Category: Review

Comedy, Review, Theatre

REVIEW: Noel Coward’s SEMI MONDE

Fleeting affairs and quick-witted comedy

By Narelle Wood

Noel Coward’s Semi Monde presented by Seven Actors is a complex web of scandal and affairs, played out in the streets of Paris, that provides just as many laughs as it does relationships. The recent Melbourne production at Trades Hall was performed by a versatile cast including Kelly Ryan, Jade Thomson, Lisa Dallinger, Ross Larkin, Malcolm Nash, Ebony Higgins and Scott Jackson.

Semi Monde

Set in the mid 1920’s, the opulence of the party era is in full swing. Each of Coward’s thirty characters takes full advantage of the extravagant lifestyle, capturing the flirtatious and risqué nature of expressing, or hiding, one’s sexuality and affection. The play doesn’t focus on any one character or group of characters, rather it moves from group to group as if observing the coming and goings of a whole range of regulars at L’hotel Sept, where the intrigue unfolds. Over a series of lunches and cocktails, relationships breakdown, alliances are forged, affairs begin and love is rekindled. There are, amongst many others, the flamboyant-gossip-loving gays, the newly weds, the author and his amorous daughter, various entertainers and a mysterious Russian.

The intricacies of the storyline coupled with the number of characters and only 7 actors resulted in the play being a little hard to follow at times. There were some very quick transitions between characters that were facilitated by accent changes and costume embellishments; in the 3rd act these transitions were executed with skillful flair as performers shifted back and forth between several characters within only a few minutes. While most of the cast, under the direction of Scott Jackson, formed clear delineations between their multiple roles, there were a few times where the transformations were harder to follow, but it was difficult to tell whether this was due to similar character archetypes or the portrayal of the character.

This enjoyable production of Semi Monde was an ambitious undertaking that was well executed. The production was minimalist but effective, though I couldn’t help imagine a more elaborate extravaganza of characters, sets and costumes. Nevertheless Semi Monde was a frolicking good time.

Seven Actors Present Noel Coward’s Semi Monde was performed from 10-15 December 2015 at The Kelvin Club and Trades Hall.

Circus, Events, Review

REVIEW: Batton & Broadway Present THE CLASSICS

Veteran circus performers continue to delight

By Myron My

The popularity of circus shows is certainly rising in Melbourne. Although there are constantly more and more exciting performances being held, the opportunity to see a show with a difference does not always present itself. Presented by Batton & Broadway, The Classics is one show with quite the difference: all the performers are over 50 years old. It is a rare opportunity to see a variety of talented artists unite in doing what they have done for decades, and also to enjoy the reminder that that the older you get doesn’t have to mean the less can you do.

The Classics

Our MCs for the night, Sue Broadway and Debra Batton, share quite the charming camaraderie and their quips back and forth feel spontaneous and natural. I do feel, however, that more time was required for the transition of the acts and the show’s overall stage direction, which often popped that enchanting bubble of wonderment you want to stay in when at the circus. 

The acts themselves are a variety of hits and misses with the opening numbers not really having the pulling power and spectacle you expect from a circus show to draw in the audience immediately. The two sets of trapeze and silks routines seemed like an odd choice, especially when the second acts were nowhere near as strong as their predecessors. With different performers scheduled for different nights of The Classics however, this might not be a regular line-up.

Having said that, Anni Davey and Kathryn Niesche‘s trapeze act was enthralling to watch and provided something quite unique to the evening. The opening act for the second half was also notably enjoyable, with a rendition of Kate Bush’s “Wuthering Heights” that hit all the right notes in its entertainment. Peter Gray‘s clowning and juggling act was immensely fun and quite possibly the highlight of the whole evening, managing to get the whole audience warmly involved with his routine.

There is strong skill and a wealth of experience on display with The Classics, and you can’t help but wonder if the performers are this good in their fifties, how amazing would they have been to watch 30 years ago, and how much could younger artists learn from their combined wealth of experience and skill? Despite the lulls in some of the acts, The Classics is a great opportunity to watch these deservedly classic circus performers show us that they’ve still got it. 

Venue: The Melba Spiegeltent, 35 Johnston St, Collingwood
Season: Until 12 December | 8pm
Tickets: $25 Full | $20 Conc
Bookings: Circus Oz

Cabaret, Comedy, Review

REVIEW: Daniel Oldaker is DANDYMAN

Ring in the silly season

By Myron My

Christmas, the festive season – the silly season some might say, especially if that person is Dandyman. Celebrating 20 years in the industry and having toured over 30 countries, the brains behind the silly, Daniel Oldaker, returns to The Butterfly Club as his alter-ego  in his Christmas-inspired show, Dandyman – Mocktales.

Dandyman

He appears on stage dressed in pyjamas but it’s not long until they come off and the trademark bright-blue suit with bow tie makes its appearance. Throughout the 30 odd-minute performance, Dandyman recalls various childhood memories of Christmas time accompanied by a variety of routines consisting of clowning, magic or dancing and sometimes all three. At one point, I distinctly feel like I am watching an episode of Mr. Bean, but one in which he speaks.

Oldaker has such a strong stage presence and is full of charisma, so it’s disappointing to see a number of these routines that feel surprisingly awkward and pointless. In contrast though, one of the more memorable scenes involves Dandyman reminiscing about his grandfather and the magic trick he used to perform to the grandchildren. It brought a feeling of quaint nostalgia to the audience as we were invariably led to thoughts of our own special family memories. There is also an intriguing thread of darkness running through Dandyman – Mocktales, of something ‘not quite right’ that is briefly touched, but which would have been brilliant for Oldaker to explore and take Dandyman into previously uncharted territories.

There appeared to be some repeated lighting and sound issues on the night I attended. While mishaps will occur with a live show and can often be overlooked, it is still quite awkward to the artist to have to stop the show and wait for the right track to be played. 

I’m one of the few people out there that doesn’t like Christmas nowadays. Call me a grinch if you must. Watching Dandyman – Mocktales is the most Christmassy thing I will be doing this year. While there is definitely room for improvement, I did enjoy some of the silliness and playfulness on stage and the memories of childhood Christmases it permitted me to revisit.

Venue: The Butterfly Club, 5 Carson Place, Melbourne
Season: Until 13 December | 7pm
Tickets: $32 Full | $28 Conc
Bookings: The Butterfly Club

Cabaret, Performances, Review, Theatre

REVIEW: La Mama Presents GOBLINS

Six women reach across time to seek justice

By Myron My

Melbourne-based theatre company Panopticon Collective are dedicated to creating new Australian work that focuses on national identity and social responsibility. Performed at La Mama as part of their Explorations season, their newest production Goblins attempts to do just that, with mixed results.

Goblins

The “goblins” in this work are six women from six historical eras ranging from 2000BC to 2015, who are telling six individual yet thematically similar stories. Each of these women face some sort of persecution for daring to have control of their mind and body, and for speaking up for what they believe in. Written by Jeni Bezuidenhout and Cassandra-Elli Yiannacou, each story is predominantly a ten-minute monologue as we attempt to get inside these women’s heads and see what drives them to be such a courageous force as they confront their fears.

As we enter the venue, there are six bodies lying on the floor covered in white sheets. It is a powerful scene with which to begin, as we think about these “dead” women and reliving the stories they have to tell. It links well with the writers’ idea of showing history repeating itself and that women who dare speak up or act against social norms will be punished. The cast – Eva Justine Torkkola, Isabelle Bertoli, Kellie Tori, Luke Lennox, Bezuidenhout and Yiannacou – are, for the most part, strong and authentic in their portrayals.

However, I felt the stories themselves needed to be far more distinct from one another. Even across the various eras and with the different actors, by the time the final monologue began, I struggled to remember what each story was. While the narratives dealt with different ideas of persecution, the stories only offered a surface level that did not allow for richly drawn characters to present themselves to us. The anecdote that felt the most authentic and sophisticated was the last (“Danielle’s story”), with the closing moments creating some strong visuals that were poignantly reminiscent of the show’s opening.

The stage design by Marcus Verdi and lighting by Jaidan Leeworthy are prime examples of how less can often be more. Both are able to build adroitly on the hostility and loneliness these women faced in their lives. There is however, a distinct lack of sound or music throughout Goblins, and there are times where its presence could have intensified the emotions and experience for both the characters and the audience.

Goblins is still a work in development and changes are likely. If the writers can focus on telling six iconic stories that have heart and emotion rather than a series of more generic narratives, I feel this could well go on to have a life outside of the Explorations seasons at La Mama Theatre.

Goblins was performed between 7 -9 December at La Mama Theatre
Performances, Review, Theatre

REVIEW: La Mama Presents TRUE LOVE’S SIGHT

A taste of a working Shakespearean reworking

By Myron My

The great thing about La Mama’s Explorations season is that it gives artists the opportunity to present works in various stages of development. It might be the first time it is staged to an audience or a scripted reading. In the case of True Love’s Sight, we see a number of segments from their upcoming immersive theatrical experience.

True Loves Sight

Taking place inside the walls of Athens, the work, created by Michaela Bedel and Nikki Brumen, is inspired by Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream. We meet a number of characters from the play, including Theseus, Hermia, Helena, Lysander and Demetrius. William Ewing, Doug Lyons and  Tamzen Hayes do well with their characters and are confident enough in making their interactions with the audience seem genuine and spontaneous.

At one point, Helena grabs three audience members – including myself on the night in question – and takes us into a shed, where she professes her undying love for Demetrius. Helena dictates a poem for me to write, as Demetrius will not read it if it is in her handwriting. It’s an enjoyable few minutes that allows the three audience members to gain special insight into Helena and subsequently Demetrius. My attempt at passing the poem to Demetrius is quite an enjoyable one.

There is potential for True Love’s Sight to be quite a memorable show, however with only 25 minutes of the production’s current material being performed, it is difficult to get a real idea of what its creators’ intentions are or where it is headed. Even ten more minutes would probably have provided some more basic framework and understanding for the audience, for just as we were becoming more involved with the story, it abruptly comes to end.

The one thing that needs to be ensured for successful immersive theatre however is that no matter in what group the audience members end up or what story they experience, they must still be able to piece a general plot and appreciate its intersecting storylines and the motivations of its characters. From what was witnessed in this performance, True Love’s Sight seems to be going down the right path. 

True Love’s Sight was performed at La Mama Theatre between 4 – 6 December.

Dance, Review, Whats On

REVIEW: Chunky Move Presents MISS UNIVERSAL

Excellent components strive to be whole

By Caitlin McGrane

I walked out of Miss Universal and needed quite a while to process what I had seen. When I walked into the performance space I was instructed to ‘interpret it’ in any way I wanted. Speaking to other audience members they were similarly told that there was no wrong place to stand but if you happened to be in the wrong place you would be moved along by the performance: all very mysterious and contemporary. The performance was innovative, eclectic and unlike anything I had seen in a dance performance: it was well conceptualised, directed and choreographed by Atlanta Eke, who also performed alongside Annabelle Balharry, Chloe Chignall and Angela Goh.

Miss Universal.jpg

The performances were excellent and I found myself variously moved, bemused and amused throughout. The trouble was for me that the work did not hang together as a coherent whole; this may not have been the intention in the first place but what it meant for me was that while there was nothing boring about the performance itself, I found myself eventually bored. I think the performance works best if you think about it as a series of visual vignettes rather than holding a narrative or theme through the performance. Chunky Move’s performance space was utilised well, and the performers demonstrated exceptional agility and versatility as they manipulated levels and the traditional space between performer and audience.

The lighting, designed by Matthew Adey from House of Vnholy, lit the space in a sickly hue that exposed imperfections on everyone’s skin, lending an ‘other worldly’ quality to the show. This ethereal quality was enhanced by the excellent and jarring score from composer Daniel Jenatsch.

Overall I really wish Miss Universal had resonated more with me, but other opinions are available and I would encourage those who appreciate contemporary dance to experience it for themselves.

Miss Universal is now showing at Chunky Move until 12 December 2015. More information and tickets from: http://chunkymove.com.au/our-works/current-repertoire/miss-universal/

Events, Performances, Review

REVIEW: Hunted The Interactive Theatre Experience Presents SIDESHOW

Not for coulrophobics…

By Myron My

The circus has come to town, but in the case of Sideshow, this is not a family-friendly – or even a human-friendly – circus. There are powers of darkness, death, murder and spirits from the other world that are part of this troupe and in this immersive performance, it is down to the audience to stop this traveling carnival of horrors from causing doom.

Hunted Presents Sideshow.jpg

Sideshow is certainly fun, but I must be honest: there are a number of reasons it unfortunately does not work. Firstly, the experience just isn’t as scary as it proclaims to be and this is bound to be a huge disappointment for its audiences. Apart from our creepy clown friend, there aren’t any frights or tension, unless the constant repeat of people jumping out of the “darkness” and growling at you is where your fears stem from.

The story, while straightforward and entertaining enough, also tends to use too much exposition in its narrative and takes away the engagement or emotional investment the audience may otherwise have felt. Meanwhile, there are scenes or instructions given to us that don’t seem to have a clear purpose: at one point for example, we were told to wear some masks only to have them taken from us minutes later without explanation. There are sadly no twists or turns as the advertising states and there are no choices we have to make throughout Sideshow: we are spoon-fed the story and directed on what we must do. While admittedly this type of immersive theatre requires a strong structure, it also needs to be under the guise that we the participants do in fact control the story.

I feel the setting and ambiance of the circus environment also needs to be developed more fully, as dark-lit rooms and streamers hanging from walls a circus does not make. Some creepy carnival music playing throughout, for example, would have made a huge difference in building up the tension and creating some believability.

I am a strong supporter of immersive and interactive theatre: in making the audience be an integral part of the show, rather than just an observer. The pay-off for both performer and audience is amazing when executed well. While Sideshow misses the mark in the horror and scare-factor and in creating a truly immersive experience, it is still an enjoyable show that will certainly create some fun and get a few laughs.

Venue: Revealed upon ticket purchase but close to CBD.

Season: Until 6 December

Tickets: $43 Full | $35 Conc

Bookings: Hunted: The Interactive Theatre Experience

Cabaret, Review, Whats On

REVIEW: Anne Gasko in WHEN I GROW UP

Charming, clever and well-crafted cabaret

By Narelle Wood

When I Grow Up is a truthfully whimsical trip down memory lane when adulthood seemed so simple and anything was possible. Anne Gasko, in her one-woman cabaret show, asks all the important questions about what growing up really means and if being an adult means giving up on the dream of owning a unicorn.

When I Grow Up.jpg

Through the combination of song and stand-up Gasko begins with her young and impressionable childhood where eating sprinkles for every meal was an acceptable dream and making friends was as simple as identifying one, potentially tenuous, similarity. Gasko contrasts this with the awkwardness and self-consciousness of making friends as an adult. This is just the beginning of stories of growing up and the harsh realities of grocery shopping, paying bills and growing boobs, and the effects of watching too much Disney on your relationships.

Gasko’s performance is both endearing and edgy; her comedy starts in seeming innocence but as the performance continues, it becomes increasingly more adult and a little bit angsty. The combination works, and much like growing up you come out the other side relatively unscathed at the humorous reminiscing. The song component of the cabaret are well selected, reworded, and just as well performed: Gasko’s rendition of “I Want to Hold Your Hand” was captivating. The only disappointment was that the show didn’t seem to go for long enough and I left wanting more. All of Gasko’s humour hit the mark and it was easy to identify with her observational comedy.

While Gasko does lament the difficulty of making friends with the cool crowd, everything about her performance oozes cool. This a short but sweet way to spend some time having a chuckle at the naivety of childhood and the difficult, but mostly awesome journey, into adulthood.

Venue: The Butterfly Club, Carson Place
Season: 7pm until 29th November
Tickets: Full $32 | Conc $28
Bookings: thebutterflyclub.com/show/when-i-grow-up

Performances, Review, Theatre

REVIEW: La Mama Presents BEERS AND TREES

Promising new work ponders who needs to save the world

By Myron My

Performed as part of La Mama Theatre’s 2015 Explorations season and developed with the assistance of Theatre 451, Beers and Trees by Allee Richards is a humorous yet thoughtful look at not only what makes a person strive for good, but what makes a ‘good’ activist and just how important this activity is. We all want to change the world and make it better for everyone, but we also want to be happy and fulfilled by our own needs and desires. It’s a fine balancing act to get it just right and the question of where this balance lies is what the five characters presented here attempt to answer.

Beers and Trees

Adrian Del-Re is the standout performer in the cast, with his portrayal of Brad being highly natural, nuanced and convincing. The delivery really highlights the comfort that Del-Re has found with this character, and his scenes with Julia Hanna (Ruby) are the most entertaining of the show. Playwright Richards has succeeded admirably in finding clear voices for these two characters, and really fleshing them out.

Relatively new to the independent theatre scene, Luke Costabile delivers a solid performance as Wes who, despite his activist ways, is just as confused as everyone else. The script falters a little in the development of Violet and Isaac (Caitlin Lavery and A.J Steele) however. While the two performers do well dealing with their characters, I found much of their dialogue didn’t seem to drive the point that was trying to be made, and the conversations ending up being more of a tool for Violet and Isaac to antagonise each other.

The direction by Lisa Inman and Tref Gare is consistent throughout, with meaningful actions and body language opening the possibility for much interpretation. With regards to plot however, Beers and Trees starts out strongly, but towards the final stretch it does become a little confusing and too wordy. The climax is missing a strong build-up and the abrupt ending goes against the mood the rest of the show seems to have so carefully focused on.

I am eager to see how Beer and Trees progresses in its next incarnation. With a few small changes in the storyline and some characters, there is potential for this to be a stronger and even more engaging production all round.

Beers and Trees was performed at La Mama Theatre between 6 – 8 November 2015.

Image by Ed Gorwell

Review, Theatre, Whats On

REVIEW: MTC Presents BUYER AND CELLAR

Here’s what Barbra keeps in her basement…

By Caitlin McGrane

As the house lights dimmed inside the Fairfax Theatre at the Arts Centre, I leaned over to my mother and whispered, ‘I don’t know anything about Barbra Streisand.’ This remains true, but I am now certainly informed about her basement. As Alex (Ash Flanders) recounts his fictional employment in Barbra Streisand’s basement shopping mall it was thrilling to revel in the affection that playwright Jonathan Tolins clearly has for the superstar singer. The play was warm, heartfelt and gregarious in all the right ways.

Buyer and Cellar

The play opens with Ash giving a brief introduction to the audience about the book that inspired the play (My Passion for Design by Barbra Streisand) and about how Streisand built a shopping mall in the basement of her Malibu home. Ash then becomes Alex and tells the wickedly funny story of how he moved from Disneyland to Streisand, and how Alex’s relationship with his boyfriend Barry is affected by the new job. It’s a true one-man show, and Flanders did a spectacular job of moving seamlessly between the characters with their idiosyncratic accents and mannerisms. As I stated before, I don’t know anything about Barbra Streisand, but Flanders’ impression of her softly lilting voice and affected mannerisms were outrageously funny.

For the most part the play had me in stitches, however, there were several LA references that went completely over my head and it seemed, much of the rest of audience’s as well. This has nothing to do with the delivery, just that the play was written about a particular place with which a local audience is not necessarily familiar. The saturation of American culture certainly helped contextualise the jokes, but specific references to freeways were always going to go over most of our heads. (I would love to see if something similar could be written about Melbourne; maybe Geoffrey Rush has a Pirates of the Caribbean set up in his garage, I don’t know.)

There is clearly so much passion and fondness for Streisand in the script; director Gary Abrahams has ensured the barbs (pardon the pun) are handled just right – carefully toeing that difficult line between gently mocking and barbarous (I’m sorry I can’t stop). Adam Gardnir simply and effectively designed the sets and costumes; while Rachel Burke’s lighting design was beautiful. For a play about such a massively successful musician, there wasn’t much music, however The Sweats’ composition and sound design carefully adorned and enhanced the performance. Finally, Flanders’ numerous accents were so accurate, that it would be deeply remiss not to mention voice and dialogue coach Suzanne Heywood who has clearly done a marvellous job.

It can make me wary when it looks like the cast and crew of a production have had lots of fun assembling and crafting their work, but in this case it was really joyous to see. Buyer and Cellar demonstrates how reverence can work well alongside gentle teasing, especially if the butt of your jokes is a multimillionaire who really does have a shopping mall in her basement.

Buyer and Cellar is showing at the Fairfax Theatre at the Arts Centre until 12 December. Tickets from: http://www.mtc.com.au/plays-and-tickets/mainstage-2015/buyer-and-cellar/