Category: Cabaret

Cabaret, Review, Theatre, Whats On

Red Stitch Presents SUNSHINE

Dawning potential as four lives interweave

By Caitlin McGrane

There’s something about Red Stitch that always keeps me coming back. It might be the way their plays seem to be selected deliberately and with precision, or the very, very fine performances that they nearly always seem to produce. Sunshine by Tom Holloway opens with four performers lying on the ground on stage where they seem to come to life one-by-one and speak their lines lyrically and with intense musicality.

Sunshine.jpg

Each player moves in their own world; even when it becomes apparent later that they’re interacting with one another, it’s like they’re in layered alternate universes. I was reminded of the ‘real’ world compared to the ‘Upside Down’ in Stranger Things in the way the characters moved around each other, near and almost touching but never quite. Direction from Kirsten von Bibra was superb and sublime – the delicate and precarious way the actors spoke and moved around each other was masterful. The four-hander cast, Ella Caldwell, Philip Hayden, Caroline Lee and George Lingard, are all tremendous, very much each making the most of their character’s individual trajectory.

For me, however, the writing was disappointing. The dialogue was highly stylised, and for a time it was really interesting and beautiful, but after about half an hour my head began to ache and I found I was having to do a lot of work to remember what was happening with each character. As my head whipped back and forth trying to keep up, I started to lose interest in the onstage goings on.

The dialogue would have been easy enough to let go if the individual stories amounted to more than the sum of their parts, but for my money the playwright missed an opportunity to look at a really interesting relationship between Man 2 (Philip Hayden) and Woman 2 (Caroline Lee). Hayden and Lee had far and away the most nuanced and interesting characters, and their limited interaction showed the kind of writing of which Holloway is capable.

Finally, it would be remiss of me not to mention that embedded within the writing is the character of a homeless man who ostensibly lives in the same universe in which the play takes place. He has no lines, no face and is referred to only as a plot device (to do what exactly, I’m not sure). Homelessness is an increasing problem in Melbourne, and it was extremely disappointing to see yet another misrepresentation of homelessness as male, drug-affected and living in a park. People who are homeless deserve better and fairer representation, and it smacks of lazy writing to use people who are already socially invisible in this manner.

All that said, there was a lot to enjoy. The set and lighting were expertly crafted by Matthew Adey – the staging in particular showed real ingenuity. Elizabeth Drake made some interesting choices for the play’s composition and sound design; her dreamy ethereal sounds were reminiscent of Blade Runner. Costumes (Matilda Woodroofe) were simple, fitting the minimalist theme of the play, and didn’t distract from the drama. Overall Sunshine shows great potential, not least from Holloway who I hope will continue to grow and experiment as a writer.

Sunshine is now showing at Red Stitch Actors’ Theatre until 5 November 2016. Tickets and more information: http://redstitch.net/gallery/sunshine/

Cabaret, Festivals, Performances, Review

Melbourne Festival 2016: THE SECRET NOISE

Hidden music is brought to light, movement and sound

By Joana Simmons

In our world full of commercial pop music all sounding the same (looking at you, Taylor Swift) we are rarely challenged with sounds that are out of the ordinary. Sydney-based company Ensemble Offspring brings us The Secret Noise as part of the esteemed Melbourne Festival, with concept and composition by Damien Ricketson, and direction by Carlos Gomes. In a performance that sits somewhere between music, dance and installation, the multi-talented cast of seven (including Narelle Benjamin, Katherine Cogill, Katia Molino, Jason Noble, Claire Edwardes and Bree van Reyk) creates a world full of secret music; sounds that have slipped under the rug.

The Secret Noise.jpg

The beginning of the performance is small pop-up scenes and installations around the North Melbourne Town Hall where we have intimate exchanges with the performers. They take our drawings we coloured in upon arrival, and use them as inspiration for their contortion or composition. It’s a wonderful connection and exchange that gives each individual something different – not “we are performing this for everyone”, but “this is just for YOU.” The audience roams between these, and gathers in their seats. For the next hour, the cast plays a range of instruments – some of which I don’t know the name – but all make interesting sounds. There’s sacred forms of ceremonial music, legally extinguished compositions, a DJ playing an LP backwards, love songs and my favourite, whirling different tubes and pipes around really fast like helicopters that made interesting bird-like wind sounds. Strong fluid and flexible contemporary dancers integrate the interesting sounds and music to bring the whole thing together. Their incredible strength, technique and stamina captivates us.

The well-designed lighting (Fausto Brusamolino) gives the intimate installations at the start a special glow, and lights the full performance in a way that makes us feel like we are in a secret world. The costumes are simple and effective. I did find it difficult to see sometimes, as we were all sitting on the same level and some of the dance was on the floor or down one side of the room, so if you are vertically challenged, try and find a spot close to the front, but there is still plenty to listen to if you can’t see.

It is unclear what the journey of the show is, if there is one, but the skill level is so high and varied that is pay-off enough. It’s one of those performances where it resonates as something different with everyone: some moments weren’t quite my cup of tea but there were many that were. Challenge yourselves to explore something brilliantly different, The Secret Noise is defying genres and discovering magical creative gems for audiences of all ages to share and enjoy.

The Secret Noise was performed as part of the 2016 Melbourne Festival.
14-15 October
North Melbourne Town Hall

www.festival.melbourne.com

Cabaret, Festivals, Performances

Melbourne Fringe 2016: TERROR AUSTRALIS

Be fabulously afraid

By Myron My

Admittedly, I did walk in to Terror Australis not knowing what to expect at all, and I am so glad I did, because the delights it unearthed are so much richer if you have no idea what’s to come (so go see it now, or read on at your peril). Through a clever mix of cabaret, burlesque, live art, dance and comedy, the show looks at the dark culture of Australia with gobsmacking flair.

terror-australis-photographer-stillsbyhill

The set design is true Australiana with a hills-hoist used for makeshift pole-dancing, resulting in some pretty slick and sexy routines. Added set pieces such as goon bags, knives and dingo masks further enhance the strong feelings of ambiguous national pride, and while these items are enough to infer what performer Leah Shelton may be referencing, watching as these allusions come to life take them to a magnificent other level.

Shelton pays homage to various Australian songs, films – including classics such as Picnic At Hanging Rock and Mad Max – and significant moments of history, such as that incident with the dingo… Projections are played out on the various sheets that hang from the hills-hoist while it spins around, creating jarring and distorted images of the selected movie scenes and visuals, adding to the macabre and twisted atmosphere being created.

Shelton is sensational as she brings her various characters to life and plays up to the archetypes of these films and cultural references brilliantly. The costuming is literally the perfect example of when less is more and her comic timing is impeccable and has the entire room in stitches.

No Aussie icon is sacred as Shelton tears through Australia with some unforgettable acts in Terror Australis. It is a brave production that relies on the audience to let themselves be taken on a incredible journey through the deep dark psyche of this country, and this is what you must now go and do to fully appreciate how truly clever and outstanding this show is.

Venue: Fringe Hub – Arts House, 521 Queensberry Street, North Melbourne, 3051
Season: until 1 October | 9:15pm
Length: 45 minutes
Tickets: $25 Full | $20 Conc
Bookings: Melbourne Fringe Festival

Image by Stillsby Hill

Cabaret

Melbourne Fringe 2018: APOLOGUE

Game show satire ramps up the dark comedy

By Myron My

For those who enjoy the thrill of watching Wheel of Fortune, Family Feud and The Price is Right, you will not want to miss Apologue. Then again, maybe you will, as Apologue is not exactly a contestant-friendly game show. It is however, a quirky and fun look at how the mass media is used to manipulate and control our thoughts and beliefs.

Apologue.jpg

A hapless contestant is pulled on stage and must answer a series of questions in order to win some inane prizes that are presented as essential and luxurious by the hosts. With each round, the contestant’s comments are taken out of context, and opinions and beliefs are pushed down upon her.

The four cast members are great to watch on stage, each bringing the required energy required for their character and in turn, supporting the others. Elizabeth Wilhelm and Elly Hewitt as game-show hosts Vanessa Rochella and Bradley Marino (with a moustache that seems to have a life of its own) are brilliantly excessive and exaggerated with their fake smiles, and underlying emotional and personal problems seeping through the facade.

Milla rounds out the cast as the focused and no-nonsense stage manager Whimsy DeBarcie, whose only concern is making sure that the show rates well; while Lucy Rees as contestant Jennifer (or Jen, Jenny and Jumanji) portrays the confusion and frustration of being taken out of context and being coerced into saying and doing things she disagrees with as she is pounced on by the hosts. I actually feel Apologue could have gone further and been more direct in its examination of mass manipulation as at times I felt that these ideas were passed over and lost in translation due to the game-iness of the environment.

Apologue is a bold theatre piece by Spoon Eyes Productions that despite this critique, still has you questioning what it is you value and why you value it. With its strong dose of dark humour and over-the-top performances, it is a fitting show to be performed during the Melbourne Fringe Festival.

Venue: Wick Studios – 23-25 Leslie St, Brunswick, 3056
Season: Until 27 September | Sun – Tues 7pm
Length: 60 minutes
Tickets: $25 Full | $15 Conc
Bookings: Melbourne Fringe Festival

Image by Maddie Stephenson

Cabaret, Festivals, Performances

Melbourne Fringe 2016: AWESOME OCEAN PARTY

Quaint, quirky and awash with gentle charm

By Myron My

We’ve all been invited to a party – an ocean party for our half-human half-octopus friend. Created and performed by Giema Contini, Awesome Ocean Party is a 60-minute cabaret-comedy-performance piece that explores loneliness and acceptance through the eyes (and three hearts) of this hybrid creature.

Awesome Ocean Party.jpg

Contini has great physicality on stage and fully conveys the awkwardness of her character that later reveals to us that it is her birthday whereupon the human side to her begins to surface. Her interactions with the audience are sweet and genuine and convey her longing to belong and be accepted.

While the original performance of the show was staged in an empty swimming pool, for this remount Contini has chosen to perform in The Butterfly Club. With its own quirky feel and some specific set pieces, you willingly believe that you are in some underwater/beach environment. The fish tank in the centre of the stage is a constant reminder of where she has come from and the seashell sandpit is utilised well as a place for her to feel safe and happy.

The highlight of Awesome Ocean Party is the biographical picture-story book Contini reads to the audience, from her birth to the death of her parents and then finding hope and strength. It’s a touching story and the illustrations in the book and the descriptive passages create some stunning visuals for us. The music composed by Nathan Stoneham and played by Ned Dixon support the story – and the performance as a whole – in creating a feeling of belonging and being connected.

Contini has a great voice and the timing and pacing of her songs is well structured to keep the momentum (and a bit of awkwardness) going. Songs like “Under The Sea” from The Little Mermaid and Andrew Gold’s “Thank You For Being A Friend” (which most people would recognise as The Golden Girls theme) express her sea-dwelling and land-dwelling aspirations and desires while also exploring the differences of her life.

There is a whimsical aspect to Awesome Ocean Party that makes you warm to Contini and the show almost immediately. It is uplifting and entertaining while encouraging you to remain true to yourself and your convictions, and believe that everything will turn out the way it should.

Awesome Ocean Party was performed as part of the Melbourne Fringe Festival from 20 – 25 September, 2016.

Cabaret

Melbourne Fringe 2016: COSMONAUT

Magazine sex tips fuel storytelling blast (off)

By Myron My

What becomes of the broken-hearted? In US comedian Ryan Good‘s experience, it becomes a journey of self-discovery through masturbation. This subsequently lead to a comedy show about the ten worst sex tips ever provided by Cosmopolitan magazine and the birth of his highly-acclaimed show COSMOnaut.

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While some of the “tips” are pretty tame, there are some that are downright weird and I’m confessedly not sure they how are even remotely sexual but I guess, to each their own. However, this show isn’t a theatrical list-icle, but a witty commentary on relationships, feminism and the pressure in society to be attractive and successful. I feel a bit more clarity for the story Good is trying to tell would work wonders for this show, as this purpose can get lost with the numerous stories and points being raised.

However, Good is highly endearing and personable on stage and his natural goofiness is a major draw-card to COSMOnaut. His storytelling and singing – there’s a lovely little song to the perineum – is shared at the perfect pace and the build-up to the final tip is about as close to foreplay as you can get in a comedy show.

The success of the show does fall partly with the audience member who agrees to come on stage with Good and on the night I attended, Good struck gold because Dave is brilliant. The banter the two share and Dave’s open attitude allows Good to fully explore the themes and ideas raised in COSMOnaut and results in one of the most romantic wedding vows ever. You would almost suspect that Dave is a plant organised by Good with his quick thinking and responses, but it’s just fantastic luck.

Relationships and life can be tough and messy and with so much pressure coming from the media, it can also be very confusing. COSMOnaut is 60 minutes of cheeky entertaining laughs that urges you to question what you see and read around you and act up if you don’t agree.

Venue: Fringe Hub – Arts House, 521 Queensberry Street, North Melbourne, 3051
Season: until 1 October | Tues – Sat 8pm, Sun 7pm
Length: 60 minutes
Tickets: $25 Full | $20 Conc/Cheap Tuesday | $22 Groups 6+
Bookings: MelbourneFringe Festival

Cabaret

Melbourne Fringe 2016: THE LONELIEST NUMBER

One strong-woman’s strong one-woman show

By Joana Simmons

Hannah Cryle is one impressive woman. She has gutsily broken away from her established career as an ensemble performer and created a solo show debut, The Loneliest Number. Packed with full-power rock numbers and a bunch of nifty tricks, she successfully proves she can do an ensemble show alone.

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Opening with “Don’t Stop Believing” establishes a fantastic anthem for her and the ethos of the show. Her commitment to air instruments is as big and bold as her hair and fluro costume. Hannah is the circus strong-woman; she can ‘base a 3 high’- that is where she stands on the ground with a person standing on top of her shoulders, and another person on top of their shoulders. She tells us how all the cool things she can do require other people to make them truly impressive. Still, we quickly see she is a strong woman in all senses of the phrase and can do plenty of cool things on her own- hula hoops, super skipping and hilarious facial expressions are a few worth noting. Her earnest character is lovable, and she delivers her amusing anecdotes with great timing and skill. The late-night audience members show their support in whoops and laughs, and prove to be the best back up dancers anyone could have asked for. Some small stand-out quirky moments with her beautiful underlying message of respect make it a memorable theatrical experience.

Because of Hannah’s versatility there is a lot of props and ‘stuff’ in this show. She energetically changes from one to another and keeps her friendly chatter going the whole time but some of the transitions were clunky and she was offstage a lot. At ‘half time’ she cleverly gave us something to do, which bought the intimate audience together, and perhaps a few more of these peppered throughout the changes could make them smoother.  I loved how she took her time to catch her breath when she was speaking, but her face and character could be more extreme: a general rule when accompanied by epic rock ballads is: “more is more.”

Hannah Cryle tells us she is “a bit strong, a bit brave” and inspires us to be too. I say she is a lot strong and a lot brave and has a special gift to share. She encourages us to support #ladiesperformingsolo, there’s a ton of them this Fringe who are all doing brave, funny, important things like she is. As a first solo show, it’s a terrific start, and in my opinion, what Melbourne Fringe is all about. I mean, when else can you dance to “Don’t Stop Me Now” by Queen under a big top in Collingwood on a Wednesday night?

Hannah Cryle – The Loneliest Number

Venue: Melba Spiegletent, 35 Johnston St, Collingwood

Season: 21st September-2nd October

Tickets: https://melbournefringe.com.au/program?event/the_loneliest_number/62c18b4a-cbcd-4723-a19d-6a5c7c4b51a2/

Cabaret, Comedy, Festivals

Melbourne Fringe 2016: ANDRE TONIGHT!

Spectacularly funny surprise hit

By Myron My

It’s unfortunate when you attend a show only to be told that the show has to be cancelled because the band has called in sick, but that is what happens with Melbourne Fringe Festival’s Andre Tonight! – or so we are led to believe. However, an audience member drunkenly volunteers her services and once she plays some music for our host, Andre DiVenuto, he decides the show must go on – and so it does.

Andre Tonight.jpg

Created by Chris Ryan and Mark Winter and performed by music theatre star Ryan, Andre Tonight! is an hour of laughs that just don’t seem to end. Ryan encapsulates the late-night variety show, and the European 20-something from Epping (my hometown) perfectly. I’m not sure where Ryan grew up, but he has certainly done his homework as the language, mannerism and style – including the hideous comb-over – scream Epping.

But Ryan is not simply mocking this northern suburbs boy (or the suburbs in general), as he brings much depth to the wannabe celebrity, at one point having the character almost breaking down for disobeying his parents and choosing to follow his own dreams instead. Similarly, audience member/band member Meg has her own issues to deal with popping anxiety pills like they were tic-tacs and getting incessant phone calls from her ex-partner. Despite the antagonistic behaviour towards each other, there is an immediate bond between the two characters, and it is highly entertaining to see it play out over the course of the show.

There is also an added bonus for this show, with the creators managing to get a surprise guest to appear. While it’s best to not know in advance who this person is, it is a pretty remarkable coup that Ryan has orchestrated, resulting in many pleasantly surprised faces in the audience.

It would be fair to say that Andre Tonight! has become the sleeper hit of this year’s Melbourne Fringe Festival – and deservedly so. Ryan has created something quite special with Andre DiVenuto, and if the feedback from this show is anything to go by, there is a good chance Andre will actually achieve his dream of hosting his own chat show on Foxtel very soon.

Venue: Fringe Hub – Arts House, 521 Queensberry Street, North Melbourne, 3051

Season: until 1 October | Tues – Sat 10.15pm, Sun 9.15pm

Length: 60 minutes

Tickets: $20 Full | $18 Conc

Bookings: Melbourne Fringe Festival

Cabaret, Festivals, Whats On

Melbourne Fringe 2016: NOT ANOTHER INDIE CABARET

Stunning voice, sly wit, and blithely Bohemian

By Joana Simmons

Indie. Urban Dictionary defines it as “an obscure form of rock which you only learn about from someone slightly more hip than yourself”. Wikipedia says it “is a shortform of “independence” or “independent” and it may refer to social action, collections of individuals creating media for change”. In Jessamae St James’ new work Not Another Indie Cabaret, through her sweet harmonics, live-looping and full-power vocals she has the sold-out opening night audience with her the whole way through her self-deprecating reflection, celebration of wine and what it makes you do on ebay, and shout out to times when she is being an actual adult.

Not Another Indie Cabaret.jpg

Jessamae begins by live-looping an epic opening number which involves playing four instruments and satirical lyrics detailing all the clichés you see in cabaret. Does she even indie? Clearly. See, she is on a mission not to perform ‘just’ another indie cabaret. She wants to exceed expectations, and boy, does she ever. From the moment she opens her mouth, I am swept up in her voice and her sparkly stage presence. The satirical storytelling and original songs accompanied by obscure instruments (enter omnichord and trumpet kazoo) have us applauding and laughing in equal measure. The transitions between singing and speaking are slick, and she dives in and out of song in a way that makes me wonder if it’s going to be different every night, it’s that natural. Her skill range is mega: relaxed witty banter, poems that have great set-up and even better pay-off and a cluster of fantastic props she made herself. There are many great moments in this show- my favourites being the spoken word piece about being gluten-free (soooo indie, or s’indie; as the cool kids say apparently) and the song about singing mezzo soprano- I mean, it wouldn’t be a cabaret without one.

Being Fringe, tech and set up time is minimal, and the minor glitch that the show did have with Mavis, her loop machine, was handled so professionally I wasn’t actually sure whether it was all part of the performance. The limited amount of lights in The Butterfly Club’s intimate downstairs theatre were used very well to help set the various tones, though at one point I found it a little difficult to see the artist. The sound was seamless – with backing tracks magically weaving into her live accompaniment. Director Steven Gates (Tripod) ought to be very chuffed as it all came together in a tight glittery bow.

We are lucky to have so much talent and variety bubbling in the Melbourne Fringe Cabaret cauldron. If you are lucky, you will get a ticket to this one- it’s a refreshing look and delicious night out. Jessamae St James’ authentic artistry combined with her killer voice means this show is definitely not ‘just’ another Indie Cabaret.

Event Details
The Butterfly Club presents NOT ANOTHER INDIE CABARET 
VENUE: The Butterfly Club
Carson Place, Off Little Collins Street, Melbourne

DATES: Tuesday 20 – Sunday 25 September, 2016 The Butterfly Club
TIME: 8.30pm (50 minutes)
TICKETS: Tickets $25 – $32
BOOKINGS: www.thebutterflyclub.com

Image by Rachel Mia

Cabaret

Melbourne Fringe 2016: HOW CAN YOU SLEEP AT NIGHT?

Waking up to the world

By Myron My

In How Can You Sleep At Night?, Christian Taylor delves into the world of climate change, death and insomnia. While I was initially uncertain on how one could cover these three topics in detail and with clarity in a 60 minute show, Taylor easily accomplishes this and much more with his debut solo performance for the 2016 Melbourne Fringe Festival.

How Do You Sleep at Night.jpg

Taylor is having somewhat of an existential crisis about the world while also dealing with what happened to Andy. He can’t sleep at night and the only one that he seems to be able to talk about this to is to a sentient jellyfish, voiced by a different actor every night. On the performance I attended, Hayden Burke had the honour and his sassy banter with Taylor was full of laughs and deep thoughts. If there were an award for best non-human performance in a Fringe show, it would go to the jellyfish.

Taylor is charmingly honest and vulnerable on stage, freely allowing the audience to see his anxieties and worries. His story-telling is engaging, and while he shares seemingly unconnected thoughts and ideas, by the end of the show he manages to bring them all together with ease. There are some really touching moments throughout the show, and to see people decline Taylor’s offer to dance the waltz with him was upsetting, such was the emotional response he elicits.

The intelligent set design and visuals aids used throughout the show prevent us from getting too overwhelmed or confused by the science and astrophysics information regarding the galaxy, gravity and mass. The lighting used is also well thought-out, particularly when Taylor gets us to imagine looking up into the sky, and seeing all the colourful stars that are out there.

Somehow Taylor has to try and make sense of all this confusion and uncertainty over the future – we all do. How Can You Sleep At Night? doesn’t seek to give you the answers, but it wants us to think about them and how our choices will ultimately affect us and everyone around us. Until then, as Taylor and the jellyfish acknowledge, all we can do is just keep swimming.

Venue: Fringe Hub – Upstairs at Errol’s, 69 – 71 Errol St, North Melbourne, 3051
Season: Until 23 September | Tues – Sat 6pm, Sun 7pm
Length: 60 minutes
Tickets: $24 Full | $20 Conc | $18 Cheap Tuesday
Bookings: Melbourne Fringe Festival

Image by Bec Taylor