Category: Whats On

Events, Performances, Review, Theatre, Whats On

REVIEW: Snafu Theatre Present TEN MONTHS IN A COLD TOWN

Spy thriller hits the bullseye

By Myron My

SNAFU Theatre is back with their eighth production Ten Months in a Cold Town. In it, a man (James Gand-Hunt) enters a woman’s (Samantha Hill) house. They are both spies and he is there to receive some important documents. We watch as they wait for a fax transmission to come through before the documents are handed over…

Who is telling the truth? Is everyone who they say they are?

Ten Months In a Cold Town

Sam Wilson and May Jasper have written an intriguing and captivating script. I particularly enjoyed watching as scenes went from comedic and light-hearted to dark and serious quite fluidly and unexpectedly. The further we progress with the play, the more extreme the pendulum swung between these two contrasting genres and moods. It’s not until we are introduced to Irina (Cazz Bainbridge) that the story comes full-circle.

The scenes in Russian are intriguing to watch as you are left to your own devices to translate what is being said. Despite the fact I speak no Russian, the actors seemed quite comfortable with the language and apparently spoke fluently, and should be congratulated on their efforts.

This is predominantly a character piece rather than a narrative piece and with Gand-Hunt and Hill on stage from beginning to end, there is a lot riding on them being able to pull these characters off and they do exceptionally well.

There are touches of Waiting for Godot during the lighter moments in which the actors both appeared most comfortable, as the two spies discuss their time at “spy school” and their experience of marriage. However, during the more intense moments, I felt there could have been a push to explore their darker natures through emotions and reactions.

Overall, Ten Months in a Cold Town has a strong script and strong performances. It doesn’t answer all your questions but this is not a bad thing as it’s nice to not always be spoon-fed a story, and my friend and I spent some time discussing what we believe had happened – and was going to happen…

Venue: Industrial School, Abbotsford Convent, 1 St Heliers St, Abbotsford

Season: Until 4 May | Thurs-Sat 7:30pm

Tickets: $25 Full | $20 Conc

Bookings:http://www.trybooking.com/CPIG

Cabaret, Festivals, Musical Theatre, Review, Whats On

REVIEW: Suitcases, Baggage & Other Synonyms for MICF

Emotional luggage unpacked with wit and musical charm

By Myron My

Debuting at the Melbourne International Comedy Festival after a previous Fringe appearance, Suitcases, Baggage & Other Synonyms starts with a bang (literally). This is a musical comedy show about five friends living together who are trying to determine where to go on a holiday.

Suitcases Baggage and Other Synonyms

Along the way to reaching an agreement, they and we are faced with many distractions and songs.

There is snappy and witty dialogue throughout Suitcases, Baggage & Other Synonyms and the show is littered with fun pop-culture references and expressions. The self-referential humour is done well and the laughs are extremely strong during the inane conversations that the housemates have over such important topics as how long should you leave yoghurt out of the fridge for…

There are strong performances present and the characters have been embraced by all the cast (the 2011 Melbourne Short+Sweet Cabaret Gala finalists Hannah Daniel, Sarah Jackson, Casey Dolcetta, Melissa Kahraman and Barnaby Reiter). The acting is excellent with special mentions going to Dolcetta for her ability to subtly command the audience’s attention and Jackson for her hilarious portrayal of an OCD-suffering comedian-in-the-making. The musical composition by Reiter is very impressive and he plays with great dexterity and skill.

During the songs, the five voices sparkle and nicely complement each other, in particular the New York medley song. Unfortunately, there are a few numbers don’t feel as lyrically tight as the rest of the songs or of a calibre with the acting.  My other disappointment with the songs was the constant changing of speaking and singing throughout the song, making it difficult to fully appreciate melodies and musical nuances.

Suitcases, Baggage & Other Synonyms is ultimately a highly enjoyable performance put on by some very creative and talented people.Anyone who has ever lived in a share house will ultimately be able to relate to at least one of these five people either because they remind you of someone you’ve lived with – or of yourself.
 
Venue: Theatreworks, 14 Acland St, St Kilda

Season: Until 20 March | 8:00pm

Tickets: $25 Full | $20 Conc

Bookings: 9534 3388 or www.theatreworks.org.au

Events, Festivals, Performances, Review, Stand-Up Comedy, Whats On

Review: THOMAS GREEN’s Sign of the Times

Openness, intimacy, and comic ease

By Myron My

You’d be forgiven if you thought all comedy during the last few weeks was part of the Melbourne International Comedy Festival, but you would also be wrong. When Thomas Green – fresh from his Adelaide Fringe Show – slinked into Melbourne to perform a few intimate gigs of his show Sign of the Times at The Owl and the Pussycat I decided to take a punt and I was not disappointed.

The thing I enjoyed most about Green’s show was the engaging use of the everyday normalities of life to create his stories and insights, including his job as a casual relief teacher, his marriage and an unfortunate encounter involving his parents – although perhaps this one isn’t an everyday occurrence for most people! It all comes to a hilarious end with Green confessing to us his biggest phobia in life and how he overcame it.

Thomas Green

I never usually take into consideration the number of audience members in a show – it is about quality and not quantity – but with only five people present this particular evening, I was interested to see how Green would handle this. Green asked us for our names and had a chat with us and really created the vibe of us all just being a group of friends catching up for beers and pizza.

At times during Green’s conversations with us, it felt like we were diverting from his material, but he always successfully managed to use these moments not only to create humour, but to eventually bring the show back on track. It is a testament to Green’s confidence and easy ability to make us laugh when he opens himself up so freely to spontaneity and open dialogue with his audience.

Billed as a 50-minute show, we were in the theatre for almost an hour and a half. At times I wasn’t sure if we were watching Green’s original act or if we were chatting. Either way, Sign of the Times was 90 minutes of enjoyment and laughter. Green is definitely one to look out for at next year’s
festivals.

Venue: The Owl and the Pussycat, 34 Swan St, Richmond

Season: Until 20 April | 8:00pm

Tickets: $20

Bookings: http://www.owlandcat.com.au/adelaidefringereview.html or at the door

Events, Festivals, Review, Stand-Up Comedy, Whats On

REVIEW: Jared Jekyll’s LOONEY BIN

Crazy in all the right ways

By Jennifer Coles

If you’re looking for a broader range of entertainment and excitement crammed into your comedy show, Jared Jekyll’s Looney Bin is definitely the way to go.

One of the most promising (and certainly the most energetic) comedians to come out of Sydney, Jared Jekyll has created an unstoppable hour of beatboxing, magic, comedy and showmanship.  Jekyll’s self-deprecating and honest style of comedy is refreshing, and throughout the show he maintains a fantastic presence and relationship with the audience.

Jared Jekyll

Jekyll divides the show into several sections (or “bits” as he calls them), which focus around a certain topic or section. An absolute delight was his beatboxing section utilising a loop pedal, where he explains the basic functions of the equipment he was using, and proceeded to record his own voice and quite often afterwards, argue with it. He interspersed this with discussions with a parrot, magic tricks, and of course, puns.  His sections occasionally discussed the show’s broader themes, and he occasionally touched on a plot designed to keep the show running through.

Despite the energy and professionalism Jekyll displayed during the show, he was let down slightly by the script. The divisions between the sections of the show required stronger links to each other, however entertaining the individual portions were.

It appeared to be a show that could have utilised either a story and plot for its entirety, or just the standard storytelling usual in stand-up comedy shows. Because Looney Bin covered several different types of performance, and several different stories, better links were needed to keep the flow going.

In spite of that, I laughed myself silly. Jekyll displays amazing promise and dedication to his craft, and he is quite clearly going to have a long career. Looney Bin is hilarious, witty, and filled with surprises.  A wonderful and manic night out.

Dates: 18 – 21 April at 9.30 pm

Venue: Word Warehouse, 14 Goldie Place, Melbourne

Prices: $10-$15

Bookings: MICF online

Circus, Dance, Events, Festivals, Review, Whats On

Review: THREE HIGH ACROBATICS’ Knock Off

When renovation becomes a real balancing act

By Myron My

Making their Melbourne International Comedy Festival debut, Three High Acrobatics’ Knock Off revolves around three men who walk onto a building site and attempt to construct a contemporary circus show in eleven easy steps, including ensuring there is a love story present and having dramatic pauses throughout the story.

Three High Acrobatics

When it came to the acrobatics, the guys (Sam Aldham, Taka Seki and Christ Carlos) were strong as both charismatic performers and impressive athletes. The broom-balancing segment was beautifully performed and the aerial work had the audience mesmerised. There were a few mishaps here and there, but any show that involves such high physical demand from its performers is occasionally going to falter and, if anything, amplifies the mood in the audience to support them and see them succeed on the next attempt. The strength and the skill these three possess is not to be undermined and this is particularly proven in the final few moments of the show.

There are quite a few musical numbers– with the parody version of 90s song “Bitch” by Meredith Brooks now changed to “Bloke” being one of my favourites. One of their ‘steps’ is to include a contemporary dance scene and the one they chose had me grooving in my seat as it is also the one choreographed dance sequence by a boy band I wish I could perform! The music played is used to support and alter the mood they are trying to convey during each segment: one particularly clever example of this was during the love story, which allowed the guys to ham things up when needed.

However, as a comedy show I felt the humour in Knock Off was lacking in most parts. The energy was certainly visible but the comic element was often being stretched and didn’t feel very natural. The characters were not all that endearing and I found the ‘apprentice’ to be more annoying than anything. Clearly these guys were more comfortable with the acrobatics than with the acting.

Knock Off loses a little of its charm when it comes to the comedy, but Three High Acrobatics provide an entertaining show that will engage you with their exciting circus skills.

Venue: Wonderland Spiegeltent, 120 Pear River Rd, Harbourtown Docklands

Season: Until 20 April | 7:00pm

Tickets: $20 Full | $15 Conc

Bookings:www.ticketmaster.com.au, www.wonderlandspiegeltent.com.au, 9602 1311 & at the door

Festivals, Late Night Shows, Review, Stand-Up Comedy, Whats On

Review: NELLIE WHITE’S ONE-HANDED SHOW – An Introduction to Pornography..

Gird your loins and come for the comedy

By Vikki Doig

Sex, vagina, penis, pubes, ball slappage – doesn’t it just feel better to say these things out loud? And that’s exactly what Nellie White’s One-Handed Show: An Introduction to Pornography for the Melbourne International Comedy Festival seeks to do.

Nellie White

I haven’t always enjoyed porn. As a young innocent I felt particularly uncomfortable at the sights and sounds of people’s carnal bliss. However, as I grew older and wiser in my sexual journey, it became comforting to see people try new things (sometimes things that seemed logistically impossible!) but, more importantly, sex became less scary – even funny! So how could I pass up the opportunity to see a fellow pornophile throw social niceties out the window and talk about sex, baby?

Nellie’s One-Handed Show is certainly not for the faint-hearted. There was a clear feeling of trepidation amongst the crowd upon entering the cosy performance space. The first thing I noticed was the distinct lack of people sitting in the front row – as if that’s a surefire way to avoid being called upon in a 24-seat venue. The fear of audience-participation becomes heightened when sexy-talk is involved…

Nellie had an unassuming innocence on stage which immediately endeared her to us and it was refreshing to be slapped in the face with her unexpected explicit punchlines, casual description of threesomes, sexual exploits (or sexploits, if you will) and graphic imagery.

There were times, though, when I felt more like I was listening to a friend talk about what they’d been up to on the weekend than watching a comedy show, and what the show lacked was a cohesive flow, a bit of direction and strong delivery to pull it all together. It was unclear whether it was a show designed to shock us, encourage us to discuss our own sexploits, make us feel uncomfortable, educate us (Nellie really does know a lot about the history of porn!) or all or none of the above.

The concept was bold, confronting and interesting and all the elements of a good show were groped, caressed and touched upon, but it didn’t quite come together on the night.

Venue: The Tuxedo Cat

Dates: April 11-21

Time: 9.45pm (Sunday 8.45pm)

Price: $12-18

Bookings: MICF online

Events, Festivals, Music, Performances, Review, Whats On

REVIEW: Matt Dyktynski and Bang Mango Cools in EDIBLE PETS

Guaranteed good festival fun

By Tania Herbert

As an audience member, you are one of “The Keno Dancers” waiting for your performance at the Mordialloc Welcome Club. Sharing your backstage green room are Matt and Mango – the wannabe rock duo Edible Pets. Disgruntled musician Matt “Dyk-something-ski” and his sidekick Bang Mango Cools (name changed after a mind-altering trip to Thailand… despite being a middle-class bloke from Diamond Valley) are about to perform their final show, and it’s not exactly in style in the back room of an outer-suburbs pokies venue.

Edible Pets

We travel with Matt and Mango on their journey back through 25 years of musical mediocrity: from 80s’ teens to 90s’ try-hard rappers, to naughties’ new-agers and finally the low point of X-Factor wannabees.

Edible Pets: The Farewell Tour for MICF is nicely constructed, has good flow, great pace and comedy, and lovely audience interaction. Mango played the “Silent Bob” of the duo beautifully, with superb coming timing and understated humor in nice contrast to Matt’s tirade against the world.

The little snippets of song throughout added to the sense of pace and were well-executed, though there seemed to be a few missed comic opportunities in some of the music. However, the “pay off” song at the conclusion of the show was well worth the wait, and Mango’s description of his masterpiece- “It’s f’ing anthetic”- is well deserved.

If you’re in town for the comedy run, this is a good one to chuck on the list. Sweet, light, and personable, it’s like watching a couple of your funniest mates messing around with guitars and awesomely bad mullet wigs. And it’s probably the only time you’ll get the opportunity to see someone rap “the Little Drummer Boy”.

Edible Pets: The Farewell Tour can be seen at The Victoria Hotel 28 March – 21 April, Tues-Sat 8:30pm, Sun 7:30pm.Ticketmaster 1300 660 013, www.comedyfestival.com.au

Events, Festivals, Performances, Review, Whats On

REVIEW: Graaahm’s DON’T LOOK AT ME

Poetry to ponder…

By Myron My

Don’t Look At Me for MICF stars performance artist Graaahm (Amy Bodossian) – yes, that’s Graaahm with three a’s. Throughout the course of the show Graaahm performs a number of poems and songs for her audience and gives us an insight into her life.

Graaahm’s word play was actually quite intelligent and well thought-out. Hearing her witty rhyming and clever combination of very different ideas into single words was interesting but it didn’t stop this show from becoming very difficult to follow and understand where Graaahm was going with it.

Don't Look At Me

This was in fact the most frustrating thing about Don’t Look At Me – I simply did not know what I was watching. There seemed to be no point to it. As a reviewer, I always ask myself, what is the artist attempting to do? – and I was at a loss here. I walked out of the show – once Graaahm informed the audience that it was over and we could leave – with no more clue as to its purpose as when I walked in.

Visually, the show is rather good. The stage is adorned with a myriad of objects and decorations which are incorporated into the show – even if it is for a few seconds, including that very interesting portrait of Graaahm’s grandmother. Graaahm’s outfit is also something to behold – with many thanks to what I assume is very strong body tape.

There were moments of improvisation in Graaahm’s Don’t Look At Me which worked well, and would rate as the more memorable parts of her show. Her acknowledgement of what was going on outside of the space and bringing it into the show was well executed.

Bodossian definitely possesses talent, skill and wit, but it didn’t come across as well as it could have in this Melbourne International Comedy Festival show.

Venue: The Tuxedo Cat, 17-23 Wills Street

Season: Until 21 April | Mon-Tues, Thurs-Sat 10:45pm, Sun 9:45pm

Tickets: $20 Full | $15 Conc

Bookings: www.ticketmaster.com.au, www.tuxedocat.com.au, or at the door

Events, Musical Theatre, Review, Whats On

Review: ASSASSINS at fortyfivedownstairs

Musicals can be deadly…

By Bradley Storer

‘Everybody’s got the right to their dreams!’ With these deceivingly sunny words we are drawn into the grim world of Stephen Sondheim’s Assassins, a dark twisted carnival in which the murderers of history exist in a fantastical purgatory.

Assassins

The sinister message of the show is that these are the natural by-product of the American Dream – the malevolent reflections of the frustrated search for happiness, looking for fulfilment in the only way left.

Mark Dickinson as John Wilkes Booth brings a sonorous baritone and combination of Southern and Satanic charm to the role, quietly commanding every scene he enters.  Nadine Garner is pitch perfect as Sarah Jane Moore, one of the two ladies who attempted to kill Gerald Ford, and her scenes with Sonya Suares as Lynette Fromme are a comic delight. The rest of the cast deliver solid, if not outstanding, performances. Nick Simpson-Deeks as the strolling Balladeer unleashes a strong mellifluous tenor in his songs, but lacks the charisma that a character embodying the American Dream, in my opinion, should have – whether this is accidental or a directorial decision to demonstrate the hollowness of this concept is open to debate.  Simpson-Deeks does a far better job as the dual role of Lee Harvey Oswald, which makes it disappointing this character only has the chance to appear in one scene.

Director Tyran Parke is to be commended for his direction of the show, and his vision shines through strongly in the assassins’ individual songs and scenes – but in the big group scenes which bookend the show I felt the staging was static and a little awkward, in particular the scene in which the assassins en masse turn against the Balladeer lacked the menace and danger of mob mentality that I was looking for. I felt this was a problem with the production overall – although Parke and the cast do a fantastic job of humanising the characters and mining the comedic potential of the material, it feels as though ultimately it lacks the edge necessary to make the show truly exciting.

DATES: 10 – 21 April 2013

VENUE: Fortyfivedownstairs, 45 Flinders Lane, Melbourne

TIMES:    Tuesday to Saturday 7.30pm, Sunday 5pm, Wednesday matinee 1.30pm

ADMISSION: Gala opening night $49, Full $39, Concession $29, Group 8+ $35, Preview $25

BOOKING: 03 9662 9966, www.fortyfivedownstairs.com

Events, Performances, Review, Whats On

REVIEW: Ranters Theatre Presents SONG

Contemplating nature – indoors…

By Christine Moffat

Song seems to be about mimicking the natural, bringing the outdoors indoors, and by doing so, prompting us as an audience to examine our response to these elements.  This production is the creative collaborative result of Brazilian conceptual artist Laura Lima and UK musician James Tyson along with other Melbourne artists, and involves sitting or lying on pieces of synthetic grass, taking in perfumes designed to mimic natural scents, and admiring a lighting scheme inspired by the last hour before sunset. 

Photo by Sarah Walker

During this time, via various speakers placed around the space, songs by Tyson and ambient outdoor sounds designed by David Franzke are played.  This is all designed to immerse an audience, engage their senses and perhaps even to lull them.

Unfortunately, the combination of small synthetic grass mats and a very hard floor was not relaxing (for either lying or sitting); and made it difficult to give oneself over to the experience.  A scan of the room showed, in the majority, a physically uncomfortable audience shifting every two to three minutes in an attempt to find a better position.  This is the one key flaw in the production, as all the other elements offer a promising suggestion of relaxation and self-reflection.

It is a disappointment to this reviewer that this lack of physical comfort in the space does little to facilitate the intentions of Ranters Theatre in partnership with Monash University.  Artistically, every component of this show has clearly been constructed with much thought and creativity.  The lighting design by Stephen Hennessy in particular is exquisitely beautiful, and the perfumed air created by George Kara is lovely.  Sadly, the sum experience does not match the promising nature of each of its parts.

It is worth mentioning for logistical purposes alone, that the show is billed as a 7.30pm start, with a running time of 60 minutes.  Possibly due to it being opening night, the audience waited in the space for 20 minutes before the show started, and it had been running for 90 minutes when this reviewer left (along with about 2/3 of the audience).  At that point it seemed practically over, and staff had opened the exit doors, but there was no other indication that the show had in fact finished, and the soundscape of rain was still playing.

Venue: Arts House, North Melbourne Town Hall,  521 Queensberry St

Season: Sat 13 April – Sun 21 April 2013

Time: 7.30pm Tue – Fri, 2pm and 7.30pm Sat and 5pm Sun

Green Tix for Nix: 2pm Sat 13 April 2013

Tickets: $25 Full / $20 Conc / discount for 6+ groups

Bookings: artshouse.com.au or 03 9322 3713