Photos by David Hooley<\/figcaption><\/figure>\nWhen his best friend, African lion Alex, discovers what Marty has done, he and their other mates, Gloria the hippo and Melman the hypochondriac giraffe, search for him.\u00a0Unfortunately, their freedom doesn\u2019t last too long before they are all rounded up and freighted off to parts unknown.\u00a0It turns out that they are destined for the island of Madagascar, where ring tailed lemur King Julien welcomes them, but has an ulterior motive for doing so.\u00a0I should add that four devious penguins \u2013 Skipper, Rico, Private and Kowalski \u2013 also play a significant role in the outcome.<\/p>\n
While the first half of the one hour 20 minute show (plus there is a 20 minute break) sets the scene, Madagascar The Musical really kicks up a gear in the second act.\u00a0King Julien (who we only meet after interval) is gifted many of the best lines in the musical and Jonathan Martin, who plays him, doesn\u2019t waste any of them. He is a delight as the \u201cruler\u201d \u2013 a real show pony. More than once I laughed aloud.<\/p>\n
The puppetry undoubtedly adds to the spectacle, with Melman immediately making his presence felt when he appears early on.\u00a0Suffice to say, without spoiling the surprise, actor Bryn Monk makes the most of Melman\u2019s long neck and plays up the giraffe\u2019s ailments. In fact, each of the performers does a fine job bringing to the fore the distinct characteristics of the animals, with good grace and humour.<\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/theblurb.com.au\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/rsz_madagascar_the_musical_image_no_2.jpg?resize=560%2C373&ssl=1\")
<\/p>\n
Andrew Papas ensures Alex the lion is not afraid to highlight his place as the king of the jungle.\u00a0Decency is the hallmark of Joe Kalou as Marty the zebra, notwithstanding his desire to experience the \u201cwild\u201d.\u00a0Moniquewa Williams brings a feisty streak and voice of reason to Gloria the hippo.\u00a0Members of the ensemble bring the penguins to life, making an unforgettable contribution to the menagerie.<\/p>\n
The songs \u2013 pop tunes and even a smattering of hiphop \u2013 are easy on the ear.\u00a0With original music and lyrics by George Noriega and Joel Someillan, and book by Kevin Del Aguila, Madagascar The Musical hits the mark.\u00a0It puts smiles on faces and keeps youngsters entertained. It makes for a good introduction to musical theatre.\u00a0Madagascar The Musical is playing at Comedy Theatre until 15th<\/sup> January, 2023.<\/p>\nAlex First<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
A musical for the littlies \u2013 I speak of preschoolers and primary school age children \u2013 Madagascar The Musical is based on the successful animated motion picture.\u00a0It is colourful and fun, and involves live action and puppetry. The premise is that Marty the zebra was born in captivity in New York\u2019s Central Park Zoo.\u00a0Although he…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":144108,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[801],"tags":[21,594,7123,8314,124],"class_list":["post-144105","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-theatre","tag-comedy","tag-comedy-theatre","tag-fun","tag-madagascar-the-musical","tag-musical"],"yoast_head":"\n
Madagascar The Musical (Comedy Theatre) - musical theatre review -<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/theblurb.com.au\/wp\/madagascar-the-musical-comedy-theatre-musical-theatre-review\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Madagascar The Musical (Comedy Theatre) - musical theatre review -\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"A musical for the littlies \u2013 I speak of preschoolers and primary school age children \u2013 Madagascar The Musical is based on the successful animated motion picture.\u00a0It is colourful and fun, and involves live action and puppetry. The premise is that Marty the zebra was born in captivity in New York\u2019s Central Park Zoo.\u00a0Although he...\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/theblurb.com.au\/wp\/madagascar-the-musical-comedy-theatre-musical-theatre-review\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2023-01-05T20:07:10+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/theblurb.com.au\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/rsz_madagascar_the_musical_image_no_1.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"800\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"533\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Alex First\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Alex First\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"3 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/theblurb.com.au\\\/wp\\\/madagascar-the-musical-comedy-theatre-musical-theatre-review\\\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/theblurb.com.au\\\/wp\\\/madagascar-the-musical-comedy-theatre-musical-theatre-review\\\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Alex First\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/theblurb.com.au\\\/wp\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/485a03a567664eed5233363f88ed35a4\"},\"headline\":\"Madagascar The Musical (Comedy Theatre) – musical theatre review\",\"datePublished\":\"2023-01-05T20:07:10+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/theblurb.com.au\\\/wp\\\/madagascar-the-musical-comedy-theatre-musical-theatre-review\\\/\"},\"wordCount\":528,\"commentCount\":0,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/theblurb.com.au\\\/wp\\\/madagascar-the-musical-comedy-theatre-musical-theatre-review\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/i0.wp.com\\\/theblurb.com.au\\\/wp\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2023\\\/01\\\/rsz_madagascar_the_musical_image_no_1.jpg?fit=800%2C533&ssl=1\",\"keywords\":[\"comedy\",\"Comedy Theatre\",\"fun\",\"Madagascar The Musical\",\"musical\"],\"articleSection\":[\"Theatre\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/theblurb.com.au\\\/wp\\\/madagascar-the-musical-comedy-theatre-musical-theatre-review\\\/#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/theblurb.com.au\\\/wp\\\/madagascar-the-musical-comedy-theatre-musical-theatre-review\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/theblurb.com.au\\\/wp\\\/madagascar-the-musical-comedy-theatre-musical-theatre-review\\\/\",\"name\":\"Madagascar The Musical (Comedy Theatre) - musical theatre review -\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/theblurb.com.au\\\/wp\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/theblurb.com.au\\\/wp\\\/madagascar-the-musical-comedy-theatre-musical-theatre-review\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/theblurb.com.au\\\/wp\\\/madagascar-the-musical-comedy-theatre-musical-theatre-review\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/i0.wp.com\\\/theblurb.com.au\\\/wp\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2023\\\/01\\\/rsz_madagascar_the_musical_image_no_1.jpg?fit=800%2C533&ssl=1\",\"datePublished\":\"2023-01-05T20:07:10+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/theblurb.com.au\\\/wp\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/485a03a567664eed5233363f88ed35a4\"},\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/theblurb.com.au\\\/wp\\\/madagascar-the-musical-comedy-theatre-musical-theatre-review\\\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/theblurb.com.au\\\/wp\\\/madagascar-the-musical-comedy-theatre-musical-theatre-review\\\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/theblurb.com.au\\\/wp\\\/madagascar-the-musical-comedy-theatre-musical-theatre-review\\\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/i0.wp.com\\\/theblurb.com.au\\\/wp\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2023\\\/01\\\/rsz_madagascar_the_musical_image_no_1.jpg?fit=800%2C533&ssl=1\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/i0.wp.com\\\/theblurb.com.au\\\/wp\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2023\\\/01\\\/rsz_madagascar_the_musical_image_no_1.jpg?fit=800%2C533&ssl=1\",\"width\":800,\"height\":533},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/theblurb.com.au\\\/wp\\\/madagascar-the-musical-comedy-theatre-musical-theatre-review\\\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/theblurb.com.au\\\/wp\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Madagascar The Musical (Comedy Theatre) – musical theatre review\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/theblurb.com.au\\\/wp\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/theblurb.com.au\\\/wp\\\/\",\"name\":\"\",\"description\":\"Australian arts & entertainment reviews\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/theblurb.com.au\\\/wp\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/theblurb.com.au\\\/wp\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/485a03a567664eed5233363f88ed35a4\",\"name\":\"Alex First\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/d6c07f6ab1e27d55a9fc81f09b51709069a83a382270fbe4f25a1b8ffec9185f?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/d6c07f6ab1e27d55a9fc81f09b51709069a83a382270fbe4f25a1b8ffec9185f?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/d6c07f6ab1e27d55a9fc81f09b51709069a83a382270fbe4f25a1b8ffec9185f?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Alex First\"},\"description\":\"Alex First is the editor of The Blurb. Alex is a Melbourne based journalist and communications specialist. He also contributes to The Blurb on film and theatre.\",\"sameAs\":[\"http:\\\/\\\/firstcommunications.com.au\"],\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/theblurb.com.au\\\/wp\\\/author\\\/alexfirst\\\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Madagascar The Musical (Comedy Theatre) - musical theatre review -","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/theblurb.com.au\/wp\/madagascar-the-musical-comedy-theatre-musical-theatre-review\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Madagascar The Musical (Comedy Theatre) - musical theatre review -","og_description":"A musical for the littlies \u2013 I speak of preschoolers and primary school age children \u2013 Madagascar The Musical is based on the successful animated motion picture.\u00a0It is colourful and fun, and involves live action and puppetry. The premise is that Marty the zebra was born in captivity in New York\u2019s Central Park Zoo.\u00a0Although he...","og_url":"https:\/\/theblurb.com.au\/wp\/madagascar-the-musical-comedy-theatre-musical-theatre-review\/","article_published_time":"2023-01-05T20:07:10+00:00","og_image":[{"width":800,"height":533,"url":"https:\/\/theblurb.com.au\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/rsz_madagascar_the_musical_image_no_1.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"Alex First","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Alex First","Est. reading time":"3 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/theblurb.com.au\/wp\/madagascar-the-musical-comedy-theatre-musical-theatre-review\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/theblurb.com.au\/wp\/madagascar-the-musical-comedy-theatre-musical-theatre-review\/"},"author":{"name":"Alex First","@id":"https:\/\/theblurb.com.au\/wp\/#\/schema\/person\/485a03a567664eed5233363f88ed35a4"},"headline":"Madagascar The Musical (Comedy Theatre) – musical theatre review","datePublished":"2023-01-05T20:07:10+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/theblurb.com.au\/wp\/madagascar-the-musical-comedy-theatre-musical-theatre-review\/"},"wordCount":528,"commentCount":0,"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/theblurb.com.au\/wp\/madagascar-the-musical-comedy-theatre-musical-theatre-review\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/theblurb.com.au\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/rsz_madagascar_the_musical_image_no_1.jpg?fit=800%2C533&ssl=1","keywords":["comedy","Comedy Theatre","fun","Madagascar The Musical","musical"],"articleSection":["Theatre"],"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/theblurb.com.au\/wp\/madagascar-the-musical-comedy-theatre-musical-theatre-review\/#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/theblurb.com.au\/wp\/madagascar-the-musical-comedy-theatre-musical-theatre-review\/","url":"https:\/\/theblurb.com.au\/wp\/madagascar-the-musical-comedy-theatre-musical-theatre-review\/","name":"Madagascar The Musical (Comedy Theatre) - musical theatre review -","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/theblurb.com.au\/wp\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/theblurb.com.au\/wp\/madagascar-the-musical-comedy-theatre-musical-theatre-review\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/theblurb.com.au\/wp\/madagascar-the-musical-comedy-theatre-musical-theatre-review\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/theblurb.com.au\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/rsz_madagascar_the_musical_image_no_1.jpg?fit=800%2C533&ssl=1","datePublished":"2023-01-05T20:07:10+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/theblurb.com.au\/wp\/#\/schema\/person\/485a03a567664eed5233363f88ed35a4"},"breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/theblurb.com.au\/wp\/madagascar-the-musical-comedy-theatre-musical-theatre-review\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/theblurb.com.au\/wp\/madagascar-the-musical-comedy-theatre-musical-theatre-review\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/theblurb.com.au\/wp\/madagascar-the-musical-comedy-theatre-musical-theatre-review\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/theblurb.com.au\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/rsz_madagascar_the_musical_image_no_1.jpg?fit=800%2C533&ssl=1","contentUrl":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/theblurb.com.au\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/rsz_madagascar_the_musical_image_no_1.jpg?fit=800%2C533&ssl=1","width":800,"height":533},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/theblurb.com.au\/wp\/madagascar-the-musical-comedy-theatre-musical-theatre-review\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/theblurb.com.au\/wp\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Madagascar The Musical (Comedy Theatre) – musical theatre review"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/theblurb.com.au\/wp\/#website","url":"https:\/\/theblurb.com.au\/wp\/","name":"","description":"Australian arts & entertainment reviews","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/theblurb.com.au\/wp\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/theblurb.com.au\/wp\/#\/schema\/person\/485a03a567664eed5233363f88ed35a4","name":"Alex First","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/d6c07f6ab1e27d55a9fc81f09b51709069a83a382270fbe4f25a1b8ffec9185f?s=96&d=mm&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/d6c07f6ab1e27d55a9fc81f09b51709069a83a382270fbe4f25a1b8ffec9185f?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/d6c07f6ab1e27d55a9fc81f09b51709069a83a382270fbe4f25a1b8ffec9185f?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"Alex First"},"description":"Alex First is the editor of The Blurb. Alex is a Melbourne based journalist and communications specialist. He also contributes to The Blurb on film and theatre.","sameAs":["http:\/\/firstcommunications.com.au"],"url":"https:\/\/theblurb.com.au\/wp\/author\/alexfirst\/"}]}},"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/theblurb.com.au\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/rsz_madagascar_the_musical_image_no_1.jpg?fit=800%2C533&ssl=1","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":140118,"url":"https:\/\/theblurb.com.au\/wp\/the-wedding-singer-the-musical-comedy-arts-centre-melbourne-theatre-review\/","url_meta":{"origin":144105,"position":0},"title":"The Wedding Singer: The Musical Comedy (Arts Centre Melbourne) – theatre review","author":"Alex First","date":"February 6, 2022","format":false,"excerpt":"What a thoroughly entertaining showpiece! I last saw The Wedding Singer when it played at the Athenaeum Theatre last May.\u00a0Now, at the State Theatre, at the Arts Centre, it remains just as fun filled and comedic, but it appears even slicker.\u00a0The leads are intact among the 20-strong cast and are\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Theatre"","block_context":{"text":"Theatre","link":"https:\/\/theblurb.com.au\/wp\/category\/theatre\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/theblurb.com.au\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/rsz_10s4a7199.jpg?fit=800%2C534&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/theblurb.com.au\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/rsz_10s4a7199.jpg?fit=800%2C534&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/theblurb.com.au\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/rsz_10s4a7199.jpg?fit=800%2C534&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/theblurb.com.au\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/rsz_10s4a7199.jpg?fit=800%2C534&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":144416,"url":"https:\/\/theblurb.com.au\/wp\/tick-tick-boom-comedy-theatre-musical-theatre-review\/","url_meta":{"origin":144105,"position":1},"title":"tick, tick … BOOM! (Comedy Theatre) – musical theatre review","author":"Alex First","date":"February 8, 2023","format":false,"excerpt":"Jonathan Larson wrote the smash hit Broadway musical Rent. How he got there involved pain and persistence. That\u2019s the subject of tick, tick \u2026 Boom!\u00a0Living in New York, Jon (Hugh Sheridan) dreams of being a Broadway musical writer.\u00a0His creativity is recognised by his close and loyal friends, but he is\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Theatre"","block_context":{"text":"Theatre","link":"https:\/\/theblurb.com.au\/wp\/category\/theatre\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/theblurb.com.au\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/rsz_1tick_tick_boom_photo_jeff_busby_1140.jpg?fit=800%2C533&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/theblurb.com.au\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/rsz_1tick_tick_boom_photo_jeff_busby_1140.jpg?fit=800%2C533&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/theblurb.com.au\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/rsz_1tick_tick_boom_photo_jeff_busby_1140.jpg?fit=800%2C533&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/theblurb.com.au\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/rsz_1tick_tick_boom_photo_jeff_busby_1140.jpg?fit=800%2C533&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":137470,"url":"https:\/\/theblurb.com.au\/wp\/the-wedding-singer-the-musical-comedy-athenaeum-theatre-theatre-review\/","url_meta":{"origin":144105,"position":2},"title":"The Wedding Singer: The Musical Comedy (Athenaeum Theatre) – theatre review","author":"Alex First","date":"May 3, 2021","format":false,"excerpt":"A fun-filled, comedic musical with some choice one liners, crowd-pleasing scenes and ear-pleasing songs, The Wedding Singer is a spirit lifter.\u00a0The path to true love is littered with casualties.\u00a0That single line probably best describes the theme running through The Wedding Singer, which is based on the Adam Sandler and Drew\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Theatre"","block_context":{"text":"Theatre","link":"https:\/\/theblurb.com.au\/wp\/category\/theatre\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/theblurb.com.au\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/rsz_0s4a7199.jpg?fit=800%2C534&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/theblurb.com.au\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/rsz_0s4a7199.jpg?fit=800%2C534&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/theblurb.com.au\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/rsz_0s4a7199.jpg?fit=800%2C534&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/theblurb.com.au\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/rsz_0s4a7199.jpg?fit=800%2C534&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":145688,"url":"https:\/\/theblurb.com.au\/wp\/once-comedy-theatre-musical-theatre-review\/","url_meta":{"origin":144105,"position":3},"title":"Once (Comedy Theatre) – musical theatre review","author":"Alex First","date":"May 10, 2023","format":false,"excerpt":"A brilliant slice of musical theatre, Once has an inspiring, ear and eye pleasing balance of heart and humour.\u00a0Based on the 2007 movie by John Carney, it concerns a struggling Irish musician on the verge of giving up and an effervescent Czech woman.\u00a0The latter (Stefanie Caccamo) sees the guy (Toby\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Music"","block_context":{"text":"Music","link":"https:\/\/theblurb.com.au\/wp\/category\/music\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/theblurb.com.au\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/rsz_6426_dt21on_6371_A%C2%A9A-robert_catto.jpg?fit=800%2C533&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/theblurb.com.au\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/rsz_6426_dt21on_6371_A%C2%A9A-robert_catto.jpg?fit=800%2C533&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/theblurb.com.au\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/rsz_6426_dt21on_6371_A%C2%A9A-robert_catto.jpg?fit=800%2C533&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/theblurb.com.au\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/rsz_6426_dt21on_6371_A%C2%A9A-robert_catto.jpg?fit=800%2C533&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":165543,"url":"https:\/\/theblurb.com.au\/wp\/the-lord-of-the-rings-a-musical-tale-comedy-theatre-musical-theatre-review\/","url_meta":{"origin":144105,"position":4},"title":"The Lord of the Rings \u2013 A Musical Tale (Comedy Theatre) – musical theatre review","author":"Alex First","date":"May 2, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"Call me a heathen, but I never got into the mythology of J.R.R. Tolkien\u2019s epic and beloved trilogy The Lord of the Rings. Mind you, I could say the same about Harry Potter \u2026 and then I saw that stage play, firstly in two parts and then in one, which\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Music"","block_context":{"text":"Music","link":"https:\/\/theblurb.com.au\/wp\/category\/music\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/theblurb.com.au\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/rsz_11_rarmian_newton_frodo_baggins_-_the_lord_of_the_rings_-_a_musical_tale_credit_daniel_boud.jpg?fit=800%2C534&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/theblurb.com.au\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/rsz_11_rarmian_newton_frodo_baggins_-_the_lord_of_the_rings_-_a_musical_tale_credit_daniel_boud.jpg?fit=800%2C534&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/theblurb.com.au\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/rsz_11_rarmian_newton_frodo_baggins_-_the_lord_of_the_rings_-_a_musical_tale_credit_daniel_boud.jpg?fit=800%2C534&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/theblurb.com.au\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/rsz_11_rarmian_newton_frodo_baggins_-_the_lord_of_the_rings_-_a_musical_tale_credit_daniel_boud.jpg?fit=800%2C534&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":164961,"url":"https:\/\/theblurb.com.au\/wp\/one-man-musical-arts-centre-melbourne-musical-theatre-review\/","url_meta":{"origin":144105,"position":5},"title":"One Man Musical (Arts Centre Melbourne) – musical theatre review","author":"Alex First","date":"April 2, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"A horrendous sound mix \u2013 it was too loud and distorting \u2013 ruined what could have been one of the best shows at the Melbourne International Comedy Festival. More is the pity, because the star of the piece is clever, highly creative, funny and musically dexetrous, and the fix would\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Music"","block_context":{"text":"Music","link":"https:\/\/theblurb.com.au\/wp\/category\/music\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/theblurb.com.au\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/rsz_1flo__joan_one_man_musical_credit_avalon.jpg?fit=800%2C521&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/theblurb.com.au\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/rsz_1flo__joan_one_man_musical_credit_avalon.jpg?fit=800%2C521&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/theblurb.com.au\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/rsz_1flo__joan_one_man_musical_credit_avalon.jpg?fit=800%2C521&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/theblurb.com.au\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/rsz_1flo__joan_one_man_musical_credit_avalon.jpg?fit=800%2C521&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/theblurb.com.au\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/144105","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/theblurb.com.au\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/theblurb.com.au\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/theblurb.com.au\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/theblurb.com.au\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=144105"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/theblurb.com.au\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/144105\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/theblurb.com.au\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/144108"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/theblurb.com.au\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=144105"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/theblurb.com.au\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=144105"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/theblurb.com.au\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=144105"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/theblurb.com.au\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/rsz_madagascar_the_musical_image_no_3.jpg?resize=560%2C373&ssl=1\")