Theatre

Review: UnHowsed

Tashmadada & Voices of the South Side present an experience far more pervasive than the stage

By Leeor Adar

A woman in St Kilda sings to herself alone whilst passerbys glance as they go on their way. Her only witness is the raining street. A life unsheltered by the world, for whatever reason, its woman against the world.

Director Deborah Leiser-Moore tells us that UnHOWsed is not a theatre work, despite the theatrical elements of the piece. The ensemble are women who have experienced homelessness in their lives, and the audience bears witness to their place in our world. They want to tell us that they are here.

The ensemble, Carla Mitterlehner, Susan V.M. McDonald-Timms, Jan Grey, Diann Pattison, Maurya Bourandanis, Catherine Samsury, Karen Corbett, Liza Dezfouli are all ordinary women who have come into extraordinary circumstances. The piece isn’t a misery-porn roller-coaster of tragedy, but rather a series of sung pieces and short monologues that are snippets, weaving together their experiences. There is an enormous amount of dignity in the way they carry themselves as women, not actors, living and breathing their truth.

Nela Trifkovic’s sound direction pervades the stage, creating a moody ambience that develops the narrative. The staging is also excellent. All the women sit within a low fence with their feet naked upon the sand. I am totally captivated as one dines with ceremony on a toy car, a symbol of finding normality in displacement and transience, and some take turns washing themselves on stage in less than comfortable conditions. One ruminates about what it must be like to live without a fixed address, to shower without privacy, to eat what is left, to find shelter where there is little to none. One tells us about a police raid that occurs at the camp she is at, and all are arrested except for her – the woman with the night gown with its Princess Dianna wedding puff, the Persian palace of her squat, making every place a home.

Older women experiencing homelessness is an ever-increasing reality. Last year there was an 83% hike in women ‘couch surfing’, and 75% increase in those sleeping in their cars. What happened? As affordable housing is almost unobtainable and increasing tens of thousands wait for government housing, older women are falling between the gaps, unable to obtain work or access important services. Services are going online – everything, as one woman points out, is online. How do you ask for help when you don’t have a phone? How do you ask for help when you can’t find electricity? The disconnect is painfully real. It’s a struggle to connect to these services as is, but when you have no home it’s a titanic struggle.

UnHOWsed is one of the most important work’s you’ll see. It’s under 60 minutes, and totally powerful. These are brave, real women, and they’re sharing a slice of themselves with the world to shed light on an experience far vaster and pervasive than the space of the stage.

UnHOWsed is performed at Theatre Works until Sunday 3 November. Tickets available here: http://www.theatreworks.org.au/program/unhowsed/.

Photography courtesy of Lachlan Woods 

Film

Review: Promised

Navigating the promises made by others

By Narelle Wood

Written by Nick Conidi, Promised follows the story of Angela and Robert as they navigate a promise of marriage that their fathers made many years before.

The story spans 20 years, beginning with Angela’s (Antoniette Iesue) birth under difficult circumstances – her mother Rosalba (Tina Arena) is found in labour on the floor of the family’s pastry shop – in the early 1950’s, through to 1974 when Angela and Robert (Daniel Berini) are reunited after he returns home from studying in Oxford. While Angela has always known about the arranged marriage, she has found herself in a different world to that in which the promise was made. She is studying English Literature, longs to be a writer and is in love with an Australian boy. To complicate matters further, Rosalba and her husband Sal (Paul Mercurio) are indebted to Robert’s parents, Joe and Maria, for rescuing Rosalba during labour, and to complicate things even further, Joe is connected, in the Italian mobster sense of the word. The story is almost Shakespearean; part tragedy, part farce, but it is also reminiscent of The Godfather, minus, thankfully, the horses head.

The film is beautifully made, and made in Melbourne. The settings and costuming perfectly and authentically capture 1970’s Australia. Conidi, who also directs, has an uncanny knack for slowly unfolding a complex story, without it ever feeling like it is loosing pace. The performances are solid, especially from stalwarts Arena and Mercurio, though Iesue and Berini do more than hold their own portraying complex characters that are both likeable and frustrating in equal measure. And this was perhaps the reason why I found this film a little uncomfortable at times; there was no clear hero, and each outcome would possibly end up disappointing someone. However, this was also perhaps the reason why this film works. Promised is in many ways a manifestation of the tagline “Love like life is never perfectly arranged”. It is complex, heartfelt look at intergenerational, intercultural and family expectations, with a lovely dose of nostalgia.

Promised is in cinemas now.

Music

Review: George Michael: Listen to Your Heart 

Enjoyable night of unforgettable music

By Samuel Barson

Careless Whisper. Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go. Last Christmas. All synonymous with your Mum’s record collection, all synonymous with one man… George Michael.

Like many artists of his time, Michael’s music, fashion and unique approach and outlook on life has allowed for him to remain a stronghold in the hearts and minds of music lovers of all ages. The tributes are naturally endless and on October 17th, Melbourne held a very special tribute of their own.
George Michael: Listen to Your Heart was a 2 hour long tribute to not only the music behind the man, but also the man behind the music. Household names Rob Mills and Hugh Sheridan joined a cast of former Voice contestants and music theatre personalities to take audiences through Michael’s extensive discography, making some spoken word tributes to what the man meant to them as artists. The cast were joined by a tight and impressive full orchestra, all under the helm of maestro John Foreman OAM.
Whilst many of these tribute shows run the risk of being self indulgent on behalf of the cast (the people on stage making it more about themselves than the artist they are honouring), this show’s biggest strength was that it did the exact opposite. It was only ever about Michael, and the connections the cast made between themselves and Michael never felt too facetious or fabricated. There was a genuine and palpable love for Michael being shared by the cast and the audience.
Production values of lighting and choreography never took too much focus away from the main focus; the entire night was undoubtedly Michael himself.
The cast did a solid job, and it was enjoyable seeing such a diverse musical cast representing different parts of Michael’s musical talent and skill – I think you would be hard pressed to find one artist who could encapsulate Michael in his entirety these days. Special mention must be made to Sheridan for perfectly showcasing Michael’s smooth and sexy jazz side.
A great night for all ages, it was fantastic seeing such a diverse demographic in the audience, all attending to enjoy a night of unforgettable music in recognition of such an important musical icon.
George Michael: Listen to Your Heart played at the Arts Centre’s Hamer Hall for one night only.
Opera

Review: The Selfish Giant

A giant production with so much to love

By Narelle Wood 

Victorian Opera Youth Opera brand new work, The Selfish Giant – based on the Oscar Wilde short story of the same name – is sure to become a favourite for opera aficionados and newbies alike.

Under the Direction of Cameron Menzies, we follow the story of the giant (Stephen Marsh) as he comes home from an extended trip to find his beloved garden overrun with happily playing children. Scarred from his childhood, and wanting the garden all to himself, the giant scares the children away. The next day Spring (Saffrey Brown) arrives with her fairies (Stephanie Ciantar and Chloe Maree Harris) to wake up the garden, but something is wrong. Soon after Snow (Michael Dimovski), Wind (Noah Ryland) and Frost (Darcy Carroll) arrive with Winter (Olivia Federow-Yemm), looking for a place to call home. Spotting the deserted garden they make themselves at home. After some time has passed, children again find their way back into the garden, prompting the selfish giant to think about sharing. Winter is banished and Spring returns.

Composer Simon Bruckard’s captures the story with dynamic shifts in mood, from the playfulness of the children and the grumpiness of the giant to the sprightly spring and the glacial winter. Some of my favourite moments come from the children playing, where librettist Emma Muir-Smith has managed to capture both the fun-loving and at-times menacing behaviour of children, in a very Oscar Wilde-esque way. There are moments of endearing wit, especially from the Dimovski, Ryland and Carroll whose characters lend themselves to Wilde’s frivolity. I wondered whether there were more moments to capture Wilde’s sardonic wit, especially for the giant.

While James Browne’s set is minimalist, the dimensions and angles of the stage and carefully placed set pieces creates the impression of an imposing house, suitable to contain an imposing giant. Browne’s costumes, however, were one of my favourite things in a production where there was just so much to love. Menzies’ use of props to represent the garden is incredible, as are all the performances. Marsh is endearing as the giant, even when he’s been selfish, and the Youth Chorus and Victorian Opera Chamber Orchestra are faultless in their supporting roles.

Tickets to this world premiere were hard to come by, and it’s easy to see why. This is a charming opera showcasing the immense talent that all of these performers have to offer. The run was short, but hopefully The Selfish Giant will get the revival it deserves.

For more Victorian Opera performances and tickets go to victorianopera.com.au

Photography courtesy of Charlie Kinross

Film

Review: Maiden

Tracy Edwards Whitbread Success Story

By Samuel Barson

The opening seconds of Maiden has the audience in the middle of a vast, raging ocean, rocking up and down with the waves as they breath in and out. It’s a thrilling start to a documentary, but unfortunately this same level of engagement doesn’t last.

Alex Holmes’ Maiden tells the story of Tracy Edwards, who at 24 rose the ranks from charter boat cook to skipper of the first ever all-female crew to enter the Whitbread Round the World Race.

The documentary accounts not only the Whitbread adventure itself, but also the rampant sexism that proved to be just as gruelling for Edwards and her crew. The film, at its core, is a story of women pitted against equal forces of nature and human nature. And unfortunately, this ground-breaking story succumbs to what I found to be director Alex Holme’s frustratingly simplistic approach to storytelling.

For 1.5 hours audiences are taken through Edward’s story from childhood, to up-and-coming skipper, to Whitbread success story, all the while battling all too eager chauvinism from male sports journalists and fellow sailors. It seems unlikely that there would be limited research material to draw upon with a story such as this, however the material that audiences are provided is incredibly scant.

The anecdotes from interviews are often recycled and the archival footage is regularly irrelevant to it’s corresponding voiceover section, and I found I became easily irritated that a story that is clear to be so rich in detail, is not being told in the way that it deserves.

It’s such a shame that director Alex Holmes missed an opportunity here to provide a louder voice to female unity as a statement against sexism in sport and evoke the same undeniable spirit of the story’s subjects.

Maiden is showing at limited cinemas from Thursday 17th October. 

Photography courtesy of the Toronto International Film Festival

Cabaret, Theatre

Review: Gender Euphoria

Flipping gender dysphoria on its head

By Ross Larkin

Never before have I known so little about what to expect from a show as I did entering the world of Gender Euphoria.

Part of the Melbourne International Arts Festival, I suspected perhaps an array of colour, a healthy dose of music and dance and certainly plenty of diversity. What I didn’t necessarily expect was to laugh raucously, be moved to tears more than once, and to feel utterly inspired and uplifted. 

Touted as Australia’s biggest line-up of Trans and gender-diverse performers, the ensemble of ten hail from multiple walks of life and all areas of the globe; and as diverse as they are, they most certainly all have one thing in common – talent. 

Director Maude Davey and musical director Ned Dixon bring a flamboyant and dazzling array of burlesque, song, dance, comedy, circus art and poetry, which are woven seamlessly together in a non-stop thrill ride of comedy, heartbreak and exhilaration. 

Mama Alto is not only the perfect charismatic hostess, but her voice is to die for and she had the audience in the palm of her hand with gorgeous interpretations of two classic songs by The Pretenders. 

Nikki Viveca and special guest from the UK, Krishna Istha, were also highlights, with their beautifully hilarious and poignant routines, as was the guest of all guests, Tiwi Islander Crystal Love, whose moving, yet uplifting segment had the crowd transfixed with awe and admiration. 

There’s no doubt about it, Gender Euphoria absolutely flips gender dysphoria on its head with charm, style and inspiration.

By the end, the packed house was on its feet cheering for more, and there was a sense that not only had we been part of something utterly moving and entertaining, we had also witnessed a groundbreaking and vitally significant and important piece of work.

If you’re able to somehow see this show, then do what you can to make it happen, as this is one event not to be missed. 

Gender Euphoria was part of the Arts Centre Spiegeltent Tent Melbourne International Arts Festival.

Photography courtesy of Alexis Desaulniers-Lea

 

Theatre

Review: Grey Rock

A celebration of humanity

By Owen James

 

New York-based company ‘Remote Theatre Project’ have assembled five actors from across the Palestinian territories for the first time, to create Grey Rock – a compelling exploration of conflict, born from culture versus determination.

Grieving Yusuf finds comfort and distraction by absorbing himself in an unusual passion project – constructing a secret rocket intended for the moon, in his shed. Aided by eager young assistant Fadel, striving to achieve his dream leads to turmoil within his family and religious community, and attracts attention from worldwide media. It’s an engrossing and often suspenseful story that adeptly displays humanity’s worldwide ability to overcome doubt and derision, even when nobody else believes in you.

Though all five Palestinian performers sometimes struggle to overcome the sizeable barrier attached to attempting a language that is not their native tongue, these moments of hesitation reflect the very themes of conquering adversity Grey Rock tackles. Ivan Azazian delivers an energetic, very enjoyable performance as apprentice Fadel, bringing sizzling fervour to the blueprint-laden shed. Fidaa Zaidan as daughter Lila is another standout, with two fiery, emotion-packed monologues that give her deserved moments to shine.

Writer and director Amir Nizar Zuabi has given the work a punchy pace and cleverly allowed characters’ true motivations to unfold slowly, maintaining our interest in Fadel’s escalating mission throughout. Though at many junctures this is a tense drama, Zuabi’s likable characters and frequent beats of comedic relief make the show a joy to watch. Design by Tai Yarden is simple but very effective, with a wall of opaque thin plastic sheets creating shadows and silhouettes often larger than the characters beside them.

Grey Rock embodies every value the Melbourne International Arts Festival exists to explore – “to connect Melbourne with the rest of the world, to connect a complex past with the emerging future, and to connect the passion of artists with the prose of society” – and should be commended for the cultural fusion it celebrates through language and the international curiosity of the human spirit.

Tickets: https://www.festival.melbourne/2019/events/grey-rock/

Photography by Carlos Cardona

Theatre

Review: The Shadow Whose Prey The Hunter Becomes

Gloriously unsettling re-education

By Owen James

 

Geelong’s ‘Back to Back Theatre’ have created confronting and inspiring theatre with ‘The Shadow Whose Prey The Hunter Becomes’. Performed by five neuro-diverse artists, this journey through contemporary issues opens our eyes and our hearts in its hope to re-educate the public and defeat debilitating stigma.

‘Shadow’ is a triumph of collaboration, confirmed in the programme notes by writer John Bailey – which speak to the two and a half years of discussion that have fuelled this work and are ingrained in its every seam. So truthful and direct are the statements and questions posed throughout that they are sometimes shocking to process. Director Bruce Gladwin has weaved together conversive threads tackling First Nations recognition, the appropriateness of the term ‘disability’, ableism and attached intrinsic shame, disgraced public figures (such as Kevin Spacey) and whether their art can still morally be enjoyed, and the divisive future of AI. The heated and well-paced debates rationalise common thinking but also open our eyes to new, dangerous perspectives. These are the conversations we should be having, presented by a group with minds different to our own who recognise the juncture contemporary society is at.

Performers Michael Chan, Mark Deans, Simon Laherty, Sarah Mainwaring and Scott Price use their diversity to teach patience and acceptance. Their resilience stirs dreams of true, blind inclusivity, quickly unifying everyone in the room and imploring us to engage with their heartfelt message. Through humour and provocative, edgy assertions, a warm determination grows, and then hangs over the audience as we leave the theatre. This feeling hasn’t really left me since seeing the piece, proving Back to Back Theatre’s ability to yield a very successfully robust, enduring message through their art. It’s a demonstration of how theatre can challenge and teach when in the right hands.

I’ll certainly be along to see more of Back to Back’s permeating work in the future, and I recommend you don’t miss this hopeful, bold depiction of our confusingly contrary reality.

Runs until 20th October as part of Melbourne International Arts Festival at the Fairfax Studio: https://www.festival.melbourne/2019/events/the-shadow-whose-prey-the-hunter-becomes/

Photography by Zan Wimberley

 

Music, Performances

Review: High Tea Live – Steaming Jazz with Stevenson’s Rockets 

Toe-tapping jazz that’s good for the soul

By Narelle Wood

There is perhaps no better ways to spend a Sunday afternoon in Melbourne than sitting in The Pavilion at the Arts Centre, overlooking the city, eating scrumptious food and listening to “Steaming Jazz” with Stevenson’s Rockets.

The Stevenson’s Rockets are as smooth as they come, entertaining with numbers such as Scott Joplin’s Solace and the more laid back Riverside Blues, mixing it up with jazz styles from songs with upbeat Latin-American rhythms, to the Dixieland stylings of Ice cream. The quartet, consisting of Jo Stevenson (reeds), Steve Grant (piano), Chris Ludowyk (bass, trombone) and Ian Smith (drums, trumpet and vocals), effortlessly moved between styles, instruments, and solos, each song just as entertaining as the last.

This is perhaps to be expected given that Stevenson’s Rockets have been around for some time. But what added to this already stellar performance was that the Stevenson, Grant, Ludowyk and Smith also seemed to be thoroughly enjoying themselves, the music, and each other’s company, as well as the performance itself.

And just when we thought it couldn’t get any better, we were treated to a rocketing-rendition of Irving Berlin’s Puttin’ on the Ritz, compete with Smith on the washboard. It was certainly a crowd pleaser that left me wondering where exactly one might find a washboard.

If the toe-tapping Jazz performances are not quite enough to tempt you into purchasing as ticket, then the addition of high tea should certainly seal the deal. There are bubbles on arrival, with non-alcoholic options also available, and continuous tea and coffee refills. There are both sweet and savoury options, of sandwiches, pastries and cakes. And of course, any high tea wouldn’t be complete without scones, jam and cream.

So if you’re looking to spend a couple of hours soothing the soul, decadently eating and listening to, not just good, but great music, I highly recommend high tea on a Sunday afternoon at The Arts Centre.

Venue: The Pavilion, The Arts Centre, Melbourne

Tickets: from $79

To book tickets for the November or December High Tea Live go to www.artscentremelbourne.com.au

Theatre

Review: Anthem

A stunning, contemporary triumph

By Owen James

“These are urgent times,” speaks one character in the opening scene. Four words that foreshadow the next two hours, and that have stuck with me since. Anthem presents a snapshot of contemporary Australia, inspired by a piece from 21 years ago called ‘Who’s Afraid Of The Working Class?’ that was written by these same five highly influential writers, and at that time presented a snapshot of Australia in 1998. Anthem is possibly the most important piece of theatre presented in Melbourne this year, and we are so very lucky to have a collaboration of this scale to represent our turbulent country.

Five stories converge, variations on a theme by Andrew Bovell, Patricia Cornelius, Melissa Reeves, Christos Tsiolkas and Irene Vela – all inspiring, intuitive writers whose collective voice is dynamic and conquers definition (and whose individual works of brilliance live permanently on my bookshelf). Their intertwining pieces cover racism, classism, privilege, and economic instability, and together crescendo into a call to arms against the prejudice and discrimination inherent in our stilted political system. It’s beautifully shocking and overwhelmingly resonating.

Masterful direction from Susie Dee creates a cohesive theatrical experience that is measured and expertly crafted. Her handling of this mammoth undertaking ensures the hefty thematic content is accessible throughout, creating an undoubtedly gargantuan yet also deeply personal experience for the audience. Her cast of fourteen are a perfectly balanced company, filled with the same flavours of diversity we see when we leave the theatre on the streets of Melbourne. Their varied backgrounds aid in demonstrating touching, accurate depictions of unnerving but realistic characters. Every actor’s separate performance is honest and mesmerising, but they seamlessly blend together as one perfect ensemble.

Composer Irine Vela underlines every scene with an extraordinary score that, while performed only on violin and double bass, fills the Playhouse with the sound of a full orchestra. The skilfully timed compositions focus our attention on the text with a driving pulse that continuously escalates.

I couldn’t have higher praise for Anthem. It’s a thrilling concoction by visionary professionals at the top of their game, where two hours passes like two minutes. Moving and ambitious, this flawless reflection of our “urgent times” had a terrifyingly short season of only seven performances as part of Melbourne International Arts Festival. Anthem should be compulsory viewing for every Australian concerned with taking a stand against justice and inequality – and even more compulsory for those who aren’t. Anthem will stay with me for a very long time.

https://www.festival.melbourne/2019/events/anthem/

Photograph by Pia Johnson