REVIEW: Georgina Hopson and Emily Havea Shine As The Showgirls Making Their Way In A Man's World In GENTLEMEN PREFER BLONDES

Tuesday 21st February 2023, 7:30pm, Hayes Theatre Potts Point

Georgina Hopson and Emily Havea deliver the requisite sass and shine as the leading ladies of GENTLEMEN PERFER BLONDES. With Richard Carroll's direction, the 1949 musical adaptation of Anita Loos' comic novel is given a rare revival with mixed results.

Anita Loos' prohibition era novel about the Jazz age of the 1920's was borne out of her jealousy that her friend Henry Louis Mencken, a scholar, journalist, essayist and cultural critic showed an interest in a "stupid little blonde" and not her, a brunette. She never expected Mencken to pass her work on to the editor of Harper's Bazaar who went on to make Gentlemen Prefer Blondes: The Intimate Diary of a Professional Lady a hit in 1925, both in its serialized form and later book. In 1949 she collaborated with Joseph Fields to create the Book for the musical with lyrics by Leo Robin and music by Jule Styne. This is the work presented at Hayes Theatre with a plotline that runs closer to Loos' original story than the later 20th Century Fox movie starring Marilyn Monroe and Jane Russell that would be released in 1953.

The premise of the work is somewhat absurd but also representative of the era in which Loos wrote the work, the 1920's when men and money held the power and women like the blonde Lorelai Lee (Georgina Hopson) understood the best way to secure a comfortable life was to secure a man with money and power though her best friend Dorothy Shaw (Emily Havea) is more enamoured with looks and liveliness than wealth and long term prospects. Lorelai has secured a proposal of marriage, and a sizable engagement ring, from Button manufacturing heir, Gus Esmond Jr, a simpering weak creature that seems to live in his father's shadow. Their intention to sail away to Paris to wed is thwarted by Esmond Snr's demand that Gus remain in America for business but Lorelai is to sail ahead with Dorothy and Gus will follow as soon as he can but Esmond Snr appears to have dug up some dirt on Lorelai and she believes a new strategy for a wealthy husband needs to be devised and she decides to extend her ambition to also securing a suitable husband for the doubtful Dorothy while she's at it. There is a great deal of farcical antics that play out with set ups and devious plots but the minor characters are presented with too much simplicity that they detract from any degree of earnestness that the principals may be able to create.

As Lorelei Lee, Georgina Hopson is brilliant. As evidenced from her previous productions, she is vocally wonderful with a beautiful soprano voice. She brings a strong understanding of the underlying text to ensure that every word is delivered with purpose. Her physicality ensures that Lorelei is seen a woman who knows that the sweet damsel routine gets results but beneath the curls and smile it is clear there is a smart woman who knows how to play the game that women in the patriarchal 1920s must engage in. She reinforces Lorelei's complex character with great comic timing that is delivered with what appears to be an instinctive spontaneity.

Emily Havea is better known for her dramatic roles but it is wonderful that Carroll has given audiences a chance to experience her musical theatre capabilities. She has a history of taking on bold characters and Dorothy Shaw is no exception, a perfect fit for Havea's ability to deliver bold and biting and a bit cynical and jaded with power and conviction while ensuring that Dorothy remains likable throughout. She has rich mezzo vocals with a light head voice and her dance numbers are captivating in their energy.

The downfall of this production however comes from its inability to decide which era its set in and issues with the sound balance that drown out the vocals. With a relatively simple set design by Daniel Potra, the onus of indicating which era the work is set in rests with costume designer Angela White. Some elements seek to reference the 1953 movie which was restricted by censorship sensibilities that restricted the shows ability to properly represent the 1920's flappers, but other elements draw from anything and everything between 1920 and 2020 which muddies understanding of what sort of society Lorelei and Dorothy are supposed to be working to overcome. While Victoria Falconer's (musical director) 5 piece band set above the stage is strong, Dylan Robinson's sound design frequently fails to balance the band with the vocals leaving the vocals drowned out to the point at times its only watching mouths moving that its evident that there may be lyrics for a number. Similarly, body mics are also left at high volume when in dialogue moments leading to awkward imbalances. Sound balance problems are a common issue with the Hayes Theatre and it requires someone familiar with the venue and the artform of Musical theatre as the plot is lyric driven compared to the live music performances and venues that the program indicates Robinson is more familiar with.

This production is listed as being produced by Hayes Theatre Co in association with Sydney Worldpride but the connection with Pride seems to be a very tenuous link. Beyond a liberal dose of sequins, Lorelei's later love interest and Gus's rival Josephus Cage is given a queer undertone by Tomas Parrish portrayal of the clean living Zipper king, showing an interest in the Olympic athletes and appearing in the final scene in leather harness and cinch beneath his suit though none of this really informs that plot.

This study of the different motivations for love and marriage is worth seeing just to experience Georgina Hopson's showstopping Diamonds Are A Girl's Best Friend and Emily Havea's I Love What I'm Doing. Hopefully subsequent performances will refine the sound balances so all the lyrics can be heard particularly for the opening number.

https://hayestheatre.com.au/event/gentlemen-prefer-blondes/

Photos: John Macrae

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