Month: April 2014

Comedy, Events, Musical Theatre, Review, Whats On

REVIEW: Richard O’Brien’s ROCKY HORROR SHOW

Give yourself over to absolute pleasure…

By Myron My

I will confess: I have never before seen The Rocky Horror Show on stage. Yes, shocking, I know. In fact, the only time I have even seen the film was three years ago at an outdoor cinema event. So I was filled with much antici…pation when attending the Melbourne opening night of this new production, celebrating 40 years of Richard O’Brien’s outrageous musical creation.

To cut to the chase; I simply loved this show. Everything about it is flawless and fun. From the performances to costumes to the sets and lighting and of course, the music: I just could not fault it.

Rocky Horror Show

Tim Maddren and Christie Whelan Browne are perfectly cast as newly engaged couple, Brad and Janet. They radiate naivety and innocence, their  singing ability throughout the show was highly impressive, and their interaction with each other is a joy to watch. In fact, every single person on stage clearly loves their characters, but none more so than Craig McLachlan as Frank-N-Furter. From his initial grand entrance in those trademark fishnets, he has everyone hanging on his every word and movement and makes every new crazy development feel like it’s the most memorable scene in this rock ‘n’ roll musical. McLachlan’s improvised moments with the full house on opening night were particularly hilarious and he even managed to break his fellow actors into unavoidable laughter on more than one occasion.

The musical numbers are a thrill to watch and you can’t help but fight the urge to get up to sing and dance along to the well-known classics such as ‘Touch-a Touch-a Touch Me’ and ‘The Time Warp’, the latter which allows Kristian Lavercombe (Riff Raff) to show off his brilliant vocal talents.

The costumes by Sue Blane and wigs by Darren Ware are – pardon the pun – out of this world. From the initial simple and modest costuming of Brad and Janet to the wondrously crazy outfits for Riff Raff and Magenta (beautifully played by Erika Heynatz), the creation of these gems showcases dynamic design and visual excitement.

There are many more flamboyant, funny and fantastical moments throughout The Rocky Horror Show that make the event special – but instead of listing them all here, I just encourage you to go and witness them yourself. It will be a strange journey indeed, but it will also be an unforgettable evening of dazzling fun.

Venue: Comedy Theatre, 240 Exhibition St, Melbourne
Season: Until 13 July | Tues – Sat 8:00pm, Sat 2pm, Sun 1.30pm and 5.30pm
Tickets: From $59.80 – $109.90
Bookings: http://www.ticketmaster.com.au

Events, Musical Theatre, Review, Whats On

REVIEW: DreamSong for MICF

Redemption is not at hand

By Narelle Wood

I like clever, witty, well-constructed comedy and unfortunately I found DreamSong to be absolutely none of these. While the premise of the show (a money-hungry evangelist constructing a second coming of Jesus) certainly had potential, what ensued was two hours of clichéd cheap shots at a whole range of issues, religions and minorities that I felt were extremely offensive, and I’m not easily offended.

DreamSong

Pastor Richard Sunday (Ben Prendergast) has realised his church is in financial peril, and along with the help of his wife Whitney (Chelsea Gibb), the prime minster (Mike Mcleish), the prime minster’s advisor (Alana Tranter) and a wannabe actor (Connor Crawford), he stages a fraudulent resurrection of the son of God. Meanwhile the pastor’s daughter April (Emily Langridge) is trying to talk the real Jesus Christ (Brent Hill) out of a crisis of confidence. Prendergast certainly looked the part of evangelic preacher but his character lacked charisma and charm that was needed to make the deception believable. Evan Lever as Neville Gruber was fabulous as the eager-to-please church follower, but it was Hill’s portrayal of Jesus Christ that actually provided the only comical parts to the show: it was pity that his character had less than twenty minutes of stage time.

Author of DreamSong, Hugo Chiarella, seems unsure about what faction of society he takes issue with. His supposedly black comedy (in my opinion it’s rarely funny) about a non-specific church mocks soldiers dying in Afghanistan, the mentally disabled, Judaism, Christianity, Islam, abortions, people suffering and dying from AIDS, homosexuality, victims of paedophilia and animal cruelty. Excluding the cast, the one redeeming feature of this musical is in fact the music provided by Robert Tripolino. I can’t say I’m a fan or have that much knowledge of Christian pop, but the range and style of music seemed perfectly matched to the premise of the show.

Perhaps a warning at the show about the offensive content may have placated how offended I was, and this then may have enabled me to see beyond those cheap shots to a concept that is worth exploring and what attracted me to the show in the first place.

Venue: Theatre Works, St Kilda
Season: Tues-Sat at 7:30pm, Sat at 2:00pm, Sun at 5:00pm, until 20th April
Tickets: Full $35| Conc $30
Bookings: http://www.theatreworks.org.au/

Comedy, Festivals, Late Night Shows, Review, Whats On

REVIEW: Cameron James and Jared Jekyll in PARADISE

Don’t be misled by the picture…

By Margaret Wieringa

Being asked by the usher, ‘Have you got a ticket to Paradise?’ was one of my favourite non-show moments of this year’s Melbourne International Comedy Festival – and what a way to kick off an hour of comedy. By the time I left the room, I was exhausted from laughing.

The premise is that Cameron James and Jared Jekyll are a comedy duo who are invited by a mysterious character to perform at PICF – Paradise Island Comedy Festival. Knowing nothing about it, they head off on an adventure that turns mysterious and dangerous, and it is possible not everyone will return. And there may need to be a hilarious pretend memorial partway through the show.

Paradise

Once on the island, the pair confront a number of interesting characters including the voodoo chief who shouts in a gibberish cross between rap and the Haka which is translated by another tribe member into a bizarre reggae number. Oh, and there’s the horny heir to the millionaire owner of the island. And not to forget the voyeuristic jungle animals…

These guys are great. Funny, affable and very talented. The show kicks off with their new song, Addiction, which involves some funky guitar, an awful lot of beat-boxing and mime. Big and hilarious mime.

The duo are still relatively new to the comedy world: after coming up through RAW Comedy in 2012 and 2013, Jekyll and James have been busy playing festivals and gigs across the country. It is very difficult to raise yourself above the crowd in a comedy festival with nearly five hundred shows, especially when your time-slot is at 11pm. Yet despite their frankly appalling image in the festival guide, the Locker Room was packed. The audience loved the show, rocking the room with laughter and eagerly participating whenever asked to.

It is fabulous that MICF sees so many familiar names returning and big names coming from overseas, but often my favourite moments come from seeing an act for the first time. Especially when it is an act that clearly has a lot to offer, and hopefully a big future in comedy. It’s a small room and a late night, but Paradise is more than worth the investment.

Venue: Portland Hotel – Locker Room
Dates: 27 March – 19 April (Thurs, Fri and Sat nights) 11pm
Tickets: $20 full, $15 conc
Bookings: http://www.ticketmaster.com.au/, 1300 660 0131300 660 013 or at the door

Cabaret, Events, Performances, Theatre, Whats On

REVIEW: The Lepidopters: A Space Opera at ARTS HOUSE

Wonderfully weird!

By Margaret Wieringa

Aliens, in the form of moths, have invaded and are breeding with humans to create human-moth hybrids to take over the Earth starting in Jakarta. Wow.

This bizarre collaborative work has been created by Slave Pianos, Punkasila and The Astra Choir, based on a comic book commissioned from science-fiction writer Max von Schlegell.

The_Lepidopters

When the audience enters the main hall at Arts House, they are immediately confronted by what appear to be two giant, deconstructed grand pianos dominating the central space. On a closer look, these are intertwined wooden structures containing a variety of gongs, and other percussion instruments, and they appear to be playing themselves.

These it turns out, are the Sedulur Gamelan or Gamelan Sisters, made up of a variety of redesigned traditional Javanese instruments. A little internet research reveals that this amazing contraption does indeed play itself. Even before the performance begins, Slave Pianos are creating ambient music. During the performance, they play a wide range of pieces both on their own and with the other performers, and this alone would have been enough to make attending this event worthwhile, but there was so much more!

Far from a traditional narrative structure, the performance is strung together over two hours with short spoken-word sections from Richard Piper who is playing a mysterious character reporting back on the events in Indonesia. The events of the story also play out in a disjointed series of videos, mostly strange animations, that run on large screens at either end of the hall. The audience is strung along the length of the room in an unusual pattern and, during the two brief intervals, is encouraged to change chairs and experience the event from a different angle.

The stunning work from the Astra Choir begins with some extreme discordant 32-part singing, and then journeys through far more traditional choral works. In the second act, we are introduced to Punkaslia from Yogyakarta, working with singer-dancer Rachel Saraswati to create their interpretation of the Lepidopters beginning the breeding process. We also get some jazz (not trad jazz, but a sort of post-modern insane style so appropriate to this performance) from pianist Michael Kieran Harvey.

The Lepidopters: A Space Opera is definitely not for everyone as this mysterious and remarkably busy show is extremely experimental and strange. In fact, a number of patrons clearly weren’t coping and left early… but it inspired a standing ovation from those who willingly remained to embrace the weird.

Venue: Arts House, North Melbourne Town Hall
Dates: Sat 12 3pm and 7:30pm and Sun 13 April 5pm
Tickets: $25 full/$20 conc/$15 student
Bookings: artshouse.com.au or 9322 3713

Comedy, Festivals, Performances, Review, Whats On

REVIEW: The Gentlemen of Deceit for MICF

Put a little magic into your Melbourne Comedy Festival this year

By Margaret Wieringa

A voice from the darkness asks an audience member to place a shoe on a stool onstage. A brave audience member complies, then three men approach with red tape across their mouths and the magic begins!

Gentlemen of Deceit

The Gentlemen of Deceit use quite a lot of audience participation throughout the show, but it is friendly and welcoming. As long as you trust the magician, of course – especially in the section of the show called Do You Trust the Magician? One part involved a young girl and balloon animals and the trick was almost upstaged by the gorgeous expression on the girl’s face throughout. Only almost, though – at the end, the audience literally gasped with wonder.

Often, I find magic shows too big and sparkly and my feminist sensibilities are concerned by the need of a scantily-clad lady used as a prop. Thank goodness that Luke Hocking, Alex de la Rambelje and Vyom Sharma rely on talent and personality to entertain the crowd without the need for all of the showy bells and whistles. This makes the magic more impressive – everything seems normal and suddenly something has disappeared or reappeared or reformed.

It was a full audience at the Spring Street Conference Centre – not at all a traditional Comedy Festival venue, far more like a lecture hall, but a space that worked extremely well for this style of show. It was a little bit of a challenge to find the correct entrance in the rain, but was worth the perseverance! The conference room had audiovisual facilities that the magicians took advantage of during a section where they compared stage magic to that of television. It didn’t matter whether you watched the live or screen version, it was impossible to figure out the trick.

I’m not the kind of audience member who craves the answers on how a trick works. I am just happy to watch and enjoy. What I want is comedy; and The Gentlemen of Deceit definitely provide that. Funny, mysterious and totally delightful.

Venue: Spring Street Conference Centre, Melbourne Theatrette, Mezzanine Level, One Spring Street, Melbourne
Dates: March 27-29, April 3-5, 10-12 and 19, 7:30pm
Tickets: $23 full, $19 concession, $18 – groups of 5+
Bookings: http://ticketbooth.com.au or at the door

Festivals, Musical Theatre, Review, Whats On

REVIEW: Seussical – The Musical for MICF

Cute  and crazy musical comedy

By Deborah Langley

The Athenaeum stage was at bursting point last night for the opening of Seussical: The Musical when the 25+ cast from Old Carey Performing Arts Club brought all your high school musical fantasies to bear in this larger-than-life production.

Seussical

Based on the extraordinary children’s books by Dr Seuss and after the runaway success of the Broadway version of this magical tale, the show is a song-and-dance feast for the little people in your life.

The story follows the adventures of Horton the Elephant (Sam McPartlan), who one day hears voices coming from a speck of dust. He soon discovers that within this tiny speck exists the smallest planet in the sky and on this tiny planet is a race of creatures, known as the Whos, that need his help. Horton does everything in his power to save them because ‘a person’s a person, no matter how small.’

While the premise of the production relies on a clever lighting design by Giancarlo Salamanca and a childlike imagination,  we are introduced to many new creatures and jungle animals – some easier to envision than others – as we get thrown around from story to story in this crazy Seuss world.

The highlight by far is the vocals of the amazing cast: Eleanor Horsburgh gave a cute and comically infectious performance as Gertrude with her lovely voice and characterisation, and Elise Cavallo was appropriately amazing as Mayzie with her powerful vocals and brilliant back-up birds (Charlie Helliwell, Samantha Paulin and Sarah Cuthbert). Andreas Katsiroubas as Jojo sang well and gave a solid performance, but Cat in the Hat (Mark Yeates) only came into his own in his audience interaction in Act Two (although some of his antics seemed to verge on inappropriate for a family show). Professional musical theatre performer Nicholas Renfree-Marks (The Wind In The Willows) was the stand-out as Sour Kangaroo, channeling both Freddy Mercury and Aretha Franklin in his memorable performance.

Playing at the Athenaeum Theatre from Monday 7 April, OCPAC’s Seussical: The Musical will inspire your children to imagine anything is possible, even if the second act leaves them a little dumbfounded as to how. It’s just a shame they can’t appreciate the amazing orchestra directed by Daniel Donovan who are hidden away behind a scrim until curtain call.

Venue: Athenaeum Theatre, 188 Collins St, Melbourne
Dates: Monday 7th through Monday 21st April (for times, see below)
Tickets: $30 adult, $19 children under 16. $79.80 Group of 4 ($19.95 per ticket)
Bookings: Ticketek, Comedy Fest Box office, at the door
Info: http://www.comedyfestival.com.au/2014/season/shows/seussical

Times: Monday 7 April 6:00PM, Monday 14 April 11:00AM
Tuesday 8 April 2:00PM, Tuesday 15 April 2:00PM
Thursday 10 April 11:00AM, Thursday 17 April 11:00AM
Friday 11 April 11:00AM, Saturday 19 April 11:00AM
Saturday 12 April 11:00AM, Monday 21 April 6:00PM

Events, Performances, Review, Whats On

REVIEW: The Australian Premiere of BARBIE LIVE! The Musical

Pretty in pink, and playful pre-teen fun

By Margaret Wieringa

The Palais Theatre in St Kilda was decked out in pink and ready for the hundreds of excited little girls who attended the Australian premiere of Barbie LIVE! The Musical. Celebrities were spotted with their young families, including Shane Jacobson and Neighbours’ Ryan Moloney.

The pink, sparkly curtain opened to reveal a movie set, where Barbie and her friends were shooting her next film. Her co-star and best friend Teresa was experiencing a slump in confidence, so Barbie took her on a journey, revisiting her old films to inspire her.

Barbie Live The Musical!

The first act saw them visiting Swan Lake with some questionable ballet and then Mariposa, a land with lots of crystals. The set for Mariposa was impressive, especially the use of UV effects for the crystal cave and the mayflower pole. The transitions however, using clips from the Barbie movies, were very clunky and not totally necessary. By the end of the first act, I was getting restless. Thank goodness for Act Two!

It was like the show had drunk a whole lot of red cordial, because everything perked up and had more life. There was a whole heap of audience interaction that the children loved, the story was more engaging, the music was more exciting, and it was far more fabulous!

I wondered a little about the morals of the show, however. Bad girl Raquelle (Courtney Cheatham) wanted Teresa’s role and was prepared to go to great lengths, including sabotage, to get it. At the end there was no comeuppance for her, which left me thinking that the moral must be that if you are being bullied, just put up with it: you might still win. I couldn’t actually see the need for a ‘baddie’ in the show, and feel it would have been as engaging for the kids without one and could have ultimately offered a better moral.

Kristina Miller, playing Teresa, had a strong voice that really belted out her numbers. The ensemble was fantastic, totally committed to the performance with magnificent, cheesy smiles the whole time. Even though it was very clear they were people, there were some doll-like movements throughout the dancing that were a lovely touch. It was a little odd that a show called Barbie LIVE! had Barbie as a less important character in the performance, but beautiful Chelsea Bernier still got up there and gave the little girls exactly what they wanted. A real live Barbie.

Venue: Palais Theatre in St Kilda
Season: Sunday April 6, 11am, 3pm and 7pm, Monday April at 11am
Tickets: $49.90/$69.90/$99.90
Booking: http://www.ticketmaster.com.au/ or call 1300 660 0131300 660 013

Comedy, Festivals, Musical Theatre, Whats On

REVIEW: The Shuffle Show for MICF

Playlist roulette makes for wonderful musical comedy

By Narelle Wood

1000 songs in 60 minutes that The Shuffle Show promises seems like a completely implausible task. I have no idea whether the musical comedy duo of Elena Gabrielle and Grant Busé achieve this monumental task, but even if they don’t, I don’t care, because what they do provide is a witty, energetic musical extravaganza.

The Shuffle Show

Rather than just sing, and provide a useful, but clichéd, count of all the songs they sing, Gabrielle and Busé merge the idea of a Mac Genius Bar experience and shuffling through an Ipod playlist. As a consequence the show covers a plethora of musical styles and makes some commentary on the familiar experiences of Apple’s highly controlled customer service regime and the domination of Apple devices on the world market.

The playlist choices were unconventional and the resulting musical compilations were so diverse and skilfully constructed that it is far too difficult to pick one favourite moment; I would end up listing the whole show. For Melbournians it might be the ode to Melbourne weather, or for those with more eclectic tastes perhaps the rock and rap medley. Whether it’s big butts or big divas are your thing, the construction of the medleys and their execution was flawless.

If the witty comedic interludes and the extensive songs choices are not enough to entice you, then go for the sublime singing voices of both Gabrielle and Busé. These are two phenomenally talented musicians whose voices I could have continued to listen to well in to the wee hours of the morning. Gabrielle hits all the high notes of some of all the iconic divas, and Busé has a bluesy rock voice that is simply divine.

If you love music, have an assortment of musical tastes, are a little embarrassed by some of the music on your playlists, or are looking for a good laugh, this show is for you. And failing all of that then go for Gabrielle and Busés’ lycra-clad, Apple Store geek dance moves.

Venue: The 86, 185 Smith St Fitzroy
Season: Thurs 10th – Sat 12th April, 10pm
Tickets: full $20 | Conc $18
Bookings: http://www.the86.com.au/micf2014.html or at the door

Comedy, Festivals, Musical Theatre, Whats On

REVIEW: Centrelink the Musical for MICF

Dance for the dole!

By Narelle Wood

They say any good comedy is based on truth and anyone who has ever tried to deal with any aspect of Centrelink, or any other government agency for that matter, will find that Centrelink the Musical provides good comedy based on circumstances that are eerily familiar.

Centrelink the Musical

Centrelink the Musical, directed by Greg Ulfan and conceived by Rohan Harry, follows a day of queues and queries at the Centrelink office, detailing the frustration of disabled Ed (playwright Adam Willson), long-term unemployed Gary (Dylan Lloyd), expectant mother Janine (Artemis Ioannides), the harrowing blank canvass Thyme (Harlene Hercules) and the long-suffering Centrelink employee Janine (Jacqueline Cook). The humour at times is delightfully inappropriate as it pokes fun at some of the truths of the people and their circumstances that lead them to the protocol-bound welfare office.

Out of all of the character it is Gary, the perpetual loser with all the inside know-how necessary to circumnavigate Centrelink’s protocols, that provides the most hilariously cringe-worthy lines and Lloyd’s delivery of Willson’s script is priceless.

Although there was the occasional flat note during some of the songs, overall the cast was exceptionally strong and Hercules’ portrayal of the recently graduated artist was as brilliant as her poetry was ridiculous. It was nice to see the matriarch of the Centrelink office was able to provide a justification for both her Gestapo-like and condescending approach to those in the unemployment queue, and Cook seamlessly transitions between these aspects of her character’s personality.

While there was a minimalist approach to sets and musical accompaniment, the costuming was trashy and completely appropriate, none more so than the bulging pregnant belly of Ioannides’ character Janine and Gary’s almost obscenely short shorts. The songs by Nathan Leigh Jones were clever and really spoke to the heart of each character’s frustration with life and dealing with the changing and more demanding welfare system.

This show provides some great laughs and although the humour seems to be only at the expense of the less-fortunate characters, the show does point to some of the inadequacies of our welfare system. Both the employed and unemployed alike will find something to delight them in Centrelink the Musical.

 
Venue: The Mechanics Institute, 270 Sydney Rd, Brunswick
Season: Sun 6th April 5pm, Tue 8th April 8pm, Wed 9th –Sat 12th 9pm
Tickets: full $28 | Conc $15
Bookings: http://www.comedyfestival.com.au/2014/season/shows/centrelink-the-musical

 

Events, Festivals, Theatre, Whats On

REVIEW: La Mama Presents PUBLIC TOILETS, PRIVATE WORDS

The writing’s on the wall…

By Myron My

Performing as part of the Melbourne International Comedy Festival, Public Toilets, Private Words takes a look at just what its title proclaims. The inspiration for the whole comedy cabaret-esque show is taken from graffiti found scrawled on toilet cubicles, including that of the venue in which they are performing: La Mama Theatre. It’s because of this that the show has been able to constantly evolve and grow over time as different graffiti is found and different actors are able to bring different ideas to the show.

Public Toilets Private Words

This season’s performers – Tom Albert, Caitlin Armstrong and Eloise Maree (the creative producer of Public Toilets, Private Words since its creation in 2011) – have brilliant banter, and the interaction with the audience feels genuine and not at all contrived. Whenever artists are breaking that wall with audience members, it opens them up to unpredictability and the cast manage this with aplomb and an easy casualness that makes them all very likeable.

The three work with various ideas stemming from the graffiti of public restrooms such as theories as to why people choose to graffiti toilets in the first place, and then take a humorous look-back at the history of toilet graffiti. This is intermixed with monologues and thoughts pertaining to the topic at hand, which sometimes get a bit too serious for a show in a comedy festival. Even with their acknowledgement of the irony, these interludes feel out of place.

The artists are a talented trio: Albert plays a variety of musical instruments and the obvious singing ability of all three help support the various types of songs they perform. My highlight of the evening though would be the ‘dance’ number to Swan Lake – very enjoyable to watch.

As a comedy show, Public Toilets Private Words does not always hit the mark. The humour is often side-stepped and the laughs are not plentiful. However as a performance piece, it is an interesting concept and a unique show, which brings depth to an idea that most people would not even think twice about.

Venue: La Mama Theatre, 205 Faraday Street Carlton
Season: Until 13 April | Wed, Fri 6pm, Thurs, Sat 9pm, Sun 4pm
Tickets: $25 Full | $15 Conc
Bookings: 
http://lamama.com.au 
or 9347 6142