Events, Review, Theatre, Whats On

REVIEW: A Murder is Announced at THE COMEDY THEATRE

Prepare to be intrigued…

By Kim Edwards

The queen of crime is being celebrated anew – Agatha Christie’s A Murder is Announced opened in Melbourne this week, and proved to be a deadly and delicious production of this mystery classic.

A Murder is Announced

Leslie Darbon‘s 1977 stage adaptation of one of Christie’s best-crafted novels is excellent, as the charming rambling wander through English village life is sewn up into a taut and witty drawing-room drama. The script establishes memorable and appealing characters with brisk confidence, rolls out the action with energy, and moves swiftly through important exposition, all without losing the actual language and style of the original novel.

It is Darren Yap‘s vibrant intelligent direction here that also freshens up the tale for a modern audience. I admired the delicate balance created between the self-aware humour that poked affectionate fun at the murder mystery genre and the foibles of the characters, and the real suspense and intrigue that held the opening night audience enthralled. I call it The Mousetrap effect – hearing an entire theatre of patrons draw a breath in horrified and delighted unison when a particular dark secret or shocking revelation is revealed…

Overall. the casting is delightful: Judi Farr (with clear homage to the glorious Joan Hickson) plays Miss Marple with wry humour and real charm. Robert Grubb has some trouble reigning in the wonderful gusto he feels portraying the bluff and dramatic Inspector Craddock, but the slight histrionics play off well against the elegant, fluid and nuanced performance of Debra Lawrance as Letitia Blacklock. Libby Munro gives a spirited and beautifully stylish depiction of Julia, Deidre Rubenstein offers superb comic timing as the bumbling Dora, and both Carmen Duncan and James Beck perform with aplomb in the rather thankless roles of Mrs Swettenham and Edmund.

Both Nathaniel Middleton and Libby Munro struggled to keep caricature at bay and their accents intact on opening night, but will no doubt smooth into their roles, while Victoria Haralabidou was a spectacular scene-stealer in the difficult role of refugee housekeeper Mitzi. Agatha Christie’s cheerful racism is always hard to overcome, but neat scripting and Haralabidou’s hilarious and enchanting dedication to her character gave Mitzi an ascerbic wit and vivaciousness that let us laugh with her at the constrained British behaviours and appreciate her more naturalistic emotion and energy.

Starting from $95.00, tickets are pricy for this old favourite, but classic murder mystery is always beguiling and as a Christie devotee, I enjoyed this production as thoroughly as the initiates behind me who were ecstatic the plot twists took them completely by surprise!

A Murder is Announced is playing at the Comedy Theatre until December 4. Tickets are available through Ticketek and online here.

Events, Festivals, Performances, Review, Theatre

REVIEW: Outer Urban Project’s URBAN CHAMBER – BEYOND

Inspiring

By Tania Herbert

In a time when it can be difficult to even turn on the television without a sea of racist vitriol, what a blessing to be able to witness diversity in all it’s forms coming together in Outer Urban Project’s Melbourne Festival work Urban Chamber – Beyond.

Outer Urban Project - Beyond

Our thematic host for the evening, poet Komninos Zeros describes himself as a “submerging artist- submerged into a sea of emerging artists”, and we are introduced to two dozen very special (mostly young) people who hail from every continent of the globe.

There’s nothing like a confident, smiling young person telling you “you are all my family” to get a warm buzz to begin an evening, and although initially feeling a little like attending a school concert, the smooth transition of artistic piece after artistic piece soon convinced the audience that they are in the presence of a particularly unique and talented collaboration.

Based around the notion of ‘Home’ as a place and a feeling, Beyond uses a massive range of creative presentation to explore this issue, and explores concepts of age, culture, and diversity to remind us that we are all different, and we are all the same. Beat box, rap, stomp, contemporary dance, classical, poetry, lyrical – and a couple of other things that defy categorisation – were appreciated both together and separately, and the merging of people and genres was inspirational.

Were there flaws? Sure. We’re speaking about young people with varying degrees of training and professional experience. But was there an abundance of talent? Absolutely.

As a not-for-profit organisation, Outer Urban Projects includes amongst its values both respect and courage. I am not quite sure what these guys do to nurture such a warm, engaged, respectful and brave group of young people, but I certainly did appreciate the opportunity to be witness to the outcome.

Whilst it’s a short run of only two nights for the Festival, I would recommend keeping this mob on your radar, as if you are looking for an opportunity to really connect with your art or support a wonderful art-based social cause, this is a great place to start. It may not be one of the showiest pieces at Melbourne Festival, but Beyond really does encapsulate the spirit of the best of Melbourne – diverse, different, and truly welcoming.

Urban Chamber – Beyond ran at the Melbourne Recital Centre on the 25th and 26th of October (6pm and 8pm), and do visit the website for more info and check out your options for supporting this lovely initiative.

http://outerurbanprojects.org

Events, Review, Theatre, Whats On

REVIEW: Exhibit A Theatre Presents FLESH WOUND

All in the family

By Myron My

A young man is on the run from the mob and finds safety in his sister’s apartment in a Camden Council flat in London. However, it seems this could end up being the most dangerous place he could be… Produced by Exhibit A: Theatre and directed by Nicholas Pollack, Flesh Wound looks at the ties between family, violence and class.

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I was very impressed with Benjamin Rigby and Belinda Misevski’s dynamic performances as half-siblings, Vincent and Deidra. Their mannerisms and behaviours are highly convincing portrayals of living in such a fraught and troubled environment. In contrast, Jeremy Kewley’s softly-spoken, cool and collected Joseph manages to stand his own ground between these two loud and obnoxious characters and demands attention with just a look or a stance. The work on all their accents has clearly paid off; they do not waver at all and sound authentic throughout.

I found Che Walker’s script haphazard with its story and character development. It unfortunately waits too long before it starts creating and working on the tension, and then falls into the trap of becoming repetitive and mundane. It is only in the final half hour where things really pick up with intrigue, suspense and a genuine uncertainty over who – if anyone – is going to survive the day. Furthermore, despite the excellent performances, I feel the characters have too many inconsistencies in their behaviours that are not explained or justified, and we are forced to simply accept them.

The set by Brett Ludeman displays much thought and creativity in the design process. Despite not even being used in the play, the various smashed glass bottles strewn “outside” the council flat really help in setting the scene for this broken, damaged world. Furthermore, the structural design of the flat itself is an interesting idea and one that cleverly represents the type of lives these people lead.

Exhibit A: Theatre is the creative vehicle for Misevski and Rigby, and even though the story of Flesh Wound didn’t really impress me, the strong performances by these two really made this a memorable play.

Venue: Goodtime Studios Basement, 746 Swanston St, Carlton

Season: Until 3 November | Wed – Sun 7:30pm

Tickets: $25 Full | $20 Conc

Bookings: http://www.exhibitatheatre.com

Courses/Classes, Events, Opportunities, Review, Whats On

REVIEW: Drawing Straws at THE BUTTERFLY CLUB

Life drawing gets glamorous

By Christine Moffat

drawing_straws

Drawing Straws is a life-drawing class crossed with a burlesque salon that takes place in the downstairs parlour of The Butterfly Club.  Surrounded by knick-knacks and trinkets, seated on comfy cushions, the friendly organiser Sarah Pemberton takes the group through some ‘drawing star jumps’.  This is right and left-hand drawing exercises of fully-clothed quick poses from Sarah and sometimes volunteers.  It’s a workout for your hands and eyes to get you limbered up for the main event.

These sessions are for people with varied levels of artistic skill and experience.  You are asked to show your drawings to the group, which can be daunting at first.  Be brave, they’re kind!  You may be surprised at what people admire in your work, as difference is valued.  Also, the room is an intimate space and it starts to feel quite private after a few minutes.

The next part of the evening is the ‘main event’.  A fabulous burlesque artist performs a song for the group, and is then your life model for the rest of the evening.  There is a different performer every week, and our group was graced with the beautiful and talented Autumn Evergreen.

It’s not exactly a drop-in class – you need to let them know you’re coming – but you are not tied into going every week.  This reviewer recommends that you go with a friend, grab one of The Butterfly Club’s many delicious cocktails, and be prepared for an entertaining night.  The feel of the evening is very low key, with drawing and chatting with the model and each other being the main focus.  It’s a lot of fun, and a good way to give your creativity a night out on the town in style!

Tuesday nights 7 – 9pm

The Butterfly Club

12 Carson Place (off Little Collins St) Melbourne

Cost $15.00 (includes help of professional tutors, drawing materials plus a performance)

All bookings & enquiries phone 0434 555 075

Cabaret, Cabaret Review, Performances, Whats On

REVIEW: Ruth Wilkin’s TRUE STORY

Truth is stranger than cabaret

By Myron My

Living up to its name, True Story begins with just that. Projected on the wall in the performance space are numerous headlines of strange events that have actually happened. Some are pop-culture references, some seem a little weird, and some are just plain bizarre, such as the man who jumped in a puddle and died (I really need to google this to find out how exactly)…

Cabaret performer and songwriter Ruth Wilkin is highly personable on stage and possesses a natural presence that garners your attention. She does very well with the different vocal demands of each song and really pushes the various emotions required from them, from sadness to joy and all the ones in between. However, I feel the lyrics to some songs are a letdown at times and seem a little awkward, including her piece about Tokyo Disneyland support for marriage equality.

True Story

Accompanying Wilkin on piano is Barney Reiter (Short + Sweet Cabaret 2012 and Suitcases, Baggage and Other Synonyms) and yet again, he does not disappoint. The blending in of some better-known tunes into the original music is seamless and the ease with which Reiter plays is always impressive to watch.

Wilkin does well to keep the pace interesting and fun throughout True Story. Between songs, she shares some anecdotes from her life or other interesting true stories, some of which are a little spooky. Wilkin also includes a few hilarious real customer review segments on random household items, such as a banana slicer that changes lives and a male hair-removal cream that should not be used on just any part of the body…

Yet, I would have liked to see some more linking within the show as a whole. The tales did not seem to flow from one to the other with some stories mentioned and then immediately forgotten abou,t and in other cases, a song being performed with the story behind it not being very clear.

I really like the concept of Wilkin’s show and she has a strong appealing voice and the skill and charisma to create entertaining shows. Despite its small flaws, True Story is an enjoyable hour of lighthearted cabaret fun.

Venue: The Butterfly Club, 256 Collins St (entry via Carson Place), Melbourne
Season: Until 27 October | Sat 7:00pm, Sun 6:00pm
Tickets: $23 Full | $20 Conc
Bookings: http://www.thebutterflyclub.com

Events, Performances, Review, Theatre

REVIEW: Amber LOLipop Productions’ BELLA DU FREAK

Dark and deadly carnival

By Christine Moffat

Bella de Freak is half carnival freak show, half murder-mystery, set in the early 1930’s in the fictional country of Scalvadoor. This dark hybrid of a play begins by introducing the onstage identities of an interesting collection of characters, ranging from the darkly humorous clairvoyant Lucinda The Wise (Odette Crisp); to the chained, slobbering, and genuinely disturbing Wolf Man (Jack Goodwin).

Bella Du Freak

By setting a drama about human relationships at a 1930’s traveling carnival, writer and co-director Nikki Develyn shows a real knack for creating a great premise. The first half is the ‘freak show’, with each character performing their act. Co-director James Seamark’s performance as Ringmaster Jack Jr moves expertly from amusing to attractive to creepy in just a few lines, and provides a strong backbone for the first half of the play.

The young cast creates a realistic carnival show, with fantastic singing from both Monica McDonald (as Bonnie Sinclair) and Nichola Jayne (as Margie Hope). Jack Goodwin is endearing in his second role of Nathan the Bold, the show’s comic relief strong man. Writer Develyn played Madam Eve, a flighty nature-lover and spiritualist: her French accent was unfortunately patchy, and distracted from an otherwise solid performance. Jacob Ryan Machin was the stand-out act as Jayco the creepy clown: the energy and menace of his song is amazing.

The second half of the play involves behind the scenes intrigue surrounding the sudden death of Jack Snr, the previous ringmaster. It contained numerous very short scenes changing over in the same set. It became confusing and difficult to understand where the action was supposed to be occurring, and to keep track of the plot. Unfortunately this was a much weaker section of the play, and it felt as if the energy was sapped from the show and the audience.

When the play also ran an hour over time, it seemed mainly due to the constant scene change overs, and prompted this reviewer to consider the entire structure of the work. Perhaps if more of the stage was used, separate areas could be set up to establish clearer zones for each character’s trailer. Moreover, if the two halves of the play could be combined, with backstage scenes being interspersed with the carnival show, it would potentially keep the energy, whilst also speeding up the mechanics of the staging.

These problems aside, Amber LOLipop is a fresh, unique theatre company pursuing good ideas with great energy and deserve to be supported while they experiment and grow.

Bella Du Freak was performed from Oct 17 – 19, 2013 at the Malthouse Theatre, 113 Sturt St Southbank.

Festivals, Review, Theatre, Whats On

REVIEW: Teenage Riot for MELBOURNE FESTIVAL

Confronting the teen psyche

By Myron My

Teenagers cop a lot of flack for being insensitive, rude, aggressive and selfish. Teenage Riot by daring Belgian theatre company Ontroerend Goed brings to the stage eight such characters, but attempts to show that beneath this socially perceived exterior they are also frightened, self-aware, insecure and intelligent.

The performers – Edouard Devriendt, Alice Dooreman, Jorge De Geest, Ian Ghysels, Marthe Hoet, Nanouk Lemmerling, Elies Van Renterghem and Anna Jakoba Ryckewaert – look like they have come straight from the streets of Skins with their bright-coloured high-top sneakers and funky street wear, and they play these people with truth and sincerity.

Teenage Riot

Having the ‘action’ filmed inside a large cube with projections on the surface of the cube displaying what was happening inside really appealed to me, especially with the self-exposure of social media and the conflicting freedom and hazards of the Internet having such an influence on teenagers.

There are heartfelt confessionals on screen interspersed with appealing comedic performances that both highlight the serious and complex issues affecting teenagers, such as the lighthearted but ascerbic look at how to create the perfect eating disorder. It is during these moments that Teenager Riot really drives its message home that modern teenagers have a hell of a lot to deal with.

In terms of the show itself, I honesty could have done without the first twenty minutes of the show. It was too scattered in ideas and too fragmented in narrative to have any effect on me except for wondering what was going on and almost wanting to leave.

However, once it found its way, the remaining 50 minutes of the performance delivered a confronting and engaging exploration of the pressures that teenagers feel and deal with, the relationships they experience, and the revelation of how quickly their ‘friends’ can turn on them. In one instance, one character – who appears to be a leader in his circle – is giving tips on great sex. In the blink of an eye, he is suddenly ridiculed and mocked by everyone for something as petty as his bad skin.

Despite its rocky beginning, Teenage Riot stresses a lesson known by all, and reveals the shame that it’s not always put into practice: as adults who have experienced the transition ourselves, we should never underestimate teenagers in their capabilities and we should allow them to explore and grow (and sometimes make mistakes) without fear of rejection and alienation.

This production was performed at Arts Centre Melbourne between 15-18 October 2013 as part of Melbourne Festival.

Dance, Performances, Review, Whats On

REVIEW: Stephanie Lake’s A SMALL PROMETHEUS

Fanning creative flames

By Myron My

A single match is struck and a candle lit. Then another and another and another. The darkness that was on stage is soon illuminated by five dancers in Stephanie Lake’s A Small Prometheus.

ARTS HOUSE NORTH MELBOURNE

Performed as part of this year’s Melbourne Festival, the show uses the story of Prometheus from Greek mythology, who stole fire from the gods and gave it to as a gift to the newly-created humanity, to spark off this performance about unpredictability, uncertainty and the fragility of life.

Lake has brought together five extremely talented and strong performers in Rennie McDougall, Lauren Langlois, Alana Everett, Lily Paskas and Lee Serle. I continue to be impressed with the skill and finesse that Paskas (Finucane & Smith’s Glory Box and P.O.V) and Serle (P.O.V) display and the limits to which they constantly push themselves. With such a physically and mentally demanding performance, I was surprised to discover that this is Everett’s professional debut as she is very confident and able on stage.

The show moves between solo and ensemble pieces that are rigidly choreographed, to moments that have varying levels of improvisation which not only heighten the feeling of instability that Lake is creating but also the notion of something more dark and primal at play. Indeed, there are moments where the dancers’ only light is provided by matches and candles, casting many shadows and illuminations.

The fusion of dance, sound and light remains strong and constant throughout A Small Prometheus, but I was just as intrigued by Robin Fox’s fire-driven kinetic sculpture which created some powerful moments during the production, and in its own right seemed to lead and guide the performance a certain way.

I was very much drawn into the world created by A Small Prometheus and surprised when it reached its conclusion as it had felt like mere minutes had passed since I began watching. Having seen Lake also perform in A Conversation Piece for Dance Massive earlier this year, it is clear she has a profound interest in exploring dance, music and the self through various means. A Small Prometheus is a clear and fine example of such a show – and should not be missed.

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

Season: Until 20 October | Friday 7:30pm, Sat 2pm and 7:30pm and Sun 5:00pm.

Tickets: $30 Full | $25 Conc | $20 Student

Bookings: www.artshouse.com.au, 9322 3713, www.melbournefestival.com.au or 1300 723 038

Cabaret, Cabaret Review, Performances, Whats On

REVIEW: Les Femmes at THE BUTTERFLY CLUB

Formidable!

By Christine Moffat

Les Femmes features five musically talented women (Les Femmes of the title) plus all original songs by Chris Wallace.  The show begins slow and small, with just Wallace onstage with pianist (and musical director) Robyn Womersley and Kat Ades on double bass.

Wallace sings a simple little ditty about his admiration for women, and gives a brief introduction to the show.  What follows is an hour of original songs belted out by the amazing vocal talents of Sarah-Louise Younger, Georgina Ward and Hollie James.  Boy, can these three ladies sing!

Les Femmes

The show follows a an old-fashioned revue format, with song following song in quick succession.  Each singer takes on a persona that matches the mood of the song. Younger is almost a show-stopping talent, performing songs ranging from comedy to sultry to soul with gusto.  Her voice is almost too big for the venue: when she belts, she belts! 

Ward is particularly cute in a country number about an unlucky-in-love faded beauty.  James is ready for the stage at the Princess Theatre, in one number singing and tap dancing with style, in another bringing herself and some of the audience to tears.  Wallace casts himself in the role of comic relief, performing a couple of cute songs and keeping the ball rolling.

There is not much to fault with this show: it is an hour’s real entertainment.  A couple of the lyrics were lost in the faster numbers (for example, ‘The Chocolate Song’) – perhaps this is due to The Butterfly Club not requiring microphones.  Bringing the action to the front of the stage for group songs could solve this.  If any change were to be made, this reviewer suggests finishing with  ‘The Chocolate Song’ (maybe even as a sing-along) as it has great energy and was simply good fun – the epitome of the show overall.

Oct 16 – 20

8pm (9pm Thu-Sat)

The Butterfly Club

Carson Place (just off Little Collins Street in the Melbourne CBD)

www.thebutterflyclub.com

Cabaret, Festivals, Review, Theatre, Whats On

REVIEW: Brief Encounter for MELBOURNE FESTIVAL

Famous movie romance revisited

By Myron My

Brief Encounter

As part of the Melbourne Festival, an adaptation of the 1945 film classic Brief Encounter has been brought to the stage. It’s a story of finding love through a chance meeting and the sacrifices one is willing to make to keep that love.

There are strong performances from the whole cast particularly including its two leads, Michelle Nightingale and Jim Sturgeon as lovers Laura and Alec. They are wholly committed to their characters even with the frenetic pace and sense of urgency that is felt throughout the show.

Talented Damon Daunno’s portrayal of Stanley is a highlight of the play: If he’s not utterly capturing our attention on stage he is playing various instruments such us the ukulele, guitar and bass as well as singing with the rest of the live band.

Emma Rice’s direction is impressive and I particularly liked her incorporation of “special effects” into scenes, such as the newspaper blowing in the wind and the wringing of water from clothes. The latter scene also had some well-crafted choreography after Laura and Alec fall into the lake and begin taking off their wet clothes.

The way the backdrop is used is another excellent example of the clever stagecraft in Brief Encounter, as is the multi-media platform used to convey this story. The pre-recorded scenes mesh very well with the action that is occurring on stage, paying beautiful homage to the film.

Visually and musically, there is much happening in Brief Encounter that it can distract from the story. However I found this actually works in its favour, as the plot is somewhat predictable and could otherwise be quite dull.

I’ve heard many comparisons by fans to the actual film version of Brief Encounter and claims of being disappointed the stage production doesn’t live up to those expectations but having never seen the film (this will be rectified soon) I walked out having thoroughly enjoyed this captivating show.

Venue: Athenaeum Theatre, 188 Collins Street, Melbourne.

Fri 11, 18 & 25 Oct at 8pm
Sat 12, 19 & 26 Oct at 2pm, 8pm
Sun 13, Sun 20 & Sun 27 Oct at 5pm
Tue 15 & 22 Oct at 6.30pm
Wed 16 & 23 Oct at 11am, 6.30pm
Thu 17 & 24 Oct at 8pm
 8:00pm

Tickets: Full from $79 | Conc from $69

Bookings: 1300 795 012 or http://premier.ticketek.com.au