Revenge of the squeeze box

Folk who have missed out on tickets for Opera Australia’s 2013 Ring Cycle extravaganza might like instead to catch The Four Accordionists of the Apocalypse. This irreverent romp through Norse mythology is available for a fraction of the price, comes in at an audience-friendly 90 minutes and contrives a much more satisfactory resolution than Wagner’s version.

A decline in the human birth-rate sees Frigg (Zulya Kamalova),Goddess of Fertility, descend to earth to address the crisis, brought about in part by her philandering husband Woden (Terry Cole), God of Death and Storms. Also roaming the earth is their piano-accordion obsessed daughter Vita (Rama Nicolas); the banished Valkyrie, Brunhilde Bloch (Isabel Hertaeg), Woden’s favourite daughter from a previous liaison; and his half-human grandson Siegried Angst, who is married to Brunhilde. Are we confused yet? Frigg, furious that she is no longer worshipped, sets about organising a revengeful apocalypse: “a new music theatre work”, and recruits four piano accordionists as her players.

In addition to Vita and Brunhilde, her troupe includes the newly unemployed, coffee addicted, rap-singing midwife Candida Nervosa (Emma Louise Pursey); and Vade Mecum (Emma Louise Pursey), Vita’s accordion come to life.

The Four Accordionists of the Apocalypse was first performed in 1996 in Tasmania, and has been through subsequent development and workshops including at the National Playwrights Centre. Created by musician and writer Sofia Chapman, and directed here by Jo Loth it fulfils Chapman’s stated aim of using fantasy and fairytale to examine humanity. However, while full of corny musical gags, genuinely witty dialogue and classic ideas like menstrual cramps being Frigg’s punishment for women who fail to conceive each month, the show lacks cohesion and could use some prudent script-doctoring. Careering wildly between superb moments (from the outstanding Prescott, a radiant Kamalova and the women in general) and scenes that verge on amateur theatre, after a promising first ten minutes the pace lags, redeemed just in time by a glorious finale. The women all possess fantastic voices, but the highlight is Hertaeg’s Valkyrie moment when she let her vocal chords rip – more please!

Unfortunately the promise of the title is unrealised with the pleasing but strangely muted, rarely rousing and hardly “apocalyptic” accordion music (played offstage by Chapman). Hopefully first night reticence by the musicians (or sound operator) and awkward scene changes will be overcome as the season progresses.

Such criticisms aside The Four Accordionists of the Apocalypse is clever and entertaining theatre, delivers plenty of laughs, and is played by a loveable bunch of actors.  It is certainly deserving of audience support.