Category: Events

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/

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

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

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

Events, Opera, Review, Whats On

REVIEW: Victorian Opera and Monash University Presents GAMES OF LOVE AND CHANCE

Enamored  with opera anew

By Narelle Wood

Games of Love and Chance was a smorgasbord of operatic music ranging from classical operas such as Carmen and The Magic Flute to the more recent operas of Summer of the Seventeenth Doll and Blitzstein’s Regina. The pieces selected offered a vast array of emotional journeys, from love lost to love regained, as well as love’s fortune foretold.

Games of Love and Chance

The almost eighty-piece orchestra, consisting of students from the Monash Academy Orchestra and several guest musicians, showcased the immense wealth of upcoming musical talent, performing Wagner’s Die Meistersinger von Nurnberg Prelude to Act Three from Tristan and Isolde with seemingly professional ease.

If it was difficult to believe the age of the musicians in the orchestra, it was even harder to believe that many of the young operatic artists had never performed with an orchestra before. Of this group of up-and-coming opera stars, it was Matthew Tng and Kate Amos that provided some of the stand-out performances; it was not just the clarity of their voices and their range but the embodiment of their characters, especially with the lack of context normally provided by costumes, sets and props.

Normally I’m captivated by watching the performers or the mesmerising rhythm of the violin bows, but during this performance I was just as fascinated by the conducting style and instant rapport with the audience of Richard Mills, the Maestro and Artistic Director at Victorian Opera. His passion for music, developing new talent and preserving our cultural heritage was clearly evident not only in the way he spoke during the introduction of each piece, but also in every flourish of his baton.

A highlight of the evening was the outstanding vocal soloists, many of whom are icons of the Australian operatic scene; among my favourites were Douglas McNicol, Jeremy Kleeman and the phenomenal performance of Lisa Gasteen.

While opera may not be everybody’s cup of tea, the collaboration between Monash Academy Orchestra and Victoria Opera provides a perfect opportunity to experience this great art form for both the opera novice and aficionada alike.

This performance took place at Robert Blackwood Hall, Monash University, Clayton on March 29, 2014. Visit artsonline.monash.edu.au/mapa/events for upcoming events.

Events, Performances, Theatre, Whats On

REVIEW: Mockingbird Theatre Presents THE JUDAS KISS

Bravado and betrayal in the fall of Oscar Wilde

By Ross Larkin

The Judas Kiss

It can be difficult to associate one of the world’s most iconic, hilarious comic writers with tragedy and betrayal, and as such, a play about Oscar Wilde’s life behind his witty penmanship is confronting, and a harsh reminder of how brutally he was treated.

The Judas Kiss, written by David Hare, has been staged by Melbourne’s own Mockingbird Theatre, and directed by company member Jason Cavanagh. The play examines the hours leading up to Wilde’s arrest for partaking in consensual sex with another man, followed by post-prison life in a filthy, run-down apartment in Naples with former lover, Lord Alfred ‘Bosie’ Douglas. The before-and-after contrast surrounding Wilde’s two-year sentence is stark as the audience are made privy to the life and mind which was drained from him for supposed crimes and the consequences thereafter.

The initial scenes of The Judas Kiss are driven and ‘bolshie’, as Wilde’s comrades argue about whether he should flee to the continent or not, while Wilde, after feigning indifference, finally admits he lacks the will to try. As these quieter moments set in, the script becomes more engaging and the ensemble cast begin to showcase just how rock-solid they are.

The challenging, changeable role of Wilde is played to perfection by Chris Baldock, who simply nails the part, capturing beautifully the witty and charming bravado of the man prior to his arrest, and the pained, tortured soul thereafter. Oliver Coleman as Wilde’s literary executor and long-standing friend Robert Ross is equally impressive, cleverly demonstrating presence and commitment with an understated fury.

Nigel Langley as Bosie and the supporting cast are all worthy of mention in Mockingbird’s version, which director Cavanagh has succeeded in reimagining with simplistic charm and poignancy. The lighting in particular is beautifully designed by Rob Sowinski and made powerful use of.

The Judas Kiss is another fine example of why Mockingbird Theatre continues to fire along with the big guns, and save for the excessive duration of the final scene, this production is one of Melbourne’s not-to-be missed theatrical experiences.

The Judas Kiss is playing now at TheatreWorks, Acland Street, St Kilda until March 22, Tuesday to Friday at 8pm, and Saturday 2pm and 8pm plus Sunday March 16 at 5pm.

Bookings at www.theatreworks.org.au or (03) 9534 3388(03) 9534 3388(03) 9534 3388(03) 9534 3388.

Comedy, Events, Performances, Theatre, Whats On

REVIEW: Insite Arts Presents THE LONG PIGS

Hilariously dark and frighteningly funny…

By Myron My

Firstly, if you have a fear of clowns, then this show is probably not for you but it doesn’t mean you still shouldn’t go see it. The clowns in The Long Pigs are not your traditional-looking clowns (for the most part).

These guys are dirty and dark with black noses, and are hell-bent on collecting the red noses of other clowns…

LONG PIGS

The uncanny ability that performers Clare Bartholomew, Nicci Wilks and Derek Ives (who along with director Susie Dee, also devised the show) have to use something as small as a facial expression or taking a step to make their audience get actual stitches from laughing is testament to their darkly funny skills as clowns.

Even with minimal dialogue and the unsettling atmosphere, the cast are able to both convey a strong story and evoke sympathy and empathy from us over their individual and group plights. In fact there are some very suspenseful moments interspersed throughout The Long Pigs which form a great contrast to the more ‘traditional’ clowning that occurs.

All the stage elements blend perfectly in the performance to help create this grim world that is thrust upon us – especially Jethro Woodward’s excellent sound design and composition, as the constant changes from cheery to eerie amplified all the action that was going on on stage.

Furthermore, Anna Tregloan’s nicely creepy set design reminded me of a haunted house-cum-butcher shop with variety of seemingly random objects just strewn about covered by bloody white sheets, and the atmospheric lighting design by Andy Turner was reminiscent of a carnival freak show tent with dim lights casting larger sinister shadows in the background.

So even if you do have that fear of clowns (or coulrophobia), The Long Pigs is a show that still needs to be seen. Even though it’s only March, I can confidently say that this is going to be one of my highlight shows of the year, because how often can you simultaneously be completely entertained and utterly creeped out by the one show?

Venue: fortyfivedownstairs, 45 Flinders Lane, Melbourne

Season: Until 23 March | Tues- Sat 8:00pm, Sun 5pm

Tickets: $35 Full | $28 Conc

Bookings: http://www.fortyfivedownstairs.com/events or 9662 9966

Circus, Comedy, Events, Performances, Review, Whats On

REVIEW: Spiegelworld Presents EMPIRE

Beautiful, bawdy – and breath-taking

By Kim Edwards

Empire has returned to Melbourne after its sell-out season last year, and it is a sumptuous spectacle to behold. In the ever-delightful space of the Spiegeltent now perched atop Crown Casino, vaudeville has run away to the circus as contortionists, acrobats, balancing acts, strip-tease artists, musicians and comedians converge for our entertainment.

I loved the casual, classy chaos as the performers mingled merrily with the audience before the show, willingly stepping in as ushers, posing for photos, striking up conversations, or attempting silly or sexy pseudo-seductions. The effort to establish memorable and iconic characters meant our favourites were greeted like old friends when reappearing on stage for their respective acts, and made the reveal of their actual talents all the more jaw-dropping.

EMPIRE Miss A in a Bubble _PhotoCredit Karon Photography_

The show plays out on a tiny stage in the round, and there is a real sense of risk in this immediacy and intimacy when dangerous routines are being performed just inches away from or above the audience. Crowd-charmer Yasu Yoshikawa countered his cute antics and pigtails with terrifying spinning and springing in and over giant hoops, while Vlad Ivashkin and Aiusha Khadzh Khamed performed an acrobatic balancing act of impressive strength and skill.

The opening act with contortionist and aeralist Lucia Carbines suspended in a perspex bubble was utterly beautiful, and Denis Petaov and Mariia Beseimbetova actually made me forget to breathe with their ferociously fast spinning routine. I was not the only one to gasp aloud in horror at the lifts and speeds they achieved, but I also delighted in the beautiful choreography that held the piece together and the couple’s intense self-involvement: there was something wonderfully private and poignant in their lack of audience acknowledgement.

The show’s finale was an obvious highlight – I am still in awe. Memet Bilgin Rigolo builds and balances an amazing impromptu skeleton of branches with slow and hypnotic grace and grandeur, and the tension mounts with each addition to his structure. But it is the final moment which reminded us so powerfully of the wildly improbable feat just performed – simply unforgettable theatre.

Victoria Matlock and John Shannon provided a rich and dramatic musical backdrop to the acts, though some sound issues unfortunately affected her diction and his solos. Jonathan Taylor and Anne Goldmann provided the comic relief as husband-and-wife-comperes, and while their hen-night style humour and audience humiliation was a bit too crass for my taste, the crowd loved them, and their quick-change talents and banana routine were genuinely clever and skillful.

There’s a joke about the show not needing a story like Cirque Du Soleil, and it’s true, but if I have a criticism, it would be the New York ‘theme’ is superficial at best and it would have been nice to have something more evocative cementing the show together. Meanwhile, my special mention must go to the slick and dextrous crew, and the happy helpful FOH stuff.

Empire is both highly memorable and wondrously diverting, and there is little surprise it is enjoying a return season now with extra shows: I was entranced.

EMPIRE by Spiegelworld
From March 11 to April 20 2014
Under the spiegeltent on the Rooftop at Crown, access via Level 3, Whiteman Street, Southbank.

Performance Schedule: Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday 7:30pm; Friday & Saturday 7:30pm & 9:30pm; Sunday 7:00pm

Tickets: Tue/Wed/Thu: $59.00 – $129.00, Fri/Sat/Sun: $69.00 – $149.00

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

Events, Review, Theatre, Whats On

REVIEW: Yannis Simonides is SOCRATES NOW

Reanimating the past to ponder the present

By Warwick Moffat

Socrates Now is an event in two part:; an eighty-minute delivery of Plato’s The Apology followed by discussion on how its message might be applied today. The Apology is Plato’s retelling of how Socrates defended himself against charges of atheism and youth corruption. Its success as a philosophical argument is unparalleled. As a defence, many believe it guaranteed Socrates would be put to death.

Elliniko Theatro has produced 300-plus showings of Socrates Now, at least fifty in the open air, like the stunning Renaissance Revival setting outside the Hellenic Museum.

Socrates Now

I am quite conflicted about this production, which has accumulated global goodwill and received great praise from respected academics. A great deal has focussed on having brought Socrates to life or having advanced the appreciation of Classical culture. I must insist that as a theatrical experience Socrates Now raises some issues.

Yannis Simonides’ portrayal of Socrates is indeed a masterpiece. This Socrates is three-dimensional. Of course he is wise, but he is also arrogant, occasionally manic and strange in his mannerisms. He is often mesmerising. Given scholars continue to debate the conflicting evidence on how Socrates actually behaved, this aspect of Socrates Now deserves every accolade.

That said, these qualities, and Simonides’ own powerful presence, are too heavily relied upon. To sustain eighty minutes, the audience needs more. Faithful renditions of Plato lack the storytelling needed by a modern audience. Excellent Shakespearian companies regularly overcome the same shortcomings, without diminishing the original text.

As an educational piece this lack may be fine; but Elliniko Theatro’s ambitions are to reach anyone concerned enough about current events to “Think. Question. Change.” I overheard many comments on the night between satisfied enthusiasts and bemused non-enthusiasts. To truly achieve this broader ambition, a reappraisal is needed.

Simonides The Performer knew the personal limitations of Socrates. Simonides the Discussion Mentor left me wondering where that sense of limitation had gone. He seemed too driven by the sanctity of his intended message to be truly open to the possibilities from within his audience. One must wonder: is Simonides standing on the shoulders of a philosopher who openly disdained teachers, in order to teach people?

Misgivings aside, the ambition and boldness of Socrates Now commanded attention and justify attendance. It is great entertainment for anyone interested in philosophy (especially ethics) or ancient wisdom. Despite its limitations, the after-show discussion may still prove stimulating.

Melbourne Shows:

The Melbourne sessions of Socrates Now have concluded for this tour. They were held on the 7th, 9th and 10th March at the Hellenic Museum, 280 William Street, Melbourne.

Sydney Shows:

Dates: Fri 14th March to 16th March.

Times: Fri 14th and Sat 15th March at 7:30pm, Sunday 16th March (Greek Language Showing) at 5pm.

Venue: York Theatre at the Seymour Centre, cnr City Rd & Cleveland St, Chippendale

Tickets: Adult: $40, Conc. $35 (+ booking fee)

Bookings at www.socratesnow.com.au

Events, Theatre, Whats On

REVIEW: Cinema Nova Presents National Theatre Live’s WARHORSE

See a West End show – in Lygon Street

By Bradley Storer

Cinema Nova, as part of their National Theatre Live broadcast series, brings to their screens the West End production of the internationally acclaimed play Warhorse based on the Michael Morpurgo novel. This epic tale of the bond between a young boy and the horse he raises feels entirely appropriate for the broadcast, as this intensely theatrical production translates wonderfully to the screen.

Warhorse

Joey the horse, the narrator of the original novel and arguably the central character of the play, is represented onstage with a fully-realised life-sized puppet operated by several visible puppeteers. The puppet, created by Handspring Puppet Company, is so articulate and expressive that it almost seems better than a real horse! Several horse and other animal puppets pop up throughout the story, particularly one hand-operated goose puppet used to hilarious effect.

Sion Daniel Young turns in a strong performance as Albert Narracott, the young boy who dedicates himself to taking care of Joey and who eventually follows him to the battleground of World War I. Jamie Kenna as his father Ted ably plays the brutish drunk whose mishaps drive the narrative of the first act, but it is Josie Walker as mother Rosie Narracott who brings simultaneously the most heart-warming and breaking performance as the woman trying to hold the family together and struggles to stay strong after her son runs away to war.

The setting is bare and minimalistic – there are no permanent sets onstage, with the fully-visible ensemble cast creating the backdrop themselves onstage, holding up branches or fence-posts to symbolize the landscape. A giant piece of a torn page held high above the stage is the only constant throughout, and is used to project images and shadows that highly characterize the setting of each scene. At different times, it seems like a window into an achingly innocent world – or at others, a gaping wound in the sky through which can be seen the hellish landscape of a war-torn country.

The first act is a gripping and wonderful piece of story-telling, but as the narrative moves to World War I France in the second act and away from the Narracott family we lose the central emotional grounding to the piece. Numerous new characters are introduced suddenly and, not helped by the fact not all of them are English-speaking, it can be difficult to connect with them in the rapid flow of the story. The quick-changing scenes on the battlefields are so dark and gloomy that they tend to get muddled in the shadows, but the final scene of the play is so emotionally cathartic and satisfying that it hardly seems possibly to walk out without a smile.

A truly superb play which, through the help of Cinema Nova and National Theatre Live, allows Melbourne audiences to experience a West End quality performance in their own city!

VENUE: Cinema Nova, 380 Lygon St, Carlton.

DATE: 8th, 9th, 11th, 13th, 15th and 16th of March

TIME: 1pm 8th – 9th March, 6:30 11th – 13th March, 11:30 15 – 16th March.

PRICE: Full $25, Concession $23.

BOOKING: www.cinemanova.com.au,  PH: (03) 9347 5331(03) 9347 5331(03) 9347 5331(03) 9347 5331 or at the Box Office.