Category: Theatre

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REVIEW: Hoy Polloy & Baggage Productions Present RHONDA IS IN THERAPY

Moving and masterful cast performance

By Myron My

Rhonda Is In Therapy by Bridgette Burton is the latest production from Hoy Polloy Theatre Productions and deals with a young mother’s grief and loneliness since the tragic passing of her child.

The four actors all find the subtleties of their characters and flesh them out into life. Jamieson Caldwell as the naïve young student who begins an affair with Rhonda brings a sense of innocence to the proceedings, which is a great contrast to Kelly Nash’s therapist who subtly attempts to break down the defensive wall created by Rhonda.

Louise Crawford is brilliant as Rhonda, a mother who can’t let go of the guilt that is eating her inside. The scenes showing Rhonda at different periods of her life when things were more happy and simple, and then switching to the present with all her emotional conflict, are compelling to watch. Ben Grant’s portrayal of a loving and supportive husband who is quietly struggling to keep it all together for his family is superb and made him the shining star of this production.

The subtle comedy still implicit in pain and human suffering is captured beautifully here and there are some truly honest moments presented; the scenes between Rhonda and her therapist boast some sharp and witty dialogue. However, Rhonda Is In Therapy could have done with some tightening, especially towards the end. There were a few scenes that didn’t add much to the story and slowed proceedings down a little.

The other minor downfall was the scenes that involved the ‘children’. The performers would “imagine” the child being present as voiced by one of the other actors. At times, there were voice recordings played which had the dialogue of both the adult and child. Both these devices really detracted from the intimacy the play was striving for, and reminded the audience that they were in fact watching a performance and not something that was otherwise powerfully real.

Despite these issues, Rhonda Is In Therapy is a thoroughly engaging performance piece with some stellar acting from its four stars.

Venue: fortyfive downstairs, 45 Flinders Lane.

Season: Until 23 September| Tues to Sat 8:00pm, Sun 5:00pm

Tickets: $40 Full | $35 Conc

Bookings: 03 9662 9966 or www.fortyfivedownstairs.com

Events, Performances, Review, Theatre, Whats On

REVIEW: Thorny Devil Theatre Presents OUT AT SEA

A difficult work doesn’t quite make waves

By Christine Moffat

Three strangers (Fat, Medium and Thin) are stranded on a raft together in the middle of the ocean.  They have run out of food, and it is decided that someone must be eaten, for the greater good.  Through the tense scenario of these castaways, the play explores the justifications and machinations that people employ to get what they want.

This is also a Mrozek play, and for those new to his work, there is a always social or political metaphor simmering underneath a darkly comic surrealist plot.  In Out At Sea, the key metaphor is the exploitation of the ‘little man’ (Thin) by those capable of controlling (Fat) and profiteering (Medium) within a communist society.

Sadly, in this reviewer’s opinion, on opening night the play did not meet its full potential, as it lacked the real sense of tension required to do the piece justice.  The stage was a raft suspended by wooden pallets above the concrete floor in the space; it was primitive and greatly evocative of the characters’ bleak situation.  However, it did not seem as if the players were trapped on the raft, and in general there was not enough of a feeling of confined space in the show.

The absence of tension was also in part due to the direction.  Each character too often sat comfortably on suitcases and trunks fashioned into stools, and there seemed to be far too many pregnant pauses.  Either of these factors alone can cause the energy drain from a performance.  The combination of them both in this production created a sense of slowness that the actors were unable to properly overcome.  That being said, the four actors individually created performances that were interesting and thoughtful, and that generated some good comic moments despite the pace of the play.

The play was staged at Revolt Art Space in Kensington.  This venue has a real retro-punk vibe, and is a surreal mixture of old warehouse and gold-mine theme park: an excellent choice for staging the work of an old school surrealist like Mrozek.  Overall, this is only the second production for Thorny Devil Theatre, and Mrozek is notoriously difficult both to direct and to perform.  I believe it bodes well that they are staging challenging pieces in interesting spaces, and I look forward to seeing more work from them in future.

Show information:

Sept 5 – Sept 15

Wed-Sat 7:30pm / Sun 6pm / Saturday Matinee (15/9 only) 3pm

Revolt Productions, 12 Elizabeth Street Kensington, 3031

Tickets: Full $22.50 / Conc. $17.50 / Preview & Matinee $12.50

Book online at revoltproductions.com or by phone on 03 9376 2115

Written by Slawomir Mrozek

Directed by Eben Rojter

Performed by Carli Jones, Katharine Innes, Jacob Pruden, and Stu Duffield

Events, Performances, Theatre, Whats On

Review: RRAMP – The Collector, The Archivist & The Electrocrat

Dark, edgy surrealism that is still evolving

By Myron My

Two people agree to join a lonely woman in her band and live in her house full of various strange objects that she stores in jars, including childhood scabs. Together they form an electronica-dance-metal-rock outfit and perform songs about childhood, loneliness and chickens with infected eyes. Welcome to RRAMP, a show devised by Christine Johnston, Lisa O’Neill and Peter Nelson.

The particular contrast of Johnston and O’Neill’s characters is strong and effective. With her piercing eyes, stern expressions and graceful movements, The Collector (Johnston) towers over the scattered, submissive and comedic Archivist.

There is a certain Tim Burton-esque element to The Collector with her big long eyelashes and jet-black hair with white strands along her pale face, which makes the audience that extra bit nervous to be in her presence.In fact, the moment when Johnston first breaks the fourth wall and talks to us is quite intimidating but exposes the performance control she possesses. Having walked by the audience, quietly judging our appearances, we even broke into awkward laughter upon hearing of her approval.

The musical score is one of the highlights of RRAMP but was let down by some clumsy song lyrics and a few songs that that were a bit too lightly humorous and out-of-place in the dark, macabre environment that had just been established. This emotional shift seesaw-ed throughout the show and prevented me from investing in these characters who didn’t seem to develop further and therefore began to lose my interest.

Lighting designer David Walters must be commended for his brilliant and precise design. The synchronicity between the music, the lights, the performers and the animations playing along the back of the stage was quite impressive.

It is evident a lot of work and thought has gone into creating a complex piece that incorporates so many aspects of performance theatre. However, narrowing down the gaps between music, acting, dance, comedy, and the dark and macabre aspects would give all three performers the opportunity to create stronger characters that the audience can care about and connect with.

Venue: Arts House, North Melbourne Town Hall.

Season: Until 8 September| Wed to Sat 7:30pm, Sat 3:00pm matinee

Tickets: $25 Full | $20 Conc

Bookings: 03 9322 3713 or artshouse.com.au

Events, Performances, Review, Theatre, Whats On

REVIEW: Barking Spider Visual Theatre Presents THE MEMORANDIUM

Because good theatre is a real experience

By Myron My

As you enter the stage of The Memorandium to be greeted with cups of hot chocolate by the performers Penelope Bartlau and Leah Scholes, you know this will not be an ordinary theatre experience.

The premise of the show is quite simple: audience members choose a stick with a number on it, which correlates to a wrapped package. As the audience member unwraps it, we are asked to share what memories this item stirs in us. The items are random: teapots, teddy bears, passports, coins…  Using these memories, Bartlau creates wonderful stories for the audience which leaves us with big gaping smiles like we’re children gathered around grandmother for a story before bed.

Bartlau has a skillful storytelling technique and her descriptive language and facial expressions allow you to very easily visualize the tale told.  She and composer/performer Scholes play exceptionally well together to the point where you were wondering if this is actually improvised. It is. Moreover, you can clearly see they are giving each other a good time with their onstage give-and-take over the direction the story takes. The accompanying music is also improvised, with Scholes using anything on stage to create sounds that perfectly blend into the story.

The mood in the audience as we heard these stories went from a room full of strangers to a connected mind, and after the show when you were free to roam through the set we were chatting as if we were old friends.

The stage setting was impeccably detailed with all the miscellany one would expect to find at anyone’s home including all the various items they would have collected over the years, from toys and instruments to crockery and clothing. I don’t believe any amount of describing could do this set justice but to say that designer Jason Lehane has an amazing eye for design would be an understatement.

The experience of The Memorandium makes you realize we are all full of memories and everything has a story behind it, if we just stop to think about it and share them. Leaving the theatre, you can’t help but have a warm and fuzzy feeling inside you – almost like you’ve just had a nice cup of hot chocolate theatre.

Venue: Theatre Works, 14 Acland St, St Kilda
Season: Until 1 September| Wed to Sat 8:00pm, Sat 5:00pm
Tickets: $35 Full | $29 Conc
Bookings: 03 9534 3388 or theatreworks.org.au

Events, Review, Theatre, Whats On

Review: ALL THAT I EVER WILL BE by Alan Ball

Dark and clever script demands strong performances

By Ross Larkin

Alan Ball has established himself as a leading American screenwriter, with award winning credits including Six Feet Under and American Beauty. His knack for confronting and exploring the human condition with dark humour and striking realism seems unparalleled. For many, witnessing his work on stage will be a new experience.

All That I Will Ever Be, although five years old, is a lesser-known play by Ball, and while this particular season has returned due to popular demand, it has seldom been performed state-side or in Australia.

As one might expect from Ball, the play focuses on complex relationships – with sexuality, identity and fidelity largely driving the action. Direction and performance, therefore, are intrinsically key in the success of a story whose foundation relies heavily on the perils and quirks of the human condition.

Ball’s characters are multi-faceted, three-dimensional though somehow accessible – hence his universal appeal.  Yet, in the wrong hands, his work runs the risk of losing that combination of raw yet subtle Ball mystique, falling into average, forgettable territory. Taking on the task of directing such challenging material is not a decision that can be made lightly.

All That I Will Ever Be certainly could have fallen into less capable hands than that of director Robert Chuter who thankfully avoided sappy melodrama with which a less-experienced director may have been tempted. His simplistic set and focus on character were safe though wise choices – unfortunately let down, however, by an ensemble of varying capabilities.

In a play heavily driven by performance, there were thankfully no weak links, but with material of this nature, acceptable simply isn’t strong enough. Christian Heath was one of few who convincingly portrayed inner struggle and occasional outward despair with subtlety, depth and balance to engage and evoke the necessary empathy. Yet as Heath got the stakes rising, enticing the audience into Ball’s world as intended – others would swiftly push viewers back to observer status.

Had the calibre of performers all matched Heath’s, Chuter and Fly-On-The-Wall Theatre could have had a very different result on his hands. The kind that Alan Ball’s work calls for.

PLAYING FROM 01-12 AUGUST
Wednesday – Saturday @ 8.00pm
Sunday @ 6.30pm
Full $29 / Conc $23

CHAPEL OFF CHAPEL
12 Little Chapel Street, Prahran, 3181

BOOKINGS 03 8290 7000
www.chapeloffchapel.com.au

Events, Musical Theatre, Review, Theatre, Whats On

Review: MADEMOISELLE by Michael Dalley

Behind closed doors is where camp comedy begins

By Myron My

I was not sure what to expect from the world premier season of Mademoiselle, advertised as “a gothic camp music theatre revue” with two satirical manservants singing tunes about what could have been, but I knew I would be in for a treat.

Our two manservants, played by creators Michael Dalley and Paul McCarthy, sneak into their employer’s boudoir and let loose some glitzy musical numbers revolving around fantasy, regret, power and servitude.  The very opening song relaxed the audience and assured us that we were in for a night of cheeky laughs.

Mademoiselle is a very wordy and witty revue with just a few jokes falling flat. However, the characters had such an air of assumed superiority that you had to second-guess yourself when you didn’t laugh – was it because the joke wasn’t that funny or because you were just too lower class to get it?!

The banter and bitchy retorts between the two servants as they try to gain one up on each other was a joy to watch and Dalley and McCarthy have a great rapport together. You can clearly see they are having a ball with this. However, I would have liked to see the pair push themselves more with volume and vocal projection – at times, their speaking voices were louder than their singing ones, as if they were holding back during the songs. Also, there were moments during the duets when the performers were not in time with each other, but they were far and few between.

Composer John Thorn on piano was delightful to hear and played with great precision. Favourite numbers of the night were “The Passive Aggressive Filipino Amway Lady” which had me in stitches when the title character met the articulate call centre operator from Dubai, and “The Nasty Queen From Menswear” made delightfully scarier by the fact that I too was once a victim of such a person in previous employment.

The sets and costume, while minimal, added so much to this revue. The constant presence of the toilet was a constant reminder that despite their airs, these two manservants were just that and nothing more. The single props for their impersonations were well-chosen and clearly distinguished their changing characters: from Indian call-centre workers and Filipino Amway ladies to bitchy sales assistants, they were spot on, which is no surprise given Dalley and McCarthy’s established performance backgrounds in comedy and theatre.

Mademoiselle is certainly cheeky good old-fashioned camp fun that will see you leaving the theatre with many belly laughs having been had.

Venue: fortyfivedownstairs, 45 Flinders Lane
Season: Until 19 August 2012 | Tues to Sat 8:00pm, Sun 5:00pm
Tickets: $35 Full | $28 Conc
Bookings: 03 9662 9966 or http://www.fortyfivevdownstairs.com

Events, Performances, Review, Theatre, Whats On

Review: THE MCNEIL PROJECT

A rare look on the “inside” of Australian life

By Deborah Langley

A cold winter’s evening was nothing to stop the almost full house of punters packing in to see the latest Wattle We Do Next production: The McNeil Project, a duo of plays written by ex-prisoner Jim McNeil.

With thick Aussie accents and hard-to-understand Aussie colloquies the first play starts with energy, passion and enthusiasm. In The Chocolate Frog, two hardened inmates Shirko (Luke McKenzie) and Tosser (Cain Thompson) put their new cellmate Kevin (Will Ewing) on trial, providing a witty commentary on the dynamics between morality and mateship within Australia’s penal system.

McKenzie is a stand-out in this brilliant cast with fast-paced dialogue and a raw masculinity which is truly frightening at times, reminding me of a young Eric Banner and a more attractive Chopper Reed. Although it did take me almost half of the show to get a grasp on the language and the accents (I don’t speak fluent ocker), as the play builds momentum the language softens and some really interesting subjects are brought to light including the difference between inmate life and the real world over communication, understanding and rehabilitation.

As McNeil himself explains: “The ‘outsiders’ looking in felt that ex-prisoners must display certain attitudes of repentance and resolve; while we ‘crims’ were busy trying to convince them that ex-prisoners don’t feel much repentance and are resolved only to extract a fair go from the mob outside.” An interesting standpoint – just a shame I had to read it in the program after the play to really grasp the complexities of the project.

The second play, The Old Familiar Juice, explores sexuality, ownership and hierarchy as three inmates (played by McKenzie, Cain and Richard Bligh) sneakily concoct a boozy brew that acts as a catalyst to unlock dormant primal urges. McKenzie again takes the lead with what I imagine is the “McNeil” character, while Cain shows his diversity performing with innocence and naivety.

I imagine that when this was first performed in the 1970s, the idea of exposing homosexual relationships within the jail system was shocking and even dangerous, but today homosexual rape presented as something justifiable (even within the confines of prison walls) isn’t a concept that sits well with me, that I understand, or even care to engage with.

Directed brilliantly by Malcolm Robertson, McNeil’s writing definitely has an interesting place in Australian theatrical history but like all playwrights who speak of a specific era and context, its continuing relevance still needs to be questioned at some point.

Venue: fortyfivedownstairs, 45 Flinders Lane, Melbourne

Season: Until 29 Juy 2012 | 8pm Tue – Sat | 5pm Sun

Tickets: $44 Full | $36 Conc | $30 Preview

Bookings: 03 9662 9966 or fortyfivedownstairs.com

Events, Performances, Review, Theatre, Whats On

Review: HIMMELWEG – Way to Heaven

A complex and difficult play adroitly staged

By Adam Tonking

We are so far removed from the world of Nazi Germany in World War II that the true stories of the atrocities that took place are often near impossible to believe.

Himmelweg is one of the lesser known and more bizarre of these horror stories, and it is a rich source of material for a play, presenting several tricky moral dilemmas for the characters and the audience to navigate. It is also an important and fascinating exploration of this deeply disturbing period in our history.

Redroom Theatre and director Alister Smith present an excellent production; the lighting and set design, as well as the sound, are spare and elegant and used effectively to evoke the era, and also to separate the play into its abstract first half and more naturalistic second half.

I think the material could have benefited from an older cast, simply because the emotional complexity may have been beyond such a young group of actors. However, they still acquit themselves capably, in particular the actors portraying the Commandant and Gottfried. These characters have to carry the entire second half in what is more or less the Commandant talking at Gottfried, and the actors performed admirably.

At a running time of two hours, there should have been plenty of material to sustain the action, however the second half becomes very repetitive with very little new information introduced.

The cast, under the superb direction of Smith, work valiantly to keep the story moving and inject as much interest as possible, but can’t quite keep the material from slowing the pace.

I think the cast and the production team deserve commendation for staging what is a difficult and challenging piece, yet a terribly important story from a time that should not be forgotten, and I encourage everyone to see it.

Himmelweg is on at Theatre Works 14 Acland Street, St Kilda from June 21 to July 1.

Book at www.theatreworks.org.au or by calling 9534 3388.

Events, Performances, Review, Theatre, Whats On

REVIEW: Showko’s JAPANESE PUPPET RAGUKO

Prepare to be enchanted!

By Myron My

I was surprised that I’d never heard of Rakugo theatre prior to this evening (considering I had lived in Japan for two years) so I was quite excited to witness The Butterfly Club hosting the number-one Rakugo performer in Australia, Showko (even if through her own admission, she is the only Rakugo performer in Australia!)

 Rakugo is a 400-year-old traditional form of storytelling involving a lone storyteller using minimal props whilst kneeling on a cushion. Movement, action and characters are all expressed through body language, voice and facial expressions. Remarkably, Showko only utilizes half the small stage of The Butterfly Club but is able to create a world twice as big in our minds.

Showko warms up the crowd so effectively that you don’t even realize the show has begun purely because you are mesmerized by her genuine excitement to be here and sharing with us the magic of storytelling and creation.  There are not many performers who can win over an audience with their opening line being about the joys of heated toilet seats.

In one hour, Showko manages to create an entire Japanese comedy show with puppetry, ventriloquism (and at one point, triple ventriloquism), song, bamboo magic and…monsters. The time and effort that has gone into creating the puppets is evident and Showko works wonders as she manages to bring them all to life with their own distinct personalities. I’m now on the hunt for my very own Cucumber Sushi Monster.

A few minor technical issues with music stopping and lighting changes requested took us out of the world Showko was creating for us, but such was her passion and charm that she drew us right back in.

By the end of the performance, there was not one person (I was watching) walking away without a smile on their face – perhaps Showko had really got everyone in touch with their inner child.

Date: June 14th, 15th, 16th  7pm/17th  6pm

Venue: The Butterfly Club, 204 Bank Street, South Melbourne

Tickets: $23 / $20

Bookings: thebutterflyclub.com

Events, Performances, Review, Theatre, Whats On

Review: UNCLE VANYA by Hotwire Productions

An engrossing interpretation of a modern masterpiece

By Anastasia Russell-Head

Chekhov’s works, like Shakespeare’s, serve to unite humanity and human foibles across time and continents.

More than a century after Uncle Vanya was first penned, and on the opposite side of the globe, we’re still dealing with the same stuff – complaining about our lives, falling in love with the wrong people, allowing ourselves to be irritated and manipulated by our relatives, and falling victim to paralyzing inaction.

Director and adaptor Laurence Strangio brings the characters in this play slightly out of history, and makes their plight poignantly relevant to today by, as he writes in the program notes, not feeling “bound by historical accuracy”.

Although ostensibly the characters remain in nineteenth-century Russia, the language and idioms are not forcibly “historical”, but fall naturally onto twenty-first-century ears – drawing the similarities through time rather than highlighting the differences between then and now.

A superb ensemble cast portray the quirky characters with relish, from the hyperbolic gravitas of Peter Finlay’s Professor, to Bruce Woolley’s dry and proudly eccentric Dr Astrov. Although not always the most convincing member of the cast, Sarah Ranken brings a quiet strength and pathos to the character of Sonya, especially in her moving speech at the end of the play. Notable mention must also be made of Richard Bligh and Louise O’Dwyer.

The sumptuous set makes use of the full width of iconic theatre space fortyfivedownstairs, drawing the audience into the action, and feeling almost like we’re inside an isolated night-time country house alongside the characters. All it needed was an open fireplace to complete the illusion! A couple of sight line issues and passages in which characters deliver lines to the back wall are very minor flaws.

Although not by any means a short play (allow three hours, including interval) this production kept my attention throughout, made me laugh, nearly made me cry, and certainly made me think about what it is to be human and to construct a life. In the words of Uncle Vanya, “to start a new life… where to begin?”

MAY 16 – JUNE 3 

Fortyfivedownstairs

45 Flinders Lane

Tuesday – Saturday 8pm

Saturday matinee 4pm

Sundays 6pm

Tickets: $38 / $25 / $15 school groups

Bookings:  03 9662 9966 / fortyfivedownstairs.com