Great Scot - The Scotch Family Magazine - Issue 151 September 2017 GreatScot_Internal_Sept_2017_FA | Page 49

Great fun and high quality in senior musical
This year’s senior productions, once again, were a testament
to the high theatrical standards our senior students consistently
reach. The Scotch/PLC Musical, the final of four productions, was
a highlight of the year. Like many shows from the golden age of
musicals, Kiss Me Kate is preoccupied with the battle of the sexes.
Naturally, its focus is on complex relationships, misunderstandings
and deliberate intrigue; but it also maintains parallels with its
inspiration, William Shakespeare’s The Taming of the Shrew.
In this case, Fred Graham, a down but not quite out actor,
prepares a last ditch attempt to resurrect his ailing career with his
own original musical version of The Taming of the Shrew. As the
show’s director, producer and self-proclaimed superstar, Graham
has cast his ex-wife, Lilli Vanessi, as his leading lady. The parallels
between events on and off the stage cause much confusion and
alarm, especially as a secondary romance concerning the actress
Lois Lane and her gambling boyfriend Bill Calhoun causes the
production to run foul of Baltimore’s most ruthless yet talentless
gangsters.
Stellar lead performances from Ethan Flemming (Year 11 – Fred
Graham) and Ashley Villamaria (Lilli Vanessi) were seamlessly
supported by Kristofer Hyde (Year 11) and Jemma Healey (Bill
Calhoun and Lois Lane), not to mention the show-stopping encores
of Brush Up Your Shakespeare by Con Coutis and Charlie Hill (both
of Year 12) as the two bungling thespian gangsters.
Memorable numbers like Wunderbar, I Hate Men, Too Darned
Hot and Brush Up Your Shakespeare made this show one that cast
and audience will remember for many years.
STEPHEN RITCHIE – HEAD OF DRAMA
www.scotch.vic.edu.au Great Scot
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