‘Credulous: An Original Jazz Musical’ // Verum Arts

‘Credulous: An Original Jazz Musical’ was clumsy.

No matter the obstacles or barriers, talent will always shine through. This was abundantly clear within the production of ‘Credulous: An Original Jazz Musical’ currently showing at the Merthyr Road Uniting Church. Presented by Verum Arts, a collective of Meanjin-based emerging artists, ‘Credulous’ is filled with outstanding local talent and catchy original jazz tunes wrapped in a script that struggles to convey the depth it is seeking. ‘Credulous’ describes itself as an exploration of grief, family, and betrayal, while also examining the lengths people will go to for love. 

Within ‘Credulous’, Aida (played by Maddie Martin) must navigate the trials of grief after losing the love her life, Toby (Ethan Irvine). Before she has had a chance to come to terms with this devastating loss, Aida is lured to the shop of Venus (Isaac Ruthenberg) by his Whispers (Ella Dickson and Tabitha Franklin), who promise her the chance of bringing her love back to her. What follows is a short-lived reveal of heart-breaking betrayal, a jumbled descent into limbo, and a confusing remembrance of a secondary plotline. ‘Credulous’ first graced the stage in 2022 at the Freshblood Festival, where its run-time was only 30 minutes. Arina Dara, current creator and co-director, wrote and directed that original iteration which featured 13 student theatre artists and musicians. Like Dara, many of the original cast returned for the 2025 production. 

Pheobe Quinn, playwright, expanded upon Dara’s original script to turn the musical into a 2.5 hour production (with intermission). While the intended message is clear, and the comedy mostly hitting the right cues, the script suffered from a lack of depth that results in the feeling that Quinn was a little unsure of what direction she wanted to take the story in. While the audience is given a snapshot of the happy couple’s loving present and hopeful future, the scenes of Aida’s grief feel clumsy and fail to grip the audience’s emotions. This continues throughout the musical, with many meant-to-be heart-wrenching scenes failing to be given the space they need to breathe, to allow the emotions of the characters to truly shine through. This is particularly notable in the second half, where the reunion between the two lovers is bogged down with unnecessary revelations and whiplash-inducing character turnarounds. The phrase “less is more” is also applicable to this script, with the very quickly clarified infidelity scare reducing the impact of the main couple’s love story, while the forgotten-then-abruptly-remembered Venus side plot leaves Aida’s revelations to quite literally stand awkwardly to the side in the finale. 

Some characters, however, truly shine within the writing and are a delight to witness. Aida’s mother, Lydia (played by Spooky), demonstrates the unfailing and practical love of a mother and provides a level-headed counterpart to Aida’s more desperate decisions. Spooky showcases her talent in the role, combining emotional range with strict control over her body language and facial expressions so that every meaningful line and comedic joke lands correctly. Another well-written character is that of Rosie (Ella Dickson), Aida’s less than competent work colleague. While an over-the-top character played for laughs, her scene with the still-grieving Aida presents a surprisingly realistic situation many audience members would find recognizable – what do you say to someone who has just had their entire life come crashing down around them, when they are little more than an acquaintance you must interact with every day? Dickson is the stand-out talent within ‘Credulous’, unafraid to throw herself into scenes where she is the object of the audience’s laughter while also masterfully portraying the awkward eagerness of a kind person just trying to do the right thing. 

Despite the difficulties within the script, the talent on display within the ‘Credulous’ team is astounding. Maddie Martin captivates the audience with her powerful vocals, while Isaac Ruthenberg’s soulful refrains touch the heart of all who listen. Ethan Irvine’s Toby is a sweet, endearing character that instantly bonds with the audience, and Tabitha Franklin’s dance prowess is clearly on display. The live band, made up of Max Berger, Alex Wilson, Tristan Hargreaves, Kyle Neilan, and Eden Gray, are the highlight of the musical and play with such skill and zest that the audience find it hard to resist tapping along to the beat. With lyrics by Jake Brown and Mak Harris, and compositions by Max Berger and Alex Wilson, each song was instantly catchy and memorable. The only downside to this music element is an unfortunate side-effect of the venue. With a live band so close to the audience while also being relayed through the sound system, this means the sound mixing can falter at times, leading to the vocals occasionally being drowned out. 

While there are aspects within the production that can be improved upon, ‘Credulous’ displays the remarkable, breath-taking, and sometimes forgotten local talent that live within our city. With some minor tweaks to the script that allow it to focus on the utterly devastating impacts of grief, this production will undoubtedly become the heart-breaking and soul-affirming exploration it wishes to be.

‘Credulous’ performed until Saturday, 22 February 2025 at Merthyr Road Uniting Church. For more information and tickets, visit the website.