Henry to lampoon merry old English

AS COLOURFUL as a Bollywood movie and hilarious as Australian comedy gets, St Patrick's College proudly presents Henry, a hysterical "mockumentary" musical based loosely on the life of Henry VIII.

Gympie residents and school students were treated to the preview performance yesterday, followed by the official opening last night.

Pat Last takes the lead part as an Australian version of King Henry, cleverly supported by Slacko the jester, played by Patrick Connolly and Nick Rinehart as Archie the archbishop.

Producer Clare Banks said staff and students had been practising for the musical since the beginning of the school year and it showed.

Punch lines were delivered without missing a beat and musical accompaniment to the songs was tight throughout the show, giving weight to each song delivered by the cast.

"It's a lot of hard work, but we do it for the experience," Mrs Banks said.

"The kids really do enjoy it. I am amazed by the calibre of the student actors and musicians.

"We only have music students and their teacher in the band and they do extremely well.

"We try to put on a show that appeals to a wide audience."

Striking sets, professional costumes and a clever script all add up to an entertaining stage show not to be missed in the Heritage Theatre.

Shows today at 1 and 7.30pm and tomorrow at 1pm. Tickets at the door.