BWW Reviews: SEXERCISE THE MUSICAL

A brand new Melbourne Theatre was christened last night with a brand new Australian musical. Sexercise The Musical centres around 6 real life people and their struggles with the routine and the monotony of life. It's a snapshot of their interactions through both mateship and relationship. Like any unknown work being performed for the first time, there is an uncertainty about what will be presented. Sexercise turns out to be a particularly funny, albeit quite drawn out show. Derek Rowe's script is contemporary comedic writing at is very best. Set in Melbourne in the present day it captures the essence of real life issues in a poignant and often times hysterical way. It is, along with Sara Grefnell's direction the highlight of the show. Grefnell's direction is so precise and thorough that every moment, every thought, of every character is clear and played to its fullest.

Where the show falls down is its score. Also written by Rowe, its weakness is that none of the songs genuinely progress the story forward. They just happen. They actually halt the progress of the story for songs sake. There are of course some brilliant lines within them, after all Rowe has proven to us that he has a gift with words, but melodies and the use of music as story telling device, in this case, fall well short of the libretto.

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Musical director Trevor Jones and choreographer Dana Jolly round out the creative team and the precision of their craft is as evident as Grafnell's is in her direction. It's a very tight show. Performance wise there is not a step or note or moment out of place. It's a credit to the synergy between cast and creatives which is clearly evident in this show. Adrienne Chisholm's design cleverly utilses the space, the use of projection a particularly smart touch.

Centred around couple Sam (Nicole Melloy) and Joe's (Lyall Brookes) therapy sessions, Sexercise captures the right balance between having a laugh at itself and landing meaningful moments. Truthful moments that enable an audience to not only see themselves in the characters but reflect on them and relate to them in a real way in real time. Melloy is, as always, a marvel when it comes to finding the essence of a character. She has contrast littered throughout her performance. It never stagnates and is constantly ebbing and flowing. Brookes compliments her performance brilliantly with comedic timing and accuracy that affords him some of the biggest laughs of the evening. Supporting these two central characters are Fem Belling as Rhonda, the couples therapist. Belling's voice and charcaterisation are a real feature. Kristin Holland as the smooth single lovable rogue Shane provides a cockiness and confidence that is effortlessly believable. Cameron MacDonanald as the softly spoken apologetic Andy shines through in his understatement, with every thought and reaction perfectly placed. Lulu McClatchy as Tania is riotous in her song Want What I Got and while it would be easy to stereotype or play for gags, she goes for the truth and the heart of the material which ultimately makes it funnier than what it may otherwise be.

The new 500 seat Alex Theatre in St.Kilda is a wonderful new space for Melbourne audiences to attend theatre. Perhaps on this occasion a new venue with a brand new work was a little ambitious. For while Sexerise has a lot of potential, at the moment it seems there is 60-70 minutes worth of very solid material. If the musical was stripped back to a one act shortened version of itself it could be a hit. Especially with the cast and creative team it has around it. Until then, it will remain a lengthy drawn out comedy with a brilliant script, an uneventful score and being performed by a cast of very talented performers.

Sexercise The Musical

The Alex Theatre

Fitzroy St St. Kilda

Tickets: ticketek.com.au

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