Festivals, Review, Theatre

REVIEW: Barking Spider Visual Theatre’s SHORT PANTS NO HOLES

Full of possibilitiesBy Kim Edwards

Barking Spider have been creating and presenting some thrilling and innovative theatre in recent times, from captivating story-telling in The Memorandium and dream worlds in Psychopomp and Seething, to lavish spectacle in Liberty of the Press and delightful domesticity in One Suitcase: Four Stories. Their most recent performance was part of the Roola Boola Children’s Arts Festival, and Short Pants No Holes is promoted as a hands-on puppetry and story-telling show.

Short Pants No Holes

Even with an intimate audience, performers Penelope Bartlau and Rachel Edward were vibrant with charm and excitement. Their casual and witty pre-show patter was very engaging for kids and adults alike, and set a lovely relaxed tone for the show. The opening sequence was a beautiful bunraku performance with a little boy, a box and his toy. The dexterity and sensitivity of the puppeteers working in tandem was delightful, and the simplicity of the tale, told in movement rather than words, captivating.

What followed was distinctly at odds with this initial impact. Bartlau is a masterful improviser and story-teller, and took random suggestions and objects from the audience to weave witty and weird tales. She was animated and interesting, and the skill with which even the most difficult and erratic prompts from her eager young audience were accepted and utilised was excellent. This forms the majority of the performance, which ends with a cute reworking of a fairytale with vegetables, and the audience being given carrots to briefly ‘puppeteer’ for themselves.

Overall, the show was definitely enjoyable, but felt lacking. The emphasis was on quirkiness, improvisation and minimalism, but with an effort to make a more visually interesting stage, the production was rather like the set pieces: lots of promising-looking shapes under wraps, but unfortunately not much opened up or revealed. In the story-telling, Edward’s obvious talents seemed underused in fielding audience answers and running crowd control – I would have loved to see her take up the story thread at some point, or provide character voices or accompanying action. Also, it was a surprise that there was no more ‘hands-on’ interaction with the narratives being created – after the fabulous little ‘find your imagination’ exercise, it seemed a shame the children only called out answers rather than being prompted to explore other relevant group sounds or movements from their seats.

Ultimately there didn’t seem to be a clear picture as to how the disparate elements of the show were working together: the lovely opening energy then wonder fell into an awkward pace, and my little theatre companion (although distinctly younger than the school-aged audience at which the production is aimed), kept asking wistfully if the puppet was coming back? This is not a new show, so perhaps (as is understandable with impro) this particular performance just didn’t quite gel, but with its loose, rather oddly structured shape and uneven, mysterious tone (what does the title mean? and why carrots?), Short Pants No Holes felt full of entertaining moments and unrealised potential.

Short Pants No Holes was performed at Chapel Off Chapel as part of the 2015 Roola Boola festival.

Dance, Review, Whats On

REVIEW: The New 2015 Production of BALLET REVOLUCION

Vibrant, vital and intoxicating

By Christine Young

As far as revolutionaries go, Cuba’s Ballet Revolución dance company is to dance what Che Guevera was to guerilla warfare. Bloody powerful!

Ballet Revolución

Ballet Revolución breaks every rule, not just of ballet, but of conventional dance performance. The nineteen dancers, twelve men and seven women, are seasoned international performers who come from different, multiple in some cases, disciplines: classical ballet, contemporary, folklore and modern dance. This is true ensemble dancing with only a handful of solo, duo or trio numbers sprinkled through the show.

There aren’t enough adjectives in the English language, or in Spanish I’d wager, to describe the amazing spectacle that is Ballet Revolución. Under the expert guidance of Artistic Director Mark Brady, and choreographers Aaron Cash and Roclan Gonzalez Chavez, the dancers deliver a high-energy, diverse and captivating show. The mix of dance styles – ballet, street, Latin-American and contemporary – are interspersed cleverly throughout the performance. And the dancers display some remarkable physical feats of strength, agility and grace.

Meanwhile, the music (directed by Osmar Hernandez) is provided by a live on-stage band which includes two singers, Cuban drums, trumpet, electric guitars, keyboards and a standard drum set. For much of the show though, the band is covered in darkness or soft light to keep the focus on the dancers.

Ballet Revolución dances across its genres to stirring renditions of modern hits from Lorde, Beyonce, Sia, Jessie J, Rihanna, Bruno Mars as well as a couple of oldies from Prince and The Police. The audience is taken everywhere from a ballet recital to a nightclub dancefloor. This makes it sound like organised chaos. Wrong. It’s so much more.

The choreography, music and lighting are meticulously planned and realised by the cast, crew and creative masterminds.
And the lighting should have its own credit in the cast list. Vibrant colours typical of Latin America feature throughout the show. There is a lot of soft lighting used which creates an interesting juxtaposition of darkness and radiance.

The costumes designed by Jorge Gonzalez are often unique and complement individual dances and lighting arrangements. All I an say is … sequins, sequins, sequins, darling! The sequined tops worked especially well as they also sparkled and danced under dim lighting.

Overall, Ballet Revolución offers a unique and unforgettable experience. Vamos!

Venue: Arts Centre Melbourne
Date: Until 5 July, 2015
Time: 7.30pm, 2pm or 2.30pm
Tickets: From $84.90
Booking: www.artscentremelbourne.com.au

Review, Theatre, Whats On

REVIEW: Evelyn Krape in MORE FEMALE PARTS

Highly anticipated

By Caitlin McGrane

As a loud, outspoken feminist I was terribly excited about More Female Parts. I’d greedily devoured the press notes about the show, playwright Sara Hardy’s creation specifically for Evelyn Krape based on Krape’s 1982 show Female Parts. The show delivered an interesting and unique one-woman show exploring femininity and aging. The show consists of three monologues: ‘Can’t Sleep, Can’t Sleep’ was a clever depiction of life for women after 60 when nothing seems to be going right; ‘Penthouse Woman 2044’ portrayed a woman living a privileged and tragic life in the near future (interestingly in 2044 I will be Krape’s current age); and ‘Hip Op’, a witty feminist fairytale about Emily, a smart little girl who grows into a woman facing the glass ceiling.

More Female Parts

Each monologue was performed with charisma and gusto by Krape, clearly having an absolute ball on stage. She is a fantastically physical, exuberant and witty performer, and the audience seemed captivated throughout her performance, particularly during the third act when Emily encountered difficulties in hip and career. It was unfortunate then that the show didn’t grab me in an emotional way. Despite Krape’s brilliant physicality and clear passion, the script occasionally felt a touch stale and clichéd. I would have liked to see more heart in the characters and less ‘performance’ from Krape to leave the audience with a message. It is certainly important to acknowledge the seriously problematic dearth of roles for women over 40, so it is brilliant to see older women on stage and screen; however, I would have liked more from More Female Parts, particularly in addressing some of the issues briefly alluded to such as domestic violence and the male gaze.

Hardy is clearly a talented playwright, and Lois Ellis a talented director, however, I think that this production would have been more affective with fewer metaphorical nods and winks to the audience. I don’t think society has embraced feminism enough for it to cope with a feminist fairytale, let alone an ironic feminist fairytale.

That said, it is not entirely without merit. The production values were excellent, Rainbow Sweeney (set and costume design) and Emma Valente’s (lighting design) work was effective and expertly put together; the lighting at times gave Krape an ethereal glow. Production and stage manager Meg Richardson and producer Debby Maziarz have helped lead this small, all-female team towards a rare and often charming production. Special mention must also go to the only three men involved in the production, the voice overs: Tom Carmody, Ross Campbell and Peter Crouchman; they couldn’t have done it without you boys.

More Female Parts is now showing at the Arts Centre until 4 July. For tickets go to: http://www.artscentremelbourne.com.au/whats-on/theatre-drama/more-female-parts

Review, Theatre, Whats On

REVIEW: Patricia Cornelius’ SHIT

Wonderful, gritty and real

By Deborah Langley

With the most natural, raw, uncomfortable and hilarious opening monologues we have probably ever seen in Australian theatre, Patricia Cornelius’ Shit smacks you in the face and commands you to sit up, strap yourself in and FINALLY start paying attention to the women and girls who defy our social order and expectations.

Shit

These are the underbelly of womenhood we as a society so rarely want to admit exist. The women we try and ignore when walking down the street and would never sit next to on the tram. You know the type, the ones whom some would callously say “were asking for it”…

Shit tells the stories of three of these types of women, Billy (Nicci Wilks), Bobby (Sarah Ward) and Sam (Peta Brady) as they come to terms with their past, of abuse, rape, suicide, bashings (“Sometimes you’re just in the wrong place at the wrong time”), and shines a light on the bleak harshness of our society (“What right have you got to want?”)

Moving effortlessly and gracefully from gritty sarcasm to shocking realism, I often found laughter caught in my throat as what started as jovial banter turned sharply into an intense truth which is perhaps too hard to swallow without the humour. With this, Shit takes you on an emotional journey which is given breathing space beautifully by director Susie Dee and the physical theatre which is interspersed throughout the performance.

An outstanding performance I should add, as rapid fire dialogue is spat like bullets, particularly by Bobby (Ward) who gives venom to her words. While Billy (Wilks) moves from frighting to loveable and back again in an instant, is captivating to watch, but it is Sam (Brady) who takes our heart as the most vulnerable of the pack.

Shit is independent theatre at its best. It has something to say and from that first opening monologue you just want to hear it. How refreshing it is to see such captivating work being staged at a mainstream theatre – maybe now their voices can be heard by the many. Will you listen?

SHIT by Patricia Cornelius
Season: 25 June – 5 July 2015
Venue: Southbank Theatre, The Lawler
Tickets: $25 each
Booking: 03 8688 0800 or mtc.com.au

Image by Sebastian Bourges

Comedy, Review, Whats On

REVIEW: George Kapiniaris in ZORBA THE FREAK

Aussie comedy icon brings in the laughs

By Christine Young

George Kapiniaris bounds onto the stage with the zest Greeks are famous for.

“I didn’t know there were Greeks in Frangers. Are there Greeks in Frangers?”

Yes, we’re here. A small cheer came from the audience. It’s easy to imagine that, in venues closer to the city, the crowd roars back.

And Kapiniaris must have boundless energy because he’s also currently touring the nation with Wild Wogs. Μπράβο! When does he sleep?

Zorba the Freak

The Franger/Frankston audience of the comedian’s latest one-man show Zorba the Freak took a little while to warm up but Kapiniaris wasn’t deterred. He gave us his all. Maybe we even got a better performance because we were slow to engage. While the show pays tribute to being Greek – including an hilarious sequence of 1980s song parodies – Kapiniaris also comically muses on marriage and parenthood. He also happily takes the piss out of himself as well as Greek attitudes to Cypriots, Macedonians and Turks. And, of course, ‘Skippy the Bush Kanagarouthas’ (Anglo-Australians) are sent up too.

Kapiniaris is a pioneer of ‘ethnic humour’ in Australia (though ‘ethnic’ seems a misnomer because we all have an ethnicity).  Even so, he has a long list of television and theatre credits which haven’t relied on his Greek heritage. Interestingly, this probably couldn’t have happened without his role in the ground-breaking 1987 play, Wogs out of Work, which co-starred Nick Giannopoulos, Mary Coustas and Simon Palomares. The show that came about because non-Anglo/Celtic actors couldn’t land roles in mainstream theatre launched diverse careers for Kapiniaris and his peers. It’s also paved the way for countless migrant comedians since.

However, back to Zorba. This show is not just for people from Greek or migrant backgrounds. Kapiniaris’s antics are ‘totally relatable’, as an audience member, who was in hysterics, told me. This reviewer was also impressed by an Australian woman who knew several innocent Greek words starting with ‘fak’. I’m half-Greek and I only knew two of them!

Melbourne songstress Maria Maroulis opens and closes the show with the stirring ‘Dinata’ which was made famous at the 2004 Athens Olympic Games by Eleftheria Arvanitaki. The musical interludes, which include some bouzouki (what else?) and audience participation, add to the liveliness of Kapiniaris’s antics.

While the show wasn’t a side-splitter for me personally, most of the audience was laughing up a storm. So don’t take my word for it: go and see Zorba the Freak for yourself!

Venue: Frankston Arts Centre, Victoria; touring nationally
Dates: 3rd July (Wollongong, NSW), 17th October (Sydney, NSW), 24th October 2015 (West Wyalong, NSW)
Booking: www.georgekapiniaris.com

Cabaret, Festivals, Review

REVIEW: Natasha York in THESE THINGS TAKE WINE

Raise your glasses to wild and witty cabaret

By Narelle Wood

Natasha York takes us to the slightly grittier, grungier side of cabaret in her one-woman show, These Things Take Wine.

These Things Take Wine

Performing a selection of songs from Amy Winehouse, Elton John, Michael Jackson and many other familiar tunes, York takes us on a journey through her love affair with wine and all antics wine-related. York debunks the stereotype that cabaret is glamorous by embracing the look and behaviour of ‘drunk Tash’. In fact York’s intoxicated performance is so believable that the only thing indicating that York might be sober is her unfaltering vocal performance.

York’s drunken anecdotes cash in on the ‘it’s funny because it’s true’ motif. These familiar stories makes it hard not to smile and laugh throughout the cleverly selected and witty rewritten songs, not to mention the repartee between York and her accompanist and musical director Daniele Buatti. Buatti adds some deprecating humour to the performance, calling out some of the more obvious puns for what they are – not particularly ‘punny’.

These Things Take Wine unfortunately had only a short run at the 2015 Melbourne Cabaret Festival, but hopefully this is not the last we hear from York or this show. This show is cabaret, comedy and drinking rolled into one, making it a perfect accompaniment to a good night out.

Venue: Alex Theatre, Level 1, 135 Fitzroy St, St Kilda

Tickets: $35 Full | $32 Conc

Bookings: www.natashayork.com

Image by Ange Legas

Review, Theatre, Whats On

REVIEW: La Mama Presents IN SEARCH OF OWN ROE

Engrossing quest in mysteries past

By Margaret Wieringa

When Vanessa O’Neill gave birth to her son, she wanted to be able to share her proud Irish heritage with him, but soon discovered there was a big hole in her family history; her great grandfather Owen Roe was buried in an unmarked grave with his thirteen-year old daughter, and the rest of the family were buried nearby. Who was he? What was his life like? How did he end up there?

Vanessa O'neill

This one-woman show is a culmination of O’Neill’s research, her experiences and many aspects of her life during this time, and it is absolutely captivating. From the moment she first addresses the audience to her departure up the La Mama staircase, we are on her side. We too want to know who Owen Roe was and to see the charming and endearing (and very funny) O’Neill bring closure to this chapter.

Through the show, she plays a wide range of characters, cites poetry, and sings songs. She could easily have gone through the show without props or costumes, but those that she chose were a delightful touch. There were two pieces of art, one on either side of the stage; a map of Ireland and a family tree. These were beautifully designed by Annie Edney, the Celtic background that is so significant to this piece was clearly displayed in both.

The sound for the performance is extremely important (not including the lounge singing from across the road which was an annoyance that was, through the engaging performance, easy to ignore). In the opening scene, which I felt ran a little long though, the soundscape established a sense of history, or ghosts from the past haunting the research, haunting O’Neill. At times, the sound lead the performance, and other times sound designer and composer Darius Kedros added to the final touches to well-created scenes.

There were questions left unanswered (as much for the performer as the audience) which left us wanting more at the end, but overall this was a funny, emotional and clever performance by a strong and confident performer, and I really enjoyed myself.

In Search of Owen Roe is playing at La Mama Theatre In Faraday St, Carlton until July 5. Tickets are $15 and $25 – visit www.lamama.com.au

Cabaret Review, Festivals, Whats On

REVIEW: Dash Kruck’s I MIGHT TAKE MY SHIRT OFF

Exceedingly good cabaret

By Myron My

Every now and again, there is a show that is so clever, so witty, so painful, so funny, so daring and so much more than you thought you were getting into. Dash Kruck‘s cabaret show I Might Take My Shirt Off is a prime example of this.

I Might Take My Shirt Off

Kruck plays Lionel, a man who is struggling to accept that the love of his life has left him. To be perfectly honest, he’s a heartbroken mess, and with the stern advice of his frightening German therapist who orders him to go out and express himself, Lionel ends up performing in his very own cabaret performance.

With his “how to cabaret” list in his trouser pocket, Lionel systematically goes through his checklist that will guarantee him a successful show. Included on this list is taking his shirt off, having booze and being sexy. For the latter, he performs a hilariously brilliant and most memorable song about being – for want of a better word – “intimate” with a partner.

Kruck portrays the nervous and emotionally battered Lionel with honesty and his retelling of happier times with his ex are difficult to listen to. Accompanied by a three-piece band on keys, drums and double bass, the original songs written by Kruck and Chris Perren are well paired in guiding Lionel to overcome his loneliness and sadness of a broken heart.

Lionel may be passable in the spotlight but Kruck is an amazing talent on stage. His comedic timing and the tightness of the show’s delivery is a standout. Kruck engages with the audience on many levels as he heads into the crowd to ad-lib songs or just to say hi, so even when things get quite sexual and explicit, the relationship he has built with us lets him get away with it. Of course, his charisma and cheekiness don’t hurt either.

Kruck has a strong voice that adapts to the different tones and styles of song covered throughout the show. If only there had been an encore to the ‘unplanned’ encore because I would have happily sat and listened to Kruck’s voice for much longer than 60 minutes.

I Might Take My Shirt Off is a highly recommended cabaret about freeing oneself from the past and looking hopefully to the future. And also about killing mythical beasts. But more to do with the former.

I Might Take My Shirt Off is being performed as part of the 2015 Melbourne Cabaret Festival

Venue: The Butterfly Club, 5 Carson Place (off Lt Collins St), Melbourne CBD
Season: Until 28 June | Thur-Sat 9:00pm, Sunday 8:00pm
Tickets: $38 Full | $34 Conc
Bookings: The Butterfly Club

Cabaret Review, Festivals, Whats On

REVIEW: Lynn-Ruth Miller is NOT DEAD YET
Four-score years with a vibrant performer
By Myron My
Lynn-Ruth Miller has lived a long time. She may have even almost died a few times, but in her cabaret show Not Dead Yet, she lets it be known that even at 81, she’s nowhere near done yet, not by a long shot. With a mixture of story telling, music and songs, Miller takes us on a journey on what it means to not only live, but to be alive.
Not Dead Yet

Beginning as a toddler, where even the temptation of tapioca pudding was not enough for her to drink her milk, which she still hates, Miller manages to fill us in on eight decades worth of stories in just sixty minutes. It’s a carefully crafted show where plenty of thought has been put in to how these tales will be told. Miller’s tenuous relationship with her mother is summed up with a few powerful words, the beginning (and end) of relationships is covered in just a minute but yet we feel like we know every detail of these events.There is much nostalgia in Miller’s show with bittersweet memories of past loves and family members. At one point, Miller is almost overcome with emotion and whether or not this was part of the act is hard to say. As Miller is talking about these moments, it feels like we are no longer in the room and she is literally reliving these broken-hearted moments, the swimming lessons, her 16th birthday and so on. They say you can tell a lot about a person by their eyes, and Miller’s shine when talking about all these events and in return, we are captivated by everything she has to say because she is talking from the heart.

While the show is low on musical numbers, they are still engaging pieces, which provide more insight into Miller’s varied life. Her voice is not as strong as it undoubtedly was years earlier but she can still carry a tune, and hell, she’s still a better singer than most of us anyway.

As Miller states in Not Dead Yet, this show is not a sob story but about a series of events that for better or worse, have got her to where she is now. Her life is going to keep getting better and more enjoyable every day until she dies but there is still a lot of life left in her and that’s a valuable lesson we can all take home.

Not Dead Yet is being performed as part of the 2015 Melbourne Cabaret Festival

Venue: The Butterfly Club, 5 Carson Place (off Lt Collins St), Melbourne CBD
Season: Until 28 June | Thur-Sat 7:00pm, Sunday 6:00pm
Tickets: $38 Full | $34 Conc
Bookings: The Butterfly Club

Circus, Review, Whats On

REVIEW: Circus Oz Presents BUT WAIT… THERE’S MORE

Fun but familiar

By Myron My

Circus Oz returns to Melbourne with But Wait…There’s More, fusing circus acts with consumerism and “infobesity”; the idea that everything is being commodified and the world is moving at faster speeds than before.

But Wait... There's More

The opening act of Lilikoi Kaos and her hoops was amazing. With hoop acts becoming a dime-a-dozen in recent circus productions, Kaos brought so much energy and fun to the routine it was impossible not to get swept up by the momentum. The program definitely does not lie when it compares her as a “mixture of Jessica Rabbit, Lucille Ball and Tank Girl”. Kaos has a unique talent that is great to watch on stage.

Similarly the enchanting balletic unicycle act by Kyle Raftery and April Dawson was mesmerising and the accompanying music created an almost whimsical environment. In fact, all the music, led by Ben Hendry and Ania Reynolds, was the one consistently superb factor throughout the show. Each act’s musical soundtrack was perfectly suited to build the mood and the suspense, and change the tone as needed.

Towards the end of last year, I saw Circus Oz’s Close to the Bone. Perhaps it was the more intimate and intense setting of the Melba Spiegeltent that allowed the acts to draw you in, but under the Big Top tent, many of the acts felt lacklustre and uninspiring. There were minimal wow moments and even though circus can be more than just “wow”, when you’re performing in this type of environment, on this type of stage, there needs to be plenty of dramatic climax and intensity.

This was more noticed in the second half of the shown which lacked the variety and the suspense needed to maintain my interest. The performers, such as the consistently amazing Sharon Gruenert, are clearly talented and accomplished in their fields, but as an audience member, there are only so many familiar flips and jumps that a show can have before it stops being interesting.

As a theme, the exploration of consumerism and information-overloading didn’t seem to work within the confines of circus, and despite Candy Bower‘s great voice, the singing numbers were out of place and broke the momentum of the acts. However, the set-ups for the bigger acts were great to watch as the whole ensemble playfully worked together to prepare the stage.

There is no denying that there are a number of highly skilled performers within the company and Circus Oz knows how to put on a good show: I’ve seen them do it before, numerous times. Unfortunately, But Wait…There’s More is not one of their better showings. For all the glitz and sparkle, I didn’t find much substance within the acts – which I guess is where you could argue society is trending with our obsessions on “infobeity” and consumerism.

Venue: Circus Oz Big Top, Birrarung Marr, Melbourne (between Federation Square and Batman Avenue).
Season: Until 12 July | Wed- Sat 7:30pm, Sat 1.30pm, Sun 3pm
Tickets: $22 – $95 (plus booking fees)
Bookings: ticketmaster.com.au or 136 100

Image by Rob Blackburn