If Christmas at the Quarry doesn’t hold a permanent date in your calendar each year, may I suggest you add it in now?
I said last year, at my first experience of Freeze Frame Opera’s Christmas at the Quarry, that this show would become a new tradition for me and my family. This year’s production has only further confirmed that stance, as the talented team once again bring the very epitome of the Christmas spirit to the stage.
Freeze Frame Opera. Christmas at the Quarry.
The show has a clever format that is accessible for all audience members, young and old, but it also holds extra rewards, or Easter eggs, for those who are regular attendees, like the reappearance of the Elvis cameo. The program mixes Christmas classics, opera staples, duets, group numbers and hilarious medleys. Accompanied by the extraordinary Trio Tiramisu, the combination of clarinet, piano and cello created the most gorgeous full sound, easing us into the night of entertainment.
Penny Shaw is potentially one of the best MCs we are blessed to have in Perth. She is so effortlessly witty, warm and charming. Each interlude was most welcome, just to hear her regale us with humorous titbits about each song. She even managed to deftly provide a description of the sequel to The Phantom of the Opera, which is no easy feat.
Freeze Frame Opera. Christmas at the Quarry.
Not only is Penny our MC, but she is also the director. The transitions between the pieces in the program were effortless and flowed brilliantly, despite occasional changes in tone. This was often delivered through the singers adopting different characters for each song, bringing a little narrative to each piece. Some particular highlights included Devon Lake and Sam Claxton having a hilarious tiff on stage to You’re Nothing Without Me, or the whole cast becoming “the future of opera” while singing O Fortuna as scary futuristic drones.
The programming allows each singer to shine in strong pieces from their own repertoire, highlighting the diversity of talent within the cast. While some songs were more familiar than others, it was lovely to rediscover numbers such as Caitlin Cassidy performing the heartbreakingly moving song River by Joni Mitchell.
Freeze Frame Opera. Christmas at the Quarry.
When the singers came together for duets, trios or group performances, the chemistry between each and every performer was delightful to watch. With a high number of recent WAAPA graduates in this year’s cast, it was a testament to the academy’s training to see how well each singer shone on stage.
While the whole program contains moments of utter delight, there’s no question the campy and ridiculous medleys often take the cake. This year we were treated to a Queen medley which, when you thought it couldn’t become more hilarious or ridiculous, upped the ante, from Kohsei making his crowd favourite reappearance as Elvis, to Vin Trikeriotis donning a robe and crown while singing on a rock with pyrotechnics blasting away.
This spectacular night of entertainment in a stunning setting is hard to beat. My new request is this: could we start doing this as Christmas in July?
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