Review, Theatre, Whats On

Bitten By Productions Presents DRACULA: THE LAST VOYAGE OF THE DEMETER

Atmospheric and intriguing

By Rachel Holkner

Dracula is a character who requires no introduction, no commentary and, one might think, no new stories. Dracula: The Last Voyage of the Demeter proves otherwise. This new play by Sean Carney fills a tiny gap in the story we know so well, providing an explanation for what happened on the ship Demeter before its arrival at Whitby.

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Set entirely in the ship’s hold with the chained vampire holding court, various members of the crew and passengers descend the ladder out of necessity or curiosity. There Dracula does what psychopaths do best: charm them in to revealing more about themselves than they intended. Tension builds as the unseen crew of the ship, slowly at first, then with impossible rapidity, are murdered or vanish.

Carney’s writing is assured, but occasionally misses a step through basic anachronisms or overt exposition. There is no humour to this dark tale of human flaws, yet the dialogue is scattered with truly clever language and witty notes which effectively relieve the strained atmosphere.

Gregory Caine as Count Dracula pulls the story along beautifully, commanding the stage faultlessly. Unfortunately this only highlights the rather static performances of the other players who rarely change the pitch of their rather one-note characters. Mumbling Nichols (Matthew Elliot) was unfortunately incomprehensible at times, while Captain Atkins (Robin Darch) suffered a similarly wobbly accent.

As the characters descend in turn to bargain with the captive monster the play becomes repetitive, due in part to static stage direction. Ineffective use of the space grew tiring to watch. Surely the single chair could be moved to elsewhere on the stage to provide a little relief. I feel opportunities were also missed by director Ashley Tardy to utilise the terrific staircase into the performance space that the venue provides.

Celina Mack as young Elizabeth and Stephanie Daniel as her mother Jessica make an excellent partnership, effectively portraying that relationship. I would have liked to see Gabriel Bergmoser as Gibson and Chris Grant‘s Hopkins have an opportunity to play off each other a little more too as their characters were so at odds with each other.

Effective set dressing and costuming set an impressive claustrophobic atmosphere of a ship’s hold to the venue; audio effects and of course theatrical smoke to represent the fog set the audience well inside the story before the play even began.

Dracula: Last Voyage of the Demeter is the perfect piece to head to as a respite from the Comedy Festival.

Thursdays to Saturday from April 13-22

Club Voltaire, North Melbourne

https://www.trybooking.com/book/event?eid=265879

Cabaret, Festivals, Whats On

Melbourne International Comedy Festival 2017: IMPURE THOUGHTS

Devilishly cheeky

By Myron My

There are times when we find ourselves in situations where our internal voice is saying something completely different to our external one. This is usually because our true thoughts would be something unacceptable, rude or improper. In her latest show presented as part of the Melbourne International Comedy Festival, Claire Healy’s Impure Thoughts delves into these urges one by one in a night of striking music and appealing storytelling.

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It’s been over a year since I last saw Healy perform and in that time, it appears she has gone through some form of exciting transformation, as she seems to have really found her voice with Impure Thoughts. It’s loud and commanding, and I was struck by the subtle differences she incorporated into each song.  Her opening number, sung in French, is a powerful beginning, and despite not all understanding the language, her audience are still able to deduce what is being shared.

Healy’s affable nature is evident as she shares anecdotes, from her stint working as a performer in nursing homes in England, to her annoyance at Facebook’s targeted marketing. While the links between story and song were not always clear or strong, both were still highly entertaining.

The show never get too nasty or tries to deal with taboo subject matters, which is in line with Healy’s quirky humour and cheerful view of the world. Even when her rage and frustrations are legitimate, Healy makes sure that the tone of the show is kept light-hearted and fun, such as lampooning an article published in 1895 listing the forty-one don’ts for female cyclists, to highlight enduring issues of sexism and misogyny.

Impure Thoughts might not be as scandalous or salacious as the show title might suggest, but Healy has ensured that we are kept smiling throughout the cabaret. It’s an evening of great songs, clever writing and some excellent wide-eye stares.

Venue: Tasma Terrace, 6 Parliament Place, Melbourne.
Season: until 22 April | Mon – Sat 8:00pm (no shows 14 -1 7 April)
Length: 50 minutes
Tickets: $25.30 Full | $20.30 Conc | $18.30 Tightarse Tuesday
Bookings: MICF website

Cabaret

Melbourne International Comedy Festival 2017: DOCTOR IN THE HOUSE

Lovable and laughable

By Myron My

Ahmed Kazmi is a doctor: a real-life doctor. He also happens to be a comedian who can sing and dance and in his enjoyable Melbourne International Comedy Festival show Doctor in the House, Kazmi explores the high and lows of the medical profession while informing the audience of some dos and don’ts when visiting their GP.

Doctor in the House

The softly-spoken doctor recalls his fondness for looking after older patients and the experiences he’s had with them, which has even involved him hosting and performing in a Christmas carolling evening at a retirement village. He also lists the various types of patients he sees at his clinic, like the ‘one-liner’ responders and the ‘patient-by-proxy’, as well as some of the more unique people he’s received, which elicits many laughs from the audience. Dr. Kazmi is quick to inform us that no real names or specific details are being used, so if you’ve ever seen the doctor, your anonymity is secure.

Kazmi is highly relaxed on stage and there are a few times where he laughs at his own anecdotes before he’s even told them to us, maintaining the casual atmosphere in the room. The UK doctor can also sing – and sing well – which he proves by performing a couple of songs, including a few delightful iconic Australian numbers. Kazmi has done his research, referencing specific Melbourne locations and using appropriate “Aussie” lingo to better set the scene and allow for us to recognise the characters in his stories as people we can recognise in others, or even ourselves, and therefore engage more with his experiences and the show itself.

Throughout the show, Kazmi highlights moments of discrimination and judgement he has faced because of his name, the colour of his skin, and the fact that he is a Muslim. While light in tone, it is still a poignant reminder of how entrenched racism is in society and how we all have a part to play in ending it.

Doctor in the House could easily have gone down the path of medical jargon and stories purely for shock value, but Kazmi has chosen a more realistic and down-to-earth approach to this show ensuring that we have a thoughtful and entertaining evening. While we laugh with him through what he shares, he is clearly a doctor who loves his work and genuinely cares for the people he looks after. He may have an impeccable bedside manner, but now Kazmi also has an impeccably funny show.

Venue: The Butterfly Club, 5 Carson Place, Melbourne
Season: Until 16 April | 8.30pm
Length: 60 minutes
Tickets: $32 Full | $28 Conc
Bookings: MICF website

Review, Theatre, Whats On

Australian Premiere: LORD OF THE FLIES

Ingenious and engrossing

By Tania Herbert

The audience enters the theatre to a construction-like muddle of a set and a cacophony of shouts, breaking glass and general mayhem, with the only light on stage being an ominous metal doorway, from which the shouts and smoke emanate.

Lord of the Flies.jpg

The Australian premier of Matthew Bourne and Scott Ambler’s adaptation of Lord of the Flies starts with a literal bang – and we see the ‘troop’ of twenty-three children come in, military-tattoo style for the opening number, with only the slightest hint of the soon-to-emerge animal inside. Lord of the Flies takes a daring twist on the William Golding’s classic 1954 novel of a group of British schoolboys lost on a tropical island during a wartime who quickly give way to primal natures. Here however, it is suggested that the children are trapped in the theatre itself.

The apocalyptic background hidden behind the narrative book is much more apparent in this production, with the audience continually aware that while salvation is only behind the door, it may be no less fear-inspiring than what is happening on the inside.

I must admit, I missed the prose, and there are limitations by the lack of verbal character description (capturing Simon’s probable psychosis, or Piggy’s keen intellect, for example), but by the conversion of words to dance the emotions of each character were beautifully captured, and the talent of these young dancers keenly showed the turmoil both without and within for each characterisation.

Despite being aged between 10 and 25, there was incredible maturity to the cast. Whilst the dancing was wonderful, the cast also managed to hold the feeling that you were really watching children with all of their emotions and individualities, rather than a precision dance troupe. This was particularly aided by the play of the choreography, shifting the youngsters between states of complete chaos and strict organisation, and showing off the incredible range across the performers.

One differing element in this adaption is that the intensity is apparent from even before the show begins, whereupon the original ‘innocence’ which is so soon to be lost is not truly captured. With such an intense beginning, it was difficult to see where the production could go with building this – and indeed it did not reach anticipated peak with the inevitable ending (let me be obtuse on the off-chance our readers never reached the end of the book). What was awe-inspiring though, was that a group of such young people were absolutely able to hold that intensity for every moment of the production. Indeed, rather than action scenes, it was the solo moments which were most moving to the audience- Simon’s (Patrick Weir) battle with his demons, the littleuns’ fear of ‘the beast’, and Piggy’s (Luke Murphy) anguish at losing his sight.

Overall, the symbolism of the theatre as the island transferred extremely well, though the infamous beheading of the pig sat awkwardly in the metaphor. However, this production was a truly unique rethink of a classic utopia-turned-dystopia tale, and a spine-tingling dance performance. A passing comment by another patron on my way out perhaps seized how effectively Lord of the Flies captured the contemporary horrors of children and warfare: “It could have been in Syria.”

Lord of the Flies is showing at the State Theatre, Arts Centre Melbourne, April 5-9. Bookings: https://www.artscentremelbourne.com.au/whats-on/2016/dance/lord-of-the-flies?m=performances

Comedy, Festivals, Whats On

Melbourne International Comedy Festival 2017: COWBOY MOUTH

By name and by nature

By Myron My

Comedian David Quirk has had four different women located around the world dream about him. These women all contacted Quirk to tell him about their dreams and from these communications , Quirk has created his stand-up show Cowboy Mouth, which is being presented as part of this year’s Melbourne International Comedy Festival.

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Quirk cleverly uses the four encounters as touchstones for his anecdotes, in which he takes a step back from the dream and looks at the bigger picture or implications. The first one involves a woman reading a review about one of his shows and talking about this, which leads Quirk to recall a memorable meeting he had with a fan. Watching Quirk on stage for the first time, this story immediately gave me an indication of the type of personality he has and the misadventure and trouble that seems to follow him wherever he goes, and subsequently set the comic tone for the rest of the show.

At one point, Quirk beings to explain that sometimes he completely blanks out as to where he is and what he is doing, which has led to some hilarious encounters, including the one with his neighbour which left everyone stunned with jaws hanging. Quirk never rushes through his stories, which allows us to be fully engrossed by what he is saying, and to break out in laughter as we re-live the moment with him.

Quirk’s show give the audience a real insight into how he operates, how he sees the world and his assessment of the situations he finds himself in. His analysis of a particular racial slur he hears is a perfect example of conveying his unique life views to us.

With Cowboy Mouth, we are treated to a near-hour of thoughtful reflection on the world around us as seen through Quirk’s eyes. It’s an evening of great storytelling with plenty of laughs to be had.

Venue: Melbourne Town Hall, Cnr. Swantson and Collins St, Melbourne.
Season: until 23 April | Tues – Sat 9.45pm, Sun 8:45pm
Length: 55 minutes
Tickets: $20 – $32
Bookings: MICF website

Comedy, Festivals, Whats On

Melbourne International Comedy Festival 2017: MANFUL

Reach your potential

By Myron My

Ask any man what type of body they would like to have, and the answer you’d get is most likely going to be something resembling Liam Hemsworth’s. Or perhaps it would be the beefcake Dicky Rosenthal. Dicky is the brains (and brawn) behind the new muscle-gaining protein health shake, Manfül, and in Manfül, we are present at the launch of this drink that Dicky promises will transform us from being puny dweeb bags to real men.

Manful.jpg

Presented as part of the Melbourne International Comedy Festival, Manfül is a character-comedy piece written and performed by Josh Glanc in which he explores what it means to be a ‘real’ man and how this can sometimes clash with remaining honest to yourself and being what makes you happy.

Glanc delivers a nuanced portrayal of Dicky where he is able to simultaneously convey his anxieties and bravado, and his gradual acceptance that he is not the man he purports to be. Unfortunately the writing is not as sharp as it should be and it feels like ideas and topics are touched on without being fully explored. The jokes sometimes fail to to be anything more than laughing at someone in a muscle suit and/or involving bodily fluids, which is a shame as there was strong potential for Manfül to be an intelligent commentary about modern man and masculinity.

While the final moments of the show force Dicky to face some truths about himself – and the pressures that men feel to be seen as a tough, show-no-fear type of guys – the overall narrative to reaching that point makes it obvious that this is where we are going to end up and therefore there is little impact from the big reveal.

At a time when there is much discussion on what is masculine and feminine and what makes a man a real man, Manfül‘s attempts at picking this apart seems to fall a little short. Glanc has created a great character in Dicky, and now he just needs to work on creating an equally great story for him.

Venue: ACMI, Federation Square
Season: until 23 April | Tues – Sat 8:15pm, Sun 7:15pm
Length: 55 minutes
Tickets: $25 Full | $21 Conc | $19 Tightarse Tuesday
Bookings: MICF website

Festivals, Theatre, Whats On

Melbourne International Comedy Festival 2017: THAT’S AMORE

Fabulously fun

By Tania Herbert

With checkered table cloths, piano accordion music and rather copious amounts of wine, we could have been any Italian restaurant on Lygon St. But the opening announcement: “If you could please turn off your phone and your flashing Jesus and Mary” (our table centrepieces) reminded us that rather we were out the back of the fantastic Howler Bar, watching the best that kitsch has to offer with Annabella Dickson‘s return season of That’s Amore for this year’s Melbourne Comedy Festival..

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It’s West Side Story goes disco as two cheese-crossed lover, Annabella Mozzarella and Johnny Parmigiano (both played by Dickson) find themselves separated by the seas after Johnny leaves their home of Napoli to take a job as a mechanic in Coburg. Annabella is left to contemplate whether to leave her old life behind- and what Eve should do when she reaches for the apple only to find she’s picked a lemon.

Not quite play, cabaret or burlesque show, That’s Amore is more reminiscent of an adult pantomime, with character switching, lip-syncing, cheap laughs and outrageous costuming. There are trinkets for sale and a long interval for additional wine purchases, and what was expected to be a short cabaret was instead a real night of entertainment. Annabella’s switching from the female to male characters is over the top, but also impressive – the great mannerisms and self-aware stereotyping are fun and (just) on the right side of the ‘too much’ line.

Much of the show is pre-recorded film scenes, which are used to smoothly link the dance numbers and allow for interaction between Dickson’s two lovers – in addition to allowing for huge costume (and gender) transformations.

Whilst Annabella is every bit the star, she is backed up by a talented support cast of five, each with their own impressive resumes of dance and music background. Anjelika Thwaites (dancer and choreographer) was the particular eye-catcher – her burlesque performance whilst hanging out the washing being the sexy high point. The dancing ranges from cute choreography (spoofing film great moments from Titania to American Beauty) to some impressive contemporary numbers – particularly a touching male-partnered ‘living statues’ number.

It’s not high art, and best taken with lots of (preferably Italian) wine, but That’s Amore is an awful lot of fun, meticulously produced and absolutely self-confident.

Ridiculous, flamboyant and thoroughly enjoyable, the show is perfectly pitched to the bawdy audience it attracted – and it is not surprising the season has, again, sold out. Also, I want the soundtrack.

That’s Amore is playing as part of the Melbourne Comedy Festival at Howler Bar on 6, 7 and 9 April, 2017.

Festivals, Musical Theatre, Whats On

Melbourne International Comedy Festival 2017: ASSISTED SUICIDE – THE MUSICAL

Seriously funny

By Joana Simmons

From turning dirty thirty, to having a poke at their nationality, to everything in between, this year’s Melbourne International Comedy Festival has artists with all sorts of reasons to put on a show. In Assisted Suicide, The Musical, the motive for putting on the show here is a very important one. Described as “a TeD Talk with show tunes” UK’s disability rights campaigner and actor Liz Carr (Clarissa Mullery in the BBC’s Silent Witness) and her cast of upbeat cheesy chorus members sing, dance and shed light on what can be seen as a dark issue, especially at this time as our Victorian Premier pushing for a parliamentary conscience vote on euthanasia this year.

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Opening with a classic kick-line chorus number “Choosing Choice”, we are warmed up for a night of musical messages and edgy issues. Liz Carr graces the stage in her glitter-filled hair and sparkly boots and is engaging and relaxed. She speaks with eloquence and passion, peppering facts with comedy, piece by piece revealing how assisted suicide is not black and white: there is a fine line between terminally ill and disabled. We see how by making it legal will eventually mean that people like her will feel like there is an exit sign hanging over their heads. The show is humorously and well written, including some wonderfully cringe-worthy puns and catchy tunes.

Many theatrical elements were used to make this discussion entertaining and compelling. Carr and director Mark Whitelaw have got in our faces and pushed us to think harder. The set is simple and effective, and space used well by all the cast. The choreography and singing is relatively basic: initally I was unsure if the chorus were meant to be taking the mickey or just giving a tacky delivery, but as the show went on there were some standout moments that left us chortling, such as the marking meeting meeting to ‘jazz up’  the idea of euthenasia with a new brandname, or the raunchy number to make end-of-life care more appealing (“Palliative Claire”). Composer Ian Hill’s music follows the famous showtune formula that we love, and the sound was good as expected in a venue like Malthouse. The lighting however was not as coherent, with some cast members being in half darkness or cues being missed the night I attended.

Amazing work and thought has gone into this show to deliver a complex and controversial subject in a comedic and highly digestible way. It’s meaty, it’s memorable, and sometimes it melts your heart. My eyes were opened and shows like this remind us how powerful theatre can be. If you are looking for something to sink your teeth into this comedy festival, or even have a nibble and then think a little; this is the show for you.

Assisted Suicide, The Musical

30th March- 9th April

6.00pm

Beckett Theatre, The Coopers Malthouse

Southbank

$17.50 – $25’

http://malthousetheatre.com.au/whats-on/assisted-suicide-the-musical

Circus, Festivals, Whats On

Melbourne International Comedy Festival 2017: SOAP

Lather up

By Myron My

Bath time has never been this fun – and sexy – as Soap. Direct from Germany, Soap is touring Australia with original and engaging circus acts that will leave audiences with their mouths wide open as they witness the re-interpretation of what circus can be. Presented as pat of this year’s Melbourne International Comedy Festival, it’s definitely a show that should not be missed.

Soap.jpg

The troupe – Adem Endris, Liudmila Nikolaeva, Lena Ries, Daniel Leo Stern, Mario Espanol and Moritz Haase – are on top of their game with their physically demanding and challenging acts. The acrobatics between Espanol and Haase create a firm highlight, displaying the performers’ athleticism and strength, and also being a rare opportunity where I have seen same-sex relationships highlighted in mainstream circus. Nikolaeva has a commanding presence each time she appears on stage, as she executes a variety of tricks with finesse and skill.

Joining the cast on stage is soprano Jennifer Lindshield, who adds an operatic tone to Tal Bashai’s musical arrangements. While this seems like a peculiar choice, the genre is integrated thoughtfully and creatively with the rest of the show. Lindshield’s “Splish Splash” re-imagining is particularly entertaining to watch and hear, as is Nicole Ratjen‘s commendable clowning ability in warming up the audience and providing laughs during the very smooth transitions.

Daniele Drobny‘s stage design of six bathtubs raised to various heights captures our attention before we’ve even taken our seat and its authoritative presence is never forgotten. The bath theme works well in creating moments of playful fun, like Endris’ juggling striptease, to something more intense and intimate, such as the loved-triangle themed acrobatic performance by Stern, Nikolaeva and Ries.

Soap is world-class circus that is bound to have audiences transfixed by what is being presented on the stage. It’s full of surprising moments and acts that – while they may have been done before – have never been done in this way. An extremely polished show that will have you looking at your bathtub in a different light.

Venue: Malthouse Theatre, 113 Sturt Street, Southbank
Season: until 22 April | Tues – Sat 7.30pm, Sat 4pm, Sun 6:30pm
Length: 85 minutes
Tickets: Prices from $44.50 to $56.50
Bookings: MICF website

Performances, Review, Theatre

Melbourne Shakespeare Company Presents THE COMEDY OF ERRORS

Faultless farce

By Leeor Adar

Shakespeare is reimagined in this marvellously funny production of the Melbourne Shakespeare Company. No one left Brunswick’s Siteworks where the production was held without having cackled with joy.

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Shakespeare’s comedies are at times something to be endured with gritted smiles at out-dated jokes that haven’t been reined in for their times, but director Jennifer Sarah Dean and assistant director Paul Robertson have masterfully done justice to the work.

The production follows the usual case of mistaken identity of two long-lost twin brothers (Nathaniel Schneider and Jonathan Peck) and their forlorn father (Hunter Perske). Throw in two tumbling manservants (Nicola Bowman and Madeleine Stewart), sisters of differing temperament (Jaqueline Whiting and Lelda Kapsis), a courtesan (Annabelle Tudor), and a magician-esque doctor (Bridget Sweeney), and you have a comedy of seismic proportions.

I rarely get the chance to commend a production for all its elements, but The Comedy of Errors is perfection. The cast delivered with humour and panache in such synchronicity that their talent coupled with the direction of the performance provided an unprecedented professionalism (other companies should take note). Costuming by Rhiannon Irving was unique, colourful and striking. Each cast member donned a wig, which appeared to be put together by some seriously talented arts-and-craft person. A special mention must be made to the costuming of the a capella group (Andrew Isles, Ryan Smedley, Mitch Ralston and Patrick Hill), who sported brightly-coloured stripes and matching beards and lipstick. Irving’s creation was so imaginative and charming, the entrance of each character brought more marvels to admire.

Musical director Ben Adams concocted a mix of delightful old and new-school tunes for the a capella group to perform at opportune moments of the show. At times our quartet would enter from an unsuspecting part of the outdoor setting with a flourish and in unison, that would send the audience into fits of laughter. It was a modern touch that provided plenty of entertainment throughout the show. Further, the choice and use of Siteworks’ outdoor space from varying entrances, exits and positions made for an excellent and surprising use of space. The cast of characters had full use of the performance arena, and as an audience, we would shift our heads in wonder at all the happenings around us.

Overall, I am absolutely thrilled with the choices made in this production at every level. I would happily sit through the performance again and cart out every person I know in what would surely be a lively and enjoyable night.

The Comedy of Errors was performed March 25 – April 2, 2017. For upcoming productions, visit https://www.melbourneshakespeare.com/