It’s very rare for a musical to be written solely with high school students in mind. Just a Second is the result of the collaborative efforts of Alice Chance and Will Yaxley. Premiering on November 21 and 22 in the Monkey Baa Theatre, the aim was to inspire schools across Australia and New Zealand with a musical they can use in their own programs.
Music education is vital for young performers. Being able to work on a production that carries fun musical numbers encourages the participation of students. After watching the show on the Saturday night run, my mind is buzzing with the possibilities of how our local schools will interpret Just a Second.
The narrative follows our naïve yet good-natured protagonist Ernie who struggles to fit in at the prestigious Finchley’s School for Gifted Young Adults. Deemed a failure by his teachers and peers, school life seems an unavoidable disappointment for Ernie. But the tables turn when Ernie discovers that his watch gives him the ability to slow and freeze time. Ernie jumps on the opportunity, blind to the ulterior motives of the woman behind this, Liza, and her conspirators Kevin and Julian. Ernie uses his newfound powers to cheat in tests, gain popularity, and win the attention of It-Girl Vanessa, creating situations with hilarious consequences.
Split into two acts with a short interval, Just a Second features songs with diverse musical influences including jazz, opera, rap, classical and pop. A memorable cast provided the vocals, while the band, under Alice Chance’s confident conducting on the night, created bright instrumental sounds.
The strengths of Just a Second also include great choreography, youthful themes and humour. The musical essentially parodies the pressures for students at any top achieving school. At the same time, it conveys a moral message to young people about being comfortable in themselves, and the need to earn success honestly. The exuberant humour really brings the story of Ernie and his friends to life. From the awkward moments to queer elements, inside jokes and dialogue that breaks the fourth wall, the audience laughed, cheered and applauded.
While the Just a Second premiere was certainly strong, there were also weaknesses. Occasionally it was hard to catch the lyrics, due to the heavy density of the chorus and the band at full volume overpowering the vocalists. Ideally, if the band pulled back during the loud dynamics in the songs it would boost the clarity of the witty vocals. The sustained humour is the musical’s strength, but I felt that the urinating joke would’ve been more relevant if Ernie was in primary school. The plan for world domination and the bank heist of our story’s villains seemed clichéd and far-fetched, but it’s not a major weakness for a light-hearted narrative.
In short, Just a Second should be considered a remarkable achievement for Chance, Yaxley, the cast, the band and all who contributed to its success. This musical is guaranteed to be a welcome addition to many schools’ repertoires.
