Month: November 2011

Cabaret, Cabaret Review, Events, Performances, Whats On

Review: KIMBERLEY DARK in Good Fortune

A beguiling future was in store for a raconteur and her audience

By Adam Tonking

Do you remember the pleasure, as a child, of having a story read out loud to you? Kimberley Dark’s Good Fortune instantly transported me back to those long-forgotten days.

Dark is a consummate storyteller but these are not for children. They are stories from her life, that when illuminated through her telling become stories about the world at large: about love, sex, politics, and power.

The show was presented as a kind of tasting platter – 46 stories and poems from Dark’s 15 years of performance, each attached to a quirky little artwork, which became a sort of Tarot deck, with members of the audience choosing. These pieces make up the show, with each show being unique to the audience present.

Dark explains that every audience has its own personality, and this method of framing the show’s concept lent it an air of legitimacy, but also created an air of mutual respect between Dark and the audience.

Telling stories is clearly a gift for the highly-skilled Dark. While she chatted with us amiably in between stories, discussing her history and philosophies, including a few poems as a palate cleanser between stories – the moment she opened her book, she transported the audience into another world, as only a true storyteller can.

 The tone of her voice, from beguiling to conversational, from hypnotic to questing, guides us through her world; but the stories themselves grow to encompass all of us. The material is complex yet comedic, personal yet provocative. Perhaps storytelling of this nature is a lost art, but by the end of Good Fortune I was completely enamoured with Dark and her tales.

Perhaps because of the nature of the audience choosing the material, no one will have the chance to see the same show that I did. But go anyway, and reconnect with those wonderful days of simply being told a good story by someone who knows how to tell it best.

Kimberley Dark’s Good Fortune is on for one more night, Wednesday 30th November at 8pm, at The Butterfly Club in South Melbourne, with tickets available at www.thebutterflyclub.com or at the door.

Or see her show Dykeotomy at Hares and Hyenas Bookstore in Fitzroy, December 1-3. For more information go to www.kimberleydark.com.

Cabaret, Cabaret Review, Events, Late Night Shows, Performances, Whats On

REVIEW: Joe Black in SEX, DRUGS AND VAUDEVILLE

Take a turn on the dark side…

By Bradley Storer

Beginning the performance with a simple booming ‘Good evening ladies and gentlemen!’, the manically energetic Joe Black, making an immediate impression with his ghoulishly glittery face, barrelled onstage and launched into a song by fellow British cabaret artists Fascinating Aida, a spritely ditty about the pleasures of public fornication. This off-colour but hilarious opener set the tone for the rest of the evening, straddling the line between comedy and darkness expertly.

This is not an evening for the faint-hearted: subjects range from the joys of pyromania to the exploits of a heart-broken cannibal. Black covers many classics of the dark cabaret scene, including songs by the Tiger Lillies, Tom Waits and the Dresden Dolls, as well as original compositions discussing topics such as friends who ‘overshare’ on social networking sites. There are also more popular songs (Black’s Britney Spears cover is a particular delight), layered with a sinister twist – let’s just say I’ll never hear ‘You Are My Sunshine’ in quite the same way again.

Joe Black himself is charmingly demented. A musical and vocal chameleon, he swaps between piano and ukulele skilfully (which makes one regretful about his inability to smuggle his accordion past customs) and his voice switches at different times from a politely soft-spoken tenor, to a devilishly seductive Tom Waits-style croon, to a gospel-inflected roar reminiscent of Jason Webley.

The show itself still seems in development – segues between songs and the overall structure felt muddled, with connections in story not being as clearly developed as they could be. To be fair, this was probably not helped by Black’s admitted jet-lag or having to deal with an unusually talkative audience who interjected continually without warning – however this just goes to show, despite the darkness of his persona, how approachable Black made himself appear and how relaxed he had made his audience.

Despite some opening night glitches and some polishing still be done, Black is clearly a true cabaret performer, delivering a professional performance and forging such a strong connection with his audience that they spontaneously demanded a second encore – a rare sight! Such an enthusiastic response bodes well for the rest of Black’s first season in Australia, with the show undoubtedly growing even stronger with more performances.  

Until Nov 27th at The Butterfly Club

www.misterjoeblack.com

Cabaret, Cabaret Review, Events, Performances, Whats On

Review: ROBERT TAYLOR is So Inappropriate

One very funny man and one very clever show

By Anastasia Russell-Head

Somewhere between The Flight of the Conchords’ spot-on parody and Tim Minchin’s witty word-play lies homegrown talent Robert Taylor’s new solo musical So Inappropriate, fresh from its debut season at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival.

Taylor’s abilities are multi-faceted – he wrote both the script and the music for this show, and manages to sing, tell stories, play some hot licks on the piano and be funny at the same time!

Thrown out of Hollywood, reduced to the indignity of composing music for adult films and playing cover music to drunken bogans, this loveably awkward songwriter is searching for new love while trying to avoid his ex-wives. Will he be able to summon up the courage to talk to the love of his life – the coffeeshop girl? Or at least be able to ask her name?

With clever lyrics, an excellent singing voice and accomplished keyboard chops, Taylor’s songs are highly entertaining. Having honed his musical skills at the Victorian College of the Arts, he has a range of styles and genres at his fingertips, moving effortlessly from funk to indie-folk and everything inbetween. Despite the name of the show, his humor was warm, witty and cheeky, without straying into the land of cringe. 

Even though his character is awkward, there were no signs of awkwardness in the performance, even with a very small audience (which can often make things feel awkward). Taylor’s stage presence is warm and personable, and his storytelling style engaging, with the carefully crafted ad-lib-esque monologue episodes of the work woven skillfully amongst the songs.

It was a pity that there were not more people at The Butterfly Club to see this talented and very entertaining performer in his short Melbourne season – hopefully we see him return to our stages soon. When he does, make sure to catch him!

The Butterfly Club

Weds 16th to Sat 19th Nov
9pm Thurs – Sat, Weds at 8pm
$22 / $19

Bookings: www.thebutterflyclub.com

More info: www.roberttaylor.biz

 

Cabaret, Cabaret Review, Events, Performances, Whats On

REVIEW: Luke Escombe is CHRONIC

Hilarious and no-holds barred comedy still has heart

By Jessica Cornish

Presenting Flight Of The Concordesque cabaret, Luke Escombe, armed with his trademark off-white suit and cream peak hat, certainly entertained his small, but enthralled Thursday night audience for the latest season of his hit show Chronic at The Butterfly Club.

Equipped with a beautiful acoustic guitar,the five-dollar keyboard that he snagged off a young girl at a garage sale, a loop pedal and a battery-operated pink dog that occasionally made cameo appearances, Escombe’s show was the perfect amounts of uncomfortable, edgy and very funny.

The evening begun with a short autobiographical AV presentation of Luke’s life, before the Sydneysider cruised through the audience on to the stage to kick off his one-man performance.

His hilarious songs were continuously engaging, and segments such as ‘The Riddler’ encouraged his audience to yell out answers to his questions while his miniature keyboard’s MIDI loop ploughed on through the PA.

Other musical highlights were his advice to budding singer-songwriters regarding the use of  weather as a cliched metaphor, his achievement in coaxing the only unfortunate male in the female-filled audience to sing  ‘It’s hard to be P-I-M-P’, and the failed conga line attempt to the ridiculous and outrageously titled, but very catchy song ‘Jerk Ya Cock.’

Whilst Chronic was sixty minutes of light-hearted entertainment and presented an array of outlandish songs, the show also fought to raise awareness of crohns disease that currently affects over 30,000 Australians, including Luke himself.

Weaved throughout his web of songs Luke tells the tale of his personal battle with the illness, including his eleven-day stint in hospital, his determination to get back to good health and his motivation to rejoin society in full strength. He’s even being flown to Canberra next month to raise awareness about the disease (through song) to Australia’s finest political folk.

Lucke Escombe’s Chronic is a great distraction from the mundane happenings of everyday life, and will bring a smile to all who can share or take a joke every now and then.

Chronic will be performed at The Butterfly Club on Friday 11 and Saturday 12 Nov at 9pm and Sunday Nov. 13 at 8pm.

Cabaret, Cabaret Review, Events, Performances, Review, Whats On

Review: GERALDINE QUINN is The Last Gig in Melbourne

This is why Melbourne loves live music!

By Emma Muiznieks

In response to the floundering live music scene, Geraldine Quinn has invited you to the very last live gig Melbourne is ever going to host, and boy does she deliver.

For one hour, Quinn rocks out a set list of original songs, with the help of her band; musical director Casey Bennetto on keys and guitar, Tamara Murphy thundering on the bass, Sonja Horbelt on drums, and Martin Lubran rocking out like a legend on lead guitar. Last Gig pokes fun at the tropes of home-grown rock, but is at the same time a fine example of the very best sort of gig: it is well-structured, the music is tight, and Quinn owns the stage like a pro.

Covering a range of subject matter and musical subgenres, from a punk rock song about scrag fights to a poignant ballad lamenting the predominance of mobile phone usage during shows, Quinn takes us through the live music scene from when she herself first started bopping along as a teenager, to the current lackadaisical attitude of the modern concertgoer. As a songwriter, she has created music that is clearly original but has such an element of familiarity that you might swear you’ve heard the songs before on Rage or MTV. She presents us with a view from both sides of the microphone, and rather skillfully reminds us of how fun live gigs are while at the same time highlighting our responsibility to support the industry: there will always be new talent, but without an audience, it will go unheard.

Although each band-member is given the chance to shine, the show is very much a showcase for Quinn’s powerhouse vocals, clever lyrics and her complete and utter rock & roll spirit. There are few comedians on the scene today who possess such a strong stage presence; add to this a voice that can be so forceful one moment and so softly intense the next, and you have a performer capable of underpinning a comedy song with a real emotional resonance.

There are few people with enough cred, talent and moxy to claim the right to the last gig in Melbourne, but Quinn has definitely earned the honour.

www.geraldinequinn.com

The Last Gig in Melbourne

Dates: Friday 4, 11, 18, & 25 Nov

Time: 8.00pm (approx 1 hr duration)

Venue: Bella Union Bar, Trades Hall, Cnr Lygon and Victoria Streets, Carlton

Tickets: $25/$16 at door, discounts for pre-booking

Bookings: 03 9650 5699 or www.bellaunion.com.au

 

Events, Performances, Review, Theatre, Whats On

REVIEW: VCA Contemporary Plays Season – ST KILDA TALES

Strong performances in a problematic production

By Kate Boston Smith

There was much excitement to be felt while waiting for the start of the VCA School of Performing Arts‘ production of Raimondo Cortese’s St Kilda Tales directed by Mary Sitarenos.  As we were ushered into the huge studio warehouse towards the back of the VCA campus, this atmosphere suggested we would be in for a real treat. 

Utilising the entire length of the expansive warehouse, the sparse stage was split in two halves front and back, divided only by black cyclone fencing. The full cast boisterously entered the space through the back door in the far distance from the audience.  The performance area, which at this stage was only lit by the cold fluorescent lights, was immediately filled with the noise, music and chatter of St Kilda streets which then did not stop for the next two hours.  

It was very difficult to tune into the dialogue as characters constantly spoke over both one another and the loud music.  I felt the first ten minutes of setup was lost in this wave of aural activity, and it therefore took longer than preferable for us to settle into the story and understand the relationships between the characters. 

The play is a dark swill of interweaving stories from St Kilda’s underbelly.  There was little or no light or warmth between characters, each of whom move through the space writhing for attention, love or release from their golem-like existence.

The young cast gave very strong performances.  The intensity of each ensemble character was matched with the relentless soundscape consisting of late 90’s pop and rave anthems, distorted guitars and finally the soul-crushing wails of two female characters for the final  thirty minutes of the play. 

Stage design, lighting, and one elaborate costume in particular, enhanced the gritty, deranged world that the characters inhabited.  Comic relief was provided through the gimmicky but great animal heads of the resident crazy lady “Special” as played brilliantly by Rose Marlfleet.

However, when the house lights were once again raised, (long after the ninety minutes as stipulated in the program) it is honestly hard to say whether I enjoyed it or just felt relief it was over.     

St Kilda Tales was presented by the VCA graduating class in Studio 45, 28 Dodds St, Southbank.

Events, Performances, Review, Stand-Up Comedy, Whats On

Review: AUSTEN TAYSHUS is The Merchant of Menace

Merciless night of comedy with an Australian icon

By Anastasia Russell-Head

The Butterfly Club’s small performance space was comfortably almost-filled on Saturday night for Australian icon, the raw and politically incorrect Austen Tayshus.

Known to many for his hit 1983 single Australiana, he is a veteran of the stand-up scene, having performed over 10,000 shows.

Taking to the stage in his trademark dark suit and shades, he proceeded to spin a web of comedic tangents, sometimes with a punchline or two thrown in for good measure.

The subjects of his humour were shown no mercy, with Jews, Muslims, South Africans, and Australians alike in the firing line.

Most of this is hilariously funny, especially his imitations of accents, which are spot-on. Some of it however, sails rather close to the wind, and in my opinion several of the Muslim jokes in particular go a bit too far.

That said, his wit is unprejudiced, and everyone is tarred with the same brush – himself, his career, even the audience, who are berated if they are not laughing enough, and teased when they laugh too much.

The audience is often a source of comedic ammunition – people’s marriages, jobs, state-of-sobriety – but no-one is offended; rather we all feel part of the joke.

Genuinely funny, clever, and an extremely engaging performer, Austen Tayshus is one-of-a-kind – catch him while and when you can.

You may even be treated to a live rendition of Australiana if you’re lucky!

Austen Tayshus: The Merchant of Menace played at The Butterfly Club Nov 5 2011.

Events, Musical Theatre, Performances, Review, Theatre

REVIEW: Tracy Harvey Smoking’ At The Paris Cat

A new musical in the works is turning up the heat…

By Kim Edwards

Tracy Harvey is a favourite and familiar lady of Australian comedy, but last night it was all about the music.

The intimate confines of the Paris Cat jazz club were bustling with local media and theatre folk as Harvey took to the stage to share some of her previous hilarious compositions and debut some of her latest music theatre songs.

The evening featured repertoire from her first show Call Girl the Musical that premiered in Melbourne in recent years, but also debuted new work from the upcoming and outrageously titled hospital musical Prick.

Harvey with her signature smile and ravishing dress was in exceptional company with Bryce Ives, Laura Burzacott, and the talented Jack Howard leading a superb jazz trio.

It’s a rare pleasure to see director Ives performing on stage himself, and his smooth showman charisma and Burzacott’s ever- stunning voice and understated wit formed a wonderful foil to Harvey’s irrepressible and frantic comic vivacity. Meanwhile, Jack Howard managed a little demure scene-stealing both on the trumpet and with his unexpected solo song ‘Like A Gondolier’.

Ives’ skill at creating atmosphere was in play as usual: the casual, relaxed vibe and unrehearsed patter were completely charming, and this rare sneak peak at a show in development was wonderfully beguiling.

The strength of the songs presented was in their casual Australian vernacular and broad vulgar humour, with plenty of topical and local jokes. Musically and lyrically, there is nothing particularly daring or sophisticated in any of the numbers, and every song seemed to include some extensive word or phrase repetition. However, these are of course works in progress, and the good-natured comedy and appealing energy always made each song highly enjoyable to hear and see performed.

Australia music theatre longs for original local works, and Harvey with her smokin’ hot companions and her flair for distinctly home-bred humour and fun song-writing deserves nothing but admiration and support.

It was exciting to be part of the inception of a new project, and it will be even more exciting to see it fire up into a fully fledged musical in the near future. So keep a look out for more about Harvey’s new show shortly – it’s not like you’re going to forget that title in a hurry.