Don’t be the Elephant that forgets this Fringe!

Joanne Hartstone (Multi-award winning South Australian Theatre-maker), Guy Masterson (Olivier-award winning, Edinburgh and Adelaide Fringe veteran) and Christopher Mitchell bring an intelligent display this Fringe Festival on the original adaptation of 1980 Film: The Elephant Man with a modern twist. Set in a cruel and dark Victorian London, ‘The Elephant Man’ must decide his place within society as a disfigured man. Will he choose to be courageous for the sake of love or continue to be tormented under the reigns of a spiteful doctor?

The Marvellous Elephant Man: The Musical brings to light the common denominators within society today such as identity, obesity and sexuality, whilst engaging the audience in comedic musical numbers, most notably ‘Just like in Italy’ performed and orchestrated by globally renowned composer Marc Lucchesi also part of the ensemble.

There will be ‘pinch yourself’ moments with crude and provocative humour, but not knowing what comes next is a key to this Musical’s success!

This performance brings a wide range of talent with the likes of Annelise Hall (Grease, Mamma Mia) as Nurse Hope and industry heavyweights such as Ben Clark (Phantom of the Opera, The Ten Tenors) as John Merrick, A.K.A. The Elephant Man and Kanen Breen (Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, La Bohème) as Dr Frederick Treves.

Clark showcases strong emotion in portrayal of The Elephant Man and what it means to be different, Hall was elegant and serenaded the crowd with her dulcet voice and complimented Clark, whilst Breen indulged the crowd to his confident, devious character yet shared moments of wit to deflect Treves guile nature.

My review:

It was disappointing to see the majority of the audience was of an older demographic as this would be enjoyed by all adults. Though a smaller stage, the Wonderland Spiegeltent made for a better production to maintain intimacy with the crowd. For me the ratio of emotional to upbeat scenes were well received from the audience and though silly at times, The Marvellous Elephant Man never delved too far away from the foundation of the story. The acting was pure and the variety of performers made for a well-constructed performance being one to remember. This is definitely a hidden gem and I would highly recommend this!

Rating: 5.0 Stars

Venue: Wonderland Spiegeltent at Wonderland Festival Hub – Hindmarsh Square