Secret's out on latest Guild production

Theatre

Robbie MacFarlane, a second-year student at the University of Adelaide's Elder School of Music, already has extensive opera and choral experience, with promise of more to come.

The 18-year old was part of the chorus of the recent Adelaide production of Wagner's epic Ring Cycle, and will now play tenor in the University of Adelaide Theatre Guild's upcoming production The Wonder: A Woman Keeps a Secret by Mrs Centlivre.

Currently a member of Adelaide Voices and the Elder Conservatorium Chorale, Robbie said singing with more seasoned performers had been a good learning experience for him.

"I've learnt a lot about performance techniques from these great singers," he said.

An important aspect of Robbie's success is the tutelage of Keith Hempton, the Head of Vocal Studies at the Elder School. In addition, the relaxed atmosphere at the university's renowned School of Music has helped him advance in his career despite his young age.

"The Elder School is a good place for young singers to start - it is less competitive here than at similar institutes in other Australian cities, and therefore we're a more close-knit group," Robbie said.

The other two singers in The Wonder, Norbert Hohl and Laurence Leong, are former students of the School and also performed in The Ring Cycle.

Music plays an important role in the Theatre Guild's forthcoming play, making Robbie excited at being a part of it.

"The music of the play is reflecting what the characters are thinking, and would make the play a total piece of theatre as it would have been in the early 1700s," he said.

The Wonder was first performed at the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane in 1714. Susanna Centlivre was one of the most popular and prolific playwrights of the early 18th century, and The Wonder was considered her masterpiece. The story revolves around two women, Donna Violante and Donna Isabella, and their dilemmas with love, marriage, and jealousy.

"The music complements the mood of love and mistrust in the play, while the poetry of the songs adds to the overall drama," Robbie said.

Directed by Alex Kirk, the cast includes David Adams, June Barnes, Hal Bruce, Warwick Cooper, Glen Christie, Marlon Dance-Hooi, Rachael Evely, Phil Grummet, Philip Lineton, Ewart Shaw, Emily Smith, Ann Weaver and Bob Weaver. The prologue will be read by John Edge.

The Wonder will be performed as a moved reading for one night only at the university's Little Theatre at 7pm on Thursday, March 17. All tickets are $5 and are available from the Theatre Guild on (08) 8303 5999.

Story by Sukhmani Khorana