Month: July 2013

Events, Musical Theatre, Performances, Review, Whats On

Review: The Production Company Presents GYPSY

Everything’s coming up up roses

By Bradley Storer

The Production Company brings together a star-studded cast in this presentation of what can be described as the greatest musical in the American tradition. Like a musical version of King Lear, Gypsy presents the tale of Mama Rose as she fights, batters and tramples all the obstacles in the way of propelling her two daughters to stardom, even as they resist and try to escape her iron grip.

Caroline OConnor

Christina Tan as the young girl who grows up to be the eponymous Gypsy Rose Lee, is perfect as both the boyish, plain Louise at the beginning of the show, looking adorably innocent in her baggy oversized clothes, as well as the glamorous and seductive burlesque star that she becomes over the course of the narrative. However, in the strip tease sequence in Act Two (which illustrates Gypsy’s rise to her full potential as well as to stardom) Tan does not fully embody the burgeoning self-confidence and realisation that would bridge the gap between the two sides of the character.

Gemma-Ashley Kaplan as Baby June, Rose’s favoured child, brings both perkiness, a bright piercing belt and an underlying exhaustion to the role – her younger counterpart is equally amazing, possibly more so in some of her dances! Nathan Pinnell as the dancer who runs away with her steals the show with just one song and a brilliant choreographed dream ballet (choreography by Andrew Hallsworth).

The brilliant Caroline O’Connor is a phenomenon as Mama Rose, bringing layer upon layer to this larger-than-life character. This is a woman so consumed by her dreams and fantasy of stardom (vicariously lived out through her daughters) that she is hopelessly disconnected from everyone around her, most of all her family. In every one of Baby June’s dances we see Mama Rose flitting in and out of the background and off to the side of the stage repeating the choreography; whenever she by chance enters the spotlight her face breaks out in with unadulterated pleasure that is simultaneously comic and pathetic. O’Connor’s characterization brings to mind those other great tragic characters of American literature, Willy Loman and Blanche DuBois, both sustained and eventually destroyed by their dreams.

Matt Hetherington as Herbie, her lover/business partner is quite subdued, but the pair have a sweetness that makes the disintegration of their relationship as a result of Rose’s ambition all the more poignant – here Hetherington shines with a quiet dignity.

Gale Edwards brings an expansive directorial vision to this great American musical, emphasising how all these characters, whether or not they are onstage, are performers – acting out their own internal fantasies or forced to live inside a role that has been thrust on them by someone.

Venue: The State Theatre, The Arts Centre, 100 St Kilda Rd

Dates: Sat July 6th/Wed 10th/Thur 11th/Fri 12th/Sat 13th at 7:30pm; Sat July 6th/Sat 13th at 2pm; Sun July 7th/Sun 14th at 3pm

Prices: From $23 (C Reserve U18) to (A Reserve) $115

Bookings: http://www.theproductioncompany.com.au/

Cabaret, Cabaret Review, Events, Festivals, Performances

REVIEW: Melbourne Cabaret Festival’s CLOSING GALA

Olympians, Oprah and marriage equality in fabulous festival finale

By Bradley Storer

The stars of the Melbourne Cabaret Festival joined together at Ormond Hall on the festival’s closing night to raise funds for and support the cause for Marriage Equality.

Tara Minton, a British-based Australian harpist and singer, played selections from her festival show about the songs of Joni Mitchell, enchanting with her ethereal arrangements of ‘Woodstock’ and ‘Smitten’ and a voice that combined delicacy with a surprising power. Karin ‘Danger’ Muiznieks showed off the breadth of her range (as well as a dead on Piaf impression) in a tune that summarised the highs and lows of the Festival accompanied by Cameron Thomas.

Jon Jackson astonished the audience with his incredible range in an Etta James classic and a heartfelt song about the joys of marriage and children (made all the poignant by Jackson’s remarks about the inability to marry his partner of fifteen years). Cabaret diva Tina del Twist (the drag alter-ego of Wes Snelling) took to the stage with an imaginary back up band, crooning snatches of songs in a voice of spine-tingling power, in between bouts of wandering the stage in an absent-minded haze that felt like a three-act play in itself!

After intermission international drag cabaret star Spanky re-opened proceedings with some rock’n’roll sexiness as she sauntered through the crowd, accompanied by guitarist Robert Tripolino, before stunning with the Madonna tune ‘Revolver’ from his 2012 Green Room award-winning show Candice McQueen. Jazz chanteuse Jade Leonard took to the stage with her self-penned gay anthem ‘Equal Love’ before announcing her engagement to drag performer Art Simone (also present on the night) and inviting the audience to their nuptials at the next Equal Love Rally.

Matthew Mitcham as MC for the evening charmed with a ukulele mash-up of Kylie tunes for his opening, and guided the rest of the event with awkwardly adorable enthusiasm. This being a fundraiser for marriage equality Mitcham played to certain elements of the crowd, performing an impromptu striptease to ‘Barbie Girl’ (accompanied on the harp by Minton) which I’m sure left half the audience with spontaneous pregnancy. Later he showed off more of his… ahem… ‘assets’… during the auction which raised prices significantly!

Closing Gala

The night closed with a special guest performance by Oprah (played by Rachel Dunham), fresh from her Melbourne Cabaret season in Oprahfication, who regaled us with tales of starting out as a young black woman in television and bringing the house down with a voice that shook the rafters.

An incredible end to one of Australia’s fastest growing festivals, displaying the phenomenal talent on offer every year.

 Venue: Ormond Hall, 557 St Kilda Road, Melbourne

Date: 7th July 2013

Time: 7:45pm

Cabaret, Cabaret Review, Festivals, Whats On

REVIEW: Jessamae St James is TIED UP

Bending and bonding over cabaret

By Myron My

It’s always a risky move when a performer takes an unsuspecting audience member on stage and makes him get down on all fours so she can sit on him. But when that audience member is your reviewer, you better damn well hope you have a great show to move on with!

Tied Up

Fortunately, burlesque performer Jessamae St James does have just that, and in the context of her show my participation was quite – er – tame… As part of this year’s Melbourne Cabaret Festival, Tied Up looks at fetishes and BDSM, including ‘forniphilia’ – a form of bondage and sexual objectification in which a person’s body (namely mine) is incorporated into a piece of furniture.

Wearing a black, body-hugging corset, St James easily captures the audience’s attention as she talks and sings her way through some more lesser-known but just as intriguing fetishes. Once the sometimes lengthy monologue describing each fetish is completed St James breaks into a song and this is where she truly does shine.

Her voice is sultry and seductive, and appropriately, she nails each and every number she sings. Moreover, St James is joined on stage by an amazing four-piece jazz band whose skill and talent take the musical aspect of this show to a whole new level.

St James does create a highly intimate and sensual environment overall, but considering the obvious impact of the music and her vocal ability, I feel less talking and more songs would have kept the enjoyment level of this show at a maximum.

I must als0 admit I would have liked to have been confronted even more with Tied Up. St James is discussing some highly sexual and often taboo themes and it would have been great to see her push some of those boundaries herself on stage, which I am sure she would be capable of doing, given her exciting performance history.

Having said that, Tied Up is still a highly entertaining show, I made a particularly fine stage seat, and I’m certainly keen to see where St James dares to go from here…

Venue: The Butterfly Club, 256 Collins St (entry via Carson Place), Melbourne

Season: Until 7 July | Sat 7:00pm, Sun 6:00pm.

Tickets: $28 Full | $25 Conc

Bookings: http://melbournecabaret.com

Cabaret, Cabaret Review, Festivals, Whats On

REVIEW: Trevor Ashley is LITTLE ORPHAN TRASHLEY

 Leave the kids at home…

By Bradley Storer

This year Trevor Ashley brings his naughty and controversial adults-only pantomime Little Orphan Trashley to town as part of the Melbourne Cabaret Festival. The show, an unofficial rip off of the musical Annie, is the sort of light-hearted family show that you would never bring your kids to.

Rhonda Burchmore as Miss Trannigan, the alcoholic and lascivious matron of the orphanage, effortlessly steals every scene she appears in, boozing, crooning and flashing her fabulous legs to great campy effect. Her songs are overall the best in the show, and an act two duet with Ashley is quite probably the best one of the night. Rhys Bobridge in the role of little Fannie’s pet dog (whose name is unprintable here) combines sex appeal – wait until you see his outfit! – with a cuddliness and comic timing that make his every moment onstage gleefully naughty. His first entrance had the audience in hysterics for what seemed like a full minute!

Little Orphan Trashley

Gary Sweet gets big laughs as a pajama-clad Prologue introducing us to the story, but as Daddy Warhorse a lot of his lines fall flat. He lacks the singing ability to bring off his musical number in Act One but does a better job in selling a delightfully dirty number in Act Two.

The problem is that the writing and the story are simply not engaging enough to hold the audience’s interest for the length of the show. The best parts (usually involving Burchmore or Bobridge) usually have absolutely nothing to do with the plot, so when Ashley and Sweet step forward to get the story moving again it feels like the laughs cease – in particular, an attempt to integrate recent controversy about child pornography in art into the story comes across as quite creepy (and not in the good way!). The jokes came hard and fast throughout, and there are many up-to-date references (including to Rudd’s recent disposal of Julia Gillard) which is a credit to the creative team in their efforts to keep the script fresh and relevant. However, even with this the success rate is still only fifty-fifty for the entire night, with a few precise zingers as exceptions, despite the commitment of the cast to the material.

Ashley himself does not shine with the glowing stage presence of a star, but seems like a low-key supporting character in the plot – which is hard to understand given he has more stage time, dialogue and songs than anyone in the cast. There was no moment in the show where I felt Ashley was given a chance to show off his full power and range as singer or performer, which was disappointing as in previous works he has been fantastic!

Venue: The Comedy Theatre, 240 Exhibition Street, Melbourne

Date: Thurs 4 to Sun 7 July then continuing on after the Festival until Sunday 14 July

Price: A Reserve $75, B Reserve $60

Time: Tue 7:00pm, Wed – Fri 8:00pm, Sat 6.30pm & 9.30pm, Sun 5:00pm

Bookings: www.ticketmaster.com.au , (03) 9299 9800, at the venue

Cabaret

REVIEW: Alex Roe in HERE COMES YOUR MAN

Getting ready for a hit

By Myron My

In Here Comes Your Man for the 2013 Melbourne Cabaret Festival, Alex Roe plays a hit man – a very successful hit man who has a slight career crisis when he meets the beautiful Abigail.

Roe has some good storytelling abilities and the twists and turns in his story were highly engaging without any lulls in this cabaret tale full of crime, death and love. Roe incorporates a nice level of dry humour and drama and seems very relaxed with his delivery and interaction with the audience.

Photo by Shoot at Everyone Imaging

As a performer, when you start to involve audience members in your act you do run the risk of inadvertently breaking character but watching Roe on stage, I did not feel as if he was an actor remembering his lines but found myself quite invested that this man really was a conflicted contract killer!

Here Comes Your Man has a good variety of songs but some of them did slow down the proceedings and cause Roe to lose the intensity he had built up, especially in the middle of the show. It seemed sometimes that either the song was not well-matched to Roe’s voice or it did not add to the story. However the songs where this was definitely not the case and were show highlights included Fairground Attraction’s ‘Perfect’ and (aptly) The Pixies’ ‘Here Comes Your Man’.

Roe is joined on staged by accompanist Tom Pitts and I honestly have never seen a pianist get so wonderfully involved into the music he is playing – his performance was flawless and fluid from beginning to end.

On this occasion, Here Comes Your Man was performed as a workshop season with Attic Erratic with plans of a full season run at the Melbourne Fringe Festival later this year. The concept is unique and interesting and Roe has the skill and charisma to eventually turn this show into the cabaret ‘hit’ it deserves to be.

This production took place on July 3 and 4 at The Butterfly Club as part of the Melbourne Cabaret Festival.

Comedy, Events, Performances, Review, Theatre, Whats On

REVIEW: Charles Ross is ONE MAN LORD OF THE RINGS

Speedily, spectacularly, and side-splittingly funny!

By Kim Edwards

I’ve sat here with a blank screen for some time now when poised to write this review. I have one significant problem.

How to even begin to express how ridiculously and riotously fun this show is!

One Man Lord of the Rings

Forget stretching The Hobbit into three epic movies: actor-comedian Charles Ross has compacted the entire Lord of the Rings movie trilogy into 70 minutes for your unmitigated viewing pleasure. That’s right, one actor to play them all – all the significant characters (so obviously not Arwen), that unforgettable score (with some hilarious new lyrics), every clashing sword and roaring troll sound effect, and Tolkien’s sprawling oliphauntine plot – jam-packed into just over an hour of the best belly-laughs I’ve had in a long time.

The show, directed by TJ Dawe,  is unashamedly for the fans. You won’t believe the phenomenal pace and energy with which Ross tears through these famous films, and the uninitiated would be completely lost in moments as he springs and flings himself from character to character and twists and turns in and out of scenes.

I’ve had a few modest viewings of the trilogy myself, but was delighted at how vividly the films came back to me as a man in black coveralls with no set or props conjured up Middle Earth and its inhabitants with some impeccable impersonations and inspired physical comedy (I’ve mentioned this is all done by one man, right?)

My particular favourites include Ross’ Hugo Weaving and Christopher Lee, (although then there were the Gollum and Frodo portrayals…) while the fight with the Balrog, the fly-bys of the Nazgul, and the death of Denethor were outrageously funny and clever (and then there was the fall of Boromir, the march of Ents, the reveal of Eowyn…) Not only did we enjoy the clever characterisations and witty scene segues, but Ross integrates plenty of in-jokes and comic critique to round out his reinterpretation of the classic films.

One Man Lord of the Rings is a tour de force like no other (save perhaps the previous show One Man Star Wars whereupon the pun is intended) – the energy, ingenuity and mimicry is as masterful as a born-again wizard, as hilarious as a drunken hobbit, and as brilliant as the glowing elvish engraved on a ring of power. It’s all done by one man you know, and there are only two more performances in Melbourne: tomorrow night (Friday July 5) and Saturday night (July 6), 7:30pm at the Arts Centre Playhouse.

Have I managed at all to convey the amount of fun I had watching this? No? Then you’d better don your mithril vest, grab your elven sword and go see for yourself…

Bookings: Artscentremelbourne.com.au, Ticketmaster outlets or Ph: 1300182183

Cabaret, Cabaret Review, Festivals, Whats On

REVIEW: Between the Cracks with YANA ALANA

Simply scintillating

By Kate Boston Smith

Yana Alana’s much anticipated new show Between the Cracks for this year’s Melbourne Cabaret Festival grabs you by the soul and cradles you deep in her blue-clad bosom for the best part of an hour.

The diva within the diva is Sarah Ward: a woman who has a wicked smile with a wit you could set your watch to, and whose delectable use of language is only surpassed by her tremendous voice.

Yana Alana

Self proclaimed ‘feather-ruffler’, Yana Alana bares all and is unafraid to speak her mind about the failings of others and society around her.  She has the uncanny knack of twisting all of her ego foibles around, to the point where you would apologize to her, should she step on your toe in one of her many sojourns into her adoring audience.

An entirely original show, Yana’s fantastical poetry, vocal power and dominance of the room has you on the edge of your seat and soaking up every precious moment.  For it can be in the blink of a heavily fake-lashed eyelid that Yana will spin the show in a new direction, and can possibly and suddenly be sitting in your lap.

“Not a role model, but a model with rolls” – this is not a show for the faint-hearted.  Reading from her personally penned self-help book, Yana slaps you in the face with the realities of her world as an underappreciated performance artist/ writer/songstress and of course model citizen.  Songs such as ‘Box me In’ and ‘Some of the Queerest people I know are Straight” highlight our obsession with classification and how this passion for exclusion can cut us off from understanding one another more deeply.

As with most of Yana Alana’s shows, some of the favourite moments are those unscripted when things come slightly off the track.  An accidental breast in an unsuspecting face or microphone failure do not curtail this seasoned performer, but merely add to the internal rage that we so love to see played out before us.

Her spontaneous and pre-determined comedy moments and meltdowns are both hilarious and colourful, highlighting Ward’s impeccable understanding of timing and the beauty of self-deprecation.

With incredible direction by Annie Davey and a prolific support team, Between the Cracks could easily be lifted from our beloved 45downstairs and placed in the cabaret heart of New York or Berlin and received with respect and admiration without missing a beat.

If you are looking for a show to inspire and delight, or to show off to your friends your edgy taste in art, then Yana Alana’s Between the Cracks is the show for you.

Venue: 45downstairs, 45 Flinders Lane, Melbourne

Dates: 3 -7 July 2013

Times: 9.30pm Wed – Sat, 5.30pm Sun

Tickets: Full $35, Conc $30, Group 8+ $30

http://melbournecabaret.com/index.php/shows/yana-alana-presents-between-the-cracks

Cabaret, Cabaret Review, Festivals, Music, Whats On

REVIEW: Sweet Dreams – SONGS BY ANNIE LENNOX

Exceptional cabaret is made of this

By Ross Larkin

It’s a brave performer indeed, who not only assumes the guise of a celebrity of the opposite sex, but endeavors to perform and ‘become’ Britain’s most successful female artist of all time – cabaret style.

Sweet Dreams

A graduate of the Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts, Michael Griffiths has some big shoes to fill. Yet, fill them he does – until they are bursting at the seams.

The former Jersey Boys star, along with director Dean Bryant, have thankfully avoided indulgently churning out Lennox’s ‘best of’ catalogue, one after the other. Rather, they have created a comical, yet heartbreaking narrative of a fascinating artist with nothing but integrity and awe-inspiring skill.

Initially, one might grapple with suspending their disbelief over a young man at a piano, who is not so much paying tribute to Lennox, but portraying her in character.

Yet, wigs, costumes and accents would undoubtedly take Sweet Dreams into less-appropriate tongue-in-cheek pantomime or drag-queen territory.

While die-hard fans may need to overcome some fictional story elements (mostly added for comic relief), the narrative generally stays true to Lennox’s career and personal life, exploring with particular intrigue, her relationship with Eurythmics partner, and former lover, Dave Stewart.

While it’s no secret she and Stewart broke up as a couple just prior to forming Eurythmics in 1981 (which subsequently fueled an often tempestuous working relationship), Bryant and Griffiths have brilliantly used Lennox’s music to shed a clearer light on the meaning of her songs.

Griffiths plays and sings with effortless charm, innovation and finesse, giving new insight into the likes of ‘Who’s that Girl?’, ‘Missionary Man’ and ‘Why’.

Along with a newly-explored meaning of these familiar tracks, is the re-interpretation of the music itself. Griffiths adds a vaudeville charm to the formerly dark, synthesised ‘Love is a Stranger’, and a refreshingly melancholic sadness to pop classic ‘When Tomorrow Comes’ – injecting a gorgeous energy that, dare it be said, surpasses the original.

Sweet Dreams is a mesmerising feast of laughs, sadness and brilliant music showcasing a true icon with style and wit, recommended even for the lesser of Lennox’s fans.

Sweet Dreams: Songs by Annie Lennox is playing nightly as part of the Melbourne Cabaret Festival until Sunday, July 7 at 7.30pm at 45 Downstairs, 45 Flinders Lane, Melbourne.

Bookings on 03 9662 9966 or fortyfivedownstairs.com

Cabaret, Cabaret Review, Events, Performances, Whats On

REVIEW: Maude Davey in MY LIFE IN THE NUDE

Bearing all for her art

By Myron My

Before you even walk through the door of the La Mama Theatre, you are greeted by a woman wearing high heels, a shawl and sparkling jewellery. And that’s it. For 29 years, Maude Davey has been taking off her clothes in public and My Life In The Nude is a celebration of Davey’s work throughout those years.

Davey regales us with stories such as her entry into the Miss Wicked Competition in 1991 to teaching burlesque for deaf and disabled women. Some stories are so outlandish that they are bordering on absurd that they are almost hard to believe, but all of Davey’s stories captivate and engage us.

Maude Davey

The costume changes are eye-catching and varied to say the least. At one point Davey wears a gorilla suit whilst dancing to ‘Beautiful’ by Christina Aguilera, a sparkly number that almost blinds us with its shimmer to a costume once owned by Jeanne Little (enough said on that one).

Davey has certainly led an intriguing life but she has put a lot of thought into this show and has taken a creative and humorous but sincere look at body issues, nudity and sexuality through a performer’s perspective and what it means to be naked on stage to them. Davey talks about her breast reduction at 17 and the threshold of judgement we have from each other and upon ourselves.

There is a strong message in Davey’s show and that is, as she clearly puts it at one point: “I am beautiful and I am worthy of your regard”. In today’s age with so many body issue images pressuring us, it’s a great reminder that we all have beauty and that it is there waiting for us to appreciate it.

Davey’s finale is powerful and the room was utterly enthralled by her. The image of her full of anxiety and fear and then her cover of Anthony and the Johnsons’ ‘Am I ever Going to see Your Face Again’ was a beautiful moment of live performance we seldom see on stage.

My Life In The Nude ran for almost half an hour over its advertised time but I would gladly have sat there another hour and be dazzled by Maude Davey’s tales. A great show not to be missed.

Venue: La Mama Theatre, 205 Faraday Street Carlton

Season: Until 21 July | Thurs-Sat 7:30pm, Wed, Sun 6:30pm

Tickets: $25 Full | $15 Conc

Bookings: http://lamama.com.au or 9347 6142

Cabaret, Cabaret Review, Festivals, Performances, Whats On

REVIEW: Belinda Raisin in CONFESSIONS OF A CONTROL FREAK

Cabaret efficiency at maximum

By Vikki Doig

Confessions of a Control Freak is a cleverly-crafted, highly energetic tale all too familiar to the modern woman – the seemingly never-ending pursuit for perfection, control and balance in an unforgiving and sleepless society.

Confessions of a Control Freak

Channelling her alter-ego, the ultra-efficient Frances, Belinda Raisin invites the audience into her descent into disarray, one confession at a time. From the moment she pitter-pattered onto the stage on full ballet-pointe, we could tell that this was a woman on a mission. Her dance, though precise, determined and controlled to begin with soon became manic and chaotic.

Frances crooned about her lust for lists, got side-tracked and served wine to the audience whilst on roller blades, tore her clothes off in an ode to bikram yoga (it’s getting hot in here) and delivered an evangelical advocacy for procrastination which made me want to holler “Hallelujah sister!”

Raisin’s command of the stage was excellent and her energy unflappable. But just as I thought it was all getting too much, we were reined back in with a confession which was delivered with such sincerity and poignancy it made all of the confusion of the previous 50 minutes make sense. I had goosebumps as Raisin belted out a gorgeous rendition of Jessie J’s “Who You Are”, giving us a moment of stillness to reflect and give ourselves permission to be imperfect.

Frances may have been a caricature, but Raisin created a depth and honesty to her character which made the show a real joy to be a part of. And as we left The Butterfly Club, my partner said to me “there were parts of that show where she could have been talking about you.” I guess there’s a bit of Frances in all of us.

I would also like to make special mention of Raisin’s sensational accompanist, Jamie Teh, who, although completely blind, never missed a beat through Raisin’s well-chosen (and highly choreographed) playlist of rewritten pop gems.

Confessions of a Control Freak appears at The Butterfly Club for a very concise 3-show run for this year’s Melbourne Cabaret Festival, with its final performance tomorrow night (July 4) at 7pm. Procrastination not recommended – get your tickets now!

Tickets:
$25 Full,
$23 Conc
, $20 Group (8+)

Bookings: www.thebutterflyclub.com