Altar Boyz

 Musical Theatre: Sydney and Melbourne

AT THE ALTAR WITH THE BOYZ - WILL CONYERS - Host,

Sadly, it’s rare that I feel so strongly positive about a piece of Music Theatre these days that I feel compelled to write about it.  Quite simply, there is one of the best night’s out playing right now at the Athenaeum Theatre in Collins Street. It’s called ALTAR BOYZ. And I want to be as clear as I can.

Get there. That’s all. Get there.

 This show should be playing like the Original Australian production of THE ROCKY HORROR SHOW was over at the old Channel 7 Tele-Theatre in Johnston Street. For years.

Will you know of one of the cast members? No. (But you’ll certainly want to). Is there one tune you will know? Probably not. (But you find yourself going to buy the CD when the show finishes).  Is it lavishly costumed? No. (But the costumes stick to 5 Olympic-worthy bods with no x-ray vision required).  Is the show held together by sumptuous scenic and technical design? No. (But the design is as sexy as the testosterone on stage).

 And that’s where the ‘No’s’ stop.

Director - Kate Gaul, Choreographer - Antony Ginandjar with, and, Musical Director - Robert Gavin have taken a cute and clever satirical pamphlet of a book about a fictitious Christian Boy Band. They have bravely cast it with undoubtedly the right 5 young male performers for the roles and resisted casting TV or Pop artist names. In fact, a ‘name’ would have killed the ensemble factor of this show. And the result? Stunning and joyously wink-in-the-eye-tongue-in-the-cheek Musical Theatre Revue.

You need a whole pharmacy of Berocca to keep up with the show these lads deliver. And they deliver it by Express! (The whole show is just 1 hour and 20 minutes).

Alphabetically, Dion Bilios, Jeremy Brennan, Andrew Koblar, Cameron MacDonald and Tim Maddren all have their own impressive Music Theatre pedigrees. A rigourous audition process proved to the production team that these ‘boyz’ have at least 20 of the Ten Commandments on board. And they do. Truly, God-given. 

Biblically, Matthew, Mark, Luke, Juan (think about it) and...Abraham - “He’s Jewish!” - take us through the final night of the RAISE THE PRAISE tour of this boy band from...Heaven. Every adolescent question is answered. And we laugh‘coz we know – or, in my case, remember. And with Mr Ginandjarwith’s street-wise and wittily-observed choreography, we wish we could go back there.

ALTAR BOYZ is NOT a show about religion. ALTAR BOYZ just reminds us of our silly selves and jabs us in the moral ribs while it does so. The 4 piece band rocks us through the night and the sound is in your face with not a pain threshold in sight. I could hear every vocal and instrumental line. (Haven’t been able to say that for a while).

 If WICKED was 8.5 out of 10 – this is a 9. Melbourne – get behind this show so that it’s still playing for my 50th Birthday party! Get there!

KEVIN JACKSON - http://kjtheatrereviews.blogspot.com/

ALTAR BOYZ is very simple in its idea. It is the recreation of a Catholic Boy Band made up of Matthew (Cameron MacDonald), Mark (Dion Bilios), Luke (Tim Maddren) and Juan (Jeremy Brennan). Plus Abraham (Andrew Koblar) giving the final performance of their National Raise the Praise Tour. The Book is simple and the Lyrics are satirically amusing. The music generic sounding Boy Band stuff. The performers give a full on 90 minute Olympic stamina and skill display of very intricate and funny choreography, each of the characters with individual iconic body language. The sound within the genre is very “bel canto “but could do with many more consonants (NB Mr Maddren esp, attend Ms White). The Acting is classic Musical Theatre Presentational. I laughed out loud often. On more than several occasions I was actually moved to hoot!!! And I have to confess I was manipulated into a few teary moments of Musical Theatre bliss. The band led by Robert Gavin has a great punch. The Design: Set, pragmatically boring; the costumes terrific (Andy McDonell). Lights theatrically useful (Luiz Pampolha). All of this is brought together by Kate Gaul. Her work is clean and lean. Within the limits of the piece it has great unfussy Artistic Integrity. Tight inevitability. (Eat your heart out Ms Edwards and Mr Armfield and maybe move over. There is a new star in town. Looking at her resume in the program there is an astonishing range of work and high achievement.)

Look this is SILLY, SILLY, SILLY but it is FUN FUN FUN and I exhort you to GO, GO, GO.

In the last years of my schooling at the MARIST BROTHERS we had a text book called THE CHRISTIAN GENTLEMAN which we read in Religion Period every Friday between 1.30pm and 2.10pm. I remember somewhere that we were warned never in polite society to ever talk Politics or Religion. If you loved KEATING then you transgressed that rule. If you have kept Peter Carroll in work and Ron Blair in Petty Cash by attending THE CHRISTIAN BROTHER over the many years past, then I know that you will love ALTAR BOYZ and will transgress again. “Bless me Father for I have sinned, it has been many years since my last confession.” Another Guilty pleasure. 

 Photographer: Heidrun Lohr