Set in a 1950's Catholic School, you just know this is going to be a cheeky little number. The plot centres around 'Eddie Ryan' and the long-term love he has for one of his old school mates 'Becky Bakowski'. We're transported back to being 7 years old and taken on a journey through 8 years of schooling, that you can't help but feel a little nostalgia for. This is funny, funny stuff. Parodying the Catholic faith and yet remaining tender and affectionate towards it, there is plenty of room for giggles here, both the predictable gags and the surprising little plot twists. With scenes set using clever use of computerised pictures 'drawn on a chalkboard' and intelligently used, brightly coloured blocks, this surprisingly fast paced romp is thoroughly enjoyable. The cast are all gorgeous and talented, effervescing in the bigger dance numbers and generally just having a good time on stage while giving excellent performances. They slip from childhood to adolescence to adulthood fantastically well, each separate age being distinct from another in their own special way. There is such detail in this characterisation that you can even pinpoint the moment the boys' voices break! 'Eddie' is played by the outstanding Lucas Beachler, who owns the stage even as a meek 7 year old, and whose voice is by far the best in the company. Other performances by 'Felix' (Chase Maser), 'Sister Lee' (Anna Mundo) and 'Father O'Reilly' (Grant Miars) help this show really shine and if 'Becky' (Analisha Santini) doesn't have you both crying and laughing at the end of her song 'Little Fat Girls', then you have no heart. You really begin to love these characters by the end, such is the talent of these young performers.Quality of singing does waver slightly, it's obvious that at times, notes are flat and tuning is off, though mostly you're having such good fun that it doesn't matter. It does affect the show though, it can't be ignored, with ensemble harmonies sometimes sounding ever so slightly off kilter. It didn't help that, even sat in the second row, I was straining to hear at times. All in all, I have to say that the technical team on this show did the hard-working, fantastic cast HUGE injustice. It is always disconcerting when a technical error stops a show, though it's mostly to be expected in live theatre. However, when it's TWENTY SECONDS into a show and obviously due to an incompetent sound engineer randomly pressing buttons until he gets the right cue, it's downright silly. I felt nothing but sympathy for Beachler as he returned to the stage to repeat his opening dialogue but his professionalism astounded me and I applaud him for that. Not only the sound then, but the lights. The follow spot operators need to work on, not only their aim when first coming up, but also actually keeping performers in the light. I myself have worked professionally on spots and was shocked by how frequently the lights missed their target.The show as a whole, I couldn't have been happier with. I laughed, I was emotionally connected with the characters and I defy any self-respecting woman not to be ever so slightly in love with Mr Beachler by the time the curtain falls. However, the technical team really let this show down, letting a star fall from what should have been a five star performance by a wonderfully talented cast.
