Category: Performances

Festivals, Performances, Whats On

REVIEW: House of Vnholy Presents HOMME

Gentle performance art exposed and exposing

By Myron My

Created by the House of Vnholy and performed as part of the 2015 Melbourne Fringe Festival, Homme is a performative piece that explores male identity and contemporary masculinity in Australia. Through a series of vignettes and in complete silence, the differences between what it means to be a male and be a female are subtly explored.

Homme

It is standing room only during the performance, with Homme enveloping virtually the whole space.  The white flooring is bare except for a number of select items, including a washing machine, a bundle of black balloons, a megaphone and a plinth. The two performers – Matthew Adey and Rebecca Jensen – are dressed in black and the only time they speak is when they ask audience members for assistance with the props.

An audio menagerie of animal sounds play out from the speakers as Adey undresses and rests atop the washing machine in tableau. In conjunction with these sounds, Adey very much resembles a reposing lion, which evokes the idea of masculinity and the animal kingdom and being the king of the “jungle”.

At one point during the performance, Adey resumes his standing position, still unclothed, and opens himself to be the object of not only Jensen’s gaze, but also ours. Later, Adey ‘battles’ with a plinth, as he hugs, clings to and succumbs to the over-powering weight of it. Like a Greek sculpture battling to return to his rightful position on a pedestal, so to is masculinity struggling to demand and retain its position of power.

The 30-minute performance moves quite slowly and at times, there is no movement happening at all. However, the striking images and vignettes give the audience the opportunity to venture inside themselves and think about the issues HOMME is raising as the performance is inviting these thoughts without letting us miss out on what comes next. HOMME asks us to question what being a “man” in contemporary society entails while hinting that the masculine and the feminine are not so different after all and perhaps there is no necessity for division and differentiation.

Venue: Northcote Town Hall, 189 High St, Northcote, 3070.

Season: Until 3 October | Sat 3.30pm and 8.30pm

Tickets: $22 Full | $20 Conc

Bookings: Melbourne Fringe Festival

Musical Theatre, Performances, Whats On

REVIEW: Critical Stages and Shane Anthony Present SONGS FOR THE FALLEN

A witty and sumptuous tragedy

By Bradley Storer

Marie Duplessis, 19th-century French courtesan, socialite, literary muse and all-round party girl who died just after her 23rd birthday and whose life inspired artists from Alexandre Dumas, Giuseppe Verdi all the way to Baz Luhrmann, returns from the grave for one last party at the Fairfax Studio – and this one is going to be a killer!

Songs for the Fallen

Songs for the Fallen is a fabulous melange of tragic musical, bawdy cabaret and pumping pop opera, the writing of Sheridan Harbridge and music by Basil Hogios finding a pulsating and contemporary vitality, appropriate for this story of the original ‘material girl’! The set by Michael Hankin recalls the decaying remains of a 19th-century French apartment but easily transforms into a drug-crazed disco or demented vaudevillian circus upon demand.

Harbridge in the role of Marie Duplessis is a dynamo, a slender and fragile figure with a huge voice encased in fabulous corsets and garters who claims centre stage, shamelessly courts and molests the audience from the get-go and whose boundless charisma never lets up. She is aided by two versatile fellow performers, Simon Corfield and Ashley Hawkes, who assume the roles of various characters as we are taken on a burlesque and irreverent retelling of Marie’s rags-to-riches-and-back-again story. The three work so seamlessly and effortlessly together that they produce the energy and character of an ensemble of ten! Hogios’ score wonderfully and tunefully captures the seductively lush materialism of Marie’s existence in thumping dance beats, as well as her despair at its fragility and lack of inner purpose in gorgeous pop ballads.

It is a credit to the show that even as it pokes fun at any pretence of seriousness or accuracy to the historical context, a beating and wounded heart lurks beneath the surface. Songs for the Fallen captures, better perhaps than any other derivative depiction of Duplessis, the tragic dimension of this complex woman who clawed her way up from the gutter, living in brief splendour only to be consumed by incurable illness that left her alone, wretched and friendless before her death. Refusing to draw a moral or produce judgement, Songs for the Fallen heart-breakingly communicates the senseless and unjust cruelties of the world at the same time it embraces the joy and immaculate pleasure of simply being alive.

Time: 8pm
Date: 29th September – 3rd October
Venue: Fairfax Studio, The Arts Centre, 100 St Kilda Rd.
Tickets: Adult $49, Under 30’s $30
Bookings: www.artscentremelbourne.com.au, 1300 182 183, at the box office.

Festivals, Performances, Whats On

REVIEW: Daley King in I’M NOT ALRIGHT

Poetry, puppetry and poignancy in progress

By Myron My

Daley King has been living with depression for over a decade: longer, if you consider the fact his father has also lived with it. In his 2015 Melbourne Fringe Festival show debut I’m Not Alright, King takes us on a poetic journey on mental illness via physical theatre, a jazz soundtrack, and puppets.

I'm Not Alright

Apart from using his own experience, King has interviewed a variety of people with mental illness to create this story. King has a great ability to engage us with the poetic flow of his words as they paint a picture of a person who is struggling with his intense sadness and loneliness. The jazz music creates a poignantly contrasting image of laughter and chatter that signifies the mind-set that people with depression can have without King needing to explicitly address it.

King uses a puppet look-a-like of himself as his inner voice, invoking some light humour into the dark territory that is depression and suicidal thoughts. The use of the puppet reminds me of my own childhood experiences, and that as children all we ever want it to be loved and to feel safe. It adds a real vulnerability to King without him having to fall into cliché or stereotype.

While King does well in sharing and performing this intimate story, the narrative itself could still do with some fine-tuning, in particular the build-up to the conclusion. The ending occurs quite abruptly and seems to falter somewhat in retaining the thoughtful momentum King has established. At the end of the show, he explains that I’m Not Alright is still a work in progress and the impact of this finale is probably where he most needs to focus his attention.

I’m Not Alright is a touching but unsentimental exploration of mental illness with a person suffering from depression. Despite its topic, the show ends with hope for a better future, and with further development and a stronger narrative, there is a distinct chance King’s show will have a promising one too.

Venue: The Tuxedo Cat, 293 – 299 La Trobe Street, Melbourne.

Season: Until 4 October | Thurs-Sun 9.45pm

Tickets:$25 Full | $20 Conc

Bookings: Melbourne Fringe Festival

Festivals, Performances, Review

REVIEW: The Suicide Ensemble Presents THE REALITY EVENT

Whether controversy is enough

By Myron My

Led by Daniel Gough, The Suicide Ensemble presented an evening of ‘fun and death’ for the 2015 Melbourne Fringe Festival. Their work The Reality Event is divided up in two halves: GAME and SUICIDE. GAME aims to put its audience in the driver seats of theatre creation, whereas in SUICIDE we are forced to confront the idea of ‘safe’ theatre and its boundaries between art and life.

The Reality Event

In GAME, we are divided into five teams with one of The Suicide Ensemble (Pavle Banovic, Esther Dougherty, Finley Kube, Remi Roehrs or Sampson Smith) as the team captain. If the team loses a challenge, the team captain is publicly “shamed” and sent away. The “shamings” range from a public “dacking” to eating a tablespoon of wasabi. There is a pack mentality to the proceedings as we are encouraged to laugh and cheer while this is happening and despite its title, there is still a deliberately and grimly dark element to GAME.

The outlined purpose of GAME is to give audiences the opportunity to be in charge of theatre, yet I found myself questioning what exactly this theatre we were supposed to be making was? The team captains were the ones who generally competed in the challenges and in the shamings, except for a few “brave” audience members. While the performance was a somewhat fun experience, I never once felt like I was in control of this experience. The abrupt ending and lack of explanation did not help clarify any of these ideas either.

However, it is in the second half of The Reality Event, SUICIDE, that things take a distinct turn for the worse. The five performers explain they are each going to be killing themselves and we will vote on who commits suicide and what method they will use. They explain that this is not a show to talk about suicide but to blur the lines between what is real and what is theatre. For the next forty minutes therefore, we sit and watch as each person graphically depicts ending their life, through stabbing, suffocation and hanging, to name a few. It is harrowing to watch, with a number of people walking out the evening I attended.

SUICIDE wants to make theatre “unsafe”, but I feel there are much better ways of eliciting and exciting these feelings than by showing extreme and distressful scenes of people committing suicide. There is no entertainment, no enjoyment and nothing to learn in watching these scenes unfold. There is no discernible purpose or art here, just gratuitous shock-value scenes of violence.

The Reality Event attempts to turn theatre around and have the audience – traditionally the watcher – be the creator and instigator. However, to achieve this successfully I feel more care and thought is needed to ensure that this work’s intended messages are conveyed in an effective and responsible manner. The Reality Event seems to be more focused on creating something that people will talk about – rather than creating good theatre that people will talk about.

The Reality Event was performed at The Tuxedo Cat as part of the Melbourne Fringe Festival on 24 – 29 September.

Festivals, Performances, Review

REVIEW: Sophie Joske will BECOME A FUNCTIONAL ADULT IN 45 MINUTES

Tightly-wrought, intelligent and very enjoyable performance

By Myron My

Sophie Joske wants to become an adult. She wants to be accomplished and respected as a person, but she’s not quite there yet. Presented as part of the 2015 Melbourne Fringe Festival, Become a Functional Adult in 45 Minutes is a cautionary tale in which Joske explores what life must be like to be a successful adult.

Become a Functional Adult in 45 Minutes

Joske sets her sights on graduating from the Mature Learning Academy as an ‘adult’ so she can finally go out and live her life. What follows is a series of satirical ‘self-help’ tests in a variety of categories, such as work, social skills, relationships and sex, to assess just how prepared Joske is at handling these situations as a fully-fledged adult. Sadly, she fails at each, but not without some real laughs along the way.

Joske’s punchlines are well delivered and the flashbacks scenes are a touch of gold. One of the many great moments of the show is the “positive female affirmations” that play over the speakers as Joske gets changed into a different outfit. Joske’s desperation to graduate reaches a dramatic climax that you can see coming but are ultimately still stunned and surprised by what has eventuated. The one serious moment of the show is executed extremely well and really pushes the message Joske is trying to say.

Become a Functional Adult in 45 Minutes offers a witty critique of modern society and the sexism and gender inequalities that are so prevalent within it. A memorable example of this is Joske’s revelation of the process women ‘must’ go through in order to look and smell attractive enough to the opposite sex whereas men…just need to take a shower. Joske also takes a swipe at our ageist society, which will question your life choices if you are over 30, and not yet married with children.

Become a Functional Adult in 45 Minutes is a highly restrained and subtle look at how society is programming us to be the type of adults it wants us to be rather than allowing people to make their own choices. It’s an important message for any person of any gender or sex to be aware of. Joske’s balance of humour and critique is well thought-out that has you walking out questioning what exactly has influenced your decisions in life – but still with a smile on your face.

Venue: Club Voltaire, 14 Raglan St, North Melbourne, 3051

Season: Until 28 September | 7.30pm

Tickets: $20 Full | $17 Conc

Bookings: Melbourne Fringe Festival

Festivals, Late Night Shows, Performances

REVIEW: Elena Gabrielle Presents DIRRTY

Cheerfully unsanitary

By Myron My

From the opening act of the 2015 Melbourne Fringe Festival late-night variety show Dirrty, it is very clear that this is not going to be a regular type of variety show. To say anymore about what transpires would be to ruin the surprise that curator Elena Gabrielle has planned. The night itself involves a variety of performance artists invited by Gabrielle to celebrate all things sex and taboo in their own unique ways.

Dirrty

The condoms and lube are freely available and there is a lot of flesh – both male and female – on display. There are songs about the joys of protected sex and the answer to where exactly JonBenét Ramsey as been is revealed. It is indeed, a hedonistic night for all.

Gabrielle is unashamedly the heart, blood and tears (and possible other bodily functions) of this sexy show. All her acts are playful, engaging to watch, and most importantly, fun. Her own spin on “All That Jazz” and “Diamonds Are A Girls Best Friend” showcases her range of talents, including her impressive singing and her brilliant sense of humour. Gabrielle could front this show solely based on her own acts and it would be a standout for this festival.

However, this is promoted as a variety show and as such, the success of a production like this is based on its guest artists – and unfortunately on this night, I didn’t feel the other performances were as captivating or exciting to watch as Gabrielle’s. They were all nicely aligned with the “dirrty” theme for the evening and pushing the boundaries of “conservatism”, but apart from the admirable Ladybird Blue, the other artists didn’t have the same pulling power to drawn me in.

If you can handle the 11.30pm time slot, Dirrty is worth a look, if only to see Gabrielle strut her stuff. This is definitely a show where you can leave your inhibitions at the door and if you don’t, Gabrielle and guests will make sure they take them off you instead.

Venue: The Butterfly Club, 5 Carson Place, Melbourne

Season: 26 September, 1-3 October | 11.30pm

Tickets: $32 Full | $28 Conc

Bookings: Melbourne Fringe Festival

Comedy, Festivals, Performances

REVIEW: Andrew Milne and Patch Blank in I DON’T LIKE YOU

From frenemies to fragments, and narrative to nuance

By Myron My

Andrew Milne and Patch Blank have brought their unique clowning and performance art production I Don’t Like You to audiences as part of the 2015 Melbourne Fringe Festival. Their debut show initially explores the relationship and emotions between two friends who actually don’t really like each other…

I Don't Like You

I Don’t Like You starts off strongly and with a seemingly clear aim of where it is headed. The duo are very skilled at finding humour in a range of situations and reminded me a little of the physical comedy popularised in modern culture by Mr. Bean with their highly expressive faces and exaggerated movements. Milne and Blank play well together and their best work is when they are interacting with each other.

In the second act, the two begin to experiment with concepts of postmodernism and to break down the structures they have set up. The silliness and jokiness and silence they were playing with becomes fragmented, and the audience becomes slightly more actively involved in the show while also significantly unaware of what is going to happen next. At one point, Milne begins to aggressively speak to the audience as he emphatically blows up balloon animals, exclaiming and explaining “it’s only air”…

As part of I Don’t Like You’s deconstruction of theatre, Milne hangs a gun on the wall early in the show, a cheeky nod to the principle of Chekhov’s Gun (which states, “If in the first act you have hung a pistol on the wall, then in the following one it should be fired. Otherwise don’t put it there.”) What happens with this production is that events or objects in the first half are deliberately forgotten and others suddenly occur or appear in the second half. Increasingly, the show’s title seems to not simply be referring to the relationship of two people on stage, but to be a critique of theatre and performance itself as the artists attempt to re-think what these terms actually mean.

Milne and Blank certainly have a knack with physical comedy, clowning and (meta)theatre. There are some clever and funny moments in I Don’t Like You and as first-time performers it will be interesting to see how they continue expanding on their interest in breaking theatre and its rules.

Venue: Club Voltaire, 14 Raglan St, North Melbourne, 3051

Season: Until 4 October | 9.30pm

Tickets: $25 Full | $20 Conc | $15 Cheap Tuesday

Bookings: Melbourne Fringe Festival

Cabaret, Performances, Whats On

REVIEW: Becky Lou’s SEEN & HEARD

Candid confessionals from amazing artists

By Myron My

Earlier this year, Becky Lou dazzled audiences with her debut solo show Shake, in which she recalled moments of her life that in some way, shape or form led her to a career in burlesque. It was a unique opportunity to hear her speak, as well as entertain us with a number of memorable burlesque acts. Presented as part of the 2015 Melbourne Fringe Festival, Lou’s Seen & Heard brings together a number of her favourite performers on stage to share with the audience some highly personal moments from their lives.

Seen And Heard

There is a rotation of six guest artists from a variety of performance backgrounds for Seen & Heard’s run and tonight’s line-up consists of drag queen Karen from Finance, burlesque performer Honey B. Goode and vaudevillian Clara Cupcakes. Tonight’s guests put on quite a show, including Karen from Finance’s rendition of “I Will Always Love You”, which had me in stitches and Hunter’s humourous depiction of what a stripper is actually thinking about when giving a lap dance.

However, it is when they begin sharing their intimate anecdotes that Seen & Heard really comes to life. While not all talks are polished and there’s a feeling of nervousness with some, the guests are sharing some highly personal moments with a roomful of strangers potentially for the first time, so this raw uncertainty is something that can be overlooked. Lou and her guests have always been seen and not heard, and to be more specific, not heard as themselves but as their character or persona. As Clara states, she’s rarely spoken in her real voice when dressed up in her make-up and costumes.

With a performer on the stage, there is always an admiration of such artists but embedded in the idea of us and them: the audience and the star. Becky Lou’s Seen & Heard reminds us that these people are just like us: in fact, they too wet themselves, they too flatulate and they too can have the most incredibly random sexual mishaps… It’s a way of connecting the performers candidly with their audiences, and it’s an entertaining and unique experience for both.

Venue: The Butterfly Club, 5 Carson Place, Melbourne

Season: Until 27 September | 10pm

Tickets: $32 Full | $28 Conc

Bookings: Melbourne Fringe Festival

Festivals, Performances, Theatre

REVIEW: Melbourne Fringe Presents SUBURBIA

Driving out into the dark streets for immersive theatre experience

By Myron My

Most people dream of having their own little slice of the suburban dream; a loving family, a dog and a place to call home. What could be better than that? However, if you look under the surface, you’ll find that things are not always what they seem. Playing as part of the 2015 Melbourne Fringe Festival, Suburbia offers a glimpse into these lives we know little about.

Suburbia

My fellow two passengers and I meet at the steps of the North Melbourne Town Hall and are led to a parked car and the driver takes us through the streets of North Melbourne, stopping intermittently at various locations where we get to witness our neighbourhood in a very different light. We don’t stay at any location more than a couple of minutes and there is barely any dialogue exchanged. The soundtrack composition by Simone Gustafsson that plays in the car is perfectly suited to the theme of the night, provoking feelings of uncertainty and curiosity.

It is up to us to determine the scene, relationships and mood purely by what we see. There’s the couple having a heated argument in their car and the woman who is crossing the roundabout with determination. Suburbia is about showing us these snippets into the lives of those around us: those we don’t know and those we don’t see. The most striking moment of all was something that lasted just mere seconds but is the creepiest thing I have seen in “real life” in a very long time and I wonder what would have happened had someone from the public just happened to walk by.

Timing is of the essence with this show. As we drive from one vignette to another, there is no doubt that the rest of the cast (Cazz Bainbridge, Xavier O’Shannessy, Ross De Winter, Anneli Bjorasen, Claudia Nugent, Davina Wright and Carolyn Butler) is frantically racing to get to their next location on time (not that this haste is ever obvious, however).

As we are driven around, my voyeuristic urges begin to slowly take over and I begin to look through other people’s windows and watch as local people walk past or cycle by or take their dog out for a late-night walk. I wonder if they’re aware of what is also happening right in front of their eyes.

Suburbia is an enjoyable immersive experience that will linger in your mind long after the car pulls back up to the North Melbourne Town Hall. The shared experiences with your fellow passengers can be varied (ours were), but the performance is a reminder that just because we don’t see these people in our own neighbourhoods doesn’t mean they don’t exist.

*Playing at Arts House, North Melbourne Town Hall until Oct 3, the current 2015 Melbourne Fringe season of Suburbia is completely sold out*

Image by Rebekah Kamsky, featuring Davina Wright and Xavier O’Shannessy

Festivals, Musical Theatre, Performances, Whats On

REVIEW: La Mama Presents ALPHA

Word play and body art evoke and emote

By Myron My

In this day and age, queer identity is more important than ever. Or is it? In Sebastian Robinson and Tamara Natt’s 2015 Melbourne Fringe production Alpha, the two performers explore the idea of what modern-day queer identity looks like – and if it actually exists. Through poetry, movement, music and sound, the two create a world where the roles we choose to take on in life are revealed and questioned.

Alpha

Robinson and Natt appear on an empty stage, dressed in matching white shoes and black tracksuit outfits. They spend the next 50 minutes creating some beautiful visuals for us not only through their soft and fluid movements and exploration of the space but also through their words. From a Britney Spears song to an Auslan interpretation of a Delta Goodrem song to one of their original works of poetry, Alpha shows how words can do so much to an environment even when you are staring at a relatively empty stage.

Sound designer Milly O’Sullivan, is also on stage with the two performers, creating a live soundscape with her guitar that manages to quietly nestle its way into your mind. Whether it be accompanying the poetry being recited or the scene being acted out or the bodies moving on the stage, O’Sullivan’s sounds heighten every emotion and thought the audience are invited to experience.

At times however, I felt there was so much happening with Alpha and subsequently in my head, that it was difficult to fully grasp and appreciate all the ideas that were being presented. Perhaps this is the point that Robinson and Natt are trying to make with this work. Maybe there is no such thing as queer identity. Maybe the very concept is too big to grasp. There is no constant in the world so maybe we only need to be aware of our own personal identity to love and be loved. Either way, it’s worth your time seeing this show and coming to your own conclusions.

Venue: La Mama Theatre, 205 Faraday Street, Carlton

Season: Until 27 September | Thurs – Sat 10pm, Sun 6.30pm

Tickets: $25 Full | $15 Conc

Bookings: 
Melbourne Fringe Festival