Category: Review

Performances, Review, Whats On

David Strassman in iTedE

They’re back!

By Joana Simmons

David Strassman and his colourful collection of puppets are bringing absolute magic and comedic brilliance to the Atheneaum Theatre in his brand-new show iTedE. Renowned as the man who made ventriloquism hip again, Strassman has been cracking up audiences at the Athenaeum for 15 years and is back, pushing boundaries further with spellbinding technology and timely social commentary.  His ability to make all those characters fully come to life is unbelievable.

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With the help of the lovable Ted. E. Bare, Strassman warms up the crowd with suitable jokes related to AFL Grand Final weekend. We learn that Strassman is worried that with our lives becoming more and more reliant on technology, our imaginations are becoming weaker, which means shows like his and live theatre will die out. He wants to rally his puppets together to sit on a panel at a TED Talk about “the suspension of disbelief.” The range of characters and the way they are developed is incredible: from Chuck Wood, the wise-cracking, quick-witted and ever uncouth, to Buttons, the sick, intoxicated clown. We see how they are different parts of Strassman’s personality; the voices in his head bought to life with absolute dexterity and intelligence.

It is delightful to see how even in our world of CGI and virtual reality (looking at you, Pokeman GO!) how the robotics and puppeteering can have a crowd swept up in every move and wetting themselves laughing in the process. The robotics are incredibly advanced, allowing each puppet to move on their own. The set, lighting and sound are high-quality and transform the theatre into a new world. The thing that still has my jaw dropping is how there were no breaks between all the voices Strassman was doing. How he managed to breathe is beyond me, and shows how he is truly a master.

Melbourne has a host of awesome art going on at the moment– Melbourne Fringe, Melbourne Festival, gigs, musicals and all the underground instillations this city is renowned for. Strassman’s iTedE is an event not to miss. It reignites your inner child’s imaginative flame and tickles your adult sense of humour. Book today, it’s worth braving the Footy crowds for!

Show Details:

Strassman: iTedE

30 Sep – 15 Oct 2016, 7pm

The Athenaeum, Collins Street

www.ticketek.com.au

Festivals, Review, Theatre

Melbourne Fringe 2016: GIVE UP

Engaging performer shares his experiences with depression

By Myron My

Guillym Davenport has given up. His depression has finally got the better of him so he’s spending the night alone, in his bedroom, eating pizza and drinking booze – with us. The show isn’t ready, and he’s not prepared, but come on in anyway…. In Give Up, presented as part of the Melbourne Fringe Festival, Davenport looks at the issues of mental health and what happens when it all gets too much.

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Davenport is charming, funny and very likeable on stage and there is some intelligent discussion generated about mental health. Unfortunately his attempts at pairing this with the deconstruction of theatre do not work well, creating a haphazard show that doesn’t quite seem to know where it’s headed.

There’s a scene in which it feels like Davenport is legitimately opening up to the audience as he discusses his depression. He mentions his frustrations at wanting to talk about his mental health with friends but finding the conversation being relegated to talking about trivial things like what TV shows they are watching. It is a genuine moment of vulnerability as he fights back the tears and struggles to finish his sentences.

However, when you compare this to the theatrical pretence of the show being unrehearsed and under-prepared, and the self-conscious way in which the final few moments of the show then play out, it almost cheapens this earnestness and makes me question the authenticity of these earlier parts. I feel this work can either try and deconstruct theatre and put itself outside the issues as meta-fiction, or tackle depression as a very real and personal concern from the inside. The problem has come in trying to achieve both, especially with the theme of mental health needing to be addressed in a sensitive and intelligent way.

There is a definite place for works like Give Up in contemporary theatre, as mental health – especially in young men – is an extremely important issue to acknowledge, identify and explore. As it currently stands however, I feel this show needs more work on refining the way it is structured and executed to ensure the audience feels the full impact of the worthy message Davenport is trying to share.

Venue: Fringe Hub – Arts House, 521 Queensberry Street, North Melbourne, 3051

Season: until 1 October | 10:15pm

Length: 50 minutes

Tickets: $18 Full | $15 Conc

Bookings: Melbourne Fringe Festival

Events, Review, Whats On

Melbourne Fringe 2016: BETWEEN TWO LINES

An illuminating, liminal, literary indulgence

By Leeor Adar

“Fiction and poetry are doses, medicines…” – Jeanette Winterson

I’m in a bathtub in a bookstore. I’m robed, sipping a blossoming tea, and being read to. The world outside bustles by, occasionally stopping to stare in wonder, but honestly, I’m already somewhere else. I’m on a different wavelength – a higher wavelength.

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For the literary lover, the scent of the pages of a book is a gentle caress, speaking of untold and sometimes familiar places. It’s the promise of another world that draws us in, a chance to escape our chaotic reality.

Anna Nalpantidis, creator of award-winning live-art production, The Ministry, has brought us something exceptional for this year’s Melbourne Fringe Festival. Between Two Lines was inspired by Nalpantidis’ interest in biblio-therapy. A visit to Melbourne’s ‘School of Life’ ignited her interest in what the Greeks referred to as the ‘House of Healing for the Soul’. Literary healing.

Nalpantidis’ installation design is whimsical and breathtaking. With the help of illustrator, Astrid Mulder, and the astonishing gentleness of ‘therapist’, Elizabeth Brennan, these collaborators have created in Nalpantidis’ words, a “very intimate, indulgent and rejuvenating experience”.

So how does the magic unfold?

You will don a soft white robe, you will relinquish your possessions (momentarily), and you will fill out a short questionnaire that gauges your emotional state. Moments after you’ve read excerpts of literature, Brennan emerges from the veiled white world to take you in for your session.

Into the golden tub I climb, encased in soft, pillowy materials as a voiceless Brennan guides my senses to a tea of my choosing (chrysanthemum in my case). Once in my heavenly cocoon, Brennan reads to me. What she reads shall remain our secret…

My experience was like nothing I’ve ever had. It was as if Between Two Lines gently took my hand and guided me to the quieter part of my mind. Leaving Embiggen Books, I walked the mad cityscape like I was not of this world. I was on different terrain; tranquillity encased my whole being for what felt like a walk through the clouds.

Nalpantidis tells me that the responses of participants and spectators who look through the window are “profound”. Experiences can be quite emotional for some participants, and incidences of spontaneity are frequent, including people stopping their car to tap on the window and look within.

Between Two Lines stops traffic, literally. It pauses the participant’s life, suspending them in an ethereal state above the living world.

If you want to have a positive and enlightening experience, then I urge you to walk up Little Lonsdale to Embiggen Books until October 1, and experience this truly inspired and unique performance.

My only wish? That Nalpantidis and her team could indulge me again.

Please Note: the performance sessions are currently fully booked, but keep an eye out on the Facebook page or email Nalpantidis directly to join the waiting list: a.c.nalpantidis@gmail.com

Image by Theresa Harrison Photography

Festivals, Review, Whats On

Melbourne Fringe 2016: ONSTAGE DATING

A show to fall in love with

By Myron My

The dating game is a hard one to keep up with, let alone win. With online dating apps more or less becoming the most common way in meeting someone, going on a first date and getting to know someone from scratch face to face is but a distant memory. In her Melbourne Fringe Festival show, Onstage Dating, Bron Batten is determined to change this by having a first date with a member of the audience on stage – and the results are priceless.

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The show opens in a colourful and attention-grabbing way, and from then on we are all putty in Batten’s hands as she recalls memories of bad dates and describes the science behind dating and human interactions. Eventually she pulls out the pre-filled questionnaires from all the participants willing to be her date, and I am surprised by how many there are.

In a show that requires heavily on having the right audience volunteer: one that will go along for the ride and have a “yes” attitude, Batten could not have picked anyone more perfect – and in more ways than one – than Alex. Alex: who works for the Greens and cries for joy as he is riding an electric motorcycle. There was not one person in the venue that was not swooning over Alex, but I digress…

The date begins over wine and dinner and then progresses as first dates can often lead to, the lounge room. Throughout the date, Batten asks Alex (and vice versa) some getting-to-know-you questions: some are comical and some are a bit deeper. The openness and willingness they both share on stage is quite touching and despite it being an overt performance and Fringe show, you almost feel like there is a genuine connection.

While Onstage Dating can be taken as a fun show in which to have some great laughs (which it is), it is also a reminder that nothing can ever replace human face-to-face interaction. While we may all be leading very busy lives that make dating apps ideal, we should be making time for these encounters, as the outcomes might be a welcome surprise. So if you’re feeling brave go ahead and volunteer to be one of Batten’s dates, if not, then just go ahead and enjoy a highly entertaining hour of laughs.

Venue: Fringe Hub – Arts House, 521 Queensberry Street, North Melbourne, 3051
Season: until 1 October | Tues – Sat 8pm, Sun 7pm
Length: 60 minutes
Tickets: $24 Full | $20 Conc | $18 Cheap Tuesday
Bookings: MelbourneFringe Festival

Performances, Review

Melbourne Fringe 2016: FALLING APPLES

Powerful concept as lives traverse

By Leeor Adar

The concept of Lene Therese Teigan’s Falling Apples is vast and intimate – a Chekhovian-inspired world where the characters’ lives collide in uncertain times.

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As a fan of Chekhov’s work and Peta Hanrahan’s wonderful direction of A Room of One’s Own earlier this year, I had high hopes for this production presented by La Mama and Verve studios as part of the 2016 Melbourne Fringe Festival, but it was ultimately a cacophony of words, ideas and vibrations.

The Kensington Town Hall is undoubtedly a beautiful place to perform a production. The echo within the large chamber provided a beautiful and haunting introduction as the voices of the performers hummed a suitably melancholy sound – this is Chekhovian terrain after all.

The echo, however, did not bode well for the performers and their interactions. Unless the audience was seated directly opposite the vignette, much of the dialogue was lost within the space. Due to the length of the performance space, the audience was seated along some distance, exacerbating this issue. This had the unfortunate affect of alienating the stories before us. I expect a better choice of space or seating arrangement would have prevented this.

I appreciated the concept of the characters constantly moving within the space as one scene was explored. Undoubtedly the message is clear – we cross paths with other histories every day, and occasionally collide. On this occasion it was further distracting from the already difficult-to-follow dialogue of the active scene within the work.

There were silver linings of strong performances from some members of the cast, particularly Elizabeth Huey-Williams as the troubled sister, and Marissa O’Reilly as the foreign lover. Huey-Williams and O’Reilly gave a lovely depth to their performances that managed to pierce through the chaos surrounding them. Unfortunately, some of the performances were unconvincing and I do not doubt that staging issues contributed.

Ultimately this premiere work was conceptually strong, but weak in execution.

You can catch Falling Apples from Tuesday-Saturday until October 8, Kensington Town Hall: http://lamama.com.au/2016-winter-program/falling-apples

Image by Tommy Holt of T6 Photography

Festivals, Review, Whats On

Malthouse and St Martin’s Theatre Present GONZO

Porn, perspective and personal opinions as teens talk

By Margaret Wieringa

Teenagers and porn. Everyone is worried. Back in the day, porn was hard to find and rarely discussed. Now there is the Internet, and it’s free and, especially with smartphones and the like, very easily accessible. One big worry is that it is going to cause teenage boys to develop addictions and skewed ideas of what is expected in real relationships. Experts, politicians, teachers and parents all weigh in whenever the subject is raised, but, as director Clare Watson points out in her program note, there is a voice missing, and that is of the voice of teenage boys.

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Watson took the results of a survey of teenage males across Melbourne and worked with a group of boys from St Martin’s Theatre Company to develop this piece. What has resulted is an experience that is almost like eavesdropping for the audience. The four main performers – Ari Long, Jack Palit, Sam Salem and Sol Rumble – sit on stage and have what comes across as a relatively casual chat. The only real indication that is isn’t a normal conversation (apart from the odd stumbled line) is the visual design work by Michael Carmody appearing on the screen behind them. Initially, there is footage of bouncing breasts – an image seemingly unrelated to the chatter onstage, but adding to the wider commentary. Later, there are short sections breaking up the dialogue where the actors name porn clips, or tell brief anecdotes, and these are accompanied by a variety of significant animations of words or images.

The performers aren’t obviously playing characters – they use their own names, wear casual street clothes and spend as much time on their phones as they are talking. But it is important for the audience to remember that this is scripted, and that the opinions being expressed are not necessarily those of the actors, but an amalgam of the responses to the survey.

Toward the end of the performance, the boys are joined by Gala Vanting who is listed in the program as being a sex worker, educator and activist. I felt like the actors had, by this stage, established a nice rapport and Vanting’s entrance felt a bit forced – like the teenagers now had someone else that they had to relate to. It was interesting to hear what she had to say and the way the others responded to her, but this section felt less successful to me

Overall, I think that this is a very timely piece that is a glimpse into the world of teenagers. I hope that there is a way that the production is able to be given life beyond this season so that it can inspire conversations in schools and homes – but in the meantime, it’s playing at the Malthouse Theatre until October 1.

Gonzo plays at the Malthouse Theatre, 113 Sturt St, Southbank

September 22 to October 1. The shows are Tuesday to Saturday at 7pm with a 3:30 matinee on Saturday October 1.

Book tickets at www.malthousetheatre.com.au or call 9685 5111

Tickets are $35 – $65

Image by Sarah Walker

Festivals, Performances, Review, Whats On

Melbourne Fringe 2016: THE MAZE

A powerfully disturbing and impressively affecting experience

By Myron My

As a young white man, I have never had to worry about walking home alone at night. In fact, I have done it often, in the early hours of the morning, and sometimes after a few too many drinks. Unlike most women, I’ve never had to worry if someone is following me, if someone has looked at me for a moment too long, or about being careful how I react when a stranger approaches me to tell me I am beautiful. Made for one audience member at a time, the immersive theatre piece presented by The Honeytrap for this year’s Melbourne Fringe Festival, The Maze, allows me to experience this for the first time through the thoughts of a woman walking alone – and it left me significantly troubled and concerned.

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The show begins with writer/director Kasey Gambling meeting with me to go through a checklist to make sure I am fit to walk alone. My neckline is high, I am wearing flat shoes – but I must be cautious of my hair as it is long enough for a man to use to grab me. I also do not have my nail-polish that detects date-rape drugs that may be dropped into my drink, nor am I carrying an anti-rape condom. Despite these issues, I am deemed fit to walk home – but should  proceed carefully.

I don a pair of headphones and stand a few metres from a lone girl, Libby (Libby Brockman) at the tram stop. Through the headphones, I hear her thoughts, conversations, and texts that she sends. As she begins her walk, I witness first hand the harassment and objectification the character receives from strangers. The Maze runs to a strict time schedule and all the actors (including Stephen Whiley, Jez Hunghanfoo and Travis Pemberton) ensure that this is achieved.

I am also very conscious of the fact that I am following this woman and while she does not acknowledge me, I can’t help but wonder what a creep I must look to anyone watching me watching her. As an audience member and reviewer I am intently viewing the performance; to an outsider, I am some weirdo leering at a woman.

Gambling explores the issues around violence against women in an intelligent and honest way. There are numerous times throughout as I am following Libby that the audio (by sound designer Gavin Ingham) tellingly cuts to “commercials” advertising women’s safety products or to factual pieces of news, such as when Det. Insp Mick Hughes stated women were not safe alone in parks after the killing of Melbourne schoolgirl Masa Vukotic.

Gambling also builds skillfully on the suspense of the narrative, gradually dropping hints throughout the walk that have you thinking this story had begun well before you joined it, but you don’t realise what you are being led to is until it actually happens – and it almost stops you in your tracks.

I’ve been very fortunate that each of the immersive theatre events I have attended so far for Melbourne Fringe Festival have been unique, and each with a clear objective in mind -and The Maze is another great example. This site-specific performance explores the threats and dangers a woman faces just for being a woman and as the show concludes, I am let out into the night, alone and unsettled, and must begin to process what I have just seen.

Venue: Joe Taylor (meet at front) 7 Errol St, North Melbourne, 3051
Season: until 2 October | Tues – Sun 6.30pm, 7.30pm, 8.30pm, 9.30pm
Length: 40 minutes
Tickets: $25 Full | $20 Conc
Bookings: Melbourne Fringe Festival

Review, Theatre, Whats On

UHT Presents MACBETH + MACDEATH: A CODA

They who dared do more

By Narelle Wood

In a year that marks the 400th anniversary of Shakespeare’s death you can’t go far this season without encountering a performance celebrating or commenting in his life’s work. The Union House Theatre present a mostly traditional retelling of Macbeth juxtaposed with a modern, colonialist version through macdeath: a coda.

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Under the artistic direction of Petra Kalive, the traditional section of The Tragedy of Macbeth is performed almost in its entirety, with only small, arguably non-essential lines omitted from the script. The fast pace at which the actors speak means the production has quite a manic pace to it at times and also affords some extra time at the end for the coda. The pacing works, the staging is minimalist so transitions from one scene to another match the speed of the dialogue, with only a few well-crafted pauses along the way. The only downside to this was that sometimes Lady Macbeth’s (Sen Wagaarachchi) lines were delivered with such fervour and haste the character’s linguistic manipulation was lost in a blur of words.

There was some characterisation that didn’t sit well with me. Malcolm (Lachlan Watts) seemed sleazy and entitled; an interpretation of his character that I had not considered before and didn’t particularly like, mostly because there was nothing, even by the character’s own admission, kingly about him. This was not helped by the fact that I found Martin Hoggart’s portrayal of Macbeth to be completely charismatic; for the first time ever I was hoping that things were going to work out for Macbeth, despite his ambitious ways.

Despite my reservations in some of these character interpretations, the acting was great. The Weird Sisters (Bec Riggs, Amy Spurgeon and Liam Bellman Sharpe) epitomised sinister and malevolent, and Georgie Daniels’ (Macduff) was fierce making her character a fair contender for the throne.

The staging (Kalive), lighting (Jacob Trethowan and Brendan McDougall) and soundtrack (Nat Grant and Connor Ross) were genius. The combination of all 3 turned a minimalist black set into something eerie and atmospheric; especially the use of the chairs and sound effects produced by the witches.

Jean Tong’s macdeath: a coda was intriguing but left me feeling a little ambivalent towards what was a very good production. The political message in the coda was poignant and the comparison between Macbeth’s story and more recent historical drew some rather worrying parallels. I couldn’t help but think though that this section deserved to be more than a coda; that either story in its own right deserved to be told and performed in full.

Macbeth + macdeath: a coda is a thought-provoking and intense combination of the traditional and the reinvented Macbeth. It is perhaps not a production for die-hard traditionalists: that been said though, it certainly does raise questions, and propose some answers, about why Shakespeare and The Tragedy of Macbeth is still relevant today.

Venue: Guild Theatre, Union House, University of Melbourne

Season: 16-24 September, 7.30 Wednesday – Saturday, Saturday matinee 3pm

Tickets: $20

Bookings: chook.as/uht/macbeth

Cabaret, Review, Theatre, Whats On

Melbourne Fringe 2016: PINOCCHIO RESTRUNG

Clever and illuminating rethinking of classic tale

By Myron My

We all know the “traditional” tale of Pinocchio: the wooden puppet who just wanted to be a real boy. Created as a grim Italian children’s novel by Collodi, and sanitised for the Disney movie, emerging theatre company A_tistic have cleverly re-imagined this story as part of the 2016 Melbourne Fringe Festival in quite a different way and with some brilliant results.

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A_tistic aim to tell stories that highlight the experiences and create an understanding of autism spectrum disorders so writer and director Tom Middleditch has adapted Pinocchio’s tale as an allegory for a boy with autism who is attempting to become a “real boy”. Middleditch, himself on the autism spectrum, has created a thoughtful intelligent story that not only looks at the anxieties and difficulties people with autism can experience but also those their parents undergo in attempting to understand and accept their child as they are.

Matt Alden as Pinocchio is very comfortable with the character and material, and his mannerisms and body language do well in conveying the thoughts and feelings a person can have with autism. The visual cues of how someone with autism processes information are done simply yet highly effectively, such as when the ‘running puppet’ is deciding upon his name. Similarly, Edan Goodall and Sam Barson are entertaining to watch as Geppetto and Crichton, particularly Goodall as his character tries to find a way to build a relationship with Pinocchio.

The naturalistic costuming that highlights the personalities of these characters is well thought-out, however I feel some subtle creative touches could have benefited the characters of the Blue Fairy (Sophie Jevons) and Fox (Kristiane Burri). The same can be said about the set design and its painted cardboard backdrops. However, due to Middleditch’s strong engaging narrative, the weaker design actually supports the play by allowing our focus to easily remain on the characters without any of our attention wavering.

With Pinocchio Restrung, A_tistic accomplish exactly what they set out to do. With accessibility and inclusivity such an important aspect of the arts, it’s great to see theatre companies putting on works that not only open up discussion on issues people may be less familiar with, but also allows those less often represented to see themselves on stage.

Venue: Metanoia at the Mechanics Institute, 270 Sydey Rd, Brunswick, 3056
Season: until 17 September | Thurs – Sat 6.00pm, Sat 2.00pm
Length: 90 minutes
Tickets: $25 Full | $20 Conc
Bookings: Melbourne Fringe Festival

Image by William Anderson WA Photography

Cabaret, Performances, Review

Jude Perl is PART OF THIS COMPLETE BREAKFAST

Saccharine satire at its best

 By Joana Simmons

She’s smart, she’s sweet and she’s a really talented treat. Jude Perl: Part of This Complete Breakfast is a musical comedy that’s going to be stuck in my memory for all the right reasons. Having won a Green Room Award at MICF in 2015, sold out shows at two consecutive MICFs and has just released an album “Modern Times” with a Grammy-Award winning producer, Jude Perl is delighting audiences all over the shop with her deliciously original truthful songs and candid banter.

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Beginning with a song about having 10 seconds to convince us we need this product, it only takes about 30 seconds for me to realise this woman has got something worth listening to. Her rad vocals and clever lyrics make it even easier. From the get go, she opens up her head and lets us into her tasty, colourful and weird world. Through song, voice-over and breaking-down-the-fourth-wall casual conversation about her journey from writing jingles for “Sugar O’s” to making her own album, we see her views on advertising, equality, sexualisation of the music industry, ethics and race, which are current and topical without being in your face. She darts between conversation with music biz agents voice-overs, songs and honest thoughts and theories (“loneliness equals comedy”). The voice-over’s absurd dialogue provides a loose thread throughout. She shows us, not tells us, what it’s like to have dreams, be told to follow them and realise that “following your dreams” isn’t always the best advice; rather it’s a vague message that is dangerously put out into the world for the next cult leader to pick up and follow, much to the detriment of the greater good.

Jude has the almost capacity audience singing back to her when asked and cackling and cheering throughout. Her clever play on irony to helps us realise reality; stark truths, like how having a career as a female popstar means you won’t be judged by your looks and you are able to write songs that have meaning, not ones about watermelons and sadness (right?) The song styles are as varied as a tasting platter where you like every item on it. Accompanying herself on the piano, her voice is bright and soulful, mastering runs, full belt and some gravelly heartfelt quality during her heartbreak ballad. It all comes to a climax when she sings about looking back on who she was, if she was a good person, how we can’t please everyone and sometimes you have to buy a dress that costs $5.99 even though you know “it’s made by a five year old in a five story building with no fire exit.” We are all thinking it, our laughter is genuine and uncomfortable, as we are guilty too. That’s what good artists do. They open up about something in themselves that we have somewhere in us too, and put their special sparkle on it so we can laugh and sigh about it.

It’s not easy to keep a solo show with piano, pop, voice-overs and stand-up seamlessly structured and able to make complete sense at the same time, but when it is, it’s magical. Her voice overs show real characterisation, I could imagine what the character who the voice belonged to looked like, and Jude’s interaction with them made it feel like they were onstage with her. We believed they were there because she did. Her clever creative command of the juicy content was so well delivered I want to see it all over again.

Sunday was her last performance of a killer run. I can’t wait till I have the next opportunity to experience Jude’s perls of wisdom and melodic magic. Look out for her, buy her album, go crazy before her career gets crazy successful. Jude Perl: Part of This Complete Breakfast is authentic, witty and wonderful.

Jude Pearl: Part of This Complete Breakfast was performed at The Butterfly Club, 6th – 11th of September, 2016. For upcoming performances, visit: http://www.judeperl.com/