Category: Festivals

Cabaret, Festivals

Fringe presents Dudebox

Bold, Brash and Full of Bobbly Bits

By Joana Simmons

Kimberly Twiner (PO PO MO CO) has enlisted some of Melbourne’s hottest babes in her latest variety show Dudebox. Sketches, songs, clowning, neo-burlesque and physical comedy all weave together to dig fingers into the ribs of the patriarchy in a humorous and delicious fashion. Artists Kimberley Twiner, the Travelling Sisters, Lily Fish (PO PO MO CO), Becky Lou (Seen and Heard Cabaret), Selina Jenkins (Beau Heartbreaker), Hallie Goodman (Spoon Monkeys), Sharnema Nougar (Two Little Dickheads) and Fox Pflueger (Max Freak) unite and it’s as good as when the Avengers got back together.

We were warmed up by the Travelling Sisters as we came in. Each sketch by different combinations of the cast was well devised and made strong statements. There was a hilarious hen’s night scene that provided some great commentary on marriage which climaxed with a performance by a feminist-stripper. Many moments had us laughing and cringing because of lustfully grotesque clowning or the revelation of truths a little too close to home.

Standouts included Beau Heartbreaker’s honest and beautiful nuances during Caravan Park Neighbour Blues. Twiner’s tradie character who was equipped with a very interesting piece of machinery and had us eating out of her hand and lapping up every little facial expression. The Travelling Sisters’ auction was a scream. The trio sang wonderful harmonies full of intensity that were completely off the wall. The beer version of Rich Man’s Frug was brilliant with its stylised and juicy choreography.

The show was stolen for me by the penultimate number: Lily Fish’s best man speech. It was beautifully bittersweet and hilariously heart-wrenching. The characterisation, content and delivery were bang on, making it an unforgettable performance.

Herding a bunch of independent artists together to create a show is mighty tricky and takes serious time and creative magic. There were some moments that unfortunately fell flat because they were either too long, lacked structure or needed more gags, choreography or spectacle.

The ending fronted by Sharnema Nougar, while incredibly costumed, didn’t do justice to the rest of the show. Maybe some kind of MC character or thread to pull everything together would have been useful. Though the costuming was brilliant, which is satisfying to see a Fringe show put in the effort to make aesthetically pleasing work, and the sound was right on cue, as was the lighting.

I am excited to see where Dudebox goes, because it’s bold, brash and full of boobs and other bobbly bits. It had enough of an effect on me that I reprimanded someone for casual sexism in the workplace the day after – such is the power of theatre like this.

Dudebox was performed 26 – 28 September at the Lithuanian Club as part of the Melbourne Fringe Festival. See here for more information.

Festivals, Theatre

Fringe presents 10 Things I Hate About the Taming of the Shrew

Intelligent and comical analysis of Shakespeare’s classic

By Narelle Wood

Shakespeare fans beware. Gillian English has some issues, 10 in fact, with this supposed Shakespearean classic and isn’t afraid to share them. Loudly. Emphatically. And very convincingly.

Before English deconstructs, or rather demolishes The Taming of the Shrew, she astutely gives the audience a precis of the play, just so everyone’s familiar with the key themes – women are property and using torture is a perfectly permissible method to tame an unwieldy female. It’s obvious from the get-go why English wants this play to burn in the fiery pits of hell. Over the next hour though she continues to educate us on just how f-ed up Shakespeare’s portrayal of the female characters Katerina and Bianca really is, and also questions the heroic status of Petruchio, the gaslighting protagonist with the dumbarsed name. As a side note, there is a lot of language use that would make a “proper” Shakespearean lady blush, so the show is recommended for an audience 15 years of age and over.

I don’t want to list the 10 things that English takes issue with, because that would spoil the show. However, broadly speaking she touches on themes such as men and violence against women, teenagers, Disney, fetishizing youth, film adaptations of Shakespearean classics, violence against women (part of the premise of the show, so worth repeating, because it’s a very important for everyone to hear, not just men) and pockets. As a Shakespeare lover, it’s a little confronting. I found myself wanting to yell, “what about the language Gillian, think about the language!” But I also wanted to bail English up and ask her thoughts on other Shakespeare gems such as Romeo and Juliet and Othello. Confronting yes, but more importantly thought provoking and very topical; I have also since discussed a number of the 10 things with my fellow English teachers who do teach Shakespeare by highlighting many of the problems with it.

10 Things I Hate About the Taming of the Shrew is challenging, educational and full of lots of intelligent reasons as to why we should reconsider whose stories get told and who tells them. It might be easy to dismiss it as an entertaining rant, but it’s not just a rant, it’s an intelligent and comical analysis of Shakespeare, with some self-defence advice thrown in for free.

10 Things I Hate About the Taming of the Shrew is being performed at Belleville, Melbourne until 30 September. Tickets can be purchased online.

Photograph: Dahlia Katz

Festivals, Theatre

Fringe presents We Can Work It Out

The fab four come together in Gabriel Bergmoser’s play

By Samuel Barson

You’d be hard pressed to find someone who has never heard of The Beatles. Widely argued as the greatest band of all time, their 10-year existence produced hit after hit and resulted in a legacy that has strongly embedded itself within cultural and music history.

Gabriel Bergmoser’s We Can Work It Out is a play about the band’s four illustrious members: John, Paul, George and Ringo. It’s 1966 and the days of their trusty and happy-go-lucky love songs appear to be behind them. But where to next? As the “Fab Four” confront this creative crossroad head on, their separate personalities, world views and egos clash dramatically.

The performances are incredibly captivating. To be able to bring to life four of the most well-known personalities in the history of pop culture is no mean feat, but all four actors achieve this with utmost charisma and energy. Kashmir Sinnamon (John), Karl Sarsfield (Paul), Troy Larkin (George) and Brett Wolfenden (Ringo) all successfully capture the essence of the men the world once knew, whilst also lending their own individual spirits to the characters. Troy Larkin was a standout, as a particularly brooding, frustrated and cynical George.

Director Greg Caine must be congratulated for creating such a tightly choreographed and poignant piece, especially in such a small space. The actors are constantly in each other’s faces, with the conversations and arguments regularly becoming physical. Not once did the space feel too small or too tight for this sort of interaction, a testament to Caine’s eye and attention to detail as director.

It is important to note that this play is filled with several deep-seated Beatles references. This may pose a potential accessibility issue for audience members who are not knowledgeable about the band and their story. For Beatles fans however, this play is an absolute treat.

We Can Work It Out is being performed 24- 30 September at The Butterfly Club. Tickets can be purchased here.

Photograph: Supplied

Festivals, Theatre

Fringe presents Night Terrors

Four haunting tales brilliantly animated

By Joana Simmons

Aesthetically and rhetorically pleasing with a touch of unhinged brilliance is an apt way to describe Night Terrors. The 2018 Melbourne Fringe brings a plethora of all sorts of unexpected art including this show of literary terror which explores four ghost stories inside a church, all told by an incredible performer. There are so many elements that have gone into this production to make it a top-notch experience, not to mention the fact that it genuinely made me shiver and clutch my face in delight.

Bluestone Church Arts Space was the perfect setting for this night of spooky storytelling. The way the giant door creaked open to reveal the stained-glass window in the background had me ready to be entertained right from the start.

The star that is Caitlin Mathieson commanded the space for just over an hour, embodying different characters as she told four classic tales of terror. The first was The Tell-Tale Heart by Edgar Allan Poe which describes the story of a woman driven mad by guilt after committing murder. Second was The Yellow Wallpaper by Charlotte Perkins Gilman which tells of a woman confined to her room. Next were The Keepsake by Briony Kidd and The Open Window by Saki, both exciting in content and structure and moved with dexterous detail from beginning to climax. The drama was further heightened by the soundtrack which smoothly weaved all the stories together.

Creator Stefan Taylor has done an incredible job to bring such a sophisticated piece from paper to stage. I loved how refined it was and that it did not try cheap tricks for laughs. Joining Taylor was director Simon J Green, whose contribution added to this highly polished production. The lighting gave great contrast between scenes and provided both moody and spooky qualities without ever being over the top.

Overall, I was in awe of Caitlin Mathieson’s ability to smoothly glide from scene to scene, from character to character with a great command of text. There were points where she absolutely embodied the people in the stories, moving around the church with her wonderfully expressive voice and face which drew the audience in. Ever so gracious and in a tweed two piece, Mathieson gave us a sense of refinement and class belonging to an older world.

If you are looking for a delightful night of spooky entertainment, do not look further than Night Terrors. Not only is Night Terrors a memorable production, it is a hoard of times better than any creepy Netflix series.

Night Terrors is being performed at Bluestone Church Arts Space until 30 September. Bluestone Church Arts Space is an accessible venue and there are Auslan interpreted performances and open captioning. See here for more information and tickets.

Photograph: David Edmonds

 

Festivals, Theatre

Review: Crawl Me Blood

Audio drama unearths colonial ghosts 

By Lois Maskiell

Inspired by Jean Rhys’ Wide Sargasso Sea, which earned canonical status for telling the story behind Charlotte Brontë’s madwoman in the attic, Crawl Me Blood is an immersive experience that looks at the Caribbean Creole identity in today’s context.

Set in the Royal Botanic Gardens Victoria and presented by Aphids and the Melbourne Writers Festival, this primarily audio-based drama boasts a spectacular backdrop that evokes the landscape of an unspecified Caribbean island full of over-ripe guavas, rustling palms and tropical heat.

Director/writer duo, Halcyon Macleod and Willoh S. Weiland each have their own connection to the Caribbean: Halcyon is of Jamaican heritage and Willoh was born in Belize to white Australian parents. Their connection to the region’s complex histories and identity politics lays the foundation for the drama that involves three generations of Creole women.

When 18-year-old Antoinette leaves Australia and visits her mother Gwen’s birthplace to attend her grandmother’s funeral, she discovers why her mother’s memories of the island are fraught with hostility. With small radio speakers in hand, the participants stroll through the gardens listening to the experiences of these women as narrated by Zahra Newman (Melbourne Theatre Company, Book of Mormon).

As tensions develop between Antoinette’s mother and her relatives, we hear a woman wonder why the Creoles of European descent still hold the majority of money and property, despite the emancipation law of 1833. The others dismiss this comment and the conversation shifts subject.

Like in Jean Rhys’ Wide Sargasso Sea, the effects of colonialism on racial tensions are displayed in a personal account of family, heritage and belonging – amid wild and secretive surroundings.

Crawl Me Blood lives up to its title by digging up our colonial pasts to present their ongoing impressions and what better location to stage it in than the Royal Botanic Gardens Victoria, one of Australia’s very own haunts.

Co-created by Halcyon Macleod and Willoh S. Weiland. Composed by Felix Cross, performed by Natasha Jynel and Zahra Newman. System design by Matt Daniels, video by Lucy Benson, Lighting by Lucy Birkinshaw and photograph by Bryony Jackson. 

Crawl Me Blood was performed at Royal Botanic Gardens Victoria for one evening only, 29 August. See here for more information.   

Comedy, Festivals, Musical Theatre

MICF presents Tinder Tales

Dating, devices and love at first swipe

By Amy Planner

From Australian writing duo Mattie Mcleod and Thomas Bradford comes this brand new totally Aussie musical about dating in the new tech-savvy swiping world of Tinder.

Abby is a little unlucky in love and has had a rather unsuccessful dating life. While trying to navigate the swipe-crazy world of online dating, Abby has to struggle through her dating life with the voices of her Doubt, Insecurity and Mother forcefully tagging along for the ride. When she lucks upon the profile of Evan she is struck with what she thinks is love at first swipe and so the singing and dancing tale begins.

This show was a non-stop ride of awkward sex scenes, brutally honest truths, terrifying realities and damn catchy musical numbers. The small cast of six were nothing short of fantastic: Eadie Testro-Girasole (Abby), Mel O’Brien (Insecurity), Aubrey Flood (Doubt), Yashith Fernando (Evan), Callum Warrender (Ensemble) and Tash Jenkins (Ensemble). Each had their own uniqueness and flare, which created a truly rich performance. Their offstage bond was evident in their onstage trust of each other and their willingness to go the whole nine yards.

The use of minimal set, costume and lighting elements had a significant impact at the right times. The intimate space meant that there was no need for a flashy set, sparkly costumes or bright lights, it called for talent to shine and story to triumph, and they truly did.

Aside from some minor issues in ensemble volume level towards the beginning and a couple of unnecessary costume changes that could be improved by simplified garments, this show deserves an absolutely tremendous round of applause.

Perhaps the loudest applause should go to the creators of this show. With book and lyrics by Mattie Mcleod and music by Thomas Bradford, Tinder Tales is a stroke of musical comedy brilliance. In an image-obsessed world where true love is a mere swipe away, this production tells us to follow our hearts and trust our instincts despite the voices in our heads. If you can get a ticket to this show – do it, swipe right because it’s a match. Tinder Tales is a real must-see!

Tinder Tales is being performed at The MC Showroom until 22 April.  Tickets can be purchased online and by calling the box office on 03 9245 3788.

Comedy, Festivals

MICF Presents Super Woman Money Program

Showcasing the absurdity of the gender pay gap

By Caitlin McGrane

When I first saw the title for Elizabeth Davie’s Comedy Festival show, Super Woman Money Program, I thought it was a joke. But alas, it is a real thing that real people thought was a good idea. The advice dispensed by overly enthusiastic companies looking to “improve” women’s lives is often truly absurd – in the show’s opening, Davie recounts how she received an email from her superannuation firm with some “advice” for women. The whole situation is infuriating, and Davie does a great job of showcasing the absurdity – from the fact that the gender pay gap even exists in the first place to the range of deeply offensive and infantilizing behaviours women are told to adopt in order to avoid financial ruin.

You’d almost think the system was broken…

When the audience entered the theatre, we were greeted by Davie calmly pacing around the stage – she commanded the space and encouraged the audience to settle in and choose a sticker that best represents their financial situation. Naturally, I chose ‘I have no idea what I am doing.’

The whole show is extremely clever, witty and engaging – there is none of the rambling, off-kilter deviating that sometimes lets down a comedy show. The writing is sharp and tight – directors Shannan Lim and Sharnema Nougar have done a great job weaving together all the different parts of Davie’s story that make her such an interesting performer to watch.

For me, the show really worked well when Davie was riffing on her own experience with financial struggles, including her relationship with an ex-boyfriend who sounds, frankly, like a complete bell end. Her visible vulnerabilities were the parts of the show that really stood out to me, and were closer to my own experience with debt ($60k in HECS – I looked it up) and the laughable suggestion that most Gen Ys might one day own a house (L-O-fucking-L).

Davie’s command of her material and her ideas was impressive – she owned the stage and the room, even making audience participation effective in driving home the way some of us are being screwed by the system. Anyone who’s willing to stand up on stage alone and tell jokes has my total and utter admiration, while Davie might not have had me rolling in the aisles, she made me smile all the way through her show. The biggest laughs for me came during her stand-up sections, when she slowed down and read out some of her emails (sounds weird but isn’t).

I’m interested to see what Davie does next, and would like to see more personal vulnerability in her work, especially through her clowning. The message she imparts through Super Woman Money Program is extremely important and pertinent, but I thought she could tell it perfectly well on her own without needing to sit down and literally tell us a story.

Super Woman Money Program is being performed at Tasma Terrace until 22 April.  Tickets can be purchased online and by calling the box office on 03 9245 3788.

Photograph: Nayt Housman

 

Comedy, Festivals

MICF presents It’s Not Funny

An eclectic mix of stand-up, sketch and storytelling

By Josephine Burford 

Grief is a funny thing, and while we will all experience it throughout our lives, no two experiences will be the same. It is highly personal, totally individual and, in most cases, a predominantly internal process. Yet, in It’s Not Funny, Fiannah de Rue’s debut solo show at the Melbourne International Comedy Festival, the audience is invited inside the performer’s mind to witness and share in her grief.

An eclectic mix of stand-up, sketch and storytelling, It’s Not Funny itself is de Rue’s distinctive and public method of mourning the early loss of her loss of her father. From the show’s outset, the audience are clearly told two things; firstly, this is a show about death. Fiannah’s father’s death, when she was only 21. It’s tragic, not funny, and if you have a Dad, you shouldn’t talk about it because that’s insensitive. Secondly, you are about to enter Fiannah’s brain, self-described as akin to that of a stoned 13-year-old boy. It is a world of simultaneous paranoia and wonderment, fear and naivety. This is the tone that pervades the whole performance, and while it is certainly endearing, it results in a somewhat chaotic and rambling production.

It’s Not Funny opened on Monday night to a warm and receptive audience who were treated to de Rue’s witty observations delivered with passion, excitement and a healthy dose of self-awareness. As a performer, de Rue is a joy to watch – she effortlessly puts the audience at ease and welcomes them into her charmingly awkward world. Unfortunately, the performance as a whole seemed to be missing something. Filled with self-deprecating humour and amusing stories from her childhood, de Rue’s writing lacked narrative and structure. Even more conspicuous was the fundamental absence of a discussion of death. The audience are introduced to de Rue’s grieving process with the purchasing of a coffin and organisation of the wake – there is no mention of the cause of her father’s death, how she learned of it or how this emotional upheaval has impacted her.

This is perhaps what was most frustrating about It’s Not Funny – there was almost palpable potential. In a venue that might once have been someone’s living room, with minimal technological invasion and clever writing, the opportunity for connection and emotional growth was huge. It made me wish director Hayley Tantau had pushed de Rue further into more confronting and emotional territory. Ultimately, I was left wanting more and sincerely hope that I will be able to see an updated version of this show in a few years time when with greater distance, grief is more able to be reflected upon, and the tragedy is able to be made funny.

It’s Not Funny is being performed at Tasma Terrace until 22 April.  Tickets can be purchased online and by calling the box office on 03 9245 3788.

Comedy, Festivals

MICF presents Sketch Me Like One of Your French Girls

Enter the mad, mad world of David Massingham

By Leeor Adar

David Massingham is a one-man show of wonder, and he takes you and your fellow audience on an adventure, and one that requires you to become a part of the act. Now, that isn’t exactly everyone’s taste, but I can assure you that even the wallflowers of the audience had smiles bursting at the seams as Massingham drew them into his mad, mad world.

Set in a gorgeous and intimate room in Tasma Terrace, one really feels like they’re in a boudoir being sketched by an eccentric. With artful use of voice over, and a fantastic set of drawings to accompany his sketches, Sketch Me is an utterly spirited and innovative sketch show. Massingham’s marvellous embodiment of a multitude of characters, and brilliant knack for unique sketch makes this a highly enjoyable show for this year’s Melbourne International Comedy Festival.

Massingham is kind of a big deal already in comedy circles, he’s a state finalist for Raw Comedy Queensland (where he hails from), is a member of The Sexy Detectives, and has been running shows since 2015 for the Melbourne International Comedy Festival. He swims in his material, and as a comedic improv master, he’s not afraid of his audience, but rather harnesses the audience’s power to his bidding. This particular quality features frequently in his sketches, where he anticipates audience avoidance, and instead turns it into participation. I won’t let on how he does this, but at one point he uses his sketchpad.

Within a series of sketches, some are recurring, and honestly garner the most laughs. I had a perpetual smile on my face, teeth ready for the next toothy laugh. The audience became Massingham’s co-conspirators in the humour on show, and it takes a truly talented performer and sketch writer to harness us all on stage with him. This is what really drives the success of Sketch Me, between the clever plots and puns, Massingham challenges his audience through breaking – no, smashing – through the fourth wall to deliver comedy gold.

David Massingham is a rising star, and I am genuinely excited to see what he sketches next.

Sketch Me Like One of Your French Girls plays at Tasma Terrace until 8 April.  Tickets can be purchased online and by calling the box office on 03 9245 3788.

Photograph: Kris Anderson

Comedy, Festivals

MICF presents Massive Bitch

 The eccentric and brutal machine of network television revealed

By Josephine Burford

The realm of daytime TV might seem shiny, smiley and choreographed, but the business of network television can be brutal. In order to win the battle for ratings, the producer must be ruthless. She must court controversy and know which buttons to press and which to leave untouched. She must be, well, a bitch.

Returning to the Melbourne International Comedy Festival with Massive Bitch, Chelsea Zeller’s one-woman theatrical production flips the focus, revealing the backstage drama of live television and the eccentric cast of characters that create it.

Massive Bitch is built around Victoria Bidder, the fierce producer brought in to resurrect the once great, “Do You Want The Good News?” Having pulled ratings back to respectable numbers, Victoria only needs to survive her sixtieth show and she will be rewarded with an executive role on the production of her choice. But with an inexperienced crew, unpredictable hosts and guests who don’t play by the rules, Victoria’s success is far from guaranteed.

Zeller gives an impressive performance, transitioning smoothly between wildly divergent characters; from the uptight and ambitious host Angie, to the sporting hero now appearing on the latest season of The Bachelor. From the no-nonsense cameraman to the all-nonsense psychic Beverly. Moments of audience interaction are negotiated with care, and the performance feels present – specific to this audience and this night.

This production is filled with familiar and well-worn cultural-political references such as the dual-citizenship scandal, the Me Too movement and Lee-Lin Chin’s exclusive clique of journalistic stars. While Massive Bitch doesn’t add anything new to these issues, the show’s satirical style is refreshingly kind. Together, Zeller and the show’s director Samuel Russo are ridiculing daytime television and its strange inhabitants yet not disrespecting them. It is at once a send up and an affectionate ode to Australia’s attempt at show business.

Given the unavoidable limitations of a shared performance venue, the duo has made the smart decision to keep technical elements to a minimum. Simple shifts in lighting combined with a recurring theme song mark the transitions between on-air and back stage. These are effective, but unobtrusive, ensuring the focus remains where it should: on Zeller’s multitude of characters and the strange people they become under pressure and on camera.

Massive Bitch plays at The Butterfly Club until 8 April.  Tickets can be purchased online and by calling the box office on 03 9245 3788.