Category: Performances

Events, Performances, Review, Theatre, Whats On

REVIEW: Simon Stephen’s PORNOGRAPHY

Challenging play struggles to connect

By Myron My

Playing at The Malthouse Theatre, Pornography looks at a variety of characters during the seven days in London when the G8 Summit, the Live 8 Concert, the Olympic Games announcement and the London bombings all occurred.

Pornography

My biggest dissatisfaction with Pornography is its length. There is not enough juice in this play to justify a 2.5-hour show. Seven stories – five of which are roughly 20-minute monologues – is also quite a lot to take, and when the couples sitting either side of me did not return after intermission I am quite sure I am not the only one who thought so.

It’s with the other two stories that the pace changes, the characters interact with one another, and a more conventional approach to narrative is followed. We are witness to an incestuous brother and sister and a kind of romance between an old man and a young woman but these potentially dynamic plots were not enough to keep me engaged. The interactions and the characters all felt forced and not organic. I simply did not believe what I was watching.

The stories ultimately lack interest and there are no surprises along the way, as you already know how they will end. The time shifts within stories didn’t help in being able to follow the flimsy plots, as it was quite difficult to gauge how much time had passed between the lights coming down and back up again.

The actors (Imat Akelo-Opio, Emma Chelsey, Hannah Greenwood, Justin Hosking, Richard Neal, Sonya Suares and Jesse Velik) worked hard with their various British accents but the performances as a whole seemed to lack spark. However, Frances Hutson was able to breathe some much-needed life into Pornography through the final more appealing story.

I’m sorry to say that Pornography disappointed me. I walked out feeling nothing about any of the stories I had seen nor about any of the characters I had met. Yes, it did look at the acts of transgression people can commit in such emotionally-heightened times but unfortunately it failed to make me care.

Venue: The Malthouse Theatre, 113 Sturt St, Southbank

Season: Until 3 March | Tues – Sat 8:00pm, Sat 3:00pm, Sun 5:00pm

Tickets: $42 Full | $35 Concession

Bookings: https://boxoffice.malthousetheatre.com.au

Events, Performances, Review, Theatre, Whats On

Review: LOVE ME TENDER by Tom Holloway

An important story works to be told

By Myron My

Directed by Patrick McCarthy, Love Me Tender explores the aftermath of the Black Saturday fires and the effects it has had particularly on one man and his family.

Love Me Tender

I appreciate the adage “show, don’t tell” in theatre, so for me, this performance unfortunately consisted of too much telling. I find prolonged exposition hinders the involvement that an audience member can have with a piece and makes us less likely to care for or invest in the characters.  My other issue with this was that the characters tend to spend a lot of time talking about other people and offering very little about themselves, including remaining unnamed the whole time. The obvious effort to represent universal experiences here isn’t entirely successful.

That said, actors Nick Pelomis and James Tresise had great banter and rapport together. Their scenes are reminiscent of Vladimir and Estragon in Waiting for Godot, bordering on the absurd but giving some relief from the more serious mood at hand. Sarah Ogden also provides a strong yet subtle performance as the Mother.

Lisa Mibus has created a great lighting design for this production, and there were moments where the shadows on the background dominated the scene that was being played out, adding an atmospheric sense of macabre and impending doom to the story. The set design by Ashlee Hughes was also impressive; minimal and subtly used throughout, including a lone tree void of any life after a fire has gone through as its centrepiece.

Love Me Tender attempts to cover a variety of topics including bushfires, love, family and the sexualisation of teenage girls but it doesn’t all flow smoothly and you do get confused as to what is happening. The disjointed stories made this narrative difficult to follow.

McCarthy has obviously worked hard with a difficult and ambitious script by a reputable Australian playwright, which should always be commended, but ultimately I felt Love Me Tender prevents the characters or story from developing to their full potential.

Venue: Theatreworks, 14 Acland St, St Kilda

Season: Until 2 March | 8:00pm

Tickets: $25 Full | $20 Conc

Bookings: 9534 3388 or http://www.theatreworks.org.au

Cabaret, Cabaret Review, Events, Performances

REVIEW: Naomi Price in RUMOUR HAS IT

Adele unplugged and – uncensored…?!

By Myron My

Rumour Has It is an intimate cabaret performance with Adele. Or in other words, cabaret artist Naomi Price has brought her critically-acclaimed show to Melbourne.She enters on stage with her trademark ginger-beehive hairstyle and for the next hour we are treated to an intimate encounter with this foul-mouthed, platinum-selling, Grammy and Golden Globe-winning songstress (and Price’s Adele makes sure we know all this!)

Naomi Price

It’s an evening of girl power with Beyonce, Spice Girls and Amy Winehouse cheekily introduced as people who inspired her or whom she respects, whereupon their songs are all mashed up with Adele’s own music. One of the highlights would therefore have to be seeing Price impersonating Adele impersonating Celine Dion and belting out ‘My Heart Will Go On’…

However, as with any worthy cabaret ‘tribute’ show, there are also a number of the artist’s great classics including ‘Set Fire To The Rain’, ‘Rumour Has It’ and ‘Rolling In The Deep’. However, the showstopper was ‘Someone Like You’ which we had to wait for, with the haunting tune on piano teasing us for quite some time. Once performed, the room was filled with silence as we took in the greatness of what we had just seen and heard. As Price/Adele stated, this is Adele’s song and she/she gives it everything she has.

The most frustrating thing as an audience member was having people coming in up to 25 minutes late into a 60-minute performance but Price did not let this affect her, having some hilarious haughty banter with the latecomers (“I thought you’d be on time to my show”) and making it all feel like it is a part of the performance.

Price’s Rumour Has It is an evening of sassy and witty fun, and if Melbourne gets to enjoy a return season, you really don’t want to get there late. Not only will you miss out on some great cabaret but you may inadvertently end up with the spotlight on you, and that’s probably not something Adele wants…

Venue: Chapel Off Chapel, 12 Little Chapel St, Prahran

Season: 8-9 Feb, 2013

Events, Performances, Review, Whats On

Review: I, ANIMAL at Melbourne Zoo

Taking a walk on the wild side

By Jessica Cornish

Last night my friend and I got to experience I-Animal, thus offering us the opportunity to explore our inner creatures,as well as a select few residents of the Melbourne Zoo.

Before commencing the tour we were all presented with our new best friend for the evening, ‘Zoe’: an interactive i-phone/tablet-type device fitted with senheisser headphones. We were then asked to pick our favourite animal out of a possible three choices.

From there each tour is an individual experience. There is no ‘sheep option,’ on this tour, so you can’t just mindlessly follow the people in front of you. For this night to be a success you really need to succumb to Zoe, and let her dictate your movements for the evening.

My friend and I walked through the gates of the zoo with head sets a go and literally within a minute were separated. I found myself being told to walk down a dirt path to the left, whilst my counterpart bounded straight ahead. But fear not, we were reunited at the end of the evening, eager to swap stories from our different experiences.

The unique adult-only audio tour mixed factual information about certain animals with a combination of folklore, myth and humour. Each tour group sees a different combination of three exhibits, enabling close inspection of the different animals within a small group of people. I first encountered a Sumatran tiger fiercely pacing up and down in the water waiting to snatch up its chicken for the night, whilst a walking bass line rapidly blared through my speakers.It was the most active I had ever seen a tiger and the atmosphere was thrilling. Then there was the hilarity of crazy sexual reproduction information at another exhibit, and at another time, one lady was bought to tears whilst in the process of replicating the grieving process for another animal.

It would have been nice if the tour were longer, and included more exhibits to explore. However, you are encouraged to return again to experience one of the alternate tour options.

For this event you will need to enter via the main gate.It begins promptly at 7pm, so it’s a good idea to arrive at 6.30, but don’t bother any earlier than that as nothing is open!

I-Animal is a special experience that allows reality to be suspended for an hour while you travel around mesmerised, listening to Zoe and discovering your inner animal.

Where: The Melbourne Zoo
When: 7pm daily
Cost: $39, $35.00 conc/zoo members.
Who: 16 years+

Dance, Events, Performances, Review, Theatre, Whats On

REVIEW: Pat Kinevane’s SILENT

Unspoken stories given a powerful voice

By Myron My

Pat Kinevane is the writer and performer of Silent, a one-man play that combines dance, sound, silent films and monologue to create a truly captivating and touching performance.

Silent

Kinevane plays Tino, a homeless man whose cinema-crazed family named him after Rudolph Valentino. Tino looks at specific moments in his life – including the suicide of his gay brother – that have led him to become a homeless man with few possessions and who may or may not be losing his mind.

A one-man show has the potential of losing momentum and audience interest, especially when it runs at close to 80 minutes. Kinevane manages to maintain and vary the pace with different forms of narration, including short dance numbers, miming with pre-recorded voiceovers, and dynamic acting. The blending from one to another is seamless and at just the right moments- so much so, that you sometimes forget you are in fact only watching a single performer.

The large stage is left quite sparse with minimal props available, but Kinevane owns the whole performance area and with the help of well-timed lighting design, also creates an intense and claustrophobic environment thus allowing us to get further inside Tino’s head. Furthermore, the music for Silent beautifully encapsulates the emotional mood of the show and solidly supports in building on the vivid imagery that Kinevane describes to us.

Kinevane charms the audience with his character’s vulnerability and good nature and even though the material borders on crude on occasion, he manages to steer clear of actual vulgarity. His interaction with some audience members as Tino further strengthens our poignant connection to this wreck of a man.

Silent deals with the guilt and remorse we have about past actions and about trying to make amends with our own selves. This is something that we can all relate to and ultimately hope that it does not become our downfall either. A powerful story with just the right emotional strings pulled.

Venue: Southbank Theatre, The Lawler

Season: Until 10 Feb | Fri-Sat 7:30, Sat-Sun 2:00pm

Tickets: $40 Full | $35 Conc

Bookings: mtc.com.au/silent.aspx or 98688 0800

Events, Musical Theatre, Performances, Review, Whats On

Review: CHITTY CHITTY BANG BANG opens in Melbourne

All the fun of being a kid again

By Kim Edwards

I went to Her Majesty’s last night with every intention of being a theatre critic. But there was the excited boy behind me who chattered until the lights went down, whereupon he sat in rapt silence. And the little girl across the aisle who asked in a horrified whisper, “Doesn’t that mean lady like children?!” And the preschooler in front who crawled into mum’s lap at a crucial moment and exclaimed, “Oh no!!” And the audience spontaneously clapping along throughout, and booing the villain, and applauding the over-excited dog who lost his way…

And my inner child kicked my shins and pulled my pigtails, and I succumbed to the joyful fun of a good family musical, and caught my breath in sheer child-like wonder at that spectacular magical moment closing Act One.

chitty-chitty-bang-bang

Written by the creator of James Bond, scored by the musical talents behind Mary Poppins, and starring a who’s who of Melbourne celebrities and theatre stars, this production of Chitty Chitty Bang Bang where a magic car takes a little family on a wild ride into adventure, is full of action, colour, verbal wit and slapstick comedy, and delightful music. My first compliments go to the deliciously dynamic men’s chorus whose spinning dance in Toot Sweets, infectious energy in Ol’ Bamboo, and hilarious elderly antics in Roses of Success won my heart completely. Rachael Beck does a charming job as love interest Truly Scrumptious, Tyler Coppin was wonderfully creepy as the Child-Catcher, and Alan Brough as the Baron and Jennifer Vuletic as ‘that mean lady’ the Baroness were superb comic chemistry.

It was the scene-stealing clowning of the Vulgarian spies played by Todd Goddard and George Kapiniaris however, who most pleased grownups with ribald humour and the kids with their buffoonery.

David Hobson as lead Caractacus Potts does an admirable job, and it is my nostalgic affection for Dick Van Dyke that made this genteel, velvet-voiced portrayal harder to appreciate. It is a shame the theme of overcoming class boundaries therefore gets lost, however.

So the prolonged exposition in the opening scene is clunky, the romance a little flat and unconvincing, the English accents sometimes dubious, and the ‘defeat’ of the bad guys in the finale clumsy – but who cares? Chitty Chitty Bang Bang is thoroughly entertaining and the perfect introduction to the marvels of musical theatre – your kids are simply going to LOVE it.

Playing until March 17 at Her Majesty’s Theatre – book at Ticketek or call 1300 795 012

Events, Musical Theatre, Performances, Review, Whats On

REVIEW: StageArt Presents HAIR

This is the dawning of the Age of Aquarius! With these famous words I experienced the ‘new age’ movement of StageArt’s production of Hair at Chapel Off Chapel.

Hair

From the second you walk into the venue, you feel like you have transported back in time with hippies scattered throughout the space and mingling – in character – with the audience. These guys don’t just break the fourth wall: they smash right through it! There are many moments where the cast runs into the audience singing their songs, speaking directly to us and generally including us in the show. Costume designer Hazel Green has also perfectly encapsulated the essence of the era with her pieces for the cast.

The level of energy the cast had and maintained throughout Hair was quite phenomenal. During the rousing final number of Let The Sun Shine In, I could hear the breathlessness of some of the performers as they stood beside me having given the song all they had.

The other stand-out numbers would have to be the famous Aquarius, Hair as wonderfully performed by Ashley Rousetty and Sam Kitchen and What A Piece of Work Is Man sung brilliantly by Mitchell Sanfillipo and Gina Mets. However, and this is my main qualm with the show, the sound production was not up to scratch. There were moments throughout where it became difficult to hear what was being sung or spoken as the mics would drop in and out.

With eighteen performers and a brilliant five-piece band – led by musical director Cameron Thomas – on stage the whole time you would be right to assume that it is a large space. Upon inspecting the stage and seeing that it is in fact a very tight place I appreciated how much precision and care was needed for the choreography to work and the level of awareness the actors needed at all times.

Famously ending with that powerful final scene and its strong message regarding war which remains relevant in today’s society, you have two more weeks to “come to the orgy” that is Hair and revel in this wonderfully colourful, vibrant and trippy production.

Venue: Chapel Off Chapel, 12 Little Chapel St, Prahran

Season: JAN 31st – FEB 17th, Wed – Sat 8pm,  Sat & Sun 2pm

Tickets: $46.50, $41.50 Conc

Bookings: www.chapeloffchapel.com.au

Events, Music, Performances, Review, Whats On

Review: KATE MILLER-HEIDKE for Melbourne Zoo Twilight Concerts

The iconic Melbourne summer experience

By Jess Cornish

The 2013 Twilight Concerts kicked off last week at the Melbourne Zoo for its annual ‘Summer of Music’ season.The profits of the ongoing event go towards fighting against animal extinction, as well as supporting an incredible array of talented Australian artists.

Last night I had the privilege of experiencing Kate Miller-Heidke perform live. She was amazing, and sounded just as good as any of her recordings, if not even better somehow in the open air! The quirky queen delivered her colloquial pop songs with a dash of opera sprinkled throughout, with ample character and perfect pitch through the overcast night.

Kate Miller Heidke

Her distinctive voice cut through the cold evening air, and had her fans eagerly hanging on every word. Highlights of the evening included the popular hit, Can’t Shake It. The tune brought the crowd to life in  replicating the dance moves from her video clip. Another stand-out moment was Caught in the Crowd, which has interestingly become a tool schools are using to  explore schoolyard bullying.

My only possible complaint about Miller-Heidke’s set was that she didn’t perform an hour longer!

However finger-tapping support act, Kim Churchill was extremely entertaining to watch. Armed with a mixture of acoustic guitars, a harmonica, kick drum, a New Caledonian electric violinist and French Canadian trumpeter his music reminded me of a younger Xavier Rudd with a shot of caffeine injected into the set.

It even seemed fitting that his first song for the evening was one about the falling rain, whilst the audience, my self included, sat firmly on the grass with the heavy clouds slowly splattering light drops of water onto us.

I had a great night but here are some crucial tips for all you future Zoo Twilighters:

If you’re meeting people make sure you clarify where you intend to meet at to avoid confusion. For the summer concerts it’s best to meet at the ‘rail gate entrance’, as it’s a quick and easy walk to the stage from there.

Secondly, this is Melbourne, so while the concerts are advertised as a summer event it could be 42 degrees or 10! So bring everything: sunscreen, hats, beanies and blankets. This is a must so your plus-one doesn’t end up begrudgingly jacketless for the night in the spirit of kindness for their unweather-savvy girl friend…

Thirdly, consider bringing a picnic. Only one food outlet had card facilities and food choices were limited and expensive.

Overall, these iconic Melbourne concerts are definitely an amazing concept with an incredible variety of artists, and support a great cause. What more could you ask for?

If you haven’t already been – get on it!

Where: Melbourne Zoo

When: 25 Jan- 9 March, 7pm start.

Cost: Adults from $45.00-$49.10, Children: $22.50- $26.10

Bookings: online or phone 1300 966 784

Events, Music, Performances, Review, Theatre, Whats On

REVIEW: The Giraffe’s Uncle at LA MAMA

Local Aussie theatre at its best

By Tania Herbert

For those who came of age in Carlton, a return to La Mama Theatre is like coming home. And what better to come home to than a good old Aussie yarn. The Giraffe’s Uncle is the story of Sydney writer Les Robinson, a self-proclaimed  “cave-dwelling fantasist” who stumbles through the 20s to the 60s in the Sydney fringes.

Photo by Cynthia Sciberras

Well in command of this one-man show, Martin Portus’ background as a former Radio National arts broadcaster places him in good stead. His impressive command of voice really does capture an old school spirit and you could have happily close your eyes and feel that you were listening to an old-time Australian radio serial.

Although clearly portraying a very colourful Australian character– who is, in his own words ,”basking in a sense of the florid”- Portus’ performance is somewhat lacking in naturalism, and is choreographed down to every gesture.

The Giraffe's Uncle

However, this is certainly part of the reason this was a strong execution of an entertaining piece of theatre.  The show is punctuated with historic projections and chuckle worthy snippets of letters from Les’ life. Singer Darryl Emmerson also steps in to give us a couple of good old Aussie folk tunes that will leave you feeling like you’ve just had a beer with your granddad.

Very approachable, very Australian, and just very La Mama this is indeed a show which is, as Les found himself amusingly described, “not without a mild form of talent.”

Dates: January 31 – February 10, Wed, Fri, Sun 8.30pm, Thur, Sat 6.30pm

Venue: La Mama Theatre, Level 1, 205 Faraday St Carlton

Tickets: $25 full/ $15 conc, online at www.lamama.com.au or 03 9347 6142

Events, Performances, Review, Theatre, Whats On

Review: MTC presents THE OTHER PLACE

Compelling and wrenching theatre

By Christine Moffat

The Other Place by Sharr White is one of the best-written pieces of theatre I’ve seen in a long time.

TheOtherPlace_MTC

It is a fabulous double mystery: the cause of the mental disorientation of Juliana (Catherine McClements), and the discovery of what really happened at ‘the other place’.  The answer to each is dark and gut-wrenching, but the play is a clever combination of bittersweet humour and authentic characters.

Tragic stories can sometimes be too brutal to be enjoyed, but director Nadia Tass has evoked a delicacy from the text, creating a production that is simultaneously saddening and relatable.  This makes for a show in which the audience invests; we want to watch because we care.  At opening night this reviewer and many other audience members of various ages were in tears, and more than once.

Due to the disjointed timeline of the play, it’s a tough journey for the actors.  All of the cast were superb, with McClements in the lead role of Juliana and Heidi Arena as ‘A Woman’ being the standouts.  McClements beautifully navigated the alternating acidity and vulnerability of Juliana.  Arena played several roles, all with great humour, one with incredible pathos, and jumped between the scenarios ably.  However, I believe that more could have been done visually to differentiate between her roles.  I think this would have been less distracting for the audience, as playing different people only moments apart is difficult feat to achieve through performance alone.  David Roberts’ performance of Ian was touching and at times confronting, making his portrayal all the more believable given Ian’s circumstances.  David Whitely as ‘A Man’ had very few scenes, but he was very engaging in the stage time they allowed him.

The set design by Shaun Gurton was minimal and incredibly well-suited to the show.  The transitions between locations were elegant and the sense of place was fantastic.  The use of multimedia, via a giant screen at the back of the stage, was well-integrated and added to each setting in obvious or subtle ways without ever being distracting.

This production has obviously benefited from the talent and hard work of every person involved.  I found the story almost unbearably tragic, but the telling of it is too well-executed to miss.

Venue: Arts Centre Melbourne, Playhouse

Dates: 2 February to 2 March

Tickets: From $58, Under 30 $33

Bookings: Southbank Theatre Box Office 03 8688 0800 or mtc.com.au; Arts Centre Melbourne 1300 182 183 or artscentremelbourne.com.au