They came, we saw, they conquered! Following on from a highly successful premiere season in Sydney, the DRUMMER QUEENS have arrived at the Comedy Theatre in full throttle delivering Melbourne audiences a unique musical experience and visual feast.
With nods to the Basel-based Top Secret Drum Corps, STOMP, Taiko and our very own, Tap Dogs, eight world-class female performers for eighty minutes, deliver twenty-five segments, that run the gamut from reflective moods of the marimba to the powerfully irresistible rhythms of ensemble drumming.
Created and composed by Joe Accaria, with creative direction by Nigel Turner-Carroll and choreography by Peta Anderson, the show delivers a brilliant blend of movement and rhythm, and musical styles that draw on their own (the creatives) and the cast’s inspiration.
Turner-Carroll’s direction is slick and allows the movement of the show to continually evolve, upping the ante, in the second half, with a musical and visual feast. Anderson’s choreography comes from the perspective of a drummer – allowing the forms of movement and drums to work as one.
Accaria’s enthusiasm for the artform is observedly distinct. Having seen his work in other shows (Velvet, Dreamlover, Once), his broad musical style and inspiration carrying through to the stage – like Sheila E’s The Glamorous Life playing in the background as the audience left the theatre…
The cast includes Georgia Anderson, Peta Anderson, Stef Furnari, Niki Johnson, Salina Myat, Lisa Purmodh, Claudia Wherry and Ned Wu – with Sasha Lian Diaz and Astrid Holz as swing performers – all feature quirky names including Bey-B, Freedom, Rebel, Switch, Zen, Sass, Luna and Cap – reflecting their individual styles.
Richard Neville has created a subterranean cave-like environment for the performers to play in – industrial arched-trussing frames the stage, hiding percussive apparatus, rolled out to be played, as required – two large drum kits stand guard at the fore of the stage – eagerly await to be played.
Adrienn Lord’s costumes range industrial chic that convey the performers individuality, in the first half, through to the uniformed miltary cyborg-style in the second. Neville’s lighting combined with Michael Waters pristine sound design make for one musical spectacle.
This family friendly extravaganza is one you won’t want to miss – with some evening performances starting at 6.30pm – it is a great show to take the kids!
DRUMMER QUEENS
Comedy Theatre, 240 Exhibition Street, Melbourne
Performance: Wednesday 28 April 2021 – 6.30pm
Season continues to 8 May 2021
Bookings: www.ticketmaster.com.au
Following the Melbourne season, the Drummer Queens will play at:
Lyric Theatre – QPAC, Cultural Precinct, South Bank (Brisbane)
Season: 12 – 16 May 2021
Bookings: www.qpac.com.au
Illawarra Performing Arts Centre, 32 Burelli Street, Wollongong
Season: 8 – 11 June 2021
Bookings: www.merrigong.com.au
Crown Theatre, Great Eastern Highway, Burswood (Perth)
Season: 15 – 17 June 2021
Bookings: www.ticketmaster.com.au
Albany Entertainment Centre, 2 Toll Place, Albany
Performance: Saturday 19 June 2021 – 7.30pm
Bookings: www.ptt.wa.gov.au
Mandurah Performing Arts Centre, 9 Ormsby Terrace, Mandurah
Performance: Wednesday 23 June 2021 – 7.30pm
Bookings: www.manpac.com.au
Bunbury Regional Entertainment Centre, 2 Blair Street, Bunbury
Performance: Thursday 24 June 2021 – 7.30pm
Bookings: www.bunburyentertainment.com
Canberra Theatre Centre, London Circuit, Canberra
Season: 30 June – 3 July 2021
Bookings: www.canberratheatrecentre.com.au
Dunstan Playhouse – Adelaide Festival Centre, King William Road, Adelaide
Season: 8 – 19 September 2021
Bookings: www.bass.net.au
For more information, visit: www.drummerqueens.com for details.
Image: DRUMMER QUEENS – photo by David Hooley
Review: Rohan Shearn