The brand new Round The Twist The Musical has officially premiered to Brisbane audiences this summer as Simon Phillips brings a fresh perspective on a classic tale, to enable a new generation to resonate with the source material as much as the previous one did. Presented by Queensland Theatre and QPAC, Round The Twist The Musical is fun for the whole family, as audiences are set to take a trip down memory lane as they watch the Twists simultaneously try to solve an age-old mystery and save the lighthouse from being repossessed!

 

Round The Twist The Musical intertwines the original content from the beloved ABC series into an overarching narrative that focuses on two aspects that face the Twists family: 1) a hundred year old mystery involving a few (surprisingly friendly) ghosts and 2) banding together to save the lighthouse from a greedy investor! The beauty about this performance is there are themes that resonate with both younger and older generations, when it comes to figuring out who you are, where you belong, finding love (maybe not always in the right places) and standing up for yourself. 

 

The performance was thoroughly entertaining as a result of the strong casting choices that made the essence of the source material come to life. The casting for the Twists was excellent, and the performances were both believable and impactful. The same can be said for the bullies, and remaining supporting characters that owned their role regardless of how insignificant that role may have been in the overarching narrative. 

 

Special mention for Hanlon Innocent who played Pete Twist and effortlessly immersed himself into the role, which played an integral part of the Twists family dynamic. Although one of the younger cast members, Edison Ai, who played Bronson Twist, provided comic relief throughout the performance, it felt at times as though the cast member was being pushed to their limits both energetically and vocally. At times a little rushed, which caused mild annoyance when providing key contextual information, all in all the performances stayed true to the original content while paving way for a new audience to join the ride.

 

The direction and staging was dynamic in terms of costume and set design with seamless transitions and set changes between scenes. The production both on an artistic and technical level, not to mention the attention to detail from the creative team, with visual effects used to enhance the performance at key intervals, i.e. the mermaid “splashing” Bronson, was quite impressive. The stage was cleverly used not only in terms of surface area horizontally across the stage but vertically, featuring a lighthouse that with the clever use of visual effects was able to conceal or expose the interior of one of the rooms for storytelling purposes.

 

Round The Twist The Musical, a well staged production with an excellent choice of cast members that bring the story to life, will hit home for long time fans and newcomers alike. Paul Jennings’s stories have and will continue to resonate with audiences young and old, regardless of the format, whether it be books, television or a musical. The performance was enjoyable from start to finish, although a little rushed at times. My recommendation is you get tickets to see this production while you can, as the format of a family of misfits that embark on adventures together never gets old nor does Up the pong! (Without my pants).

 

Review: Joanna Letic

Imagery: Lyndon Mechielsen