Category: Review

Comedy, Festivals, Review, Whats On

REVIEW: Speakeasy Presents THE LOMAN EMPIRE: THE SITCOM!

Willy Loman still has a dream

By Narelle Wood

I am an Arthur Miller fan, and while Death of a Salesman is a great play it is depressing and in need of a little humour. I was intrigued by the premise of this play as a comedy and what The Loman Empire: The Sitcom! – An unauthorised satire of Death of a Salesman accomplishes, is more than a little humour; it is non-stop laughing from start to finish.

The Loman Empire The Sitcom

The play has been reset as a 80’s sitcom and from the moment the audience enters they are onset for a live taping of The Loman Empire. True to the original script of the play, the taping of this episode of The Loman Empire follows Willy (Russell Fletcher), Biff (Jimmy James Eaton) and Happy (Danny McGinlay) on their pursuit for the American Dream and their experiences of falling just short of success. Of course Linda Loman (Lana Schwarz), Willy’s long-suffering wife, and Charlie (Damian Callinan), the long-suffering neighbour, also make an appearance.

The structure of The Loman Empire: The Sitcom! is a show within a show; the sitcom begins with the introduction of the stars and each act is broken up with a commercial break. So well put together is this production that they actually include opening and closing credits and commercials, some of which are so funny I’m still laughing.

The writing is exceptional. The writer Danny McGinlay has managed to intertwine large parts of Death of a Salesman with his dialogue, whilst keeping the integrity of all the characters. The director, Damian Callinan, uses the set really well with multiple transitions and the actors move seamlessly between characters, especially Dennis Manahan, who we first meet as the actor Chyp Wood. The personas of the off-screen actors are hilarious, but one of my personal favourites is the off-to-the-side-of-the-stage ‘Warm Up Guy’ (Lachlan Millsom) who keeps the audience applauding and laughing in all the right spots.

Even if you’re not a Miller fan or familiar with the original works, this is a hoot that had me laughing from the moment it started. But be warned; you may never read Death of a Salesman in quite the same way again.

Venue: Northcote Town Hall, 189 High St Northcote
Season: Saturday 20th September to Sunday 28th September, 8.15 pm, Sundays 7.15 pm
Tickets: Full $26| Conc $21
Bookings: www.melbournefringe.com.au/fringe-festival/show/loman-empire-the-sitcom-an-unauthorised-satire-of-death-of-a-salesman/

Festivals, Review, Theatre, Whats On

REVIEW: Speakeasy’s ONCE WERE PIRATES

A poignant piratical tale

By Narelle Wood

Once Were Pirates is a two-pirate show directed by Daniel Czech and written by Emily Collyer, the winner of the 2013 Fringe Best Emerging Writer.

Once Were Pirates

The two pirates Shane and Gareth (Ben Clements and James Cook) embark on a journey of attempting to assimilate into the modern world. What ensues is a combination of angry pirate Gareth’s decent into an overworked metrosexual pirate and Shane, a pirate with a heart (who spends too much time reading the self-help sections in Cleo), returning to some old tricks of the trade to get by.

The initial blurb I read about the show suggested a comedic look at pirates trying to navigate modern life in Melbourne; this is only partially true. There were a number of comedic moments, but Once Were Pirates was more a philosophical investigation of the brutality of the modern world than a comical one.

The sets, music, lighting and direction were all excellent, as was the acting. The fight scenes looked very authentic and it was clear that a lot of time and thought had been put into how to effectively stage this two-man show, given there is no change of scene. Both Clements and Cook are superb and are able to convey both the harshness of their pirate pasts as well as the inner-conflict the self-reflective moments require.

The show is good but it did leave me with a lot of questions: some logistical – how did the pirates happen to find themselves in modern-day Melbourne? – and some philosophical – would pirates really be disturbed by the modern world? Because of these, and many more unresolved queries, I left feeling unsure about what to think, and perhaps this was the show’s intent all along.

Once Were Pirates is at times funny, but is mostly a genuinely interesting take on modern life, and what it means for work, humanity and pirates. It contains its fair share of explicit language, and given the thinking required, it’s certainly not for the lily-livered, faint o’ heart.

Venue: Northcote Town Hall, 189 High St Northcote
Season: Saturday 20th September to Sunday 28th September, 7pm Sundays 6pm
Tickets: Full $26| Conc $21
Bookings: www.melbournefringe.com.au/fringe-festival/show/once-were-pirates/

Cabaret, Review, Whats On

REVIEW: Anya Anastasia in FEAR-EATER THEATRE

Promise of more…

By Myron My

In Anya Anastasia’s Fear-Eater Theatre, we are treated to a variety of songs and performances that have been inspired by various fairy tales or iconic figures.

Anastasia’s grand and glamorous entrance as Marie Antoinette was effective in grabbing our attention, but soon after the attention waned and unfortunately I found myself encountering less and less to enjoy about this show.

Fear Eater Theatre

Granted, this was a preview performance for this Melbourne season, and there were a few overt things that needed refinement, such as call cues and effective positioning of UV lights, but I must admit for me, the show itself failed to entertain on the level one would have expected.

The inclusion of guest dancer Briohny May not only felt completely out of context with what the rest of the show was about, but the three songs to which she danced felt like three too many. I found no charisma or charm in the performance personally, and was left puzzled as to why Anastasia has chosen to include the numbers in Fear-Eater Theatre.

Similarly, Anastasia’s performances appeared to be too focused on getting out the right moves, rather than enjoying herself on stage. Again however, I would like to put this down to preview-night nerves and an artist testing new routines.

Anastasia’s greatest strength lies in her songwriting; her ability to take an idea and spin it around until a different perspective is revealed is intriguing to witness. Her skill is evident and admirable in creating quirky and original songs.

I walked out of Fear-Eater Theatre not feeling I had been transported into an “extravagant fantasy realm” as stated in the show’s description, but that this was a performance that perhaps still needed more work and thought before being put on stage again.

Venue: The Butterfly Club, 256 Collins St (entry via Carson Place), Melbourne

Season: Until 14 September | 9:00pm, Sunday 8:00pm

Tickets: $25 Full | $22 Conc

Bookings: http://www.thebutterflyclub.com

Events, Musical Theatre, Review, Whats On

REVIEW: Australian Premiere of HIGH FIDELITY The Musical

Spin the record

By Narelle Wood

High Fidelity the musical, the latest production by Pursued by Bear, is a fun look at the ups and downs of relationships, making mix tapes and coping with becoming the-most-pathetic-man-in-the-world.

Set in ‘the last real record store on earth’, the musical follows Rob (Russell Leonard), the record store’s owner, through his break-up with girlfriend Laura (Simone Van Vugt). In amongst the heartbreak, Rob finds himself slapped by female friend Liz (Lisa Woodbrook), haunted by girlfriends past, and having to work with his two quirky staff members Dick (Liam O’Bryne) and Barry (Scott Mackenzie), not to mention dealing with Laura’s new love interest, Ian (Jason Bentley).

High Fidelity

In typical Nick Hornsby-style, High Fidelity has lots of quips and sarcasm, and director David Ward has guided his cast to deliver their lines with superb comedic timing. Not only do the leads provide laughs in their dialogue but there are also some brilliant comedic moments subtly delivered by the chorus; at times it was difficult to know where to look, there was just so many character idiosyncrasies to take in. Comedy aside, there are some amazing singing performances, most notably Van Vugt, Mackenzie, Woodbrook and Anisha Sanaratine as Marie La Salle

There were some small opening night issues with what appeared to be some first-performance nerves at the start of the show, and some technical issues with the microphones and some lighting cues. The biggest problem was the choreography; with such a small stage and a fairly large cast there were times when there was too much going on and the dancing seemed to be there unnecessarily. That being said, when the choreography had a purpose it was brilliant, for instance at the start of the show and when Ian visits Rob: these moments ended up being amongst my favourite parts.

This is the Australian premier of High Fidelity and the program acknowledges the risk that Pursued by Bear has taken with this production, but the risk has definitely paid off. Between the music, the funny moments and the storyline, this is not just a must see, but a must see twice.

Venue: Chapel off Chapel,
Season: 11 – 21 September, Thursday – Saturday 7.30pm, Sunday 5pm
Tickets: $37.50 Full | $32.50 Conc
Bookings: http://chapeloffchapel.com.au/ticket-sales/

Festivals, Review, Theatre, Whats On

REVIEW: Attic Erratic’s THE CITY THEY BURNED

Don’t look back…

By Myron My

The thing I love about Attic Erratic productions is that each new offering is so diverse and different to what they have previously performed. From Choir Girl to Domino, and now The City They Burned: an immersive theatre experience that is a modern retelling of Lot and the fall of Sodom.

The City They Burned

We are invited into Lot’s house for dinner and drinks; we are his friends and work colleagues. There is, however, a sense that something unsettling is afoot as we are greeted by his daughters, Thamma and Pheine (Shoshannah Oks and Brianagh Curran). The two women create a tense environment with their demeanour, attitudes and looks, in particular Oks, whose stare was so confronting I often had to look away.

The rest of the cast are more than impressive with their roles, including Scott Gooding as Lot and Jessica Tanner as his wife Ado, who remarkably shines most in her catatonic state in the second act. So convincing and powerful were the performances that during intermission, two police officers arrived, having been contacted by a nearby resident concerned at the “disturbances” they were hearing.

Fleur Kilpatrick’s script is an engrossing story and even though my knowledge of Lot and Sodom was limited I was transfixed by the unfolding events. The first act is a unique experience for audience members as we are free to roam around the lounge room set and see and hear different conversations, and moments. Even with the interaction with the actors, we are silent witnesses to the depravity and carnage that is building up. The second act is more conventional in its delivery but the intensity being conveyed by the actors is palpable.

Rob Sowinski is to be commended for such authentic set designs for both acts. They are able to support and strengthen the mood created by the acting and writing, and a lot of detail has been put into their creation.

As a side note, I think it was a great initiative of Attic Erratic to hold a “pay what you can” performance on the evening I attended, which allowed for the production to take place with audiences that otherwise might not have been able to attend.

Attic Erratic seems to be more and more synonymous with creating brave new theatre experiences for audiences and under the direction of artistic director, Danny Delahnuty, The City They Burned is most definitely this.

Venue: Cavern Table Performance Space, 127b Campbell St, Collingwood

Season: Until 23 September | Monday 8:00pm

Tickets: $24 Full | $21 Conc until 16 Sept; $27 Full | $24 Conc between 18-23 Sept (as part of Melbourne Fringe Festival)

http://atticerratic.com/

Performances, Review, Theatre, Whats On

REVIEW: Caroline Lee in WAKING UP DEAD

A blank sheet and a black crayon

By Myron My

In Waking Up Dead, writer Trudy Hellier explores what happens to a woman when her husband dies in an unexpected and shocking way, only then to discover he was also leading a double life.

With direction from Susie Dee, Caroline Lee succeeds in captivating our attention with her portrayal of the grieving woman. Her fragility is evident throughout and you can see her slowly unraveling as she recalls moments of her life with her husband, leading up to that fatal moment and beyond.

Caroline Lee in Waking Up Dead_Photo Credit – Andy TurnerHer dialogue is delivered earnestly and from the heart, and Hellier has created a script that really captures the emotions and reactions a person feels when not only someone they love dies, but also someone they love turns out to not be who they thought they were. Ian Moorhead’s sound design is used effectively with interspersed sound bites throughout Waking Up Dead. TV news reports and police interviews all point to the inevitable and add more despair to Lee’s character’s story.

The set design by Callum Morton is simple yet demanding of our interest – it comprises of a single white sheet of paper that rolls down a wall and onto the floor upon which Lee then draws in her bedroom and its furniture (including a desk, bed and bookshelves) with a black crayon. As her memory becomes more confused and in turn, becomes more agitated and frail, so does the appearance of her room as she rubs things off and smudges things out.

Waking Up Dead is a beautiful production and exploration of what it is to grieve and lose someone you love and how at the end of the day, we can only ever put faith in our memories to remind us of the people in our lives.

Venue: fortyfivedownstairs, 45 Flinders Lane, Melbourne
Season: Until 14 September | Tues- Sat 8:00pm, Sun 5pm
Tickets: $35 Full | $25 Conc
Bookings: http://www.fortyfivedownstairs.com/events or 9662 9966

Events, Festivals, Performances, Review

REVIEW: Barking Spider’s LIBERTY OF THE PRESS

Freedom, fashion and forgotten stories

By Myron My

It’s hard to put into words the thoughts and feelings I had whilst experiencing Liberty of the Press. Even the venue for this concert/exhibition/fashion-runway/performance-based evening – the State Library of Victoria – was most unusual, yet fitting for a show like this.

Liberty of the Press

In this production inspired by the stunning “Press Dress” – an outfit constructed from panels of silk printed with the front pages of Melbourne newspapers – worn by Mrs Matilda Butters at the Mayor’s fancy dress ball in 1866, we were treated to a variety of sensory events presented within the confines of the library.

Beginning in the La Trobe Dome Reading Room, we witnessed some Chinese drumming which sent reverberations throughout your body and echoes all over the room. At one point four scrolls were thrown over the top floor railings with the last one reading “Liberty of the Press”. It had begun.

It is then you heard a distant beautiful operatic voice singing. It was hypnotic and I could have listened to it for much longer but as I was drawn towards it, I caught a glimpse of the Press Dress in the Queen’s Hall. All that’s left of the ornate costume is the dress, which now belongs in the State Library of Victoria’s Realia collection. Interestingly, little is known about the dress’ creator, Mrs William Dobbs, apart from the fact she lived in South Yarra.

Following this was a catwalk showing of some eye-catching fashion inspired by the dress from designers New Model Beauty Queen and Preston Zly. This was accompanied by a traditional Chinese performance with Chinese Dragons, which led us to the State Library Forecourt where the two worlds came together in a spectacular conclusion.

Created by Barking Spider Visual Theatre, Liberty of the Press was performed as part of Melbourne Spring Fashion Week, and acknowledged the lesser-known history of women from the past and the 40, 000 Chinese who arrived to Victoria during the Gold Rush.

There’s not much else to say about this except it was simply a visual and aural feast of fashion, design, performance and music that took place on September 4, 2014.

Events, Review, Theatre, Whats On

REVIEW: David Suchet in THE LAST CONFESSION

Was Pope John Paul I murdered?

By Lyn Collet

This magnificent production tells of the last confession of Cardinal Giovanni Benelli (played brilliantly by David Suchet) who influenced the election of Pope John Paul I (Cardinal Albino Luciani – portrayed wonderfully by Richard O’Callaghan) in 1978.

This confession relates to all the events that took place before, during and after the Pope’s 33-day reign and reveals Benelli’s personal ambitions.

Tha Last Confession

Set in the Vatican, The Last Confession by Roger Crane is a complex story, but one superbly and strongly performed by this entire cast, supported with excellent sets by William Dudley and lighting design by Peter Mumford. The many scene changes were totally professional and, although simple, very effective in their creativity. The costumes by Fotini Dimou were believably authentic as were the stage props, while director Jonathan Church has made this a fascinating, fast-moving tale with just the right amount of humour.

Famed for his roles as Poirot and in Shakespeare, Suchet as Benelli convincingly succeeds in showing his character as a man struggling with his faith, fighting his dreams of power, and expressing his feelings of guilt for what he feels is his part in the death of his loved friend Luciani. Without revealing too much, Benelli’s final scene is highly dramatic and shows Suchet’s incredible talent to advantage.

This production is a powerful, absorbing and thought-provoking drama with power plays and machinations within the Vatican being strongly explored.

The Last Confession will be playing for a three-week season from the 3rd of September at The Comedy Theatre before touring nationally. Bookings at http://www.ticketmaster.com.au/The-Last-Confession-tickets/artist/34736

Events, Review, Theatre, Whats On

REVIEW: Theresa Rebeck’s SPIKE HEELS

Walking in someone else’s stilettos

By Myron My

Written by Theresa Rebeck (creator of TV series Smash) Spike Heels revolves around four people, and the intricate relationships they have with each other. Some are intimate, some are platonic and some are just beginning but – to an extent – they are all based on manipulation, power and lies.

 In this production presented by Q44 Theatre Company & Crazy Chair Productions, Nicole Melloy does a flawless job as foul-mouthed Bronx-born Georgie. With the risk of coming across as a frustratingly annoying and unappealing person, Melloy adds hints of fragility and vulnerability to everything she says and does, and ends up creating a character that we can empathise with and like. Anthony Scundi, as Georgie’s best friend Andrew, is also well cast as as the neat, nerdy academic who cannot swear properly.

Spike Heels

Georgie and Andrew’s lives are made more complicated by Georgie’s smarmy boss Edward (Michael Robins), and Andrew’s fiancé Lydia (Lelda Kapsis) and even though she has limited stage time, Kapsis creates some genuine touching moments between Lydia and Georgie.

Rebeck’s dialogue is full of fierce one-liners and a good balance of incredibly hilarious moments and incredibly dramatic moments, but it’s her consideration of power and how we all possess and use different forms of it against each other that is especially interesting to see play out on stage and watch how it affects each character.

Despite the brilliant writing, I did take issue with some of the plot points: in particular, the development of the relationship between Georgie and Edward. Without giving too much away, there are two moments that occur that made it difficult for me to accept the outcome of their relationship. It is because of this narrative problem that I feel the character of Edward never quite reaches the level of being a “real” person.

From a technical aspect, the set design by Rebecca Fortuna and Mara Kapsis is perfectly imagined and executed. Apart from having Andrew and Georgie’s personalities reflected in their respective apartments, they each have a large backdrop that the audience’s eye is constantly drawn to, that further builds on that character’s thought and ideals. In the case of Andrew, it’s an image of Nietzsche with the quote ‘sometimes people don’t want to hear the truth because they don’t want their illusions destroyed’, which is an idea resonating throughout Spike Heels.

Spike Heels is a highly enjoyable and intimate look into the complex world of relationships and ultimately the necessity of being true to oneself first and foremost. And tea.

Venue: Chapel Off Chapel, 12 Little Chapel St, Prahran
Season: Until 14 Sep | Tues-Sat 8:00pm, Sun 6:00pm, Sat Matinee (13 Sep) 2pm, Wed Matinee (3 Sep) 1:00pm
Tickets: $37.50 Full | $32.50 Conc
Bookings: www.chapeloffchapel.com.au or 8290 7000

Opera, Review, Theatre, Uncategorized, Whats On

REVIEW: Left Bauer Productions Presents MASTER CLASS

Intimate and involving theatre

By Bradley Storer

Terrence McNally’s Master Class, a play about the life of Greek opera singer Maria Callas whose artistry and career revolutionised the landscape of 20th century opera, comes to fortyfivedownstairs with the brilliant Maria Mercedes as the tragic diva.

Master Class

The intimate theatre space at fortyfivedownstairs is perfect for the play set as a masterclass in the twilight of Callas’s career, the era signalled effectively by the 70’s fashion worn by the cast. Mercedes enters the room with an air of quiet authority, an iron fist wrapped in silk, taking charge of the stage and the accompanist (Cameron Thomas) in short order. Mercedes is the embodiment of the word ‘diva’ – narcissistic, commanding and uncompromising but with such charisma and a depth of artistic integrity that it is easier to see how this figure still fascinates today. Mercedes manages to find the undercurrents of charm, self-deprecation and kindness in the character which also make her surprisingly likeable.

The three students who Callas teaches over the course of the play are all equally as brilliant – Robert Barbaro as the sole male participant Tony brings a potent masculine swagger and a heart-meltingly beautiful tenor to the role. Anna-Louise Cole as Sharon, the only student with the guts to stand up to the opera superstar, radiates a subdued determination which rises to the surface as she faces off against Callas – her dramatic soprano is showcased to jaw-dropping effect in an tremendously difficult aria from Verdi’s Macbeth. The best of the lot is Georgia Wilkinson as Sophie, a bubbly coloratura soprano, and Wilkinson plays her so winningly that it is hard to take your eyes off her, even when she is simply standing side stage observing Callas.

As she watches her students singing roles she herself made famous, Callas is drawn into internal monologues of operatic proportions, brutally delving into the depths of her poverty-stricken childhood, her ill-fated love affair with Aristotle Onassis, the demons of self-doubt, bitterness and adolescent insecurity which swirl into implosive arias of painful triumph and gut-wrenching loss.

At the end of the master class, Callas stands alone, reflecting to the audience on the simultaneous joy and loneliness of a life devoted to art, saying that she will be satisfied if she has had an effect on even a single person – it’s hard to imagine how anyone could leave this masterfully directed play without feeling affected by the soul of this great artist.

Venue: 45 Flinders Lane, Melbourne
Dates: 19 – 28th August
Times: Tuesday to Friday 8pm, Saturday 4:30pm and 8pm, Sunday 4:30
Tickets: Full $38, Concession $30, Under 30’s $30, Groups (10+) $30, Preview $30
Bookings: Phone – 03 9662 9966, Online at www.fortyfivedownstairs.com