down. His portrayal of central character Bobby and his journey of discovery is first class, and one feels this may just be the role Campbell was born to play. Of course, Campbell is ably supported by an ensemble cast that is nothing short of breathtaking at times, Tamsin Carroll in particular re-enforcing her status as the country's leading female performer by presenting an outstanding rendition of 'Another Hundred People', a song that is almost out of place as the character of Marta never really develops; lacking the sub-plot others enjoy. Still, it is part of the Company tradition and Carroll's performance is stellar." (Troy Dodds)

Why it can win the Helpmann: While it may not have had the budget of some of its competitors in this category, there is no doubting that Company was an extraordinary artistic success. Its sensational ensemble cast, led by the brilliant David Campbell, and its pace and fun style make it a worthy 2008 Best Musical nominee.

Why it can't win the Helpmann: There were still some issues here, including the set which looked more like a Christmas Tree than anything else. It remains to be seen whether or not the scandal that surrounded the show will remain in voters' minds. The other problem Company faces is the fact that the other shows - particularly Billy Elliot - had a more spectacular feel.



THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA
The Lowdown: Back in Australia after its extraordinary previous success, The Phantom Of The Opera commenced its national tour in Melbourne on Saturday, July 28, 2007. It achieved enormous box office success, and left Melbourne for Brisbane before commencing a Sydney season at the Lyric Theatre, where it is still playing now. Most of the excitement surrounding the show involved Anthony Warlow, reprising his famed role as The Phantom.

AussieTheatre.com Review In Brief: "The design is still stunning, the costumes amazing and the overture chandelier moment is one of the greatest musical theatre openings (perhaps only surpassed by The Lion King). Yet this Phantom is already beginning to fell like its own cliché. The dry ice, great make up and magic disappearances are so expected now that they have very little impact. The book and score are full of mystery, deaths, disappearances and constant threat, but there was very little tension on the stage. We were never really scared for Christine and her fate. The climax of the show is the unmasking of the Phantom (I think this well enough known that it’s not a spoiler), but was so expected that it was almost an anti-climax." (Anne-Marie Peard).

Why it can win the Helpmann: The Phantom Of The Opera remains an outstanding musical and audiences continue to love it. There's no surprises anymore, but there is no doubt that the chandelier scene remains breathtaking and the show itself flawless. The performances of both Anthony Warlow and Ana Marina were superb.

Why it can't win the Helpmann: In so many ways, this is a tired show - we've seen it all before, there's no major surprises or shocks and given a show like Billy Elliot is in the same category I doubt Phantom has any sort of hope. Phantom also suffers from the fact there's been some criticism over its initial nomination in favour of other shows.



BILLY ELLIOT
The Lowdown: Billy Elliot opened amongst much fanfare on Thursday, December 13, 2007 at the Capitol Theatre in Sydney, where it is still playing now. The show will transfer to Melbourne later this year. The show received largely positive reviews.

AussieTheatre.com Review In Brief: "The show's somewhat mainstream 'unlikely dancer becomes a star' storyline will please the masses, Elton John's music and Lee Hall's book and lyrics will warm the tastebuds of theatre aficionados and the backdrop of the mining strike of 1984/5 will certainly entertain those looking for something stronger in terms of script content. Only a fool would spend time pointing out flaws in this show. Sure, there's one or two elements that could be improved, but if theatre's primary goal is to entertain and enchant, Billy Elliot not only takes the gold medal, it's a body length in front of the world record line." (Troy Dodds)

Why it can win the Helpmann: It is one of the best musicals staged in Australia in a decade. Its spectacular, energetic style matched with a sensational cast and brilliant music make it an unstoppable success story.

Why it can't win the Helpmann: The only thing working against Billy Elliot is history. Quite often, the Helpmann voters have gone with smaller musicals above the commercial blockbusters (ie - The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee over Dusty in 2006 and Keating! above Priscilla in 2007).



GUYS AND DOLLS
The Lowdown: Guys And Dolls opened with what was labelled a "musical theatre dream cast" on Saturday, April 5 at the Princess Theatre in Melbourne, where it is still playing. The cast includes Lisa McCune, Magda Szubanski, Marina Prior, Ian Stenlake and Garry McDonald.

AussieTheatre.com Review In Brief: "Opening night was marred by poor sound levels at the beginning and a sense of unreadiness in the opening scenes. It really didn’t get going till the fabulous company scene and dance in Havana, and subsequent company production numbers showcased the fantastic choreography and evocative but sparse design. The sparseness made me sometimes feel I was at a Production Company gig (helped in no small part by some familiar faces from those shows), but a few more bodies in the chorus would not go amiss – this is meant to be a blockbuster musical after all. All in all, though Guys And Dolls is a fun night out, I find it difficult to at this stage to grant a wholehearted recommendation. However, with some attention paid to the pace of the dialogue (pacey does not always mean fast!), and a bit more old fashioned chutzpah from the principals it has the potential to achieve the class of its West End progenitor." (Josephine Giles).

Why it can win the Helpmann: Guys And Dolls is a simple, yet powerful musical. It's joyous, hummable and fun. The cast is generally quite solid, and the production values are high even though the staging needs to be improved somewhat. Guys And Dolls delivers very much what it promises.

Why it can't win the Helpmann: It doesn't have that "something special" to get it over the line. There's certainly a piece of magic missing that would make this a Helpmann Award winner.