Reviewed by: Jess Elfick
The Scarlet Sun had everything you could want in a whodunnit – an intense cast, twisting storyline, and catchy tunes that rattled around my brain for days after. Four Letter Word have once again presented a fun and professional ensemble show that had the audience gasping.
Ethan Francis-D’Amour and Madeleine Cheale’s original musical spirals through “The Scarlet Sun”, a 1970s Corsica resort hiding more than its fair share of secrets. While a parade of guests holiday, the staff and owner work tirelessly behind the scenes, gossiping relentlessly all the way. This whispering drives the show, with every clue passing through multiple hands before landing hard in the laps of the borderline-incompetent detective Jasper Clarke (Jakob Schuster) and mysterious private investigator Alexandra Knight (Nikita Mohar-Williams). As not one but two bodies hit the floor, it’s a race to work out who has the mysterious blood diamonds, who is hiding secret identities, and ultimately who is the murderer.
If you imagine Clue on steroids, you might get a better inkling of the magnitude of this show. A huge starring cast is backed by a large ensemble, with standouts like Opal Whittemore (Eden Mclean), and the Fanboy Officer (Hirday Bajaj) helping the twisted plot along. The similarities to ‘Cluedo’ don’t end with pointed fingers and dramatic murders – colour-coded costumes (designed by Bella Russell) also created stunning visuals onstage. When characters lined up and the rainbow appeared, the seventies styling fell into place. While a lot of the seventies flare could have been hammed up, the subtlety helped to keep the story relevant for the audience.
Matching this paired-back era was the set – with six doors, raised platform, and double staircase, it was undoubtably one of the best sets I’ve seen on the gigantic Union Theatre stage. Using the panels of the hotel to cut the stage in half was a great decision by Tim Augier, making group scenes feel frantic while keeping smaller scenes centred in the dark abyss of the otherwise huge space.
Further creating the appearance of shrinking the space was the use of projections on the back cyclorama, above the hotel panels. They were beautifully drawn and used throughout the show to portray setting or close-ups of onstage action. While it was a nice touch, often I found it illuminated the stage, making the blackouts feel as if they were under workers light, and lessening some of the magic of the stage crew who transitioned well through complex scene changes. The writing of the show and the acting of the cast did the job of setting places and dropping important clues with or without the projections. My favourite use was during the bows when the projections showed character’s and actor’s names together – it was a fantastic detail that proves just how well thought through every aspect of the musical was.
Credit should also be given to the entire team – the show was MAMMOTH, going for a full three hours, with only a short ten-minute interval. The energy did not dip throughout the performance, and Act 2 came in swinging, raising more twists and very catchy songs accompanied by a brilliant band. “Now She’s Gone” was a personal favourite; the vocals were strong and the dancing added to the ridiculousness of Rose Morgan (Emily Napolitano) and Dante Garnetta (Joshua Mackie) celebrating the death of (spoilers!) the ancient Florence Gold (Zhi Syuen Yee).
There were interesting takes on clichéd characters throughout the show. I was glad to see the portrayal of a more elderly character for an extended period in Ms Gold, something I feel is missed in much of student theatre. She was developed (in a “demanding old-person” way), and made to feel like a truly three-dimensional person, as were most of the leads. The advocacy for strong women and queer characters was also lovely to see, and helped to connect the murderous story with real values for a university audience. The cast helped to push this agenda with powerful performances and big personalities – Amber Davis (Bronte Lemaire) decked out in a multitude of orange outfits, wielding a tennis racket to defend the hilarious and scheming Jayden Quill (Finn Corr), comes to mind. There were some good accents floating around to convey the diversity of characters, but at points I did wonder if all of them were necessary to be included. While some were crucial to the plot, others seemed as if they were distracting the audience and detracting from the acting onstage.
“The Staff” were a personal favourite character group. The relationship between Milo Diamandis (Darcy Vissenjoux) and Adrien Scarlet (Lockie Carmichael) as “secret lovers” was one of the most heartfelt and well developed. I was exceptionally glad to see that the queer relationship was crucial to the plot – obviously not a late addition, and thoughtfully created. The strong yet motherly portrayal of Madam Petra (Susan D’Souza) was comforting, both for the audience and the couple, while also being important to the storyline. It feels as if Francis-D’Amour and Cheale have left nothing to chance, creating a beautifully executed thriller plot.
The vocal performances were strong through beautiful (and difficult!) harmonies, and mic problems throughout the ensemble seemed not to worry the cast as they powered on. A beefy horns and wind section stood out as the band played assorted varieties of “disco” to an exceptional degree. While I have questions about how much of the music played was actually seventies boogie, the mix of the band was excellent, and I’d easily pay to see them play again.
The Scarlet Sun is a well-written, well-played, and well-orchestrated giant. While the characters are witty and make quick jokes for a laugh, there is a seriousness throughout the show that endears the characters and their ploys – be that finding their families, their own deep interpersonal connections, or a way to simply live better.
And really, is that not what we’re all dying to find?
The Scarlet Sun premiered at the Union Theatre, playing from October 12th – 14th, 2023.
The Dialog 