Review: The 24HMP Gentlemen Prefer Blondes

The 24 Hour Musical Project is … what it says in the title—and a little bit more. The team behind the 24HMP put on their first production over five years ago. In 2016, the cast and musicians attended auditions and the core creatives were selected before ‘the’ day. But the performers were in the dark as to what had been selected—leaving them with just 24 hours to turn Cinderella from a script into a show. The resultant mayhem, fundraising, and goodwill was such that the core team decided to do it every year (a musical in 24 hours that is, not Cinderella).

Fast forward five years on and public health restrictions led to the postponement of the 2020 event—which meant that the 24HMP 2020 [take 2] performance of Gentlemen Prefer Blondes took place at 6pm on Sunday 3rd October. And yes, that was after only 24 hours’ notice and rehearsal.

Picture: Last run through with the script. (Credit: Creative Futures Photography). — **Picture**: Last run through with the script. (Credit: *Creative Futures Photography*).

With the late drop in occupancy to only 75% all of the available seats were sold out before the weekend, leaving the only remaining option of ‘adopting’ empty seats for a mere $24 (proceeds from the whole event will be donated to The Actors and Entertainers Benevolent Fund Qld). I’m certain that every purchaser of one of those empty seats will be anxiously awaiting the chance to sit in the auditorium next year, as being there is likely to be an absolute ball.

OK, this is a rather unusual review, as I am reviewing a show that I didn’t see. But I was privileged to see the dress/technical run through, which started at 2pm (yes, that’s 20 hours into the process). I’d suggest that the team behind the show might consider selling a small number of tickets for future dress rehearsals. It was so impressive to see how hard everyone was working, and to experience the interactions between the cast and creatives.

Danika Saal, Assistant Musical Director Vocal (who is also one of the core project team creative directors), was an absolute treat to watch—inspiring the cast and reminding everyone of the melody from time to time. The choreographers (Taylor Davidson, assisted by Izzie Radley) had done an amazing job and were dancing along, cheering everyone on, and even finessing some of the moves. Kym Brown (Musical Director, and another of the core project team creative directors), and Sally Faint (Assistant Musical Director, Band) were doing a wonderful job in motivating the musicians and keeping the performers on track. And Miranda Selwood, Director ( and also the core project team producer), had clearly worked wonders—thanks to Selwood’s skill and determination, and the work of a support team that included Julie Eisentrager (Assistant Director).

Selwood’s motivational pep talk at the end of the dress/technical rehearsal—and less than one hour before curtain-up on the main show—was a real gem. It was also a talk that clearly worked, as social media comments demonstrate that those who were lucky enough to have tickets for the show had a wonderful time. Many of the social media reviews didn’t focus on the quality of the costumes (which were glorious), the set design and hard work of the stage crew (all fantastic), the excellent sound and light, the ensemble harmonies and moves (really enjoyable dancing and ensemble voice work), or even on the superb performances by the leads (quite how they managed to remember the melody, recall the cues, and be ready for each entrance… I’ll never know). The majority of audience comments were about being thrilled to see the occasional stumble, mis-cue, and corpsing—and the audience asides and ad-libbing were adored.

The always busy and enthusiastic Laurene Cooper-Fox (support & community director for the show, and also core project team community director) was still smiling, even as the audience began to arrive, and I can see why. The 24HMP is a wonderful initiative that builds community in so many different ways: a community of performers, a generous donation of sponsors, an audience of encouraging fans, a following of lovers of musical theatre, a celebration of the arts, and a collective that gives back to deserving charities.

My guess is everyone needs a little sleep before they start thinking about 24HMP 2022. I recommend that you follow them now on Facebook. If you are a performer, musician, sponsor or supporter, then why not see whether you can be involved in future years (after all, diaries may not allow for you to be part of a show that requires extensive rehearsals over many months, but this is ‘just’ over a weekend and the chance to be part of something really special). And if you are a potential audience member then keep an eye open for when tickets go on sale next year. It certainly looks like it will be a lot of fun.

Catherine Lawrence

Audience Information: Tentative dates for the 2022 project are 9-10 April, 2022. In 2021, Limited smoke haze. The 24HMP 2020 take 2 Gentlemen Prefer Blondes (3 October, 2021), at the St John's Anglican College Performing Arts Centre College Avenue, Forest Lake QLD 4078. Adopt a chair tickets were $24, and online shopping/support is still open via The 24HMP website.

The reviewer attended the Sunday 3rd October dress/technical rehearsal (2pm) .

Geoff Lawrence