Category: Review

Circus, Festivals, Review

REVIEW: Point & Flex Circus Presents 3 STEPS AHEAD

Out in front of the rest

By Myron My

Circus has been around for a long time – in fact, since the late 1700s in its ‘modern’ form –  and with the same acts being performed world wide, it runs the risk of becoming repetitive. However, the show 3 Steps Ahead, created by Point & Flex Circus’ Taylor Dawson and Marina Gellmann, , has enough point of difference to ensure we remain entertained.

3 Steps Ahead
Using circus, sideshow, physical theatre and humour, Dawson and Gellmann compete against each other in a series of challenges, some of which require the audience to choose whether or not to help one of them win it. In between these, we are also entertained with more traditional forms of circus acts such as hoops, contortionism, juggling and even some nose drawing!

There is always a risk of things not going to plan when it comes to circus shows. A hula hoop might not go where it’s supposed to, a foot might not land where it should or a ball is thrown a little too high to get the right timing. There were a number of these mishaps in 3 Steps Ahead but Dawson and Gellmann retained their composure and the recoveries were always swift.

What sets 3 Steps Ahead apart from other circus performances is that the audience has a say the action and in what the order of those acts will be. So even though we will see all the same ones each show, the performers are never sure which act they will be doing next and the comfort of routine is thrown out the window.

Music was used successfully throughout, building on the suspense of “will they/won’t they” (make it) and the lighting work was incredibly sharp and precise. Just like the performers’ routine, these two aspects depended on what order the acts were decided upon and there was no noticeable moments where it felt like an error had been made.

Despite both being 18 years old, between them Dawson and Gellmann have almost 30 years experience in circus so it’s no surprise that Point & Flex’s show won Best Emerging Circus Performer at the Melbourne Fringe Festival Awards over the weekend.

3 Steps Ahead was performed at Gasworks Arts Park as part of the 2014 Melbourne Fringe Festival.

Cabaret, Festivals, Performances, Review

REVIEW: Fringe Festival’s MONSTER

Welcome to the darkness

By Myron My

Monster

With its low lighting and large spacious rooms where you can only just see to the other end of it if you squint and focus, Revolt is the perfect venue for Monster, a horror-cabaret that looks at perceptions that the transgender community constantly battle.

Created by Daniel Gough and Danielle Starkey, we are welcomed into the dark and into the home of Madam (also performed by Gough) as she regales us with stories of her life. What starts as light-hearted enough slowly but then suddenly becomes dark and intense as Madam gives us an insight into life as a transgender person.

The lighting and set design support this darkening mood, building on the intimacy of a topic like transgender and also creating a claustrophobic mood in Madam’s attic apartment. The three “rooms” on set, the lounge, bathroom and bedroom, are where people are traditionally most honest with themselves and cannot escape their truth and it is quite fitting that the bathroom is where the most emotive and haunting moments take place in Monster.

Gough tackles the complexities of a transgender person with impressive results. You almost forget that Gough is reciting lines and performing on stage as Madam, especially with his consistency on playing out her mannerisms and nervous habits. He builds a strong emotional connection with the audience and the boldness and courage present in the final moments feel like a combination of loathing and loving self-acceptance for Madam.

Monster is a brilliantly horrific piece of theatre that looks at transgender people and the conflicts and issues they face but doesn’t accuse or threaten: instead, it leaves you questioning and looking to your own moral compass for answers on who the actual “monster” is.

Monster was performed at Revolt as part of the 2014 Melbourne Fringe Festival.

Comedy, Review, Theatre

REVIEW: HIT Productions Presents THE 39 STEPS

Cast of four fuel this fabulous farce

By Lyn Collet

Adapted by Patrick Barlow from an original concept by Simon Corble and Nobby Dimon, this beloved British romp is based on the 1935 Hitchcock spy thriller movie and novel by John Buchan. The London’s West End production is currently the longest running comedy. The 39 Steps begins with Richard Hannay, an innocent man, learning too much about a dangerous spy ring and being pursued across Scotland before returning to London to foil the villain’s dastardly plans.

The 39 Steps

This return season touring production features over a hundred characters played by four very versatile and competent actors – Mike Smith (who plays the hero Hannay), whilst Anna Burgess, Sam Haft and Michael Lindner are kept busy cleverly portraying the rest of the hilarious ensemble.

Having previously seen the famous West End production, a few of the memorable comedic moments were missed in this re-staged version, but director Terence O’Connell has made this a fast moving, very funny show with simple, but very effective sets and props by Jacob Battista and with lighting by designer Jason Bovaird.

Costume designer Kim Bishop has produced just the right outfits for the very quick changes needed for the very humorous characters and settings, while choreographer Alana Scanlan has created some very well-rehearsed choreography with great physical and comic timing.

This is indeed a “jolly good show”, and it is unfortunate that there are only 4 final Melbourne performances on this tour.

The 39 Steps will be playing at the Athenaeum Theatre – Thursday 2 October at 7.30 pm, Friday 3 October at 7.30 pm and Saturday 4 October 2 pm and 7.30 pm.

Bookings: 03 9650 1500

Ticketek: 132 849 / www.ticketek.com.au

Festivals, Review, Theatre, Whats On

REVIEW: The CuttingRoom Floor’s ALL THE SINGLE LAD(IE)S

Two intertwined tales of gender-bending

By Myron My

There are two stories that take place in All The Single Lad(ie)s, The Cutting Rooms Floor’s production for 2014 Melbourne Fringe Festival. One is drag show hosted by Tammy Packs (Braiden Dunn), who gives us some valuable life lessons and the other is set in a clothing store run by O (Verity Softly). The narrative of O looks at an incident at her store when a young man, V (Jack Walker), attempts to rob her at gun point. Things escalate from there and between every ‘chapter’ of this story, Tammy returns to the stage to dish out some advice whilst singing a few choice Beyoncé tracks that link back to the story.

All the Single Lad(ie)s

The expectations and power of gender are explored in a way which does not make judgments or accusations but instead, leaves you to your own devices to provoke thoughts and discussion. Looking at such themes, it is not surprising that Beyoncé’s music is used, herself as an artist being a highly successful, powerful and influential woman.

The writing by Zoe Hollyoak is strong during the Tammy scenes, but I felt the story of O and V needed some refining. I failed to be convinced at how events transpired, and the narrative flow did not feel organic. Moreover, I would have appreciated knowing the motivations of the characters in order to be able to make sense of their choices. However, there was some good acting by the two actors, especially during the more confronting and sexually charged scenes.

Meanwhile, Dunn seems completely at ease as the host(ess) with the most-ess, Tammy, especially with some of the audience interaction that occurs. His version of “If I Were A Boy” is quite touching and shows a softer side to the show and his character.

Scott Corbett’s direction makes great use of the stage, especially during the confronting final moments of the show which pack a powerful punch.

In both worlds in All The Single Lad(ie)s gender lines are reversed, blurred and smashed to a climatic ending. There are admirable and committed performances throughout, but I feel these performers could all have excelled with a slightly less-forced storyline.

Venue: Revolt, 12 Elizabeth St, Kensington

Season: Until 4 October | 8:00pm

Tickets: $20 Full | $15 Conc

Bookings: http://www.melbournefringe.com.au

Dance, Festivals, Review, Whats On

REVIEW: Speakeasy Presents POTENTIAL

Scintilatingly strange

By Caitlin McGrane

Billed as a ‘dance of the heart’, Janine Proost’s Potential will go down in my memory as one of the stranger theatrical performances I have ever experienced, and I mean that as a compliment. The audience is lead in through the doors of Studio One at the Northcote Town Hall to find our four performers (Janine Proost, Natalie Abbott, Rebecca Jensen and Amelia McQueen) lying splayed on the ground covered in a blanket of playdoh. The four women are wearing gold lycra outfits, and invite the audience to take some of the playdoh heaped onto their chests…

Potential

What follows is 60 minutes of dance and yoga that will leave you pleasingly puzzled. It was clear that the inspiration came from the body, but that it came from the heart wasn’t always obvious to me. There was certainly a lot of feminine imagery (a vignette of a mid-birth playdoh baby springs to mind), which is always interesting. I loved how the energy of the performance mirrored that of a yoga class: starting with slow movements, breathing, simple postures and building to a crescendo of occasionally painful movements across the stage that were at times quite difficult to watch. There is a lot of quiet in the performance, and it beautifully counterpoised the manic cacophony of noise that made up part of the third act.

Special and particular mention must go to Matt Adey whose lighting design was spectacular and very evocative. The harsh stage lights illuminated the faces of the performers in ways that caused them to be at once beautiful and pained (the kind of facial expression one can only get from an hour of yoga).

For my first Melbourne Fringe Festival show this year, it was quite an experience. I’m very excited to see what Proost comes up with next and will be first in line to see it.

Potential is on every night until Sunday 5 October at 7:30pm at the Northcote Town Hall. Tickets are $26 at http://www.melbournefringe.com.au/fringe-festival/show/potential/

Festivals, Review, Theatre, Whats On

REVIEW: Fringe Festival’s PANDORA’S DOLLS

Seven sins unleashed

By Myron My

Pandora's Dolls

A young woman is seeing a psychiatrist as she deals with the aftermath of her childhood abuse and trauma. Despite the serious theme, Pandora’s Dolls is a variety of surprisingly entertaining acts that deal with the repercussions of her experiences.

Consisting of burlesque, dance and music, the performances take place “inside” Pandora’s head and appear as manifestations of the seven deadly sins. The Greed and Lust segments displayed the choreographic and directorial skills of Donna Robinson and Mark Cipollone, but it was in in the marvelous marionette dance routine for Sloth and the candy segment for Glutton that they excelled.

There’s also no way I can go past the costumes and make-up in praising what else worked well in Pandora’s Dolls. I was in awe of the effort and time that would have been needed to create these pieces. The over-the top-wigs and head dresses along with some highly creative outfits added to the nightmare world that Pandora found herself in with even the support dancers in the red morph suits conveying a mood of horror.

The live band, Rapskallian, was brilliant and the numerous instruments they played showcased their talents and allowed for a more authentic and visceral experience than a mere recording would have. I was especially impressed with their lead singer’s voice during the Greed song, singing in a believable cockney accent.

Unfortunately, the production does suffer during the therapy sessions between Pandora and her psychiatrist, wherein the latter lacked the authority he ought to have in his delivery and body language. There were a number of times where it seemed that lines were forgotten as the performer stood in silence and then apparently repeated lines to find his rhythm again or – from an audience perspective – to end the scene.

The story and themes explored in Pandora’s Dolls did get a little lost in translation and execution, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing given the heaviness of the topic. Overall, it was an enjoyable show due to the highly committed and skilful performers from the House of Burlesque providing much entertainment.

Venue: Lithuanian Club, 44 Errol St, North Melbourne

Season: Until 4 October | 9:30pm

Tickets: $35 Full | $25 Conc

Bookings: http://www.melbournefringe.com.au

Festivals, Review, Theatre

REVIEW: Fr!sk Presents #HOWTODISAPPEAR

In search of a vanishing point

By Myron My

As we take our seats for #howtodisappear, a voice-over and screen in front of us begin stating the terms and conditions of sitting in this show. We are asked to turn off our phones, but then the conditions delve further and further into issues of privacy and the voice-over begins to speed up at an almost inaudible pace.

#howtodisappear

Once the exhaustive list is finished, we are told if we disagree with any of these we have three seconds to leave the venue – otherwise we have just signed on the dotted line. This humor sets the tone for the rest of #howtodisappear.

The two performers, Patrick Considine and Christian Taylor, charm with their banter and interactions with us, as they playfully attempt to ‘one up’ each other on “The World’s Most Difficult Magic Trick”. The magic tricks were great to watch and there was much discussion with my friend as to how they could have been done afterwards.

Even though I enjoyed the show, I struggled to see any link between what was performed on stage and the description of the event. I felt I would be seeing something about technology and how nothing is private and everything about you is out there but instead, it was more or less about the magic tricks.

The other thing that puzzled me was being asked to provide the artists with our name and number so we could “fully experience the performance”. However, all that transpired was a single text message that just reiterated what the artists has asked us in person. Even the response I sent resulted in no further interaction with them, so I was confused as to its purpose.

I feel more work was needed on the ideas that Considine and Taylor were trying to convey with #howtodisappear. A clearer link between show description and performance, for example, was something required for audiences to more fully appreciate this work.

#Howtodisappear was presented by Fr!sk Festival at the Victorian College of the Arts as part of the 2014 Melbourne Fringe Festival.

Festivals, Review, Theatre, Whats On

REVIEW: Attic Erratic Presents TRIPPED

Significant, simmering theatre

By Myron My

Two men have each tripped a landmine; if either step off, they run the risk of blowing themselves apart. One is an Australian soldier trying to protect his country and the other is a Muslim civilian trying to protect his family. In Attic Erratic’s latest production for the 2014 Melbourne Fringe Festival, Tripped, these two men begin to realize that perhaps their differences are not so polarised after all.

Tripped

Nick Musgrove’s script is intense, and from early on my mind was racing as to how this was all going end. Although I did not artistically agree with the ending and found it somewhat self-indulgent, it was still unexpected and organic and drove home the issues of who exactly is the enemy and what do we fight for.

My other issue with Tripped was the role of the priest (Liam O’Kane). As a priest, the character seemed completely unaware of the gravity of the situation in which he found himself, and it felt like he was being played for comic relief rather than as a person whose helicopter has just crashed and killed seven men and who is caught in a war zone .

Overall though, Celeste Cody continues to impress with her direction, ensuring the tone and impact of the script remains constant as it is comes to life on stage. With the actors’ movements obviously limited, Cody ensures that engagement with the audience is maintained through other avenues, including the lighting and sound effects.

Angus Brown does a great job as Australian soldier Norm. He manages to show a human, troubled side to a character that could have easily just been an ignorant “jock” soldier if  given to the wrong actor. However, it is Ezel Doruk who really shines as Ahmed, the “rag head” civilian who gets caught in the crossfire. His performance of a man who falls victim to his circumstances and faith was emotive and raw. I thoroughly enjoyed the tête-à-tête between the two as the story built up to its dramatic conclusion.

With the recent news of terror arrests and killings happening in Australia, this is a timely reminder on how easily it is to get caught up in the propaganda of fighting a war we know or understand very little about. Tripped is yet another exciting topical piece of theatre by Attic Erratic – good writing, strong direction and gripping performances.

Venue: Lithuanian Club, 44 Errol St, North Melbourne

Season: Until 4 October | 6:30pm

Tickets: $24 Full | $19 Conc

Bookings: http://www.melbournefringe.com.au

Festivals, Performances, Review, Theatre

REVIEW: Fr!sk Presents CONTRA

Some are more equal than others

By Myron My

“Welcome, Cousins!”

Contra

This is how we are greeted as we enter the world of Contra for the 2014 Melbourne Fringe Festival. But we are not really cousins – we are comrades in a futuristic dystopia where we are blindingly loyal to our great leader and under the ever-watchful eye of – well – just about everyone.

Presented by Fr!sk Festival at the Victorian College of the Arts, there is an immersive element in the first part of this show that felt like I was in a version of 1984 or The Hunger Games. We are all huddled outside and numbers are read out announcing the winners of a lottery to see who will be chosen to work in a career department, a most honoured position.

Surrounding us are posters with propaganda slogans such as “Report or Regret” and “Equal and Fair”. We are then marched single file through the building, getting fingerprint-scanned and collecting our food ration pill. Various precincts are mentioned and ever since ‘The Great Disaster’, we all serve under the watchful eye of The Conductor.

From here on, it’s a fairly straightforward performance exploring the impossibility of curbing natural instincts and speculating as to where the desire for power and ambition can lead. As the audience, we are oppressed civilians watching these character’s lives begin to crumble as the pressure to conform reaches breaking point. The five performers in the cast do a great job in their respective roles but Simone French and Cait Spiker particularly impressed me with the levels of commitment invested into their portrayals. Moreover, the choreography and soundtrack used in the ‘sexual misconduct’ scene was executed effectively in creating an opportunity for these characters – and for their audience – to experience a moment of real emotional connection.

The plot is a familiar one for this dystopian genre with no real twist or surprise, but the initial immersive experience is what won me over. There are ultimately some interesting messages that Contra offers about life, society and expectations, but I feel the play is summed up best with one character’s proclamation that ‘freedom should not be a privilege’.

Contra was presented by Fr!sk Festival at the Victorian College of the Arts as part of the 2014 Melbourne Fringe Festival.

Musical Theatre, Review, Whats On

REVIEW: Ghost Light and Moving Light Productions’ CARRIE: THE MUSICAL

Things will get bloody…

By Margaret Wieringa

Initially, the tale known by most as a horror film from the seventies seems like an odd choice for a musical. But, at the heart of Stephen King’s novel Carrie is the story of a girl who is oppressed by her mother and tormented by her peers until she breaks. The twist, as most people know, is that she has telekinetic powers, and wreaks a brutal revenge of those who have hurt her. Carrie: The Musical deals a story so epic it could have been an opera.

Carrie The Musical

The show begins with a musical number that shows off the talents of the strong supporting cast. The busy and eye-catching choreography by Lisa Minett draws the audience into the world of the musical as well as the angst of high school. When Emily Milledge enters, she brings all of the awkward misfit elements of Carrie and even when the beautiful swan emerges, she retains a hint of the fearful girl within. The duets between Carrie and her mother, played by Chelsea Gibb, are intense and passionate. It really is a cast of strong female performers, with Chernae Howlett also capturing the deep nastiness of Chris Hargensen as she manipulates those around her, and sets out to ruin Carrie’s life.

The stand-out performance, however, came from Hollie James as Sue Snell. Easily able to hold the stage on her own, she showed all the poignant sweetness and kindness the character required. Her duet with Jack O’Riley playing Billy Ross at the start of the second act was delightful.

Clearly, it was going to be a challenge to have objects flying around and the utter destruction of a whole town shown on stage – especially the small stage at Chapel Off Chapel. However, director Terence O’Connell and his excellent production crew really make a little go a long way. While the explosive scene at the prom is quite short, the combination of the sound and lighting with clever choreography gave it the intensity to be extremely effective. The solid musical accompaniment of the band helmed by David Piper allowed the cast to shine throughout, especially during this dramatic finale.

Carrie: The Musical is the debut production for Ghost Light, a company that aims to present premieres of musicals locally, as well as creating new musical and physical theatre. They have certainly started with a bang, and will be worth keeping an eye on.

Venue: Chapel Off Chapel,
Season: 25 September – 12 October, Wednesday – Saturday 8pm, Saturday matinee 4th and 11th October 2pm, Wednesday matinee 8th October 1pm, Sunday 6pm
Tickets: $49.50 Full, $39.50 Concession and groups of 10+
Bookings: http://chapeloffchapel.com.au/