Darcy Lewis Music

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Belting, truthful, and one of world’s fastest and largest emotional rollercoasters, Akari Komoto’s Tales of a Love Story is truly a remarkable representation of what the composer herself described as “the many faces of love.” From the warm, heartfelt welcome to the final bows, this show demonstrated not only the love stories woven into the characters’ lives but the immense heart that Komoto herself put into the performance. The production, based on the true story of the mother of a close friend of the composer, follows the complex relationships between a soon to be family of 3, a strained young couple, and a young man dealing with the loss of his father. This honest reflection of love in all its forms had me crying with sadness and glee, laughing aloud, and received not one but two standing ovations from a nearly sold-out audience at the Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts on November the 22nd.

Despite a challenging space and logistical limitations, Tales of a Love Story created an immersive environment which regularly made me forget the shortcomings of the Richard Gill Auditorium as a space for theatre and instead become captive to the scene itself. Komoto and production stage manager Mercedes Gowlett made excellent use of simplicity in the staging with no changes in set or location while still providing the feeling of multiple spaces, environments and adding dimension throughout the show. This enveloping world was supported by seamless lighting, sound cues and movement on and off stage, testament to the work of this pair alongside directors Marshall Brown and Jake Battle who crafted a beautiful and intimate portrayal of Komoto’s work. Similarly, costume designer Imogen Robins’ take on the classic New York café was original and warm, echoing the simplicity of the staging while providing contrast for the attention seeking diva that is Hina to push some buttons.

Protagonist Niki and her husband Nic played by Brittany Isaia and Ethan Churchill, showed palpable chemistry on stage. Isaia brought me and the audience into Niki’s complex grief with their raw emotional expression and beautiful connection with the audience. The song ‘Conflict/2 Kids (Reprise)’ unpacked more than just the sadness of loss but tapped into the deeper issues in the way society views loss and heartbreak and the guilt that may come with that, all while Churchill provided a masterclass in straight white asshole.

The standout performance of the evening came from Jess Huysing’s portrayal of Violet; with multifaceted relationships between Violet and Hina (Macy Waldren), Rhys (Charlie Darlington) and Niki, Violet’s role was the glue holding together each unfolding story and Huysing delivered on all fronts. While some took a moment to warm into the show, Huysing’s vocal performance, alongside Waldren in ‘The Test’ and ‘Who’s Baby’ gave me goosebumps as I experienced an all too real expression of insecurities and the bubbling tension present in a growing relationship. Combined with the outstanding composition and orchestration with stylistic variation, showing off Komoto’s seemingly endless talent as a composer and performer, yet with a logical sense of wholeness and development, executed by a band who were, tight, well-rehearsed, and incredibly groovy, these songs sent waves of appreciation through the audience. Jess Huysing and Charlie Darlington also provided a believable and easy-going portrayal of the relationship between Rhys and Violet as Rhys led them in some witty and catty humour as any good café duo should exchange.

In just over 30 minutes, Komoto managed to wrangle the intricate stories of 5 intertwined characters into a holistic portrayal of love, culminating in the final number, ‘Love Will Prevail.’ While this song occasionally fell victim to its intricacy as it, at times, lost clarity in the performance, it did an excellent job in capturing the many tales of this love story and left me and others in the audience feeling seen, heard, and doing justice to the truth on which the story is based.

What this show lacked in visual complexity or flawless performances, it more than made up for in the quality of the musical itself; from the book to the music, to the authenticity and chemistry of the performers accentuated by the stylistic choices of the creative team in what was a less-than-ideal environment to stage this show – Tales of a Love Story earns 4.5/5 from me. If you are a theatre goer in Perth, I would encourage you to see this, or any show Akari Komoto puts on, at the first opportunity you get, and if a theatre goer elsewhere, keep a close eye on Komoto’s work as it will not be long before it makes its way to you.

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Cast and Crew:

Brittany Isaia – Niki

Charlie Darlington – Rhys

Jess Huysing – Violet

Macy Waldren – Hina

Ethan Churchill – Nic

Akari Komoto – Composer/Music Director/Producer/Orchestrator

Marshall Brown – Director

Jake Battle – Director

Mercedes Gowlett – Production Stage Manager

Imogen Robbins – Costume Designer