Category: Events

Cabaret, Cabaret Review, Events, Performances, Whats On

REVIEW: Tom Dickins says F**K PLAN B
An inspirational piece from a talented man
 
By Kate Boston-Smith
 
To: Tom Dickins
From: Amanda Palmer
Jettison the job.
Fuck Plan B
I’ll support you in anyway I can… Xx
 
 
There is no doubting Tom Dickins of The Jane Austen Argument has a beautiful velvet voice and in his latest solo show, F**k Plan B, he fluently moves through his impressive range. 
 
This new cabaret show is bold and brave: Dickins takes us through his journey from high-school dreamer to educated and informed performer who steps out from the shackles of 9-to-5 work.
 
There were moments in the show that reminded me of my favourite scene in  the musical confessions of A Chorus Line as Dickins retells his experience, his heartache and his unorthodox approach to decision-making in his Brunswick apartment.
 
He shares with us personal inspiration from his grandfather, a man who has clearly left his mark on his grandson: the love he has for him is undeniable.
 

His show has strong moments and his skilful song-writing is great, but I have to say I was rather frustrated by his dark eye makeup and hair, as I could not see his eyes.  He gives us a very personal story filled with intimate details, but he was unfortunately hidden in the shadows of the makeup.   

Dickens has clearly had a dream-like start to his creative career as a independent writer and performer. I would certainly love to hear more from the depths of this imagination and what other sorts of colourful musings he has on the world.

All in all this is an inspirational show for anyone wanting to bravely follow their dream, so go along tonight for the final show of F**k Plan B and support Tom in his.

Tom Dickens in F**k Plan B

Venue: The Butterfly Club, 204 Bank St. South Melbourne

Date: Final show Sunday (tonight) 6pm 


Tickets: $22 full,
$19 concession,
$18 group (8+)

Bookings: www.thebutterflyclub.com


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

Review: CHANTS DES CATACOMBES

Hypnotic and intriguing – but got a little lost…

By Kim Edwards

Cabaret is often distinguished from other forms of theatre by its atmosphere: the sense of being drawn into the space and narrative, and caught up easily and absorbidly into a new and rarified air.

Innovative collaborative cabaret  project Chants Des Catacombes is promenade theatre that thus beckons you down into the beautiful and eerie bowels of the Donkey Wheel House in Bourke Street to hear the tales and echoing songs of three women who still haunt the labyrinthine basement long after their demise.

The initial creation of atmosphere and use of space is just sublime in this production. Nicola Andrew’s spectacular lighting design reveals each new room and scene as a place of chiaroscuro and spectacle, and the audience wandered fearless and fascinated down halls, around pillars and through doorways as the action unfolded in front, behind and between us.

The concept of Chants Des Catacombes is beguiling, and the multi-sensory experience highly engaging, but narrative and characters are strangely jarring and indistinct. The desire to understand who these three women are and what holds them here remains unsatiated: lyrics and anecdotes were difficult to hear as snatches of story floated away down corridors, diction was muffled or volume insufficient.

Moreover, while cabaret delights in reconsidering songs in new contexts and styles, obviously anachronistic modern music when we wanted to immerse ourselves in the past felt intrusive and disruptive – particularly the closing number that left the audience silent in surprise.

Perhaps the desire is indeed to unsettle us and prevent us losing ourselves completely in this world and the lives and deaths created, as fragmented narrative and characters and songs wisp and whisper away into the shadows, but for me, Chants Des Catacombes ultimately did not quite achieve the gothic, ghostly, sultry heights the publicity had evoked.

Nonetheless, the performances were certainly mesmerising (and I appreciated the subtle art of the ushers as crew, scenery, signposts, props and brooding presence), the overall experience is unique and enjoyable, and the chance to traverse and haunt a cabaret performance space yourself as witness and voyeur and silent participant is – well, simply to die for…

Chants Des Catacombes is the collaborative creation of:

• Nicola Andrews (Lighting Designer and VCA Design Graduate)
• Anna Boulic (Winner of the 2010 Short and Sweet Cabaret Festival, Harpist and NIDA Graduate)
• Laura Burzacott (Call Girl the Musical and I Heart Frankston)
• Nathan Gilkes (Theatre & Opera Director and VCA Directing Graduate)
• David Harford (Choreographer and Ballarat Arts Academy Graduate)
• Bryce Ives (Theatre Director Call Girl the Musical, The History Boys and I Heart Frankston)
• Emma Leah (Scent Alchemist)
• Zoe McDonald (Wrong Town and VCA Musical Theatre Graduate)
• Sophie Woodward (Designer and VCA Graduate)

Venue: Donkey Wheel House, 673 Bourke Street Melbourne
Dates:  Fri-Sat 17-18 June 8.30pm & 10.30pm, Sun 19 June 6pm.
Tickets: $30/conc $25
Bookings: http://www.trybooking.com/9503 or at the door

Events, Performances, Whats On

REVIEW: A New Australian Play – CROSSED

A moving and immersive theatre experience

By Kate Boston-Smith

I did not know what to expect as I picked up my ticket from the always-fabulous door staff at La Mama’s Courthouse on Thursday for the opening night of Crossed, a new work by young playwright Chris Summers and directed by Matt Scholten. 

The story is based around the tragic true event from 2010 when a teenage boy from Melbourne’s northern suburbs was shot and killed at a skate-park by police. 

The stage was set down the middle of the theatre with the audience on either side.  Over Kat Chan’s sparse set was hung a long sheet of clear- corrugated plastic that literally encased the cast in the suburbia they were going to set up for us, and that they did with desolate precession.

Summer’s character choices were spot on, and Platform Youth performed them brilliantly.  Each narrated the event from their perspective.  From the moment the cast entered the stage, the story was flying.

The characters fired their lines with an explosive desperation, expressing their need to share their version of the event and to wonder how they could have changed the outcome had they made different choices in the lead-up to the shooting. 

The retelling of their stories revealed the disconnection they felt from their family, school or community around them.  The heat of the text reflected the intensity of their individual heartache, and as this intensity grew so too did the heat of the atmosphere in the theatre. 

The lighting by Lisa Mibus and sound design by Pete Goodwin were industrial and fitting for this harsh stories.  The exemplary cast comprised of Prag Bhatia, Matthew Candeland, Nick Linehan, Jenny Lovell and Ioan Roberts carried off this fast-paced script beautifully.  In the build-up to the climax, I looked at audience members sitting across from me and saw them literally leaning forward, such was the anticipation of the moment. 

I particularly enjoyed the roles of the mother and Dino.  The mother’s loss and isolation from the community she has always lived in and Dino’s intense bravado.  That said, each character provided an incredibly interesting look into their private world and their perception of the moment at the skate-park.

All in all I thought this interpretation of that day in late 2010 was an insightful and superbly agonizing re-telling.   

Crossed by Chris Summers

Dates:Thur 9 June–Sun 19 June 2011
Times:8pm Tue-Sat, 2pm Sat/Sun, 5pm Sun
Tickets:$25 Full, $15 Con, $22.50 Group 10+

Venue : La Mama Courthouse
349 Drummond Street, Carlton

Bookings : 03 9347 6142, www.lamama.com.au

Photos by Deryk McAlpin

Events, Musical Theatre, Performances, Whats On

New Contemporary Musical Opens in Melbourne: ONCE WE WERE

Supporting local theatre is always a real love affair…

How often do you find yourself wishing, after seeing that hundredth production of Rent or that latest revival of Les Miserables that  there were more innovative, original modern musicals out there?

Prepare to fall in love: Once We Were has its world premiere in Melbourne this month.

[Check out the Official Promotional Trailer]

With an exciting cast of next-gen music theatre stars, a wonderfully melodious score, and the unexpected intertwinings of a trio of modern love stories, this production is set both to scintillate and seduce you.

Once We Were boasts an original contemporary score by Melbourne composer Rowland Braché, with book and additional lyrics by writer/director Lauren Seymour.  

The story follows the romantic relationships of three couples that cross paths across time and gender to face all the funny, sexy and real challenges and heartaches of trying to make love work.

Support new theatre and make history as Once We Were opens this June: take the time to look at what love and theatre was – and what it will be.

 

Once We Were

A New Musical by Rowland Braché and Lauren Seymour

Directed by: Kim Edwards & Lauren Seymour
Music Direction by: Rowland Braché

 

Cast:

Emily: Jacqui Levitas
Martin: Christian Cavallo
Jonah: Callum Botica
Kevin: Tyson Legg
Cindy: Jaclyn DeVincentis
Olivia: Candice Sweetman
Rachel: Kathleen Amarant
Scott: David Miles
Ensemble: Maverick De Leon, Cassie Lee Elliget, Jack Van Staveren, Kellie Ann Kimber

 

Show Dates and Venue:

The Lithuanian Club, 45 -50 Errol Street North Melbourne

Friday June 24 8pm
Saturday June 25 8pm
Sunday June 26 7pm
Friday July 1 8pm
Saturday July 2 2pm & 8pm

All tickets $25
www.trybooking.com/OLJ or 0487 487667

On Facebook: Once We Were

Cabaret, Events, Festivals, Musical Theatre, Performances

Starry Nights: ADELAIDE CABARET FESTIVAL June 2011

The countdown is over as internationally-acclaimed cabaret blasts off in Adelaide!

Adelaide Cabaret Festival opens this week, as their fabulous iconic Amazonian queen of cabaret stands surrounded by stars and toasting the conquering of new worlds and the triumph of cabaret reaching universal audiences.

Although Adelaide Cabaret Festival has continued to make a place for itself at an international level, and to attract an exciting calibre of overseas artists, it is Australia’s own Olivia Newton-John is the headliner for this year’s program.

Another towering superwoman in the entertainment industry, Newton-John is offering a musical retrospective of her fabulous career, accompanied by the Adelaide Arts Orchestra.

Cabaret and music theatre fans will be perhaps even more thrilled to hear New York-cabaret king Michael Feinstein will be closing this year’s festival with the Australian premiere of the show created from his famous Sinatra project.

In addition, the legendary Chita Rivera will be here on our shores to share some glorious music and moments from her illustrious life on Broadway.

But perhaps the most exciting performances to watch out for are our own upcoming and established local talent.  

Rhonda Burchmore, Simon Burke and Rachel Beck for example, are providing some entertaining showcases in music theatre and jazz.

But for the most innovative, edgy and enticing examples of what Australia is so uniquely exploring with the cabaret genre, don’t miss checking out the devasting talent of Paul Capsis, the sumptuous voice of Ali McGregor, and the sophisticated work of Robyn Archer for starters.

Adelaide Cabaret Festival runs from June 10-25 2011, and you can read about the stars, and book for all these shows and more on their website.

Cabaret, Cabaret Review, Events, Performances, Whats On

REVIEW: Amelia Ryan is a STORM IN A D-CUP

WOWEE!! 

By Lisa Nightingale

Yup, sure… that IS how I am going to start this review. I think ‘Wowee’ sums up tonight’s performance of Storm in a D-Cup perfectly!

Taking my seat in The Butterfly Club tonight, the hot-red peep-toed shoes waiting on stage in front of me let me know that a party was about to take place, and I was not mistaken. Amelia Ryan burst from the rear of the room and made her way up on stage, and from that moment she was on fire.

Ryan’s cleverly-written, bear-all biography delivered through conversation and song had me, through the most part, bursting with laughter.

When I wasn’t laughing, I was entirely stunned at the sharp twists and turns her life has taken and I’ll tell you, her stories just NEEDED to become a cabaret! From tales of a transsexual step-mother to ‘sick leave’ pains, Ryan keeps her audience completely entertained.

The songs through the show were fantastic – re-written and made entirely her own.  I was blown away with how cleverly old favourites from Sound Of Music, Avenue Q and Belinda Carlisle were worked into the story. 

Ryan has an amazing connection with the music she is singing, keeping the audience enchanted through humorous lyrics but also through the emotionally engaging songs we then hear midway through the show, which were breathtaking and reminded us that we are listening to a real girl’s stories and real-life challenges.

Ryan’s focus and ‘real’ performance whilst she was singing is something that I cannot praise enough. I did feel however that her story-telling could have been a little less ‘rehearsed’. She shows such freedom and release whilst singing, and during the season I hope she finds this when delivering her well-written script as well.

Yet, hearing her tales of how clumsy she is, I couldn’t help but relate to stories she told – and hearing other females laughing in the audience, I knew they felt the same.

Another HUGE bonus to this already fantastic show is Cameron Thomas on piano. He brings such excitement to the stage, has a few lines in the show that cracked me up—and once he starts playing that piano, his energy buzzes!

Amelia Ryan has everything she possibly could need to take her blossoming cabaret career as far as she wants. A brilliant stage presence, hot-to-trot voice and a banging body – and don’t forget, she’s a blonde bombshell D-cup!

If you have no plans over this weekend, get to The Butterfly Club; and if you already have plans, CANCEL THEM and head down anyway for the 7pm performance of Storm in a D-Cup Friday and Saturday or 6pm Sunday. You’ll be giggling for a whole hour – promise!

Events, Musical Theatre, Performances, Whats On

REVIEW: Melbourne Premiere of LOVE NEVER DIES

Are we entering an era of music theatre sequels?

By Kim Edwards

Back when synthesisers were cool, pyrotechnics and special effects were reserved for rock concerts, and theatre was elite and intimate, a new wave of musicals revitalised and reinvented a genre.  

Interestingly they were more in keeping with nineteenth-century theatre and the operatic tradition than the trends of modern drama: they were vast, lavish, opulent spectacles sweeping through epic, passionate narratives with rich, full, emotional orchestrations.

And at the forefront of this surging theatrical excitement was the wild success of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s 1986 musical Phantom of the Opera.

Years later, an aging composer who once wrote a masterpiece for his ingenue is struggling to find inspiration again, branch out to enrapture an international audience, and determine what his musical and personal legacy will  be.

Webber biography, right? No: this is the plot for his new Phantom sequel Love Never Dies that opened in Melbourne last night.

Webber calls it his most ‘personal’ work to date, and there is a real sense of wish-fulfilment in this musical: it studiously ignores dates, details and character elements established in its predecessor to indulge a love story, displace the villainy and transplant a theatrical world across an ocean from the Paris Opera house to Coney Island. The show was panned in London, cancelled on Broadway, and has been thoroughly revised by renowned director Simon Phillips for this latest production.

So after all the hype and hullaballoo: what do I think of Melbourne’s production of Love Never Dies?

Visually and from a production perspective, this show is unquestionably stunning. The sets and staging are wonderous, and the new location for the action gives designer Gabriela Tylesova glorious scope for the grotesque, gorgeous, gothic playground she creates. Like Meg’s ‘Bathing Beauty’ song, layers keep being stripped away to reveal costumes, scenery and lighting each more breath-taking and spectacular than the last.

It opens, not with an overture, but with a charm song obviously designed to (re)introduce the Phantom and let a new young star enchant an audience. Ben Lewis’ rendition of ‘Till I Hear You Sing was indeed divine, and his final note magical. The character has lost the complexity of the original, and Lewis’ lower register coming across as rather uneven later suggests he has yet to find his own iconic sound as a singer, but overall he gave an impressive performance.

Anna O’Bryne was a fresh-faced Christine with a luminous and lucid voice: even though trite lyrics often gave her little to work with emotionally (indeed, the whole show title proved a misnomer of sorts) she displayed wonderful charm and talent.

However for me, it was Simon Gleeson’s performance as Raoul that reverberated with all the passion and pathos and complexity I found lacking in the central love story. His character is reinvented as troubled and self-loathing, and in the opening of Act II where he asks “Why Does She Love Me?”, Gleeson transcended some banal lyrics to give a very real and moving delivery of the song. In many ways, this felt like the only moment of subtlety in the show.

Maria Mercedes was painfully angry as Mme. Giry, and there was a definite fascination in seeing Sharon Millerchip reprise the role of Meg and bring a real sense of growth as performer and character.

Webber’s songs are familiar yet not particularly memorable, but the orchestrations and voices are highly enjoyable. Moreover, the plot is thin but the ensemble led by carnivalesque Greek chorus Emma J. Hawkins, Paul Tabone and Dean Vince are deft and dynamic.

The real appeal of the show remains in the old-fashioned spectacle achieved with the latest in theatre technology: Love Never Dies is ultimately a sumptuous, sentimental production of pure and unadulterated melodrama, draped in lavish splendour. If there are recurring echos of the ridiculous and redundant at times, they are usually swirled away in the colour and action.

Does this production bring anything to the Phantom legacy? No. Does it spoil the original musical then? No. Is it an enjoyably excessive and entertaining night of theatre? Yes actually. Yes it is.

Love Never Dies is playing at The Regent Theatre from May 2011.

Editorial, Events, Musical Theatre, Performances, Whats On

Phantom Fans in Furore Over LOVE NEVER DIES

An Unexpected Editorial

by Kim Edwards

Our inbox has been loaded lately with various long-winded emails as part of a campaign to spam theatre reviewers. The emails contain protestations in violent objection to or in passionate support of the latest Andrew Lloyd Webber musical to open in Melbourne.

Love Never Dies purports to be a sequel to the wildly successful Phantom of the Opera, and its latest season has prompted an extraordinary turf war among fans of the latter and former.  

Both sides have apparently concluded it is important for reviewers to know Love Never Dies is respectively awful/awesome, while insisting we are, of course, to write impartial reviews as we see fit.

As we foresee that a further deluge of such emails may be inevitable, we felt it was important to voice an opinion on behalf on Theatre Press reviewers.

We are yet to attend Love Never Dies, or to offer either a review or opinion on it*.  Theatre Press reviewers are requested always to give honest feedback, offer constructive critique, and point out the subjectivity of their stance: this is simply one person’s opinion.  

While we might remark on the audience’s reaction or the wider reception of the production, we have no interest in reading unsolicited reviews from fans or foes of any show who, despite their best rhetorical efforts, are seeking to influence us.

Theatre is a fickle and troublesome industry. Sometimes wonderful shows close too early, while poor shows manage to drum up extensive audiences.   Sometimes excellent productions do not appeal to a local crowd, and weak productions strike an unexpected chord.

But sometimes critically acclaimed does translate into universal popularity, whereupon spectacular musicals achieve all the fame and success they deserve, and the unsuccessful ones fall quietly into obscurity.  

Interestingly of course, public protests over ‘bad’ shows usually end in the latter being far more successful than they might otherwise have been…

Ultimately, this is all irrelevant for theatre reviewers.   There is a place for all forms and levels of theatre, and producers, composers and artists have every right to create any new shows they like for the mingled delight and despair of theatre audiences.

Whatever strange motivations are behind the recent spat of love/hate fan emails to Theatre Press, the actual effect is to imply our critical integrity and credibility is in question because we need reminders to offer unbiased opinions.

As theatre critics however, we always wish to support the industry we love, rigorously deny censorship by attending as many and varied performances as we can as open-mindedly as we can, and then constantly do our best to express an honest opinion and make an effort to link the right audiences with the right shows.   Every time.

If you like Love Never Dies, enjoy seeing it.   If you don’t like it, enjoy avoiding it.   If you have an opinion on a show, share it – but respect the rights of others to disagree.   However, if you think the way to share this opinion is to spam review sites – please think again.

*Edit: Since writing the above, we have attended the show and offered an opinion. You can find the review here.

Cabaret, Cabaret Review, Events, Performances, Whats On

REVIEW: Stage Fright!

Whodunnit doesn’t quite do it…

By Lisa Nightingale

Coming into The Order of Melbourne and seeing the beautiful stage, magnificent bar, and cute kitsch burlesque shop set up in the corner, I was all too excited to experience a ‘rollicking night of 1920’s theatre, burlesque, song,  dance, murder, mystery and madness.’ 

Certainly the venue is lovely and the Pims and sangria are well-priced and delicious. Unfortunately for the show itself, this clever marketing is, well …  just clever marketing. 

Stage Fright! certainly has its good points, but they are nestled somewhere in amongst what is a mostly average script and performance.  The story and dialogue seem disjointed, and I felt music numbers were dropped in just to be there. Songs about Santa’s wife and a burlesque dance in a straight jacket simply did not add in any way to the style of a  ‘whodunnit’ 1920’s murder mystery.

Luckily Sarah Louise Younger kicked butt (burlesque-style) with her amazing voice, and I was blown away by her presence whilst she was singing. However,  I was also blown away for opposing reasons by the sound and lighting during her song, as the poor girl could barely be heard or seen in her dynamic opening piece, ‘Life of the Party’.

I was also very surprised that direction for this number seemed just to be “Do it like Idina Menzel on YouTube.” Nonetheless, Younger shows amazing vocal talent, and we’ll see her name continue to be showcased around the Melbourne theatre scene.

The Stage Fright! atmosphere created by Alexander Tournier (Mark Casamento) was brilliant. His role as the owner of the ‘Queen Mary Theatre’ was the highlight of the show, and Casamento was consistently superb throughout. He did not lose character or drop his accent once: something the other performers could note.

Poppy Cherry did a fantastic job as producer, for marketing and advertising were level one. As heroine Fanny Pocket, her beautiful smile and cheeky vibrancy made for a delightful performance and almost allowed us to forgive some unpolished acting skills. Honey B. Goode was a favourite with the audience, and gave a comedic performance as her vaguely Eastern European character. She is a great burlesque dancer and I only wish we saw more ‘dance’ and less over-characterisation.

Miss Burlesque Australia Kelly Ann Doll was very funny dealing with her audience, plays ‘drunk’ well and shines on stage, though I was looking forward to her showing us ‘how burlesque is done’ and was left unsatisfied.  As with several artists, a feeling persisted that over-characterisation got in the way of the show itself.

However, the performers did a good job as a whole, and the costumes were truly fantastic. The concept of Stage Fright! is so exciting and intriguing that I believe with some review by the creative team over direction and script, this show will soon be so much more – but at this stage it seems like just a ‘concept’ and not a finished piece of theatre.  All in all though, for a Sunday night out with a few drinks, it was still worth the trip into Swanston street.

Stage Fright! is on 8pm this Sunday May 22nd: tickets are $30 through Moshtix.

Cabaret, Cabaret Review, Events, Performances, Whats On

REVIEW: Drew Collet and Sophie Weiss in THE LAST FIVE BEERS

Home-brewed cabaret hits the spot!

By Jen Coles

In presenting a homage of sorts to their favourite musical Jason Robert Brown’s The Last Five Years, Drew Collet and Sophie Weiss have managed to create a truly creative and uniquely Australian piece of cabaret.

The Last Five Beers tells the story of two ex-lovers who are meeting for drinks after two years (unlike the original musical, which tells the story of the deconstruction of a relationship over five years).

Weiss and Collet have taken certain licences with the storytelling itself, taking the time to introduce themselves before the show ‘started,’ giving out free popcorn and cracking jokes at each other’s expense.

This may have seemed like an unnecessary deviation from starting the show, however they incorporated many aspects of the aforementioned jokes into the later story (for example, Sophie’s loud voice or Drew’s less-than-committed Jewish/American accents). This whole approach allowed the audience to get past the stigma of audience participation, as it was a vital part of their show.

Beginning at a restaurant, The Last Five Beers accurately captures the awkwardness of meeting an ex-lover. The pair heightened aspects of their personalities into new characters; Sophie emerged as a neurotic stress-head whereas Drew appeared too much of a relaxed bloke to really cope with that type of person, and so, it was clear early on the pair weren’t right for each other.

Still, the discussions of the good times versus the bad showed a nice quiet chemistry between Weiss and Drew, and a perfect explanation of why the relationship went south in the first place.

The cabaret itself was rich with a diverse range of music to inform the story, Weiss and Collet had ample time to showcase their incredible talents, and despite a few shaky moments, Collet recovered well to hold the stage for some of the more tender moments (in particular, a beautiful rendition of Sorry Seems to be the Hardest Word).

Weiss has a phenomenal voice, which sometimes was too overpowering for the small space of the Club (but again, Collet had established this in the opening, so it was still funny).

Overall, the show was extremely humorous and felt very fresh and exciting to watch. The performers’ energy was matched by the expertise lighting and direction of Glenn Van Oosterom, and Simon Bruckard on piano was delightful in skill. This is a wonderful piece of cabaret not to be missed. 

The Last Five Beers is playing this weekend at The Butterfly Club.

Thur – Sat 28-30 April- 7pm
Sun 1 May- 6pm

BOOKINGS: http://www.thebutterflyclub.com/