A New Musical Revue featuring John Bucchino. Davine Interventionz Productions. The Parks Theatres. 22 Feb 2018

 

What’s in a life?

What does it mean to exist?

These questions have challenged us and plagued us as a species for centuries.

 

Does the meaning of life come out of what we do, who we love, or who loves us?

Is success defined by material wealth, meaningful relationships, or the joy we get from family and friends?

Is it all of these things? Perhaps it is none?

 

The songs in John Bucchino’s musical revue It’s Only Life, with original arrangement by Daisy Prince, are snippets of insight, or vignettes, into this complex notion of a ‘life’. There are no answers here. Nor does the revue pose any particular questions. It is just people, being people. Living life.

 

“The fearful artist, the frustrated lover, the vain queen, the bitch, the spoilt brat”, they‘re all in there. Living, loving, hating, hoping, being…

 

Producer/Director, David Gauci has inserted this ‘song cycle’ (if you will) into the generic everyday locations of our lives; a bar, the kitchen, a park bench, the lounge room, a dining room table. He has given this production a flow that aids in the construction of a narrative when one hasn’t been deliberately put there.

 

Bucchino describes it as something between a telly movie and a radio play; where the audience are required to “fill in the blanks”, and to use their imagination.

We do.

 

We see ourselves; we see our friends, our colleagues, and the everyday man. We are invited to share these people’s lives. And ever like the voyeur, we watch and then we connect.

 

Gauci has two casts for this production. Tonight’s included performances from Fahad Farooque, Carly Meakin, Joshua Angeles, Katie Packer, and Lindsay Prodea. The performances are simply lovely.

 

Most memorable are Angeles’ renditions of Grateful and What You Need, Farooque’s If I Ever Say I’m Over You, and the whole cast on That Smile.

 

This is a delightful little production. Once again Gauci has made something beautiful on a shoe string budget, and managed to uncover a gem of a suburban theatre in the process.

 

The icing on the cake is of course having the man himself, John Bucchino, playing the show on the beautiful grand piano taking pride of place at centre stage.

 

In his program notes, Gauci hints that perhaps this show may be his last.

Suffice to say, one hopes that is not the case.

 

Paul Rodda

 

4 stars

 

When: 20 to 25 Feb

Where: The Parks Theatre

Bookings: adelaidefringe.com.au