Muriel may be terrible, but 'Muriel's Wedding The Musical' is a complete delight.
Featuring music from Kate Miller-Heidke/Keir Nuttall and book by P.J Hogan, 'Muriel's Wedding The Musical' brings the feels when they need to be brought, piles on the laughs in all the right places, and plays on iconic moments from the equally iconic Australian film.
Natalie Abbott is wonderful in the titular role. There's nuance and depth there. . . This is helped along of course by the character's lines and songs, but Natalie takes those things and embodies them marvellously. It feels fleshed out, fully-realised, and legit.
Pippa Grandison, who played mean girl Nicole in the film, returns to the story all these years later to play Muriel's mother Betty. It's a great full-circle moment and Nicole's affinity with the story and its characters means she, of course, nails this role.
Other successes in the cast department include – but are absolutely not limited to – David James as Bill Heslop, Manon Gunderson-Briggs as Joanie, Stefanie Jones as Rhonda Epinstall, Stephen Madsen as Alexander Shkuratov, and Jarrod Griffiths as Brice Nobes.
Those familiar with the film can attest to the fact that it's just about as poignant and emotional as it is side-splittingly funny. Well, the same can be said for the musical too. All the most hilarious jokes are, naturally, camped up for the stage (why banish Muriel from the girls' group via talking, when you can do it via song? 'Can't Hang' is absolutely brilliant), while the more touching moments are given extra weight thanks to some stunning harmonies and heightened emotions ('Here Comes The Bride' tugs at the heartstrings).
The music should get a mention in the list of cast members. It's a lead role of its own, and there's everything from gorgeous, sweeping piano ('My Mother') to banging party tunes ('Sydney'), some of which could easily play on the radio.
Image © Jeff Busby
The biggest difference in this adaptation of the story is evident as soon as you enter the theatre, where the stage is framed by a bunch of decorative smartphones: It's present day.
With the original film painting such a vivid picture of '90s Australia, it's easy to assume that 'Muriel's Wedding' may have lost some charm during its travel through time to the 2010s. Luckily, that's not the case. Though it may upset some purists, the new era means that instead of just being on the covers of magazines, Muriel skyrockets to viral internet fame and gets a 'blue tick' on Twitter, for example. There's a 'selfie' gag brought by the group of mean girls which lands every time. It's an intelligent move by the folks behind the show, and means younger audiences get to enjoy it as much as the people in their lives who grew up watching the film.
Plenty is done to maximise the use of the space on stage throughout 'Muriel's Wedding The Musical', with relatively simple but effective set pieces able to come and go with each scene smoothly and with little assistance needed from the cast. It's a case of 'less is more' for the most part. . . The real focus here is the characters and their relationships to each other, so why take the focus away with overly distracting visuals? Props to those involved in the set design of this show (pun intended).
This is a well-rounded, heartfelt production with depth and a clear intention to connect with its audience. The story of 'Muriel's Wedding' remains a classic in Australian film history, and in terms of which Aussie stage show will be the next to eventually earn the title of 'classic', 'Muriel's Wedding The Musical' has all the right credentials to catch the bouquet.
★★★★★
