Category: Review

Events, Performances, Review, Theatre, Whats On

REVIEW: Awake

An impressive cast tackle complex issues in difficult scripts

By Adam Tonking

Awake is two short plays, written and directed by Fleur Kilpatrick, about the family dynamic and reactions to mental disorders.

Starring Justin Batchelor, Kristina Benton, Alex Roe, and Joanne Sutton, these tricky stories present families at their most difficult times – when confronted with severe medical conditions befalling a loved one.

The two stories, titled Wonderland and Sandman, approach the theme differently, the first looking at one moment as microcosm for an entire life, the second covering three different characters and their disparate reactions to deterioration over a period of weeks.

The cast were excellent, dealing with these highly emotive situations with complete authenticity. This was especially difficult for Batchelor and Sutton in playing the two characters with the mental disorders – an awkward task for any actor, but Roe and Benton and Batchelor again were equally accomplished in their roles as the family members reacting to their sick relatives.

Their performance success was particularly poignant as the stories seem to be a series of traps for an actor to fall into in throwing unusual medical conditions at the performers, and changing narrative style from moment to moment. At times these plays even seemed more an acting exercise than a piece of theatre.

That said, there were some lovely moments in Kilpatrick’s scripts – I loved the use of the natural landscape as allegory for these situations, and the universal themes of isolation and familial bonds shone through even when confronted with the impact of these unusual disorders.

Music, written by Kristina Benton, is used as a framing device for these two completely independent stories, and while the music itself was quite lovely, it seemed an odd way to connect the two narratives.

Stylistically, the warm gentle music seemed to clash with the stark presentation of the two plays, and seeing the actors play their own Greek chorus by singing these songs was also distracting. But again, the cast held up beautifully under this challenge.

Ultimately, Awake is a virtuosic performance by a brilliant cast of two very promising short plays. It plays at La Mama Courthouse, 349 Drummond Street Carlton, from Wednesday 21 March till Sunday 1 April at 8.30 pm Wednesday and Friday, 6.30pm Thursday and Saturday, and 4.30pm Sunday. Tickets available at www.lamama.com.au or by calling 03 9347 6142.

Events, Performances, Review, Theatre, Whats On

Review: AD NAUSEUM

A beautiful tale of a terrible man

By Adam Tonking

Ad Nauseam, created by Tom Pitts and performed by Nick Bendall with Kate Laverack and Grace Travaglia, is the story of one rather unlikeable man and the drunken destructive path he cuts through one night in the city. But the story itself is only the beginning of this wonderful production.

Pitts’ text, one long rant, is almost poetic, reminiscent of those long-dead beat poets Kerouac and Ginsberg and through Pitts’ treatment of the language, transforms a gritty loathsome bender into something romantic and poignant.

His despicable narrator seems lost and forlorn, even while his actions paint him as an arrogant pig, somehow you want to be the one to save him. I did find the insertion of a few topical one-liners jarring and unnecessary, however they did receive the biggest laughs of the night. The text is performed in counterpoint with a score also composed by Pitt, and the interaction between the two beautifully underpins the ebb and flow of the piece.

Playing the part of this narrator, Bendall brings a rascally quality to the character’s unpleasant tendencies, charming the audience with his antics as opposed to repelling us. His physicality in performing this piece was a work of art, like mime bordering on dance, depicting the world and the people he interacts with through mere controlled movements and poses of his constantly working body, from delicate and beautiful to aggressive and masculine. Fascinating to watch.

Haunting him throughout the piece are the spectres of the two women who started him on this downward spiral, played by Laverack and Travaglia, who never speak a word, but manage to convey everything they need to through the movement of their bodies.

Ad Nauseam is a masterful work, using poetry, mime, dance, music, lighting – all the elements available to create a phenomenal, tragic and romantic piece. I cannot recommend it highly enough.

This production is showing at La Mama Courthouse, 349 Drummond Street Carlton, from Wednesday 21 March till Sunday 1 April, 6.30pm Wednesday, Friday and Sunday, 8.30pm Thursday and Saturday. Book at www.lamama.com.au or by calling 03 9347 6142.

Events, Performances, Review, Theatre, Whats On

REVIEW: The Suitcase Royale Present ZOMBATLAND

Junkyard sets and a caravan full of twisted humour 

By Jen Coles

As if regular zombies weren’t bad enough, now we have to worry about the dreaded ‘zombat’- a zombie wombat! Such is the premise of Zombatland, a brilliant, fast-paced and hilarious tale featuring three of the four Suitcase Royale gents playing a multitude of characters.

 Set at the ‘Blue Lagoon’ caravan park, the Major Grogan and his brother, cricketing legend Darren Grogan, are attempting to manage the park amidst the zombie wombat attack terror. Having already lost two of the park residents within the first thirty seconds of the show, Darren attempts to move the Major, suggesting they flee to Tahiti. However, when the Major refuses, and when the zombats appear to be moving in, all seems lost- until the arrival of the mysterious ‘Stranger’ and his crumpet gun. What follows is an epic journey of rescue, adventure, hilarity…and large, fuzzy zombats.

Clearly taking some cues from classic zombie movies, ‘Zombatland’ manages to create an atmosphere of humour and fear, switching between the two depending on the situation. The use of media to enhance this was genius; the audience was greeted with a sea of zombat red eyes, which blinked on and off. The soundtrack (also created by the Royale troupe) was a mixture of outback swamp sounds and zombat screams, all giving a sense of isolated fear that the audience really felt. Not content with only that, the three actors also performed live (and in character) original songs to explain and discuss the plot, and occasionally ran to the band section to provide background music. This was even referred to in the script: “I can hear pretty ominous double bass going on!” And on top of that, they also used puppetry, a projector, rotating set pieces, various sounds and voice enhancers to add to the performance. A huge mention also goes to the crew, whose lighting and technical prowess helped both manage and add to Royale’s vision.

Zombatland is an absolute triumph of cross-media performance, with the performers themselves being completely charming and hilarious. It is an absolute must-see for quality entertainment, and my only question is…Where can I buy the DVD?

Zombatland premiered Wed 14-Sun 18th March, 2012 at the Arts House, North Melbourne Town Hall.

The show was conceived and written by the Suitcase Royale (Joseph O’Farrell, Miles O’Neill, Tom Salisbury and Glen Walton).

Events, Music, Performances, Review, Whats On

Review: TWO-RING CIRCUS – The Songs of Crowded House

Wonderfully more than a tribute show

By Adam Tonking

The idea of sitting through the greatest hits of Crowded House as not performed by Crowded House may not sound like everyone’s cup of tea – indeed, I’m not sure it sounds like mine.

Thank God then, for Matt Bradshaw and Dominic Italiano of Two-Ring Circus, and for their masterful performance of these oh-so-familiar songs. Bradshaw and Italiano are consummate performers, and they are charming and delightful – plus you can’t deny the appeal of those songs.

Bradshaw and Italiano were inclusive and welcoming from the start – it was like hanging out with your super-awesome friends, who are wickedly talented, while they play their favourite songs with such love and joy. If these aren’t your favourite songs, they may well be by the time Two-Ring Circus are through with you. In between musical numbers they discuss the different aspects of this music that fills them with such passion and admiration, and you can’t help but be swept up by their enthusiasm.

This was clearly a well-honed act that flowed beautifully between heartfelt tribute and just damn entertaining. Bradshaw and Italiano play easily off each other, and off the audience, without any pretension or self-consciousness. Their skills as musicians are impeccable, their voices heart-melting, their guitar-playing breath-taking.

I was particularly impressed by the small details – their use of a loop machine to create a beat was a rather elegant way to get around having no drummer, and their ability to work a microphone (sadly, a rare trait in a lot of performers) left me in no doubt as to the capabilities of these performers.

Bradshaw and Italiano breathe new energy into these oft-played standards, just through their obvious love and respect for the material. Frankly, I can’t imagine enjoying Crowded House more than I did Two-Ring Circus. Run quickly to see tribute done correctly.

Two-Ring Circus – The Songs of Crowded House is on at The Butterfly Club, 204 Bank Street, South Melbourne, from Tuesday 13th March till Sunday 18th March at 8pm Tuesday & Wednesday, 9pm Thursday till Saturday, and 8pm on Sunday.

Book at www.thebutterflyclub.com and do it quick.

Cabaret, Events, Music, Performances, Review

REVIEW: The Song Company Presents LOVE IN VENICE

 Sex, Comedy and… Classical Music?!

By Anastasia Russell-Head

Early Baroque music – madrigals, the sweet harmonies of Monteverdi, purity of sound, tra-la-la-la-la, etc… A bit twee, all sweetness and light, we might think?

…Oh no, it’s all about sex!

With racy lyrics involving “blazing ardour”, “biting teeth”, “thrusting darts” and lots of “death” (think metaphorically), it really helps to have the translation of the original Italian at hand to fully appreciate Monteverdi’s “erotic” madrigals!

Supplied with comprehensive program notes (with full translations) we were treated to an aural feast last night at the Melbourne Recital Centre’s intimate Salon, in The Song Company’s inaugural Melbourne subscription concert: Love in Venice. The first half of the program featured eleven of the aforementioned madrigals, performed with exquisite beauty and precision by the six seasoned singers of the company. Special mention must be made of sopranos Susannah Lawergren and Anna Fraser, whose performance of the duet O come sei gentile was one of the many highlights.

From the sublime to the ridiculous – the focus after interval changed to comedy. Including props, puns, crazy accents and general hilarity, the performance of Adriano Banchieri’s (1567-1643) A Boat from Venice bound for Padua conjured some genuine belly laughs from the audience – not what you generally expect from a classical music concert!

Just as Shakespeare and other literary figures are still relevant in the twenty-first century, so too can be the music from the past. This concert served to illustrate that humour from seventeenth-century Italy can still be funny in Melbourne in 2012, and that human lust and love hasn’t really changed that much in 400 years. The Song Company is to be commended for this accessible, high-quality and extremely enjoyable production. I just wish the audience were encouraged more to clap between songs!

The Song Company’s Love in Venice was performed at the Melbourne Recital Centre on March 12, 2012.

Clive Birch (bass), Richard Black (tenor), Mark Donnelly (baritone), Anna Fraser (soprano), Lanneke Jones (mezzo), Susannah Lawergren (soprano) and Artistic Director Roland Peelman. With Tommie Andersson (lute/theorbo/Spanish guitar) and Laura Vaughan (lirone/gamba).

Dance, Events, Performances, Review, Whats On

Review: CLOUDS ABOVE BERLIN

An extraordinary performance of two remarkable new dance works

By Anastasia Russell-Head

Clouds Above Berlin, a double-bill presented by choreographers Melanie Lane and Antony Hamilton, showcases two pieces very different in aesthetic and expression, yet united by a finely-honed, precisely-crafted movement and attention to detail – and are both firmly rooted in the urban.

Melanie Lane’s Titled Fawn opens the evening with an abstract study into space and sound. A lone dancer manipulates brick-shaped cardboard boxes, creating fantastical highrise developments – at times like a miniature Le Corbusier cityscape. Tiny speakers inside the boxes create interesting sound landscapes; especially effective when the boxes are in motion. The movement of the boxes creates a subtle tension and release without the involvement of narrative – we wonder what she will do with the boxes next, will she be able to carry them all, will some of them drop?

Breaking into this very contemplative mood is a too-short interlude of disjointed, almost grotesque dance – in platform shoes. Lane’s movements in this section are fluid and hypnotic, and the sudden burst of energy a welcome counterpoint to the restraint of the rest of the piece. 

After interval Antony Hamilton’s Black Project 1 opens with a post-apocalyptic, post-traumatic bleakness where two dancers, almost camouflaged against the grey-black set, move in fragments, seeming to express an urgent narrative. This is both moving and engaging, drawing the audience into an abstract world of tenderness, tragedy and discovery.

The graffiti-inspired techno brilliance of the later part of the piece is simply stunning, with sound, light and movement all combining and overlapping to create an arresting and captivating panorama. Hamilton uses simple techniques, such as peeling off strips of masking tape, to create striking effects that look like digital wizardry.

I walked into the North Melbourne Town Hall not knowing what to expect from this show, and came out with a new appreciation for choreography, movement, and physicality. Highly recommended.

Arts House, North Melbourne Town Hall
Until Sunday 11 March
Fri 9, 7.30pm
Sat 10, 2pm & 7.30pm
Sun 11, 5pm

Tickets: $25 / $20

Bookings: 9322 3713 or www.artshouse.com.au

Events, Performances, Review, Theatre, Whats On

REVIEW: Stripped at LA MAMA

Laying a story bare…

By Adam Tonking

Stripped is the story of two sisters, Lillian and Sophie, estranged by the various circumstances of their vastly different lives, and brought back together through tragedy.

Lillian is a lawyer, married to Daniel, good friends with Louise and Jack: she is also dying. Sophie is a stripper, and there are more characters in this story; but what is important is that all of these are played by the one amazing actress.

Caroline Lee, creator of the original text, is the actress at the helm of all these characters in this overwhelming story about the repercussions of death on relationships. While the different characterisations took a while to sink in for the audience, Lee was in complete control the entire time.

She obviously understood each character down to the bone, and presented their individual identities clearly for the audience, managing the different ages, genders, and motivations with grace and apparent ease; in fact, one of the most provocative moments was told from the perspective of Lillian’s husband, Daniel. All this, while allowing the compelling story to unfold before us.

In spite of the subject matter, the script never became manipulative, melodramatic, or clichéd. Rather, it remained conversational and deeply personal throughout. I did feel at times that this conversational tone clashed with Lee’s often declamatory style of speech, and with Laurence Strangio’s restrained direction which occasionally seemed too stylised.

I suspect that these choices were made to clear any extraneous clutter for an audience required to keep up with the complexity of shifting narrative perspectives, however I felt that it created a barrier between the audience and the characters, forcing the audience to sympathise rather than empathise.

But that is ultimately a small detraction, in what is otherwise a masterful performance of a challenging and powerful piece.

Stripped is on at La Mama Theatre, 205 Faraday Street, Carlton, from Wednesday 7th March till Sunday 18th March. Bookings at www.lamama.com.au or by calling 03 9347 6142.

Events, Performances, Review, Theatre, Whats On

Review: AND THE BIRDS FELL FROM THE SKY

Experience theatre in a completely unexpected way

By Adam Tonking

Created by theatre director Silvia Mercuriali and filmmaker Simon Wilkinson, And The Birds Fell From The Sky is somewhere between amusement park ride, film, and nightmare.

In more traditional forms of theatre, the audience is invited to experience the story on their own terms. In And The Birds Fell From The Sky, you are pushed into the centre of the action, and given new eyes and ears – you’re forced to experience the story as if you are in it, not merely witnessing it. Your senses have been kidnapped, which seems appropriate as it appears that you have been kidnapped by a car full of clowns.

Am I being too vague, too abstract? I went into this performance with very little certainty about how it was all going to work, and the delicious fear of the unknown only builds in the foyer as you remember small pieces of information – there are only two people in each audience, you will be sitting in a wheelchair – while strange sounds shake the floor from the next room, and you read the warnings on the wall that say things like “People with claustrophobia may experience difficulties with the performance…”

Then you’re led into a small room and given video goggles and earphones, and told to follow any instructions very carefully…

Clearly, this is an experience like no other. The narrative comes at you like a dream – you’re in this car full of clowns, you have a task to perform – and hints at a subtext about the nature of experience, while the experience itself is given to you through all five of your senses.

It’s fascinating, overwhelming, and thrilling. The word “immersive” seems to have been designed for a show like this. Wilkinson and Mercuriali have created an astounding and innovative theatre experience.

And The Birds Fell From The Sky is on at the Arts House, North Melbourne Town Hall, 521 Queensberry Street, North Melbourne; Wednesday 29th February till Sunday 18th March 2012.

The show runs every 15 minutes between Wed – Fri, 2.30pm – 4.30pm & 6pm – 9pm; Sat 1pm – 4pm & 5.30pm – 8.30pm; Sun, 1pm – 4pm & 5.30pm – 7.30pm. 20 minutes no interval. Book at www.artshouse.com.au or call (03) 9322 3713.

Cabaret, Events, Performances, Review, Whats On

REVIEW: Sophie Walsh-Harrington is HOT

In search of the sequel to success

By Bradley Storer

After her incredibly successful debut cabaret, The Damsel in Shining Armour (winner of Best Cabaret Adelaide Fringe 2011), Sophie Walsh-Harrington returns to Melbourne with her new show HOT. Crafting a follow-up is a massive task as Sophie herself is obviously aware – the first segment of HOT acts as both a funeral and exorcism of the success of Damsel, Sophie entering in mourning black, greeting individual audience members like attendees at a wake, brandishing her Fringe award in their faces.

Those coming expecting similar fare to Damsel should be forewarned: Sophie continuously informs the audience, via bullhorn, that ‘this is not a cabaret’. Instead we are taken through Sophie’s travails to leave behind her cabaret past and become a ‘serious’ artist, ranging from attempts at monologue, mime and in one particularly hilarious segment, political donkey-themed agitprop anthems. Songs fromartists such as Paloma Faith, Muse and Sia are scattered throughout the show with fragments popping up like bad habits.

Sophie nevertheless retains the goof-ballish but headstrong innocence that made Damsel such a joy, which here keeps the audience on side even as the show takes a more confusing turn. Her vocals have only increased in power, which makes one sad about the relative lack of songs in comparison to her previous work – but in a show which she repeatedly proclaims is not a cabaret, this makes sense.

The show’s major theme is a continuation from Damsel: the attempt to live an authentic life – in this case the struggle of artists to maintain artistic originality and legitimacy in the wake of enormous success. Sophie shamelessly parodies artistic self-indulgence as the show moves into the realm of ‘serious’ theatre. 

The culmination of this endeavour is a lengthy, ‘Animal Farm’-style play. Despite Sophie’s uproarious characterizations and comically expressive physicality, this section began to drag the further it went along – even though this links in with the overall thematic structure of the show, self-indulgence (whether real or simulated) is only funny for so long.

However at the climax of the show, the accumulated superficiality collapses in on itself as if by magic. Sophie seems to rise from the debris of the dissembled show like a phoenix, with a spontaneous rendition of Des’ree’s ‘Kissing You’ so powerful it held the audience completely spellbound. For this alone HOT is worth seeing, reiterating not only Sophie’s incredible skill as a cabaret artist but reassembling what has come before in the show into a true, electrifying moment of artistic rebirth.

HOT stands as a riotous examination of the downsides of creative success, in its own way as cunningly and cleverly structured (if not more so) as its predecessor, and, if the finale is anything to go by, promises even greater achievement and success for Sophie’s future. What is perhaps required is a bigger audience for this show to burn at its brightest.  

HOT plays at La Mama Theatre until March 4, 8:30pm Wed/Sun, 9:30pm Thur-Sat

Directed by Alex Wright, backing tracks performed and engineered by Jason Odle

Tickets: (03) 9347 6142 or www.lamama.com.au

Events, Performances, Review, Theatre, Whats On

Review: COGITO at La Mama

You think, therefore you’ll like…

By Anastasia Russell-Head

This play is intriguing. Two women, dressed almost identically, stand on a minimalist white stage and declare:

“My name is Katherine Lee.”

“My name is Katherine Lee.”

Which one is Katherine Lee? Are they both Katherine Lee? And what is that heart doing in a clear perspex box suspended above?

Originally written for the Singapore Arts Festival, the themes and scope of Huzir Sulaiman’s play Cogito are reminiscent of a short story.

There is an element of sci-fi in exploring the concept of artificial intelligence, but it is essentially a human story about loss, grief and reconcilliation.

Kristin Keam and Suzy Cato-Gashler were both strong as the two on-stage Katherines, with Cato-Gashler being particularly convincing in the role. Newcomer Frank Handrum was excellent as the dour, efficient lawyer, Lex.

It was unfortunate that the excellent cast and script were let down by the spacing of the production.

The audience were situated “in the round”, with the result that much of the play was spent looking at the back of the actors’ heads and trying to decipher what they were saying when it was directed at the other side of the room. I

n addition, the superb voice-over provided by Glenda Linscott was compromised by poor EQ-ing, and was often too boomy to be able to understand clearly.

Visually the production was quite successful, despite the spacing issues. The lighting was very effective, and the special effect moment towards the end (I won’t spoil the plot for you!) was quite stunning and unexpected.

Sit on the side next to the entrance door, prepare to be intrigued and slightly confused (in a good way), and enjoy the talents of some excellent seasoned actors in this little futuristic “short story” of a play.

 

Cogito by Huzir Sulaiman

La Mama Courthouse

February 9 – 19

Wed, Fri, Sun 8:30pm

Thur, Sat 6:30pm