Reviewed by Juliet Morelli
What a laugh this was. I did not go into this production with any expectation as I wasn’t too familiar with melodramas, but boy did it have me smiling and laughing all the way through. And I don’t just mean a smirk, I mean an actual laugh out loud, along with the rest of the audience!
The storyline of Adrift in New York is simple enough to follow, and perfect for the audience engagement required of a melodrama. Now I’m never going to be the first one to put my hand up for audience participation; I’m the kind of person who doesn’t sit at the end of the row to avoid being picked on. But the cast were brilliant at making the audience feel they were in safe hands with them. They encouraged us at all the right moments to get involved, guided us with actions and lyrics (they were also in the program!) and spoke directly to us, which brought us right into the story.
For the most part, the acting was great. Being a melodrama, it was over the top and dramatic, but the cast were in character the whole time, without any accidental crack of laughter. The accents put on (and they were strong accents, old New York style) were held for the entire show, and energy was high to the end. Even through just a couple of mistimed lines, professionalism sang through.
What was of particular standout to me was the characterisations of each role. Using music and body language, we knew exactly who each character was – the good, the bad, the beautiful – before any words were uttered. And when they were spoken, the characters felt fully realised, and you immediately understood who each of them was. Furthermore, it was the smaller supporting characters who stole my heart – Aunt Sarah, Old Mag, Monty, Hi Perkins. This is a testament to the acting of Jude Hines, Penni Hamilton-Smith, Harry Passehl and Lindy LeCornu respectively. Kudos to you all; you made some minor characters absolutely shine. And a mention for Paula Gallagher as well who, despite being in the Chorus, a ‘background role’, stood out with so much personality. In fact, I would go as far as saying that no role was minor in this production. Every single character had its place, but it was the acting that made it so.
As a pianist myself, I can’t help but give a shoutout to the pianist Sandi McMenamin. Supported by percussion, the stamina to play for near 2.5 hours and get all the timing right with actors stomping to a beat or the like, was done so well. She made it look simple, and to do that is quite hard.
As far as reviews go, I don’t normally name the actors and actresses as much as I have in this one. But I think that says a lot; this production was personal, relatable, and involved me as the audience. The momentum and atmosphere created were perfect for a humorous, fun, light-hearted night. It was the kind of night you could absolutely bring the whole family to.
