We're rapidly slipping into the Silly Season, so why not treat yourself to The 13-Storey Treehouse, possibly the silliest play ever performed on the Lieder stage.
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The original 13-Storey Treehouse book, by Andy Griffiths and Terry Denton, is beloved by kids. It's goofy and clever and self-deprecating. The snort-inducing jokes of the book have translated well onto the stage by this hysterically funny cast, directed by Chrisjohn Hancock.
Instead of simply retelling the book, playwright Richard Tulloch lets us watch the poorly planned efforts of Andy the author and Terry the illustrator, as they awkwardly struggle to bring their book to life in front of a live audience.
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Tulloch's inventive treatment of the story brings a fast-paced, nearly-pantomime humour to every scene. It hurtles from slapstick farce to play-within-a-play and back again. Get ready to giggle a lot.
In a style often similar to The Play That Goes Wrong, we peek 'behind the scenes' as a hapless stage crew is dragged into an increasingly wonky spectacle by Andy and Terry, played with expert buffoonery by Zachery Bladwell and Harrison Treble. While their non-stop clowning is the focus of the show, underneath all the jokes is a relatable story about the power of imagination, the pressures of the creative process and the importance of trusting yourself.
Delightfully disgruntled stage manager Val, portrayed with great authority by Erin Williams, leads the rest of the cast in hilarious efforts to help the duo. Perennial Lieder comedy favourites Ryan Paranthoiene and Courtney McKenzie transform themselves into a dizzying range of roles that Treehouse fans will surely recognise, each with its own very big laughs. Young Lieder veterans Ella Stewart-Richardson, Wade Pik and Matilda Deng deliver heaps of energy and excellent comedic timing to the lunacy onstage.
Goofy props, impossible devices and even shadow puppetry create an atmosphere of home-made playfulness on stage, thanks to designers Ann Elbourne, Sarah Harris, Lee Gray and Juila Galiazzo. Backstage management by Tom Chalker and well-choreographed lights and sound by Blake Selmes and Jack Bell seamlessly keep the fast-paced antics moving right along.
The 13-Storey Treehouse opens on Friday, November 22 with a fundraiser to benefit the Crescent School. Enjoy a delicious dinner before the show from 6:15pm. Tickets for opening night are $25 for adults and $15 for children and concessions. To book for opening night, please contact the Crescent School on (02) 4821 3680.
See the Lieder website for other performance times or call 4821 5066.
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