The Other Palace Theatre
Playing until 8th September 2024
Photo credit: Ellie Kurttz
Review {AD-PR Gifted}
Through the eyes of Jade (Georgia Grant-Anderson), a young girl on the brink of adolescence, the audience is presented with the brilliant tales of many women who made history and how they continue to inspire women of all ages. Fuelled with neon lights and costumes, these significant figures splurge their motivation, hardship and how they go on to influence the generations of women that come after them.
Jade, like many young children, is not clear on what she aspires to be and what she would like to do in the near term let alone many years into the future. As she wanders through a section of a museum that she is not meant to be in, the historically important women’s apparitions appear and guide her on a journey of self-discovery. The musical numbers are energetic, fun and enticing, especially when coupled with comedic choreography by Dannielle ‘Rhimes’ Lecointe. The dialogues and songs give enough context to each of the historical figures, so even if you are not that familiar with all of them, you will be able grasp their key achievements with ease.
Following a particular pattern, the women would each appear to teach Jade a lesson, she learns about them and move on to the next lesson. Although this provides the show with a defined structure, it is prone to repetition and for those with a slightly shorter attention span, it is possible that their minds may start to wander after the second or third set of stories. However, there are sufficient distractions and humour dotted throughout to lessen the impact of the repetitiveness. In fact, having one of the musicians (Nicola T. Chang) joining on stage to lead the actors in a percussive performance is a nice touch, fuelling the excitement and introduce something a little different to what has happened so far in the show.
While the overall delivery of the production is effective, I struggled to pin down who the target audiences are for this show. Some of the contents suggest that it is intended for a younger audience, and may even serve an educational purpose. However, it also touches on heavier topics such as divorce, discrimination and even the holocaust, which may not be fully appreciated by the younger age group. On the other hand, there is a little too much repetition and disjointedness between the different mini stories for the more mature audience.
The historical figures are played by four brilliant actresses (Elena Breschi, Meg Hateley, Charlotte Jaconelli and Anelisa Lamola), all of whom bring incredible vigour to the women they portray. Breschi in particular, adds much nuances in her depictions of Sacagawea and Frida Kahlo, giving standout performances during “World of Colour”. Similarly, Lamola’s performance in “Rosa’s Lullaby” was heartfelt and sensational, slowing down the pace of the show to accentuate the finale. With the exception of “Quiet Children”, the remaining musical numbers all paint a vivid narrative of standalone stories, and although “Quiet Children” is actually quite an ear worm, it is thematically distinct to the rest of the songs and doesn’t quite set the scene for the rest of the show seeing the teachers that feature in it play a little to no role after the opening number.
Fantastically Great Women who changed the World offers an abundance of energy and contains enough to entertain both the younger and mature audiences, the key to a successful family-oriented show. Whether you are familiar with the stories of the prominent historical figures in this story, you are sure to learn something new and walk away feeling inspired.
Selected Creatives
Based on the Book by Kate Pankhurst and published by Bloomsbury
Lyrics: Chris Bush, Miranda Cooper
Music: Miranda Cooper, Jennifer Decilveo
Director: Amy Hodge
Musical Director: Audra Cramer
Assistant Musical Director: Nicola T. Chang
Set and Costume Designer: Joanna Scotcher
Choreographer: Dannielle ‘Rhimes’ Lecointe
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