Category: Performances

Editorial, Events, Musical Theatre, Performances, Whats On

Phantom Fans in Furore Over LOVE NEVER DIES

An Unexpected Editorial

by Kim Edwards

Our inbox has been loaded lately with various long-winded emails as part of a campaign to spam theatre reviewers. The emails contain protestations in violent objection to or in passionate support of the latest Andrew Lloyd Webber musical to open in Melbourne.

Love Never Dies purports to be a sequel to the wildly successful Phantom of the Opera, and its latest season has prompted an extraordinary turf war among fans of the latter and former.  

Both sides have apparently concluded it is important for reviewers to know Love Never Dies is respectively awful/awesome, while insisting we are, of course, to write impartial reviews as we see fit.

As we foresee that a further deluge of such emails may be inevitable, we felt it was important to voice an opinion on behalf on Theatre Press reviewers.

We are yet to attend Love Never Dies, or to offer either a review or opinion on it*.  Theatre Press reviewers are requested always to give honest feedback, offer constructive critique, and point out the subjectivity of their stance: this is simply one person’s opinion.  

While we might remark on the audience’s reaction or the wider reception of the production, we have no interest in reading unsolicited reviews from fans or foes of any show who, despite their best rhetorical efforts, are seeking to influence us.

Theatre is a fickle and troublesome industry. Sometimes wonderful shows close too early, while poor shows manage to drum up extensive audiences.   Sometimes excellent productions do not appeal to a local crowd, and weak productions strike an unexpected chord.

But sometimes critically acclaimed does translate into universal popularity, whereupon spectacular musicals achieve all the fame and success they deserve, and the unsuccessful ones fall quietly into obscurity.  

Interestingly of course, public protests over ‘bad’ shows usually end in the latter being far more successful than they might otherwise have been…

Ultimately, this is all irrelevant for theatre reviewers.   There is a place for all forms and levels of theatre, and producers, composers and artists have every right to create any new shows they like for the mingled delight and despair of theatre audiences.

Whatever strange motivations are behind the recent spat of love/hate fan emails to Theatre Press, the actual effect is to imply our critical integrity and credibility is in question because we need reminders to offer unbiased opinions.

As theatre critics however, we always wish to support the industry we love, rigorously deny censorship by attending as many and varied performances as we can as open-mindedly as we can, and then constantly do our best to express an honest opinion and make an effort to link the right audiences with the right shows.   Every time.

If you like Love Never Dies, enjoy seeing it.   If you don’t like it, enjoy avoiding it.   If you have an opinion on a show, share it – but respect the rights of others to disagree.   However, if you think the way to share this opinion is to spam review sites – please think again.

*Edit: Since writing the above, we have attended the show and offered an opinion. You can find the review here.

Cabaret, Cabaret Review, Events, Performances, Whats On

REVIEW: Stage Fright!

Whodunnit doesn’t quite do it…

By Lisa Nightingale

Coming into The Order of Melbourne and seeing the beautiful stage, magnificent bar, and cute kitsch burlesque shop set up in the corner, I was all too excited to experience a ‘rollicking night of 1920’s theatre, burlesque, song,  dance, murder, mystery and madness.’ 

Certainly the venue is lovely and the Pims and sangria are well-priced and delicious. Unfortunately for the show itself, this clever marketing is, well …  just clever marketing. 

Stage Fright! certainly has its good points, but they are nestled somewhere in amongst what is a mostly average script and performance.  The story and dialogue seem disjointed, and I felt music numbers were dropped in just to be there. Songs about Santa’s wife and a burlesque dance in a straight jacket simply did not add in any way to the style of a  ‘whodunnit’ 1920’s murder mystery.

Luckily Sarah Louise Younger kicked butt (burlesque-style) with her amazing voice, and I was blown away by her presence whilst she was singing. However,  I was also blown away for opposing reasons by the sound and lighting during her song, as the poor girl could barely be heard or seen in her dynamic opening piece, ‘Life of the Party’.

I was also very surprised that direction for this number seemed just to be “Do it like Idina Menzel on YouTube.” Nonetheless, Younger shows amazing vocal talent, and we’ll see her name continue to be showcased around the Melbourne theatre scene.

The Stage Fright! atmosphere created by Alexander Tournier (Mark Casamento) was brilliant. His role as the owner of the ‘Queen Mary Theatre’ was the highlight of the show, and Casamento was consistently superb throughout. He did not lose character or drop his accent once: something the other performers could note.

Poppy Cherry did a fantastic job as producer, for marketing and advertising were level one. As heroine Fanny Pocket, her beautiful smile and cheeky vibrancy made for a delightful performance and almost allowed us to forgive some unpolished acting skills. Honey B. Goode was a favourite with the audience, and gave a comedic performance as her vaguely Eastern European character. She is a great burlesque dancer and I only wish we saw more ‘dance’ and less over-characterisation.

Miss Burlesque Australia Kelly Ann Doll was very funny dealing with her audience, plays ‘drunk’ well and shines on stage, though I was looking forward to her showing us ‘how burlesque is done’ and was left unsatisfied.  As with several artists, a feeling persisted that over-characterisation got in the way of the show itself.

However, the performers did a good job as a whole, and the costumes were truly fantastic. The concept of Stage Fright! is so exciting and intriguing that I believe with some review by the creative team over direction and script, this show will soon be so much more – but at this stage it seems like just a ‘concept’ and not a finished piece of theatre.  All in all though, for a Sunday night out with a few drinks, it was still worth the trip into Swanston street.

Stage Fright! is on 8pm this Sunday May 22nd: tickets are $30 through Moshtix.

Cabaret, Cabaret Review, Events, Performances, Whats On

REVIEW: Drew Collet and Sophie Weiss in THE LAST FIVE BEERS

Home-brewed cabaret hits the spot!

By Jen Coles

In presenting a homage of sorts to their favourite musical Jason Robert Brown’s The Last Five Years, Drew Collet and Sophie Weiss have managed to create a truly creative and uniquely Australian piece of cabaret.

The Last Five Beers tells the story of two ex-lovers who are meeting for drinks after two years (unlike the original musical, which tells the story of the deconstruction of a relationship over five years).

Weiss and Collet have taken certain licences with the storytelling itself, taking the time to introduce themselves before the show ‘started,’ giving out free popcorn and cracking jokes at each other’s expense.

This may have seemed like an unnecessary deviation from starting the show, however they incorporated many aspects of the aforementioned jokes into the later story (for example, Sophie’s loud voice or Drew’s less-than-committed Jewish/American accents). This whole approach allowed the audience to get past the stigma of audience participation, as it was a vital part of their show.

Beginning at a restaurant, The Last Five Beers accurately captures the awkwardness of meeting an ex-lover. The pair heightened aspects of their personalities into new characters; Sophie emerged as a neurotic stress-head whereas Drew appeared too much of a relaxed bloke to really cope with that type of person, and so, it was clear early on the pair weren’t right for each other.

Still, the discussions of the good times versus the bad showed a nice quiet chemistry between Weiss and Drew, and a perfect explanation of why the relationship went south in the first place.

The cabaret itself was rich with a diverse range of music to inform the story, Weiss and Collet had ample time to showcase their incredible talents, and despite a few shaky moments, Collet recovered well to hold the stage for some of the more tender moments (in particular, a beautiful rendition of Sorry Seems to be the Hardest Word).

Weiss has a phenomenal voice, which sometimes was too overpowering for the small space of the Club (but again, Collet had established this in the opening, so it was still funny).

Overall, the show was extremely humorous and felt very fresh and exciting to watch. The performers’ energy was matched by the expertise lighting and direction of Glenn Van Oosterom, and Simon Bruckard on piano was delightful in skill. This is a wonderful piece of cabaret not to be missed. 

The Last Five Beers is playing this weekend at The Butterfly Club.

Thur – Sat 28-30 April- 7pm
Sun 1 May- 6pm

BOOKINGS: http://www.thebutterflyclub.com/

Cabaret, Cabaret Review, Events, Festivals, Performances, Whats On

REVIEW: Sammy J and Randy in BIN NIGHT

A show about rubbish that’s anything but garbage!

By Jen Coles

Comedian Sammy J and puppet Randy (Heath McIvor) have unique style of comedy featuring music, sketches and generally unexplainable madness that is extremely successful in their latest comedy festival outing, Bin Night. It tells the story of the two attempting to catch a predator who has been putting rubbish in their bin, which, as Sammy J reminds us, is against council laws.

However tenuous the plot may be (I still question whether it has enough development to last an hour), you’ll quickly discover it’s not really necessary to analyse. The events that follow therein are just a vehicle for the team to banter and play for laughs, which they do extremely successfully.

They poked fun at being on hold for an hour (as they lock themselves out of their home, and the alarm system accuses them of being sex offenders), sing songs featuring various pieces of fruit, and of course, make fun of various members of the audience. Indeed, the more “serious” aspects of the show were still hilarious; Randy’s backstory of love and hardship featured in song was peppered by random facts about life from Sammy J (including those about Belinda Carlisle), and the ultimate denouement was still handled with frivolity. 

The pair’s musical ability should also be highlighted. Sammy J’s piano (and keytar) multi-tasking skills held the more intimate numbers together well, and were a lovely contrast to the bigger production numbers. Indeed, it was nice to see Sammy emerge from behind the piano to dance and play with Randy; the pair’s chemistry and energy is outstanding.

It’s also a testament to the skill of the pair that the show was relaxed enough to cover spontaneous mistakes. The show was particularly off-one for them, and they covered it with professionalism and enjoyed the little mess- ups, which doesn’t often happen.

One note I would provide was regarding sound. Using stage microphones the pair were free to move and sing as needed, with the sound level up high enough to support their voices. However, because the show required so much energy (and occasionally yelling), I noticed their voices were tiring early and thought they should rely more on the excellent sound team they had at their disposal.

Bin Night was hilarious! I enjoyed myself immensely. Go see it… and don’t think too much.

2011 MELBOURNE INTERNATIONAL COMEDY FESTIVAL

VENUE: The Hi Fi (MOVED TO BIGGER VENUE TO MEET DEMAND)
TIME: 7pm (Sun 6pm)
DATES: 31 Mar – 24 April (excl Mon)

2011 SYDNEY COMEDY FESTIVAL

VENUE: The Metro
TIME: 7:30pm
DATES: Sat 30th April & Sun 1st May

Cabaret, Cabaret Review, Events, Festivals, Performances, Whats On

REVIEW: Eleni Avraam in TOXIC WASTE

Sex-a-holic beats the Choco-holics this Easter!

By Deborah Langley  

This year the Easter Weekend has a spring in its step down in South Melbourne. Last night, despite the deserted streets and empty roads, a lively crowd was gathering at The Butterfly Club for the second night of Eleni Avraam’s Toxic Waste – A Love Story. 

Inside the intimate space the audience were treated to the ultimate warm-up to any cabaret as the pianist Rowland Brache vamped some classic tunes arranged and played with toe-tapping warmth and style.  

Once the show begins, we meet Betty – a yellow-haired, deluded queen, and self-proclaimed slapper. 

This sex-a-holic allows for some entertaining material full of sex toys, not-so-subtle innuendos and some questionable judgment when she decides she doesn’t mind being the other woman – just not the other, other woman. 

Avraam creates in Betty an annoying yet loveable character who works the audience with nervous delight, but it’s not until she introduces us to Marie, the wife, and the other side of this love story that Avraam truly shines.  

Although at times these characters begin to blend and the lines blur, Avraam finds moment of stillness and honesty which are really magical. 

For me, the show’s best moments come through the interaction between Avraam and her amazingly talented pianist.

With perfect timing, Avraam relishes these moments of personal interaction and Brache provides a solid yet silent creative and emotional support for this no-holds-barred cabaret. 

Toxic Waste – A Love Story dares to explore relationships as they disillusion, disappoint and dissolve.

Based on pure fiction (or so we’re told), Toxic Waste is brutally poignant, viciously honest, disturbingly raw and witty as hell.

 

So, if you want a have good chuckle this Easter Weekend (without your family!), head down to the home of the Melbourne cabaret scene, The Butterfly Club, 7pm tonight (Saturday) or 6pm tomorrow (Sunday) for the last two nights of this fun one-woman cabaret show – with 2 women.

Cabaret, Cabaret Review, Festivals, Late Night Shows, Performances, Whats On

REVIEW: The Bad Boys of Music Theatre are A FINE BROMANCE

Classic, charismatic and campy good fun!

By Kim Edwards

There were tech problems, the show went up late, and a Sunday night crowd were initially unreceptive. But Andrew Strano and John Frankland ( in order of appearance, lads) worked their considerable charm and won over their audience with aplomb.

Think the Rat Pack meets Lano and Woodley. The Bad Boys are all about on-stage dynamic and the banter is brisk and boisterous. The show itself hinges on the hilarity and harmonics of their (denied) homoerotic relationship: it’s a testament to the lovability of the characters and their love/hate/show-tune chemistry that they even got some ‘aws’ among the laughs as they expounded the perils of bromantic guy love.

Strano’s loud lanky comedy is both cute and clownish. His pace is feverish and his energy frenetic, while Frankland plays the – er – straight man, offering a more subtle and natural comic timing and tone. Last night some glib patter drowned out key jokes with premature reactions, and a few bawdy jokes missed their mark, but it was obvious this was well-tuned material that any other night would chime resoundingly.

Accompanied by the ever-versatile Trevor Jones at the piano and some fun multimedia, the Bad Boys did wonderfully bad and witty things to music theatre lyrics (including their own original song Amazing which you can find on Itunes) and best yet, these guys can really sing. Great warmth of sound together, and their harmonies were lovely as a counterpoint to snappy self-conscious jokes and the tales of their rambunctious relationship.

It’s a familiar formula, but the Bad Boys of Music Theatre hit all the right notes in the classic two-hander cabaret comedy-style. With their brand of sleek slapstick humour and their musical bro-etry, it’s clear these two boys were simply and bromantically meant to be together. Catch them for their last week of their Melbourne International Comedy festival season!

Venue: Chapel Off Chapel, 12 Little Chapel Street, Prahran
Dates: 31st March – 23rd April
Tickets: $25*, Tight Arse Tuesdays $17.50* (*plus transaction fee)
Times: 10:15pm, Sun & Mon 10pm
Bookings: (03) 8290 7000, www.chapeloffchapel.com.au

Cabaret, Cabaret Review, Events, Performances, Whats On

REVIEW: Linda Beatty is THE UNENCHANTED PRINCESS

This comedy cabaret show is the perfect mixture of naughty and nice…!

By Lisa Nightingale

Whimsical, magical and hysterical –  Linda Beatty as The UnEnchanted Princess had a cozy audience in stitches while she told us of the obvious yet never-realised truths and ironies about our beloved childhood fairytales.

With the help of her magic harp and imaginary dinosaur friend, Ralph, Beatty was able to take us to a ‘whole new world’ of Disney tales that made me giggle for an entire hour.

Starting with her very well-written Intro Song which got her ‘from the back of the room to the front of the room’, I knew I was in for a good evening.

The stage was set with a green-covered table, a stool and flowers hanging from the distinctive red Butterfly Club stage curtain – we were obviously in a meadow, and I was only waiting for little animated birdies to fly out of the ceiling.

Linda Beatty appeared instead. With her flowing red hair, white flighty gown, fishnets and boots, she had the perfect mix of naughty and nice.

Going into the stories of all of my favourite Disney princesses, Beatty blew me away with her incredible Celtic harp music, which she has played for twenty years… and she is a master at it! The songs throughout the show just exuded quirkiness and fun, and had me smiling so much my cheeks hurt.

My favourite part of the show is when she introduces us to her loveable imaginary Tyrannosaurus Rex friend who is so real that he even has his own solo!

Or it could be her adult’s only rendition of Aladdin’s A Whole New World which has now cleverly twisted the whole meaning of this song forever more.

Both in music and script, Beatty’s well-written comedy is playful, energetic and entertaining and everyone that sees this show will relate to the tales that she tells.

It embraces childhood memories, but also makes you glad that we now are adults to be able to enjoy a new layer to these stories that were once so silly and innocent.

Make sure you get down to The Butterfly Club during 14th -17th April for the Melbourne Comedy Festival so you don’t miss this comedy craze.

Tickets can be booked via www.thebutterflyclub.com, and check out Linda’s website too.

Have fun!

Events, Musical Theatre, Performances, Whats On

REVIEW: Melbourne Premiere of DR ZHIVAGO THE MUSICAL

The lustre is lacking, but the performers bring their own shine

By Kim Edwards

Anthony Warlow received a standing ovation for Melbourne’s opening night of the new musical Dr. Zhivago, and it was richly deserved.

His sumptuous voice soars through Lucy Simon’s melodious ballads, and his sleek performance of Zhivago slides easily between delicate characterization and the sweeping charisma that made him glorious on the Australian and international stage.


However, the vehicle for his achievement has the propensity to be as clunky and awkward as the show’s cumbersome ‘train’ set piece. Dr. Zhivago the musical boasts a lavish and quite lovely score, a famous and beloved tale to tell, and fine performances from an excellent cast. But even the man himself could not overcome the problems of trite lyrics, perfunctory character development, historical caricature and messy staging.

Rising star Lucy Maunder has a bright beautiful voice, and is charming as Lara, although she is given little room to explore the character emotionally. Her lovely co-star Taneel van Zyl has even less opportunity in the thankless role of Tonia.

Fortunately Pasha the revolutionary-turned-rogue is fleshed out more fully, and allows dynamic Martin Crewes to rip into his character and create a ferocious, flamboyant and strangely pathetic and appealing man as Zhivago’s foil and reflection.


While clearly necessary to truncate an epic history and vast landscape for a two-act musical on a proscenium stage, sadly this is not managed well. The set is versatile but dull and the projections of giant figures looming over the action are disconcerting and distracting.

Great battles, tragic events and extraordinary moments of emotional possibility are packaged up into menial exposition, running about with chairs, and songs (in a story about a poet, no less) with relentless rhyming couplets so predictable they become painful.

Having said this, the show is by no means boring. The blocking is full of action and interest (although peasants suddenly turning from rural Russia to push a train into Moscow was one of several jarring continuity breaks). The cast work energetically through their material, and the wedding dancing by the revolutionaries and the lively female opening number for Act II were highlights.

Act II is generally superior in pace and excitement: there is also particularly beautiful lighting in the abandoned house, and the powerful confrontation of Zhivago and Pasha is more moving than the finale.

Playing at Her Majesty’s Theatre in Melbourne, Dr Zhivago is emphatically an enjoyable night out: if it does not achieve all the profound tragedy, romance and grandeur the tale deserves, hearing Warlow make magic once again is wonderfully worthwhile.

Photos by Kurt Sneddon

Cabaret, Cabaret Review, Events, Festivals, Performances, Whats On

REVIEW: Sophie Walsh-Harrington is THE DAMSEL IN SHINING ARMOUR

An act of chivalry, bravery, comedy – and Celine Dion

By Kim Edwards

In all the best off-beat, edgy, witty and unlikely ways, The Damsel in Shining Armour is wonderful award-winning Fringe-esque comedy. Gagged and bound for her opening number, Sophie Walsh-Harrington promptly rescues herself from her bonds and her audience from their prosaic lives and sweeps us all into a modern musical melodrama with just the right amount of self-satire.

The great charm of the show is Walsh-Harrington herself, who enchants us with knightly tales of real-world romance where her laconic and satirical comic delivery is contrasted delightfully with outrageous physical humour, and punctuated with the reworked epic ballads of Celine Dion. Blessed with a rich and effortless voice, particularly in her lush lower register, our damsel fearlessly saves Celine from cabaret contempt with some clever musical arrangements and neat segues from story to lyrics.

The unique performance space of La Mama offered director Tom Dickins wonderful dramatic possibilities for unexpected direction and blocking, and beautiful Jen Kingwell is both an impressive musical ally and a lovely stage presence in the show.

Some of the show’s devices are more successful than others, and the narrative that has been so engaging and funny has a little trouble getting back up on the white steed after a particularly poignant moment, but the arch and over-arching charm of the performance is beguiling.

Ultimately, the show’s heroic skill at predicting and preventing cliches, drawing cleverly unconventional connections between anecdotes and songs, and Walsh-Harrington’s unwavering commitment to her material and character dub this damsel’s quest a triumphant knight’s entertainment.

The Damsel in Shining Armour won Best Cabaret for Adelaide Fringe 2011 and is now in Melbourne for the Comedy Festival.

Written and performed by Sophie Walsh-Harrington
Directed by Tom Dickins
Musical Director: Jennifer Kingwell
Tech and Lighting: Bec Etchell

La Mama Theatre, 205 Faraday St, Carlton
Wed April 6 – Sun April 17
Wed & Fri 6.30pm; Thurs & Sat 8.30pm, Suns 4.30pm
Duration: 60 mins approx.
Tickets: $25 / $15
Bookings: 9347 6142 / comedyfestival.com.au
For more information: www.lamama.com.au or http://sophiewalshharrington.com/

Cabaret, Cabaret Review, Events, Festivals, Performances, Whats On

REVIEW: Analisa Bell in GOLD-DIGGER

Digging for festival gold in Melbourne, cabaret-style…

By Deborah Langley

 After two sell-out seasons in Perth, cabaret starlet Analisa Bell has brought her cabaret spoof Gold-Digger to Melbourne for the International Comedy Festival. The intimate and wonderfully quirky Butterfly Club is the perfect setting for this show as we are welcomed at the door to Rosie’s house. But Rosie who?

Rosie Port-e-lou (the infamous wife of mining magnate, Sam Bankock – you with us yet?) makes a grand entrance with a robust version of Hey Big Spender, asking audience members, “How about a few laps?” with a politically incorrect and hilarious accent which guarantees all the laughs instead.

The first half of the show is dedicated solely to the life and times of Rosie as she moves from the Philippines to marry a millionaire in Western Australia. This is material which I’m sure gained much more interest in Perth than it will in Melbourne but Bell’s magical voice and terrible accent moved things along, albeit slowly.

It isn’t until Rosie storms out halfway through that this show really begins to shine. Audiences are in for a treat when she jumps back onto stage to teach us all how to catch a man and keep him as this seemingly standard cabaret turns into a twisted revue, complete with dancing pooches, audience interaction and free lollypops (to practice the sucky sucky!).

With some wonderful musical arrangements and interesting lyrical changes the music is the standout of this production. The awkward, but obviously talented accompanist Tim Cunniffe proves a weird straight-man to this surprising show which will leave you shaking your head but smiling at the same time.

Gold-Digger: The Shags to Riches of Australia’s Iron ‘ore is being performed as part of the Comedy Festival from March 31-April 3 at The Butterfly Club in South Melbourne. 7pm (6pm Sun) and bookings can be made online: www.thebutterflyclub.com