Category: Theatre

Events, Performances, Theatre, Whats On May 30, 2014May 30, 2014

REVIEW: Fly on the Wall Theatre Presents TELENY

Taking it slow…

By Margaret Wieringa

When a young and sexually inexperienced man in 1920s Paris meets a talented pianist, the world and everything he believes in is turned upside-down. Believed to have been written by Oscar Wilde and his circle, Teleny pulls no punches when it comes to graphic and shocking sexual stories.

A grand piano dominates the stage, set among the stunning chandeliers and chaise longues. It is used innovatively throughout the performance, but none more so than in the beautifully choreographed sex scene between the two lovers. Actors Tom Byers and Dushan Phillips use every muscle in their bodies to create stunning visual images of love and lust, captured in the light and shadow of excellent lighting design.

The challenge to these two actors was not just the physical lovemaking scenes, but conveying the aloof and sarcastic nature of the pretty young things of Wilde’s world. At times, the emotion of the scene was lost in the words and tone, but once the characters lose themselves to love, the words came more naturally.

The second half of the performance opens with the salon scene – an orgy of delights, with naked men performing poetry (well, bawdy limericks), storytelling and a hilarious commedia dell ‘arte number, and ends in a violent act that director Robert Chuter has somehow managed to keep tasteful.

Unfortunately, for me, all of the good things about the play were severely outweighed by the self-indulgent length. When, after two-and-a-half hours the lights came on and we were informed that there would be a twenty-minute interval, there were various sounds of surprise from the audience. There were a considerable number of people who did not return after the interval, and I suspect it was the length more than the content. The performance would have benefitted from some severe editing to ensure that the story that was being told was kept, but that it didn’t drag on and on. Throughout the show, various non-naturalistic techniques were used to tell a lot in a very snappy manner, and perhaps more of this could have been incorporated.

Venue: Chapel off Chapel, 12 Little Chapel Street, Prahran
Dates: May 29 – June 15, Wednesday-Saturday 8pm, Sunday 6:30pm
Price: $37.50 Full, $34.50 Concession (+ Transaction Fee)
Tickets: www.chapeloffchapel.com.au or call (03) 8290 7000

PLEASE NOTE: THIS PERFORMANCE IS SUITABLE FOR MATURE AUDIENCES 18+ CONTAINS NUDITY, SIMULATED EXPLICIT SEX SCENES, DRUG USE, COARSE LANGUAGE AND SMOKE EFFECTS

Events, Review, Theatre, Whats On May 5, 2014May 5, 2014

REVIEW: Red Stitch Presents BELLEVILLE

Compelling theatre

By Narelle Wood

Belleville by Amy Herzog is a challenging play in that it explores a dysfunctional relationship in a witty, yet brutally honest and often harrowing, way.

The story follows a couple of days in the life of Zack (Paul Ashcroft) and Abby (Christina O’Neill), an American couple living and working in France. Apart from language and obvious cultural differences, Abby is still grieving her mother’s death and experiencing homesickness, while Zack is doing what ever he can to make ends meet and Abby happy. Pestered by his landlord Alioune (Renaud Momtbrun) and his wife Amina (Tariro Mavondo) for overdue rent, Zack finds himself more and more desperate to put his life and relationship back on track.

O’Neill and Ashcroft work perfectly together as they negotiate the emotional turmoil of their characters: from deep passion, to exasperation, tenderness, desperation, to outright hatred, these two actors depict it all with a disturbing realism that makes the play both riveting and difficult to watch. O’Neill’s portrayal of Abby is just as complex as her character’s slow mental decline and Ashcroft similarly presents Zack as a multidimensional character who is just as ingratiating as he is completely unappealing.

The Parisian apartment where the play is set is small, but director Denny Lawrence makes maximum use of the available space both on and off stage, with the bedroom and bathroom providing really clever opportunities for costume changes and storyline segues. The use of props, including their placement and movement to different areas of the stage, is very cleverly choreographed. However, what perhaps is the most impressive thing about Lawrence’s direction is the way he has dealt with and enabled the actors to deal with demanding themes and situations.

Although Belleville has some funny moments, it is not a play for escapism or one that will leave you feeling warm and fuzzy. Red Stitch’s latest production expertly provides a dose of relationship realism and is a resolute must-see if you like plays that are expertly staged with a quality script and excellent acting.

Venue: Red Stitch Theatre, 2 Chapel St, St Kilda
Season: Until 31st May, Wed-Fri 8pm, Sat 4pm and 8pm, Sun 6.30pm
Tickets: Full $39| Conc $20
Bookings: http://redstitch.net/bookings/

Dance, Performances, Review, Theatre, Whats On May 2, 2014

REVIEW: Grayboy Entertainment’s GOOD BYE MISS MONROE

Hollywood starlets – and the man who moved them

By Narelle Wood

Good-Bye Miss Monroe is a short but exquisite look into the little-known life of dance director and choreographer Jack Cole, and the glory days of dance on film.

The play, written and directed by Liam De Burca, is unusual in its construction; set in the days after Monroe’s passing, Jack Cole (played by Matt Young) recounts his experiences working with his ‘Baby Doll’ Marilyn, and includes recollections of and conversations with some of Hollywood’s greatest starlets. The story provides some fascinating insight into the creation of these iconic Hollywood actresses, including Martha Graham, Rita Hayworth, Betty Grable and of course Monroe. Cole’s character explains the difficulties of teaching these actresses to move in the ways they eventually became famous for as he laments the loss of Marilyn’s life and explains the development of the sex-bomb character that she became so famous for.

In the précis of the show, De Burca explains that Cole’s work is relatively unknown as most of it is uncredited. As a result it is hard to know whether Young’s portrayal of Cole is accurate, but what he presents is a believable, quintessentially old-fashioned choreographer who believes in the power of dance and the importance of accurately representing dance on film. Anna Burgess plays all of the female characters and her transformation between the different characters is indescribable: from the look, to the dance moves, to the voice, to each of the actress’s idiosyncratic mannerisms, Burgess portrays each of them with astounding accuracy.

The narration’s time-frame does cut backwards and forwards and Cole’s focus on what he’s discussing chops and changes regularly, making it initially a little hard to follow. This may be a reflection of Cole’s disorientation after hearing of Marilyn’s death or an attempt to explore as much of Cole’s littl- known character as possible: either way the format does do the story justice.

While the title might suggest a sole focus on Monroe, Good-Bye Miss Monroe explores so much more this and offers a unique perspective of what it meant to work in film during the 1930’s, 40’s and 50’s. If you love this era of film, Monroe or dancing in general Good-Bye Miss Monroe is moving, funny and simply brilliant.

Venue: Chapel Off Chapel, 12 Little Chapel Street, Prahran
Season: 2nd to 4th May, 8pm, Matinee Saturday and Sunday 3pm
Tickets: Full $30 | Conc $22
Bookings: http://chapeloffchapel.com.au

Cabaret, Events, Performances, Theatre, Whats On April 12, 2014April 13, 2014

REVIEW: The Lepidopters: A Space Opera at ARTS HOUSE

Wonderfully weird!

By Margaret Wieringa

Aliens, in the form of moths, have invaded and are breeding with humans to create human-moth hybrids to take over the Earth starting in Jakarta. Wow.

This bizarre collaborative work has been created by Slave Pianos, Punkasila and The Astra Choir, based on a comic book commissioned from science-fiction writer Max von Schlegell.

When the audience enters the main hall at Arts House, they are immediately confronted by what appear to be two giant, deconstructed grand pianos dominating the central space. On a closer look, these are intertwined wooden structures containing a variety of gongs, and other percussion instruments, and they appear to be playing themselves.

These it turns out, are the Sedulur Gamelan or Gamelan Sisters, made up of a variety of redesigned traditional Javanese instruments. A little internet research reveals that this amazing contraption does indeed play itself. Even before the performance begins, Slave Pianos are creating ambient music. During the performance, they play a wide range of pieces both on their own and with the other performers, and this alone would have been enough to make attending this event worthwhile, but there was so much more!

Far from a traditional narrative structure, the performance is strung together over two hours with short spoken-word sections from Richard Piper who is playing a mysterious character reporting back on the events in Indonesia. The events of the story also play out in a disjointed series of videos, mostly strange animations, that run on large screens at either end of the hall. The audience is strung along the length of the room in an unusual pattern and, during the two brief intervals, is encouraged to change chairs and experience the event from a different angle.

The stunning work from the Astra Choir begins with some extreme discordant 32-part singing, and then journeys through far more traditional choral works. In the second act, we are introduced to Punkaslia from Yogyakarta, working with singer-dancer Rachel Saraswati to create their interpretation of the Lepidopters beginning the breeding process. We also get some jazz (not trad jazz, but a sort of post-modern insane style so appropriate to this performance) from pianist Michael Kieran Harvey.

The Lepidopters: A Space Opera is definitely not for everyone as this mysterious and remarkably busy show is extremely experimental and strange. In fact, a number of patrons clearly weren’t coping and left early… but it inspired a standing ovation from those who willingly remained to embrace the weird.

Venue: Arts House, North Melbourne Town Hall
Dates: Sat 12 3pm and 7:30pm and Sun 13 April 5pm
Tickets: $25 full/$20 conc/$15 student
Bookings: artshouse.com.au or 9322 3713

Events, Festivals, Theatre, Whats On April 5, 2014April 5, 2014

REVIEW: La Mama Presents PUBLIC TOILETS, PRIVATE WORDS

The writing’s on the wall…

By Myron My

Performing as part of the Melbourne International Comedy Festival, Public Toilets, Private Words takes a look at just what its title proclaims. The inspiration for the whole comedy cabaret-esque show is taken from graffiti found scrawled on toilet cubicles, including that of the venue in which they are performing: La Mama Theatre. It’s because of this that the show has been able to constantly evolve and grow over time as different graffiti is found and different actors are able to bring different ideas to the show.

This season’s performers – Tom Albert, Caitlin Armstrong and Eloise Maree (the creative producer of Public Toilets, Private Words since its creation in 2011) – have brilliant banter, and the interaction with the audience feels genuine and not at all contrived. Whenever artists are breaking that wall with audience members, it opens them up to unpredictability and the cast manage this with aplomb and an easy casualness that makes them all very likeable.

The three work with various ideas stemming from the graffiti of public restrooms such as theories as to why people choose to graffiti toilets in the first place, and then take a humorous look-back at the history of toilet graffiti. This is intermixed with monologues and thoughts pertaining to the topic at hand, which sometimes get a bit too serious for a show in a comedy festival. Even with their acknowledgement of the irony, these interludes feel out of place.

The artists are a talented trio: Albert plays a variety of musical instruments and the obvious singing ability of all three help support the various types of songs they perform. My highlight of the evening though would be the ‘dance’ number to Swan Lake – very enjoyable to watch.

As a comedy show, Public Toilets Private Words does not always hit the mark. The humour is often side-stepped and the laughs are not plentiful. However as a performance piece, it is an interesting concept and a unique show, which brings depth to an idea that most people would not even think twice about.

Venue: La Mama Theatre, 205 Faraday Street Carlton
Season: Until 13 April | Wed, Fri 6pm, Thurs, Sat 9pm, Sun 4pm
Tickets: $25 Full | $15 Conc
Bookings:  http://lamama.com.au  or 9347 6142

Cabaret, Festivals, Musical Theatre, Theatre, Whats On April 5, 2014April 5, 2014

REVIEW: Backwards Anorak Presents WINTER IS COMING

When you play a game of thrones, you sing or you lose…

By Margaret Wieringa

In hopes of getting work on the popular HBO series, a group of musical theatre graduates stage a musical interpretation of the television series Game of Thrones. Is that the plot or is that what is actually happening? Both, perhaps?

Crated and performed by Michelle Brasier, Vince Milesi, James Baker, Laura Frew and Leo Miles, Winter is Coming for this year’s MICF opens, appropriately, with the television theme played and sung with intense and hilarious gusto. We the audience are included as ensemble, though the real casting battle is between the five on stage. Who will be Ned Stark, Jon Snow, Hodor, though most importantly: who will be Khaleesi?

The war is being waged between the performers: the quietly spoken musician, James, (spending his off-time in the performance catching up on his Game of Thrones reading) and the understudies, Laura and Leo, but ultimately it is the two leads who must contest the final battle; Vince vs Michelle, and the winner will be the mother of dragons.

The show seems to break so many rules; but in breaking them, the humour flows. Often, the five actors talk over each other, and the hilarity comes in when a single line or even a single word is distinguished. There are “in” jokes galore, yet as someone not in the know, I felt included. I found myself laughing at comments without really knowing what was funny. Throughout the show the focus was split, sometimes up to five different ways. That shouldn’t work; but here it does.

And, don’t forget, it is a musical. The Music Room at Trades Hall is small, but these adorable performers fill up every space with their ridiculous antics, including some pretty impressive dance routines. The choices for the songs were at times unpredictable, including the duet of Khaleesi and Samwell.

Highlights? So many. The baby in the blanket, the dragons, the totally cringe-worthy yet magnificent representation of Tyrion, the foray into Narnia, the swordfight… If you have seen Game of Thrones, and especially if you love it, then you must get yourself to this show.

Venue: Trades Hall (The Music Room)
Season: Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays from March 27-April 19 at 10:45pm
Tickets: $22/$17

Bookings: http://www.ticketmaster.com.au/ or call 1300 660 0131300 660 013

Comedy, Festivals, Stand-Up Comedy, Theatre, Whats On April 5, 2014April 5, 2014

REVIEW: Emily Taylor’s PET for MICF

Unleash the comedy!

By Margaret Wieringa

Did you have a pet growing up? A cat, a dog, perhaps a guinea pig or a goldfish? Chances are, you probably did. It’s a fascination for many of us, and Emily Taylor taps into our shared experiences to create this hilarious one-woman show.

Mind you, it doesn’t feel like one person much of the time; Emily introduces a huge assortment of characters onto the stage to explore the topic. There is the kind-hearted vet for example, who adopts the animals no-one else wants, filling her life with animal friends to the detriment of her human interactions; or the dog trainer with the list of injuries longer and more horrific than you really want to know.

Emily brings these diverse characters together with a series of more traditional stand-up routines: stories from childhood, from early work experiences and all, of course, related to animals. The stories are sweet, funny and, at times, disturbing.

Somehow, Emily is able to manipulate her face in the most mysterious of manners to truly become the animal. Just the twitch of an eyebrow or the tensing of a muscle was enough to start the titters in the audience. But it is when she gives her all, forming grotesque facades that are amazingly close to the animals she is representing, that the real laughter happens.

Emily is not afraid to appear less attractive: the first and, possibly my favourite moment of the whole show, was the initial interaction between a person and a dog and when the physical result of that opening hangs around for some time, it totally won me over to Emily’s humour. A bit later, we see Emily’s impersonation of a horny guinea pig that really and truly has to be seen to be believed – but enough potential spoilers. Go and check out these characters yourself.

Pet is in the tiny Locker Room at the Portland Hotel, and so is bound to sell out quickly. Get organised and get there before you miss out.

Venue: Portland Hotel – Locker Room
Season: 27 March – 20 April, Tues-Sat 6pm, Sun 5pm
Tickets: $15-$20
Bookings: http://www.ticketmaster.com.au/ or 1300 660 0131300 660 013

Comedy, Festivals, Review, Theatre, Whats On March 31, 2014

REVIEW: Pop Mashup: Happy Birthday Doctor at MICF

Cult characters cross paths in quest of comedy

By Narelle Wood

I love the premise of this show: Dr Who meets Harry Potter meets other pop cultural icons all in the name of saving the world. The idea is that on his birthday, Dr Who finds himself making friends with Hermione Granger, and thus begins their journey to prevent the Grumpy Cat from achieving world domination (hopefully reuniting Hermione with Harry along the way).

Ruben Francis‘ portrayal of Dr Who was fabulous and he did appear to be one of the only performances whose acting wasn’t at all awkward. While Grumpy Cat (played by Melinda King) had an amazing singing voice, the sexiness was uncomfortable to watch, not because it was overt but because it was odd.

The endearing minion character Zip (Andrew Cross) really held the show together; partly because his acting was also good and partly because his storyline seemed to be the only one that had continuity. That being said, I’m not a dedicated Dr Who fan, so it was more than probable that there were a few jokes and storyline quirks that went over my head.

There were some very funny moments and some extremely persuasive poignant discussion about the benefits of being a minion. The song parodies were really cute, for the most part both well-selected and well-performed, although again the dancing was awkward and not in a particularly funny way.

I was disappointed that there were only a spattering of other pop-culture references and often these seemed to rely on the obvious, apart from Harry’s wand being a drumstick (the percussion kind not the chicken kind). The Harry Potter references were fairly thin, and for a die-hard fan (which I am), not particularly clever; the brandishing of the wands didn’t even have the appropriate swish and flick. I did however love the My Little Pony moments: they were gold, and the Tardis was also fabulous.

Despite Francis’ great depiction of Dr Who and reasonable performances by the rest of the cast, the show lacked fluidity and the funny moments were random and spread fairly thin: I suggest this is one for hard-core Dr Who devotees.

Venue: The Butterfly Club, CBD
Season: Saturdays at 5pm and Sundays at 4pm until 20th April.
Tickets: Full $23 | Conc $20
Bookings: http://www.thebutterflyclub.com/shows or www.ticketmaster.com.au

Comedy, Dance, Review, Theatre, Whats On March 22, 2014

REVIEW: FOLA at Arts House Presents GAME SHOW

What would you do for fame and prizes?

By Myron My

Game Show begins just like you’d imagine a real-world game show would. The studio audience (you) take their seat, are told what will be happening by the crowd-warmer, and receive a lesson on clapping (there’s always a lesson in clapping!) Then the crazy fun begins!

Our host (Tristan Meecham) appears and charms us with his perfectly manicured hair and shiny white teeth. The 30 real contestants are introduced, and although I’m not aware of the process used to choose them, they did seem to cover the stereotypical game show contestants: the shy ones, the joyful older woman, the funny guy that tries to upstage the host, and so on. Through various games, the contestants are whittled down to one who must then face off with our flamboyant host in order to win a number of his very own possessions.

During this time, we are treated to the talents of two leotard-wearing acrobats (Jon Campos and Jon Allingham), a full choral performance by Jonathon Welch and THECHO!R, and The Bodyelectric Dancers on stage! It’s a show of epic spectacle that would make any commercial television network salivate.

Conceived by Meecham, Game Show looks at the superficial relationship between the contestants and the show in which they appear. Ultimately, game show contestants are revealed as not important, for they will do anything they are told in order to get their 15 seconds of fame. Indeed, we see this happen in numerous ridiculous games in Game Show including one where contestants jump and writhe around on the floor to get all their table tennis balls out of a small opening in a box that is attached to their body…

If I had one criticism about Game Show, it would be its length. Coming in at nearly two hours, I felt the pace lagged at times and I wanted things to move forward. It is evident why the final game was what it was, but it had no tension and even with the choir belting out a great tune, the finale felt like it went on far too long.

It would seem that for most people, going on a game show is their moment to shine and they will attempt anything they can to hold on to that. Game Show offers that experience but more importantly, offers a unique and satirical look at the competition, materialism and enduring desire to be a celebrity in the game show world.

Venue: Arts House, Meat Market, 5 Blackwood Street, North Melbourne.

Season: Until 22 March | Sat 7:30pm,

Tickets: $25 Full | $20 Conc

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

Events, Performances, Theatre, Whats On March 16, 2014

REVIEW: Mockingbird Theatre Presents THE JUDAS KISS

Bravado and betrayal in the fall of Oscar Wilde

By Ross Larkin

It can be difficult to associate one of the world’s most iconic, hilarious comic writers with tragedy and betrayal, and as such, a play about Oscar Wilde’s life behind his witty penmanship is confronting, and a harsh reminder of how brutally he was treated.

The Judas Kiss, written by David Hare, has been staged by Melbourne’s own Mockingbird Theatre, and directed by company member Jason Cavanagh. The play examines the hours leading up to Wilde’s arrest for partaking in consensual sex with another man, followed by post-prison life in a filthy, run-down apartment in Naples with former lover, Lord Alfred ‘Bosie’ Douglas. The before-and-after contrast surrounding Wilde’s two-year sentence is stark as the audience are made privy to the life and mind which was drained from him for supposed crimes and the consequences thereafter.

The initial scenes of The Judas Kiss are driven and ‘bolshie’, as Wilde’s comrades argue about whether he should flee to the continent or not, while Wilde, after feigning indifference, finally admits he lacks the will to try. As these quieter moments set in, the script becomes more engaging and the ensemble cast begin to showcase just how rock-solid they are.

The challenging, changeable role of Wilde is played to perfection by Chris Baldock, who simply nails the part, capturing beautifully the witty and charming bravado of the man prior to his arrest, and the pained, tortured soul thereafter. Oliver Coleman as Wilde’s literary executor and long-standing friend Robert Ross is equally impressive, cleverly demonstrating presence and commitment with an understated fury.

Nigel Langley as Bosie and the supporting cast are all worthy of mention in Mockingbird’s version, which director Cavanagh has succeeded in reimagining with simplistic charm and poignancy. The lighting in particular is beautifully designed by Rob Sowinski and made powerful use of.

The Judas Kiss is another fine example of why Mockingbird Theatre continues to fire along with the big guns, and save for the excessive duration of the final scene, this production is one of Melbourne’s not-to-be missed theatrical experiences.

The Judas Kiss is playing now at TheatreWorks, Acland Street, St Kilda until March 22, Tuesday to Friday at 8pm, and Saturday 2pm and 8pm plus Sunday March 16 at 5pm.

Bookings at www.theatreworks.org.au or (03) 9534 3388(03) 9534 3388(03) 9534 3388(03) 9534 3388.