Circus, Performances, Whats On December 15, 2014December 18, 2014

REVIEW: Circus Oz Presents CLOSE TO THE BONE

Wit, whimsy and wonder

By Myron My

When I go to the circus I often can’t help feeling like a child again as I watch in awe, wonderment and envy at the acts on display. Fortunately for me, these feelings continue to be felt at the Melba Spiegeltent with the current show from Circus Oz, Close To The Bone.

The first thing you notice upon entering is the surprising size of the Spiegeltent. It’s a small and intimate space, which works well from an audience member perspective because no matter where you sit, you can more or less hear the heavy breathing of the performers, see the sweat dripping down their faces, and really see the strength and flexibility on display. These are highly talented professionals who are pushing themselves to their limits, and possibly even further.

I particularly enjoyed Lilikoi Kaos and Dale Woodbrige-Brown’s mischievous interactions during the hoop act, and Olivia Porter’s hacky-sack segment had everyone’s eyes glued on her from beginning to end.

The highlight of the night however belongs to Matt Wilson and his extremely high risk-balancing act, about which the less said is better so as to not ruin the surprise. What I will say though, is the tent was filled with tense excitement as Wilson went about performing this and the collective sigh of relief and cheers from the crowd upon completion was resounding.

There is a strong emphasis on music throughout Close To The Bone, which is led by the skillful Ania Reynolds and Ben Hendry. However, the cast also joins in throughout the night on a variety of instruments including guitars, piano and trumpets and even squeeze toys. The impressive “unconventional” drumming performance by Hendry further enhances the relationship between the two art forms.

Circus Oz’s Close To The Bone is an evening of good old-fashioned acts with just a touch of edginess and cheek that will most certainly entertain even the harshest circus show critics.

Venue: The Melba Spiegeltent, 35 Johnston St, Collingwood

Season: Until 21 December| Thurs-Fri 8pm, Sat 5:30 and 9:30pm, Sun 5.30pm

Tickets: $45 Full | $40 Conc

Bookings: ticketmaster.com.au or 136 100

Events, Musical Theatre, Whats On December 14, 2014

REVIEW: Melbourne Return Season of GREASE

It’s still got groove!

By Jessica Cornish

Grease is the word, haven’t you heard? Following a 2013 sell-out season at Her Majesty’s Theatre, the hand-jiving musical is back by popular demand, this time playing at the beautiful Regent Theatre. Bert Newton opened the show as Vince Fontaine with some audience banter which confused my theatre companion, but he was followed by a punchy overture musically directed by Peter Casey and played out by the band of men clad in silk pink shirts. From the moment the music kicks in you can’t help but get excited and dance around, possibly a little too much in your seat.

This production of Grease directed by David Gilmore was one of the most enjoyable and high-energy musicals I have seen in a long time. Rob Mills and the relatively unknown Gretel Scarlett have returned to the stage as the Rydell High heart-throbs Danny and Sandy. They were pitch perfect throughout the entire night, and slipped into the teen roles perfectly. The show was sleek and well-polished, and the cast really nailed their parts (however if I’m going to nitpick, it probably wouldn’t hurt the ensemble to brush up on their American accents.) I did feel the only performers who really had to work that little harder to hit those highs were the famous Aussie icons themselves, including John Paul Young, Todd McKenney and Newton himself. But don’t get me wrong: the audience was overjoyed to see these guys do their thing – they could have spoken their songs, and the opening night crowd would still have been thrilled.

The lighting was crisp, bright and replete with red LED strips and Elvis images that framed the show all evening. Fluro-pink love hearts flew in and out, adding to the 1950’s feel of the show as designed by Terry Parsons, and accompanied by the occasional pings of colour from the hanging mirror balls. The show seamlessly transitioned through all the scenes, and had a really quick pace across the evening. The famous hit songs such as “Greased Lightning” and “Summer Loving”, staged and choreographed by Arlene Phillips, were satisfyingly well-done, and I literally had to stop myself from singing along.

It was a thoroughly enjoyable night’s entertainment, and no matter how many times you may have seen the movie, I promise you won’t be disappointed seeing this musical live on stage.

Grease is playing at The Regent Theatre until January 25, 2015. Tickets start from $60.

http://greaseistheword.com.au/tickets/

Review, Theatre, Whats On December 11, 2014

REVIEW: Revolt Productions Presents KINDRED

Getting inside domestic violence

By Myron My

Every week in Australia a woman is killed by a current or former partner. It is an astonishingly frightening statistic and yet doesn’t seem to be reported by much of the media. Produced by Goldfish Creative, Rachael Blackwood’s new play Kindred brings this issue to the surface as she explores one woman’s struggle to escape from a violent relationship.

We are introduced to this relationship between Princess (Aimee Sanderson) and Knight (Ben Ridgwell) through the eyes of Princess’ various “personalities”: the childlike Minnie (Jessica Martin), the sexual Selina (Madeleine Mackenzie), the motherly Faun (Gabrielle Sing), the wise June (Aisha Jakszewicz) and the aggressive Diana (Blackwood herself).
From the initial fairy-tale beginnings of meeting the charming knight, through the gradual abuse suffered by Princess, right up to the difficult-to-watch final moments, Blackwood’s script is brutal, honest and unflinching.

There were instances where scenes got repetitive however, such as arguments between Knight and Princess in which he would storm out only to return and demand that Princess rectify the situation. Whilst it showed the cycle of helplessness that Princess was feeling, some more overt variation to these scenes would have resulted in higher audience engagement.

I was extremely impressed by the five women in the “personality” roles, as they all seem to have grasped their personas thoroughly and successfully. From the individual ways they smiled and even the unique ways they looked at each other – they were the true embodiments of Princess’ inner turmoil. The interactions, dialogue and tone used between them highlights the combined skill of Blackwood, the actors and director Lisa Treloar.

However, their monologues directed at Knight seemed out of place with the rest of the natural dialogue. Having them engage in long-winded poetic speech to express their thoughts resulted in scenes not seeming as authentic as they could have been.

Sanderson does well with what is the most challenging performance in Kindred. She found the right balance of a hopelessly-in-love yet utterly petrified person and as Princess sunk deeper into fear and despair, Sanderson ensured the audience felt exactly what she felt. Unfortunately I was severely underwhelmed by Ridgwell’s Knight. He seemed to struggle playing the nuances of the character and his delivery felt flat and almost monotonous, except for the scenes when he was shouting at Princess.

Overall, Kindred is a strong production with an important message to spread. With some fine-tuning in scripting and performance, it will be even more effective in raising awareness and provoking discussion and action over violence against women.

Venue: Revolt, 12 Elizabeth St, Kensington

Season: Until 13 December| 7:30pm, Sat 2pm

Tickets: $25 Full | $19.50 Conc

Bookings: http://revoltproductions.com

Review, Theatre, Whats On December 9, 2014December 9, 2014

REVIEW: La Mama Presents DOG DAY TRIO

Three tales collide and cohere

By Myron My

Michael Olsen’s Dog Day Trio presents a trilogy of monologues of people lamenting and reminiscing about their contrasting and varied lives. While the narratives are linked by themes of love, loss, death, and life passing us by, they are highly individual stories about an assassin, a widower and a hotel housekeeper.

We open with Cynthia (Rosa Nix), as she irons her handkerchiefs and gradually reveals that she was – and still is – an assassin. As she teaches us the 9 steps to being an assassin, she beguiles us with her past identities and kills: “You always remember your first,” she fondly says.

The story is intriguing and filled with light comedic moments from this seemingly gentle murderess, in an intelligent believable performance by Nix. All the elements of writing, directing and acting come together so seamlessly in this piece that I could easily have watched Cynthia’s story unfold for an hour.

Unfortunately I felt the other two stories of mournful George (Kirk Alexander) and hotel housekeeper Betty (Kelly Jane Harrison) are not as absorbing. With Betty’s narrative timeline traveling back and forth, and with many characters introduced, her story is difficult to keep up with. On the contrary, while George’s narrative is more linear, it felt a little too long to sustain audience interest. Both these stories have potential to be just as affecting as Cynthia’s with some fine-tuning to the narrative. Despite these issues, Alexander and Harrison’s performances are also well-thought-out and authentic.

Hanna Riley’s sound design in Dog Day Trio is integrated into the show quite well, and I’d like to see this element incorporated further into the monologues as the overall work develops, to build on creating the individual worlds.

Given the already limited space at La Mama, you would think isolating the actors into three different spaces would not be a wise choice but by doing so, director Tammie Kite creates a highly intimate environment that actually gives the stories life and connection. Visually, the stage ends up resembling a Venn diagram: three different experiences ultimately linked by the fleeting moment that is, in fact, life.

Dog Day Trio is on until Wednesday 10 December at La Mama Theatre as part of their Explorations season, which supports new works in various stages of development.

http://lamama.com.au/spring-2014/explorations-2014/dog-day-trio/

Review, Theatre, Whats On December 1, 2014

REVIEW: Little Ones Theatre Presents THE HOUSE OF YES

Dysfunctional comedy all in the family

By Myron My

It took me exactly 37 seconds to realize that I was going to be in pure bliss watching Little Ones Theatre‘s production of The House Of Yes, a bizarre yet hilariously witty play by Wendy Macleod.

It’s Thanksgiving in 1983, and Marty (Benjamin Rigby) has returned home with his fiancée Lesly (Anna McCarthy). As we meet the rest of the family – his mentally unstable and Kennedy-obsessed twin sister “Jackie O” (Genevieve Giuffre), younger brother Anthony (Paul Blenheim) and matriarch, Mrs. Pascal (Josh Price, in a superb casting decision) – the domestic Pandora’s box is well and truly opened in this satirical play on class, incest and mental illness.

For the most part, Giuffre succeeds in bringing out the fragility and loneliness in the challenging role of Jackie O but it is the scenes involving McCarthy and Blenheim that allow for a deeper honesty and vulnerability to be present. Unfortunately I was not at all convinced by Rigby’s performance as Marty, who really only shines in his scenes with Giuffre which are filled with an infinite amount of palpable sexual chemistry.

Price as Mrs. Pascal is truly an unusual choice, but at the same time a perfect decision to convey the dysfunctional ties of the family, and personify the desires and morals that otherwise seem to be lacking in the Pascal household.

Director Stephen Nicolazzo has done a great job in crafting the pace and delivery in The House of Yes, and there is never a dull moment on stage. The set and lighting design of the Pascal home further articulates the misguided values and the mindset of a family that is caught up in its own bourgeois reality. Eugyeene Teh’s all-pink set contrasts with the darkness that envelops the family, and the lighting by Katie Sfetkidis successfully builds the tension towards the climatic final scene, even with all the laughs and antics.

Little Ones Theatre have managed to bring their own unique touch to this compelling story of a family whose desires and wishes to lead the lives they want only ends in devastation for themselves and each other. The House of Yes gets a resounding yes from me.

Venue: Theatreworks, 14 Acland St, St Kilda.

Season: Until 13 December | Tues – Sat 8:00pm

Tickets: $30 Full | $25 Concession

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

Cabaret, Cabaret Review, Whats On November 28, 2014November 28, 2014

REVIEW: Joana Simmons is TINSERELLA

Crazy Christmas cheer

By Amy Planner

Tinserella: Keeping Christmas Safe is a one-woman comedy cabaret that packs a punch and makes no excuses. It takes you an on an amusingly unexpected journey through a multitude of alter egos, original musical numbers and physical farce.

Joana Simmons has not merely hit, but smacked the solo stage with her debut writer credit, leaving nothing in the tank after throwing herself about and titillating the audience.

This one-woman show is really anything but: a silent, albeit very physical rendition of Mariah Carey’s “Hero”, a quasi-contemporary dancing techy and a word-mincing news reporter are just a few of the myriad of intriguing appearances in Tinserella. One of the highlights of this weighty stack was a hipster singing about the hard life of being just that – a hipster. There were a few sticky areas where characters may have been a little unsure of themselves as they came to life on stage for the first time. However there is real merit in the range of characters presented during and in the construction of the show overall. With such a colourful cabaret of characters, one-liners, lively dance moves and a spot of audience participation, Tinserella makes you question your boundaries and laugh all the way home.

Don’t be put off by the balloon you are handed as you walk in to the dimly lit room at Club Voltaire – you will soon figure out what your breathed donation gets you and you won’t be disappointed. If you are not one for audience participation make sure to steer clear of the aisle seats, unless bubble-blowing or Hi-Vis vests are your thing. In saying that, Joana has clearly made it her mission to make Tinserella a well-rounded experience you won’t quickly forget and she has succeeded.

For a sky-reaching first attempt at writing and performing solo, Joana Simmons has hit the spot and makes you giggle at the cheeky bruise she has left behind. Tinserella is ‘keeping Christmas safe’ in the most entertaining way possible.

Venue: Club Voltaire, 14 Raglan Street, North Melbourne
Season: 27 November – 30 November, 7.30pm
Tickets: $20
Bookings: http://www.trybooking.com/Booking/BookingEventSummary.aspx?eid=110727

Cabaret, Cabaret Review, Whats On November 28, 2014November 28, 2014

REVIEW: Jessamae St James is THE DUCHESS OF COOLSVILLE

Smooth, sultry and splendid

By Narelle Wood

Jessamae St James delivers a very cool performance in her show honouring the early jazz and blues hits from the ‘Duchess of Coolsville’ Rickie Lee Jones.

The set list, taken from Jones’ early years and her first two albums, are a mix of everything from sultry and sometimes haunting jazz to some upbeat blues with a story to tell. Interspersed between the songs St James takes us on a journey of Jones’ life. While these snippets highlight the influences her life had on her music, it’s also a glimpse into just how cool Jones’ was ‘living on the Jazz side of life’.

I found it a little disappointing that St James didn’t often introduce the song title, and it was hard to discern from the song itself, as in true jazz form there were no formulaic structures in verse, chorus verse style to help work it out. All this meant though was that I had to buy both albums in order to hear my new-found favourites. Prior to the show I knew very little about Rickie Lee Jones and I am now ever grateful to St James for the introduction to the talent of Jones.

St James herself epitomises cool in a very unaware kind of way. Her voice mellifluously glides over the notes and the brief moments of scatting were something you’d expect to hear from the jazz greats like Fitzgerald and Jones herself. Elizabeth Blackthorn provides the accompaniment on the piano, playing everything from a mean blues riff to soulful slow jazz.

The Duchess of Coolsville as almost an authentic New York Jazz club experience: the only things missing were a smoky haze and a bottle of whisky. This was certainly jazz at its coolest.

Venue: The Butterfly Club, Carson Place, CBD
Season: 26th and 30th November at 8pm, 27th, 28th and 29th November at 9pm
Tickets: Full $25| Conc $22
Bookings: www.thebutterflyclub.com

Review, Theatre, Whats On November 23, 2014November 23, 2014

REVIEW: Red Stitch Presents JUMPERS FOR GOALPOSTS

An utter delight

By Caitlin McGrane

It’s not often one sees a play (or a film, or a TV show) where a straight white man is considered tokenistic: Jumpers for Goalposts gives us that and so much more. Director Tom Healey expertly presents Tom Wells’ sharp, sensitive and uproariously funny script. It tells the story of a five-a-side gay, lesbian and transgender football tournament in Hull as one team, the Barely Athletic, attempt to win/come second/come third/have a team at all.

The team consists of Beardy (Ray Chong Nee), Viv (Kate Cole), Danny (Johnathan Peck), Luke (Rory Kelly) and Joe (Paul Denny). The development and story arc of each character is equal parts witty and poignant. Each performer steps up to and meets the mark with buckets of humour, despite the heaviness of the themes.

It’s extraordinarily rare that HIV, death and sexuality can be dealt with so clearly without anyone really uttering any of those words. In addition, the diversity on stage is a marked change from the endless parade of straight white male narratives to which we are all so accustomed; Beardy got all the best lines and Joe was almost relegated to the sidelines (puns intended).

The set and costumes designed by Jacob Battista were fantastic – the locker room in which the entire play takes place really belonged on a dodgy estate in England’s northeast. Lighting designed by Clare Springett strategically washed out the stage and gave the performers the sickly fluorescent sheen of a team worn out. Healey’s directorial vision and the efforts of stage manager Rebekah Gibbs are definitely something to write home about as the whole show (some slightly dodgy pronunciation aside) hung together flawlessly . This is a thoroughly enjoyable and truly romantic production: I can’t recommend it highly enough.

Jumpers for Goalposts is now showing at the Red Stitch Actors Theatre on Chapel St in St Kilda until 20 December. Tickets available at: http://redstitch.net/gallery/jumpers-for-goalposts/.

Musical Theatre, Review, Whats On November 23, 2014November 23, 2014

REVIEW: The Production Company’s LA CAGE AUX FOLLES

A little more mascara

By Ross Larkin

La Cage Au Folles began as a play in the 70’s by Jean Poiret until it was later remodelled into a musical by Jerry Herman. In 1996, Hollywood created the well-known film version, renaming it The Birdcage. Melbourne’s The Production Company last night opened their version of the musical at The Arts Centre, with Todd McKenney and Simon Burke as gay lovers Albin and Georges and a familiar supporting cast including Rhonda Burchmore, Gary Sweet and Marg Downey.

When Georges’ son Jean-Michel (Robert Tripolino) announces his engagement to Anne (Emily Milledge), matters accelerate to hysterical at the prospect of his fiance’s highly conservative and political parents (Sweet and Downey) coming over to meet Jean-Michel’s family.

Decidedly flamboyant transvestite Albin is deemed by Jean-Michel too risky and controversial to meet Anne’s parents and is advised to make himself scarce for the evening. When Jean-Michel’s birth mother fails to show, Albin steps in in all his convincing drag glory under the pretence of being mother himself, and hilarity ensues.

As with any famous and celebrated show, there are unavoidable audience expectations. In the case of La Cage Au Folles, it is safe to assume that giant laughs, flashy songs, spectacular dancing and tremendous energy are all somewhat anticipated.

Regretfully, The Production Company only gently hit the mark, waxing and waning in pace and stamina. The occasional musical number is quite impressive while too many others are underwhelming and forgettable.

The two leads are undoubtedly well performed, with McKenney in particular delivering much of the needed laughs and glamour, and Aljin Abella as the butler a consistent source of humour and force.

However, director Dean Bryant’s decision to merge La Cage Au Folles into pantomime territory with actors speaking to and interacting with the audience for extended periods (presumably to cover costume changes) was an ill-fated one, breaking from the struggling momentum even further.

Sweet as Anne’s father might have looked the part but was typically miscast, yelling every line with farcical irritation and further contributing to the pantomime domain. Downey and Burchmore were reliably enjoyable but sadly appeared all too briefly.

Essentially, Bryant and The Production Company have found most of the ingredients necessary to make La Cage Au Folles the dazzling spectacle it deserves to be, however, its current state feels underbaked, in need of increased pace, energy, stakes and more bold choreography.

La Cage Au Folles is playing at The Arts Centre Playhouse, Melbourne, until December 7, Wednesday-Sunday at 7.30pm and Tuesday December 2 at 7.30pm, with 2pm matinees each Wednesday, Saturday and Sunday. Bookings 1300 182 183 or visit www.artscentremelbourne.com.au

Cabaret, Cabaret Review, Whats On November 22, 2014

REVIEW: Tomas Ford in THE FINAL CHASE

Killer cabaret

By Myron My

In Tomás Ford’s one-man cabaret thriller The Final Chase, we follow a secret agent as he attempts to find his missing girlfriend while simultaneously trying to track down his arch-nemesis. It proves to be a case that ends up fatal for one of the three as the audience is taken along this exhilarating ride.

Clearly there can be no secret-agent show that isn’t slightly inspired by James Bond, but there is also a little witty bit of Maxwell Smart and possibly a sliver of Austin Powers stirred into this mix. However, Ford still creates a strong character in his flawed and troubled yet calculating agent who is damn good at what he does – killing people.

Throughout The Final Chase, you can see in Ford’s eyes that he is committed to the belief that all this is actually happening. When he’s acting, when he’s singing (and boy can he sing) and when he’s out in the audience, he doesn’t drop the persona or the reality of his world once.

On the surface, the songs performed by Ford serve to progress the story at the right pace and to lure us into this shady world. Go a little deeper and they also allow us to get into the mind of this secret agent as he teeters on the edge of a breakdown due to the burden of his job. There’s a running theme with all of Ford’s songs of how much more can he sacrifice before he loses everything?

I did have a minor quibble with the ending however. Whilst narrative-wise it was strong and suspenseful, the closing song felt unnecessarily long and lost some of the impact of what was transpiring. The final moments could have been more effective taking place on stage rather than the back of the venue with people having to crane and turn behind them to catch a glimpse of it.

All the other elements come together seamlessly to bring the story of an unbalanced secret agent to life. The Final Chase is funny, intriguing and sexy but more importantly, a damn well thought-out cabaret.

Venue: The Butterfly Club, 256 Collins St, Melbourne

Season: Until 23 November | 6:00pm

Tickets: $32 Full | $28 Conc

Bookings: http://www.thebutterflyclub.com