Twitching the curtain and shining a light on what happens backstage, Jacob Marshall and Shannon Hill’s Technically: A Musical is a show full of inside jokes and caricatures from the world of student theatre, to the point where we’re inclined to laugh in acknowledgement of our collective experience.
The perfect homage to the true masters behind the scenes
It’s opening weekend for a student theatre production, and the tech team are hard at work making sure that the show doesn’t go off without a hitch, despite all having their own issues and stressors to work out before curtains’ up. Technically: A Musical has such a specific humour that is conveyed in such a manner that it becomes universal, common sayings, attitudes and experiences are all met with a laugh made out of recognition. The plot takes a bit of a back seat, in terms of quality, and it would be a lot stronger if the focus was strictly on the experience of tech and the characters rather than trying to shoe-horn in a wider plot. Like the rest of the libretto, the songs are so well-thought out, full of puns, dark sarcasm and just sardonic humour, the kind that you only get amongst other techies.
Rather ironically for a show about technicians, this show’s tech is rather out of sorts. The lights seem to have a life of their own and changes of lighting state don’t line up with any specific moment or timing with the music. The sound is also rather poor; often it is quite difficult to hear the cast, especially Lights (Jolie Rooks), but it’s unclear whether there are issues with the mics, that they just cut out occasionally or if the piano is too loud, and the balance is off.
There’s a found-family group dynamic within the cast, and they really capture the reality of what it is like working backstage. Their banter creates an off-beat give and take between members of the group. It’s just so recognisable that we can’t help but be transported back to our student theatre days, miss them and the people that we built those bonds with. The cast replicate the camaraderie of the tech team so perfectly to the point where there is an element of nostalgia to it.
The perfect homage to the true masters behind the scenes, Technically: A Musical is a safe space for everyone to glimpse what it takes to be a techie.
