Partnership of leading man and character actress should excite the music theatre community.

Adelaide Festival Theatre

June 10, 2014

Anthony Warlow has been entertaining audiences for decades, but has been absent from the Australian stage since making his Broadway debut in 2012. Last night, he made a glorious return to his homeland, accompanied by Annie co-star and Broadway veteran Faith Prince.

The Adelaide Art Orchestra’s triumphant drums and brass opened the show with the Overture to Gypsy. Despite his energetic flourishes, Musical Director Joey Chancey (who also arrived Direct From Broadway) battled with the flailing AdAO. The orchestra struggled with the overture’s varied tempi and rhythmic passages, tardily attended to poor intonation, and failed to conceal mispitched and split notes from within the brass. It was disappointing that these issues were not confined to the opening number, but are clearly a result of the orchestra’s myriad commitments during the festival.

Unperturbed by a less than impressive introduction, Warlow received a frenzied response when he finally graced the stage. Frank Sinatra’s Just in Time was an unusual choice, but he sang with a style and timbre that would surely have pleased the American crooner. Most importantly though, the song’s lyrics lay the foundation...