If you want your students to be ambitious, you have to lead by example and show them exactly how ambitious you collectively can be. That at least appears to be the message the West Australian Academy of Performing Arts (WAAPA) are currently pushing forth with: it was only last year they tore apart The Regal Theatre with a huge mid-year production featuring graduate students. Well… they’re back, and this year WAAPA is presenting something bigger and better and more extravagant than before, set to top the size and success of previous years. Get ready for a huge show as they present Gershwin’s epic Crazy For You.
‘This is the biggest show they’ve ever attempted,’ said Tom Handley, the star of the show. ‘The budget, the size of the orchestra… there’s just a lot more people involved, even though the cast is essentially the same size. Hopefully it’s going to be bigger than last year, which was a huge success.’
Handley plays the dashing Bobby Child, a young man with stars in his eyes looking to make a name for himself. He decides to pack it all up and hits Nevada, where he meets the girl of his dreams.
‘He meets Holly Baker and ends up falling in love with her, but he spends the whole show trying to win her. But she’s a tough cookie to crack. It’s a very fun role to play.’
Of course, what makes it so much fun to watch are the actors tearing up the stage as they dance it up big through a songlist which includes such classics as I Got Rhythm, They Can’t Take That Away from Me, But Not for Me, Nice Work if You Can Get It, Embraceable You and Someone to Watch Over Me.
Older readers, naturally, will recognise a few if not all of those songs. But the younger ones? Well, they only know Crazy For You as a Madonna Song. So how has WAAPA tackled the potential issue of not reaching a wider younger audience?
‘The whole cast is under the age of 25,’ Handley explained. ‘The producers have used that to their advantage and really played on making the piece a lot more contemporary. Particularly through the dances which are all a bit Fosse-esque to make it relate to a younger audience which is a huge mission for a mid-year production at WAAPA.’
Newcastle born and bred, Handley is ready to wow audiences with his prowess. No stranger to playing the lead, he said that WAAPA had taught him that to be ambitious, you need to dedicated.
‘I think the most crucial thing I’ve learnt is that the amount of work you put in is a reflection of how much you’ll get out. You have to have so much integrity and professionalism for your work. The more you put in to it – the more you rehearse – the better you will be. That’s why, all we do all day, are classes, just so we can get better and better.’
And of course, WAAPA produces some of the best – if not the best – performers in the country. Which is only achievable by showing that even, as an institution, dare to dream bigger with each major production.
Crazy For You happens at the Regal Theatre from June 10 to 18. Tickets are available now by calling Regal Theatre or visiting www.ticketek.com.au.
Scott-Patrick Mitchell
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