Category: Performances

Circus, Events, Performances, Review, Whats On

REVIEW: Daniel Oldaker is DANDYMAN

Fine physical comedy from humble beginnings

By Myron My

Daniel Oldaker is physical theatre. Having seen him perform previously, I was quite excited to see what his new comedy show Dandyman would entail.

Dandyman

After what was probably the most captivating and engaging entrance for a show I have seen in a while, Oldaker takes to the stage in his bright blue and pink suit and accessories. The very loose story revolves around Dandyman waiting at the airport to board his flight and having to combat the boredom of plane delays and a very stubborn suitcase.

There is a simplicity in Dandyman that takes you back to being a child and that ability we once had to create so much out of nothing. Oldaker whips out two pages from a newspaper and ten bright pink straws and begins to dazzle us with all of his creations.

From paper babies, to flying birds of various sizes to up-close and personal facial features, Oldaker covers pretty much everything.

There is a touch of Dr. Brown’s mannerisms and character in Oldaker’s comedy but it is far less confronting and so allows the audience to be more at ease with what he is doing and to just enjoy it.

The disappointing thing about the show would have to be the length. At 35 minutes I did not feel like I had been on a full journey with the character. As much as I enjoyed the straw and paper moments and the bit of juggling, knowing what Oldaker is capable of I did not leave feeling fulfilled by what I had seen.

Oldaker informed us at the end of the show that this was the beginning of Dandyman and that it would eventually turn into a “totally different beast” than what we saw. There is great potential to develop this character and that is something to look forward to.

Venue: The Butterfly Club, 204 Bank Street, South Melbourne

Season: Until 9 December | 9:00pm, Sun 8:00pm

Tickets: $23 Full | $15 Concession

Bookings: www.thebutterflyclub.com

Events, Performances, Review, Whats On

Review: GAUGE at Arts House

Talking about the weather has never been so fascinating

By Kate Boston Smith

Having initially misread the blurb about Gauge (created by five artists – Madeleine Flynn, Tim Humphrey, Graeme Leak, Rosemary Joy and Cameron Robbins, and two scientists: Dr Michael Roderick and Dr Adrian Pearce) as a more conventional theatre performance, I entered the ghostly Meat Market with expectations that were quickly shattered.  Eerily quiet, except for a strange knocking of wood blocks, I teetered across the Victorian cobblestone floor, following the sound and dim light to the far end of the historic market stall.

Gauge

What I walked into were two performers drumming beats from a mysterious score that made little melodic sense.  It was mesmerizing to watch and to try and work out what was happening. One performer beat with his hands a large wooden “draw”, while the other held a tiny wooden vessel beating it with a small wooden block.  Once the piece was over it was explained that the larger wooden “draw” represented Melbourne’s water storage capacity, and smaller vessel London’s.  The score they followed was reading of rainfall in each city and was fascinating to look at once the performance had finished.

Around the mobile audience was an array of beautiful sculpture pieces that exuded an aura of a post-apocalyptic scientific dream space. The other pieces in the space included a baby grand piano stripped of its lid.  There was an air of abandonment to the decrepit instrument that now stood left to decay under a dripping roof.  Fat water drops would periodical strike a note adding surprise moments to the soundtrack of this collaborative art piece.

Notable also was the blowup pool that had a simulated weather system created by dry ice and huge vacuum like funnel hanging above it.  A flutist, with a long pipe attached to the end of his flute, circled the pool playing a piece of music that could send shivers down your spine.  To the delight of all, his breath and movement encouraged the beginnings of a small tornado in the centre of the pool that was swept up through the funnel.

It is a wonderful thing when art and science come together.  Both worlds, and their practitioners, are filled with passion and the desire to explore, inquire and unveil.   All the pieces in the exhibition were based around water and weather.  There was a tactility nature to each piece and playing with the pieces was encouraged.  Once the formal performances had finished it was exciting to watch the audience take the place of the performers and recreate the sounds and the mini-storms themselves.

Though I walked in expecting something else I thoroughly enjoyed the strange world of the visual and performance art installation I was transported into.  I would’ve loved more details of the science behind each piece, but it was also interesting to put my imagination to the test to analyze and wonder.

The world premiere of Gauge took place at the Arts House Meat Market Nov 15-21, 2012

Cabaret, Cabaret Review, Festivals, Performances, Whats On

REVIEW: Short+Sweet Cabaret 2012

Variety was never so sweet!

By Myron My

Short+Sweet is the biggest little arts festival in the world that celebrates ten-minute performances in theatre, cabaret and dance. Crammed into 19 days, there are roughly 100 original works performed. As with any variety show though, there are going to be some performances that are significantly stronger than others.

Short+Sweet Cabaret

My top choice of the Group A performances for the Short+Sweet Cabaret Festival would therefore be Good Grief performed by Sarah Gaul and Sophie Wright. There was obvious rapport between the two as they played thespian ‘frenemies‘ who are looking at building on their repertoire of tragedy to become better actors. Both women have great voices and songs that had the audience in stitches with laughter.

Another highlight was Amanda Buckley in Haley Burton: Ready to Role: her charming nature made the crowd warm to her immediately in this semi-improvised cabaret of a high-achieving understudy.

Quite possibly one of the last things I expected to ever see in cabaret would be a show about Oprah Winfrey but it happened at Short+Sweet with Oprahfication…the ULTIMATE interview. As Opraaaaaaaaah! Rachel Dunham’s resemblance was uncanny and her portrayal throughout of this talk show queen was spot on.

Each ten-minute cabaret also had some very talented musicians, be it pianists, drummers or guitarists. There were a few that stayed in my mind after the shows were completed so my mentions would have to go A Very Kitty Christmas’ Barnaby Reither, A Little bit of Little Pattie’s Cameron Thomas and Oprahfication…’s Shanon Whitelock.

The mind boggles in choosing what to see and that’s the great thing about Short+Sweet, having such a diverse range of ideas and concepts. There are many different stories to be told and all are created with passion and dedication.

Venue: Chapel Off Chapel, 12 Little Chapel Street  Prahran

Season: Until 8 December | various times

Tickets: From $25

Bookings: http://www.shortandsweet.org

Events, Performances, Review, Stand-Up Comedy, Theatre, Whats On

Review: DEATH OF A COMEDIAN at La Mama Courthouse

Getting behind the scenes of the comedy circuit

By Myron My

Death of a Comedian by Fred Rowan is a privileged view into the  green room of a local comedy club as a group of comedians warm up for their show, but it might as well be a group of patients in the waiting room of a medical centre awaiting test results. As the performers wait backstage we witness their tension and anxieties, and as they return from the stage we wait with dread to see if they “killed it or were killed”.

Death of a Comedian

The whole amusing performance takes place over the course of this one night in the green room. The set design was very realistic in depicting what the back room of a pub looks like, and some great stage lighting involved having the comedian who was giving their set take centre stage while the rest of the cast remained in the background of the green room, thus allowing the two worlds to combine yet remaining visually separate.

Jeremy Kewley was brilliant as Graham Dempster, the organizer of the event raising funds for a hospital. His energy and endearingly annoying character were well received by the audience. Kevin Summers as a comedian desperate for a comeback, Johnny Mazing, was reminiscent of the fear we all have of not wanting to be forgotten and trying to hold onto our past. Although it took him a while to settle into his character, the audience was firmly on his side by the end. Believing in a few of the other performers was sometimes a struggle however: it felt like I was watching comedians acting and not actors being comedians.

There was some sharp dialogue and at times this reminded me of the backstage shenanigans that go on during something like Noises Off! which allowed Death of a Comedian to bring home the laughs. I think cutting ten minutes from the show would have created a much cleaner show and the ending, whilst trying to bring in some poignancy, needed editing too as it seemed to go on that little bit too long.

Death of a Comedian is, self-consciously, a drama about comedy. But there are more than enough laughs in this production to make you think otherwise.

Venue: La Mama Courthouse, 349 Drummond St, Carlton

Season: Until 9 December | Wed, Sun 6:30pm. Thu-Sat 7:30pm

Tickets: $25 Full | $15 Concession

Bookings: http://lamama.com.au

Events, Performances, Review, Theatre, Whats On

REVIEW: Declan Greene’s POMPEII, L.A.

A wry, absurdist take on the celebrity life

By Myron My

The Malthouse Theatre production of Declan Greene’s Pompeii, L.A. follows the fortunes of a troubled young child star after a terrible accident leaves him in hospital. Green looks at the influence and effects Hollywood has on such young impressionable people and speculates as to the ultimate fate that most of them will meet.

To begin with, Nick Schlieper’s slick set design was flawless: I would go so far as to say it was right up there with the most impressive stage designs I have seen.  There was so much attention paid to detail and ensuring the environment was as real as possible. Having such extravagant sets did run the risk of a clumsy transition with getting rid of and adding so many props and pieces, but scene changes were executed well and went very smoothly.

Also worth mentioning was the great play across such a large space. There were lavish scenes that spread out all over the stage which did create a sort of divide between us and the action and whether this was intentional or not, it worked well. In contrast, the scenes in the hospital which used a much a smaller space and moved closer to the audience created that intimacy and solitude one would expect.

I did find the story a little hard to follow, even somewhat convoluted. I appreciate what Greene was attempting to do in showing the surrealism existing between celebrity life and real life and exploring what can happen when the two worlds blur together but as an average audience member I was left wondering what was going on quite a few times which detracts from being able to immerse oneself into the experience. 

However, what the story lacked was more than made up by the actors, in particular David Harrison as the unnamed protagonist. Harrison played the role with realism and honesty, especially his scenes in hospital. Even when he was surrounded by exaggerated caricatures of people in those scenes, he still maintained the humanity and true emotion of his character. Belinda McClory was also great with her opening cameo as Judy Garland and continued to impress with the other characters she portrayed throughout. There were times I was unsure if there was a different actor performing, such were her chameleon ways.

Overall, Pompeii, L.A. is a thought-provoking production and considering how strongly obsessed our culture is with celebrities and their lifestyles, it’s an interesting piece of theatre that is well worth watching.

Venue: The Malthouse Theatre, 113 Sturt St, Southbank

Season: Until 9 December | 7:30pm, Sat 2:30pm, Sun 5:30pm

Tickets: $58 Full | $48 Concession | $28 Student

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

Events, Musical Theatre, Performances, Review, Whats On

Review: MARGARET FULTON – Queen of the Dessert

An exciting new Australian musical takes the cake

By Bradley Storer

The atmosphere on the official opening night of Margaret Fulton: Queen of the Dessert, a new Australian musical written by Doug Macleod and Yuri Worontschak, was overflowing with enthusiasm and national pride.

Greeted at the door of the Theatreworks performance space by members of the cast offering Anzac biscuits and mini-Australian flags, the anticipation of seeing a brand new musical intermingled with a sense of coming together as a community to celebrate the life of an Australian icon (heightened by the presence of the lady herself).

We are taken on a whirlwind ride through episodes of Fulton’s life, from her beginnings as a country girl moving to Sydney, her life in the bohemian underground and her (at the time) unconventional choices of lifestyle, several marriages marred by misery and disaster, on to the heights she gained through her own industrious, strong-willed nature and ingenuity, changing the cultural landscape of Australia forever.

Amy Lehpamer brings to the title role a simultaneous combination of delicacy, refinement and inner strength, a beautiful flower tipped in steel. This is backed up by a powerhouse of a voice which can move as easily from a caress of a whisper to a roof-raising belt. Although illustrating Fulton’s strength and poise to great effect, in the show’s more emotional moments her restraint was frustrating – I wanted Lehpamer to let down the character’s walls and yield to the full power of her passions, even if only for a few moments.

The Present Tense ensemble, under the direction of Bryce Ives, are all strong performers in their own right. Josh Price and Laura Burzacott in particular provide the most side-splitting moments of the evening, Price as a series of grotesque caricatures of Fulton’s various lovers and industrial misogynists, and Burzacott as Bea, Fulton’s long-time friend from her bohemian days, who embodies the character with good-hearted ribaldry.

The book is well-crafted if at times clumsy – it feels at points as though Fulton’s achievements are being ticked off on a list, simply being pointed out rather than explaining how these achievements emerged from her life and circumstances. After one of the best and highly emotional scenes in the narrative, the show unfortunately peters out in its last few moments as though it has lost even a glimmer of narrative.

Overall though, this is an exciting, inspiring and highly entertaining production which pays tribute to the incredible achievements of a true national icon in glorious and gut-bustingly funny song.

Date: 16 Nov 2012 – 01 Dec 2012

Venue: Theatreworks, 14 Acland St, St Kilda Time: Tue, Wed, Thu at 8pm, Fri & Sat 7pm & 9.30pm

Price: $45 full / $30 conc, under 30s & groups 10+/ $25 preview [plus booking fee]

Bookings: www.theatreworks.org.au or 03 9534 3388

Cabaret, Cabaret Review, Events, Performances, Whats On

REVIEW: Fancy Meeting You at THE BUTTERFLY CLUB

Well-crafted cabaret nostalgia for the great jazz era

By Myron My

Fancy Meeting You is a cabaret set in a New York 1930’s jazz bar where the three employees of the bar – the Maitre D, the showgirl and the musician – share their stories of love to the beautiful music of Harold Arlen.

There is strong chemistry between the three stars, Amalie O’Hara, Kathleen Douglas and Izaak Lim as Maitre d’, Showgirl and Musician respectively while each character struggles with their own concept of love, for Miss Lucille (the Maitre d’) is pregnant and single, Maggie May Adams (the Showgirl) has a fleeting encounter with a stranger and Abe (the Musician) is losing the man he is in love with.

O’Hara is particularly strong as the Maitre d’ and demands your attention when she is on stage. In contrast, you have the aloof pretty showgirl in Douglas who offers the lighter moments of the show. Lim, who also performs some of the music, finds the nuances of his character and makes you feel the pathos he is trying to bring to the surface.

All three have strong voices, give exceptional performances when singing alone and complement each other when singing together. The great strength of Fancy Meeting You as cabaret is that the songs selected help further the story and show the feelings, desires and vulnerability of the characters. The accompanying piano skills of Tim Cunniffe are flawless and delightful throughout the show.

It wouldn’t be a homage to Harold Arlen without performing what is his most famous song, “Somewhere Over the Rainbow” – the song that even to this day gives me goose bumps when I hear it.

Despite its fame and frequent use in cabaret, the trio manage to evoke the same yearning here that Judy Garland did when she sang the song – an impressive achievement.

In its homage to the Great American Songbook, Fancy Meeting You has strong performances and tunes that leave you with a bittersweet feeling by the end of it. A rich cabaret experience.

Venue: The Butterfly Club, 204 Bank Street, South Melbourne

Season: Until 18 November | 7:00pm, Sun 6:00pm

Tickets: $23 Full | $20 Concession

Bookings: http://thebutterflyclub.com

Events, Performances, Review, Theatre, Whats On

Review: THE MODERN INTERNATIONAL DEAD

Powerful, important and immensely watchable theatre

By Tania Herbert

With hunger strikes on Nauru, boats of asylum seekers arriving almost daily, and the Australia government attempting to excise Australia’s shores from, well, Australia (and no, it doesn’t make sense), there is no better time for Act-O-Matic 3000’s presentation of The Modern International Dead.

Written by Damien Miller, the play is based around the true adventures of three international workers: a soldier, a nun, and a bio-chemist, and relates their experiences – and the impact of those experiences – through tales of some of the most significant human rights violations in recent times.

Despite the heavy material, this is an extremely watchable piece of theatre, and the range of characters and emotions presents the audience with moments everyone can relate and connect to. The three performers complement one another’s stories and show an impressive range with humorous and varied characterizations, and there is a slickness to the whole show which is only likely to increase through the season.

Brett Whittingham gives a raw and gritty portrayal of a soldier losing his heart in Cambodia and his mind in Rwanda. Equally intense is Nadia Tracy’s portrayal of an ex-Sister turned counselor who is fighting an equally fraught battle with her own faith and identity.

Yet the standout performance of the evening was without doubt Dan Walls as a simple bio-chemist who, in his never-ending quest to help, eventually finds himself as a weapons inspector seeking WMDs in Iraq. Believable and understated, you find yourself liking and empathizing with this ‘everyman’, giving the audience a rare insight into a very human face inside of one of the greatest political atrocities of modern history.

At times performances felt rushed, and there was a feeling that some of the power in the dialogue was reduced by fast pacing. However, the show is beautifully staged, and flawless audio and lighting effects greatly add to the experience, particularly as the intensity grows through the second act, where we see all of our three characters coming together in a spine-chilling reenactment of aid workers caught in the crossfire of the Rwandan genocide.

Perhaps the most rewarding part of going to see The Modern International Dead is the knowledge that this is a show that is certainly practicing what it is preaching- with all proceeds going to the Asylum Seeker Resource Centre (ASRC) , supporting those seeking refugee status in Australia.

Whether it be to support a great cause, to see some great theatre, or to peek into the curious world of international development, The Modern International Dead is a highly recommended evening out.

Venue: Mechanics Institute, cnr Sydney & Glenlyon Rd, Brunswick

Season: Nov 17, 20-24 (8pm) & Sun 18 (4pm)

Tickets: $25 Full, $15 Conc, Pay What You Can Tue 20th

Bookings and info: www.trybooking.com/BYUO, www.actomatic3000.blogspot.com.au, Phone: 9005 7870

Events, Music, Performances, Review, Whats On

REVIEW: The Song Company Presents SHIP TO SHORE

Be sure to get on board for their next stunning concert

By Anastasia Russell-Head

Once again The Song Company triumphs with an innovative and engaging performance at the Melbourne Recital Centre. As part of their year-long exploration of the theme of “water”, the final concert in their 2012 series was devoted to sea shanties and other songs about sailors and sea-faring.

Of course, many of these songs are folk songs – like Cockles and Mussels, What Shall we do with the Drunken Sailor? and Blow the Wind Southerly – which, with their simple form of repetitive verses, presents a challenge for an “art music” ensemble – how to make this material consistently musically engaging?

The Song Company rose to this challenge in fine form, with expert arrangements incorporating interesting harmonies, stunning solos and delicious humour. It was refreshing to see a group of ostensibly classical musicians really relishing being funny!

Guest Director Ruth McCall is to be congratulated on the superb and very effective blend of fun, pathos, rowdiness and simplicity in this performance.

Of course, as is to be expected from an ensemble who brands themselves “Australia’s leading vocal ensemble” the singing was faultless. Sopranos Anna Fraser and Susannah Lawergren were stunning, and guest mezzo Virna Sanzone’s jazz training came to the fore in an inspired version of Bobby Shaftoe.

Accompanying the singers were favourites of the classical guitar scene Slava and Leonard Grigoryan, providing harmonic support throughout and punctuating the vocal numbers with virtuosic instrumental duos.

As always, these two stellar performers did not disappoint – showing supreme mastery of their instruments and musical sensitivity.  For the audience, it was a real highlight to have these two brilliant musicians sharing the stage.

It was a pity that this performance was not particularly well-attended, with many empty seats in the (albeit rather large) Elisabeth Murdoch Hall. The Song Company is new to Melbourne, having built up a devoted following in their home town of Sydney, but they are well worth seeing, and I encourage you to take the opportunity to see them next time they are around.

The Song Company’s Ship to Shore was performed on 14 November 2012 at the Melbourne Recital Centre, Elisabeth Murdoch Hall

Events, Performances, Review, Theatre, Whats On

Review: AT THE WATER’S EDGE

A sea of possibilities with some exciting breaking waves

By Myron My

Palais Theatre is celebrating 85 years by presenting ReAction Theatre’s production of At the Water’s Edge: a collection of seven short plays celebrating life by the water.

On preview night, I thoroughly enjoyed this theme of water and its relationship to people, and it seemed even more fitting to be performed in St Kilda, right next to the beach. In all the stories, the water wasn’t just present, but was a character, always there and affecting these people’s lives, whether it be in a frivolous, philosophical or a deeply emotional way.

However, I felt rather disappointed with the three opening performances. They seemed to lack a clear plot and I was left wondering who these characters were to one another, and what were their wants, needs, desires and so on. They were stories that didn’t feel authentic and at times it seemed as if the actors were just delivering their lines and not believing what they were saying although this may simply have been some preview night nerves.

However, the stories after interval raised the bar and at times exceeded my expectations. There were particularly strong performances by Lee McClenaghan in Sausages by Rebecca Lister and the wonderfully comedic The Sunburnt Country by Camilla Maxwell. In the latter, McClenaghan and Danelle Lee play two British backpackers having an Aussie beach holiday with some interesting revelations and some sharp, authentic “British” dialogue to play with. The two actors had great comedic timing and a strong rapport on stage.

The highlight of the evening would have to go to Alex Broun’s The First Fireworks. The well-told story of a terminally ill woman, who wants to see the New Year’s Eve fireworks with her daughter for one last time, pulls at the heart strings until its sad conclusion. This is in no doubt indebted to the commitment and honesty that Josie Eberhard puts in as the mother and the wonderful support that Alicia Beckhurst provides as her daughter.

Set designer Kate Ferguson has done well in creating distinctive settings whilst being limited to a relatively small space. The use of a projected backdrop of various “water” settings is a great aid in allowing the audience to visualize these various locations.

Overall, At the Water’s Edge is a collaborative thoughtful piece on the ways environment can affect our lives, and there were strong performances by most of the cast but perhaps better care could have been taken in choosing which stories to tell here, and how to tell them.

Venue: Palais Theatre’s grand foyer, Lower Esplanade, St Kilda

Season: Until 20 November | 8:00pm and Sat 5:00pm

Tickets: $32 General Admission

Bookings: 136 100 or www.palaistheatre.net.au