Review: The Nero Show - 'Don't miss it'

Jun 16th, 2010

Garth Wilshere reviews The Nero Show, written and directed by Paul Jenden with music by Gareth Farr, in ‘Don’t miss it’, Capital Times, Wellington, New Zealand 26 May - 1 June 2010. The debut five-week season of The Nero Show concludes this week on Saturday 19 June.

Theatre Review: ‘Don’t miss it’, The Nero Show - Circa Theatre, 15 May to 19 June, Reviewed by Garth Wilshere

‘The Nero Show is Paul Jenden and Gareth Farr’s most clever and sophisticated collaboration.

It is an imaginative tightly constructed play sung without dialogue.

An excellent band of our players: luscious harp a la glamorous Las Vegas Shows, weighty sonorous cello, delicious woodwind colour from clarinets and saxophones and an imaginative array of percussion with band and vocalists is held together by Michael Venten’s sharp direction.

Transposing the Roman emperor Nero’s story - into his mansion in America circa 1963 for a live TV broadcast hosted by TV personality Seneca, a colourfully suave and manically elegant Louis Solino, in a set featuring black and white TV Broadcasts with TV monitors - was inspired.

In a heady mix of fact and fiction the show bristles with fun, backed by Gareth Farr’s 60s inspired music; Latin, bossa nova, iconic original show tunes and wistful ballads all delivered with great style and sass from the terrific cast of singing actors headed by the show-stopping Nero of Jason Chasland.

He is a troubled, disturbed, villainous Mummy’s boy, channelling distraught vocal divas of the past effortlessly with his voice wide-ranging from tenor to falsetto; his energetic performance was riveting to watch.

Equally good in support were his mother Agrippina (a great Christina Cusiel), Octavia (his step-sister and wife) played in wonderful Jackie Kennedy style costumes by Joanne Hodgson, his step-brother Britannicus (Paul Harrop), Poppea his lover (the luscious, sensuously costumed Marilyn Monroe-like figure of Lyndee-Jane Rutherford) and Boudicca aka the Queen of England (an hilariously boisterous Emma Kinane), complete with handbag, carrying the essential miniature teapot, cups, saucers, sugar and milk for that cup of tea (only one of the many visual jokes in this innovative presentation).

The songs were great and their clean diction in the sound mix meant every word could be heard.

The snazzy, elegant black and white set design with splashes of red, Jenden’s marvelous costumes, lighting and effects coupled with the acting, music and dancing made for a memorable, thought-provoking and fun night in the theatre. Don’t miss it.'