The Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts Freaky Friday is a spirited, fun and, at times, emotional production.
Based on the Disney movies of the same name, Freaky Friday is the tale of an overworked mother, and her teenage daughter, as they magically swap bodies. They have just one day to put things right before mum walks down the aisle to marry the new man of her dreams.
What entails is a day of chaos as they must negotiate each other’s lives. A bright, fast paced opening number, Just One Day, sets the fun atmosphere of the performance.
The two main leads, Bianca Metcalf as the mum, Katherine Blake, and Annie Jamieson as the daughter, Ellie, share a great rapport on stage. Their relationship as mother and grieving teenage daughter was convincing and genuine. At times funny, heartfelt and full of angst Metcalf and Jamieson manoeuvre and negotiate each other’s lives for one day.
Their voices are strong and crisp and blended charmingly during their duets. Metcalf is a confident performer, and Jamieson commanded the attention of the audience during her scenes. On swapping bodies, they even managed to keep each other’s characters subtle movements and gestures.
Campbell Richardson as Fletcher, Ellie’s brother, was hilarious and full of great clowning. His performance was fun and his sock puppets were used to great comical effect. Even his dancing was entertainingly funny and eye catching.
The choreography was performed with precision and unity and added to the upbeat environment of the show. At various stages throughout the performance the audience was able to witness the band as it created its musical magic.
Rachel Seo as the hard-working, stressed-out assistant gave a great performance. Her character manoeuvred around the stage with wit displaying the exasperation and pressure of working for Katherine. Brendan Matthews as Adam has a charismatic presence on stage and the vibrato in his voice adds to his performance.
Other notable performances were Abby Pulkas as Meyers the PE teacher who blows her whistle and gives the students a hard time and Zoe Davidson-Wall as Ellie’s rival Savannah.
The simple set works well as giant white boxes are moved around the stage to represent various scenes. As you waited for the performance to begin the boxes cleverly created the letters F and F (Freaky Friday) on stage lit in a stream of pink and orange lighting.
There were some teething problems with microphones at the beginning of the performance, however the two leading ladies took it in their stride without missing a beat.
At the end of the production the audience experiences the old adage of “spending a day in someone’s else’s shoes.” Under the direction of Crispin Taylor this cast of third year students manages to take the audience on journey of empathy, understanding and ultimately love.
Freaky Friday
Geoff Gibbs Theatre – WAAPA, 2 Bradford Street, Mount Lawley
Performance: Friday 11 April 2025
Season continues to 16 April 2025
Information and Bookings: www.waapa.ecu.edu.au
Images: Freaky Friday – photos by Stephen Heath
Review: Craig Dalglish