Quirky cabaret celebrates bromance and musical theatre

By Narelle Wood

Josh Gavin and Dom Hennequin take to the stage and bring a range of musical numbers to life. The duo belt out songs from Dear Evan Hanson, Smash, Dream Girls, Frozen and Kinky Boots just to name a few.

The songs are loosely connected through stories of their bromance shaped by a range of musical theatre experiences aided by Mark Taylor’s direction and David Youings’ musical direction. The adoration the two performers have for each other is evident through their well-meaning banter and willingness to ad-lib throughout the show. The story moves from shared auditions, to moments performing in shows, to a missing father joke that perhaps because of the realism of the other stories felt more than a little uncomfortable. It did however provide a transition into a standout performance of I’m not my father’s son, which, along with the deliberately over performed You’re going to love me, were exceptional vocal performances.

Given the short run of this performance (only two shows) the thought put into lighting cues, set and the use of stage was really very good. My view of Gavin and Hennequin as well as the occasional appearance of Emma Russell was often impeded by the heads of those seated in front, especially when the action dropped below head height. This meant that many in the audience were struggling to see some of the fabulous interactions happening on the couch.

The show was sweet and provided a very indulgent foray into some musical theatre classics and some lesser known hits. While I and the musical theatre aficionados in the audience seemed to thoroughly enjoy the performance, there were a few in-jokes and audience participation requests that my friend and a few other audience members commented went over their heads. In saying that, it’s a lovely way to spend an afternoon, and hear some well performed show tunes.

La Vie Broheme is being performed at MC Showroom 11 and 18 November. Tickets can be purchased online.