Musical Theatre, Performances, Review, Whats On

REVIEW: Victorian Opera’s INTO THE WOODS

Stunning cast in superb production

By Adam Tonking

Into The Woods is admittedly one of my favourite musicals. With the movie adaptation due out at the end of the year, now is the perfect opportunity to see Stephen Sondheim’s masterful exploration of fairy tales in all its original glory, and fortunately, Victorian Opera have staged an immensely enjoyable production of this wonderful show.

Victorian Opera 2014 - Into the Woods © Jeff Busby

The amazing cast deftly handle all of Sondheim’s tricky score and dense lyrics. Truly impressive, in that even at its most tongue-twisting, not a single syllable was lost on the audience, allowing us to enjoy every witty line and every beautifully crafted lyric. Sondheim writes wonderful characters for women, the three main ones in Into The Woods being The Baker’s Wife, The Witch, and Cinderella , and the three actresses in these roles were more than up to the task.

Christina O’Neill was perfect as The Baker’s Wife, never missing a single moment in the character’s development, bringing energy to some of the weaker spoken scenes, and providing blessed relief in the challenging, exposition-heavy second act with her stunning rendition of “Moments In The Woods.” Queenie van de Zandt was in usual glorious form as The Witch, bringing an engaging pragmatism to the role’s more obvious malice, allowing a clearer understanding of the character. Her skilled handling of The Witch’s rap was awe-inspiring, but she was truly breathtaking in my favourite song “Last Midnight.” Lucy Maunder as Cinderella was spectacular, and her duets with O’Neill were some of the most touching of the night. Among the men, particular praise should go to John Diedrich as the Mysterious Man for bringing one of the weakest characters and a terribly awkward part to life.

Clearly I cannot lavish enough praise on Victorian Opera’s Into The Woods. This is simply a magnificent production of a gorgeous show. Don’t miss your chance to see it. It’s playing from now until Saturday 26 July at the Arts Centre in Melbourne. Book tickets at www.victorianopera.com.au or by calling 1300 182 183.

Events, Performances, Whats On

REVIEW: BalletLab’s LIVE WITH IT – We All Have HIV

Profoundly affecting

By Myron My

Live With It

BalletLab Artistic Director Phillip Adams and visual artist Andrew Hazewinkel’s current production, Live With It: we all have HIV,is a compilation of various performance pieces centred on living with HIV/AIDS. Each of these are unique in their own right and provide profoundly different perspectives on how the disease has affected the participants’ lives.

There are highly interesting pieces throughout, including one from a young dancer called George who takes us through the daily contents of his bag. His experience with HIV/AIDs is mentioned casually and flippantly but his words still drive a strong message home. Another one by John shows us a number of photographs depicting captured moments in the fight for equality for homosexuals, with a poignant final impression.

However, the one that created the biggest impact on me was Michelle, a white straight woman, who tells us how she contracted HIV/AIDs via the bundle of hospital tags she has acquired over the years of treatment. She manages to powerfully convey the fear and ignorance of people around her and the frustration, helplessness and determination that she has endured.

I did find some performances difficult to connect with and was left wondering what the significance might have been or what the artist was trying to have me feel. Given these pieces are so personal and intimate, and considering there is such creativity on display, it’s not surprising that not every one is going to impact every member of the audience.

Throughout Live With It: we all have HIV, there is a projection listing various events from the late 70s to today. Some are world-changing events such as 9/11 and others are pop-culture references like the release of Strictly Ballroom. Interspersed are facts on the HIV/AIDS epidemic with some frightening statistics on reported cases and death each year (which has steadily been on the rise) showing that we have all been “living with it” for decades.

As someone who has been fortunate enough to not have been personally affected by HIV/AIDS, Live With It is a stark and stirring reminder of how we all need to come together and open up discourse not only to stop the discrimination and stigma faced by people with HIV/AIDS, but to work towards a world where this disease is no longer present. A powerful piece indeed.

Venue: Arts House, Meat Market, 5 Blackwood Street, North Melbourne.
Season: Until 27 July | Tue – Sat 8:30pm, Sun 27, 3.00pm
Tickets: $25 Full | $20 Conc | $15 Student
Bookings: www.artshouse.com.au or 9322 3713

Events, Whats On

EVENT: The Wheeler Centre Presents A BLUSH OF BOYS

Growing up male

By Myron My

I recently had the pleasure of experiencing my first-ever event at The Wheeler Centre. It’s been somewhere I’ve wanted to go for a long time, but for whatever reason, it had never happened. So on Wednesday evening, I attended A Blush of Boys, a talk presented as part of a series of events in their Men Overboard program, which explores masculinity and what ‘makes a man’.

A Blush of Boys

A Blush of Boys looked at experiences of masculinity through two generations of males: two men in their 50s, actor and performer Paul Capsis and author Tony Birch, and two boys aged eleven and ten respectively from St Martins Youth Arts Centre, Will Beattie and Baptise Emery.

The (slightly) older males began with Capsis discussing his childhood desire to be a girl and Tony Birch talking about his lack of male role models growing up. What ultimately emerged from all four speakers though was nothing groundbreaking; boys still get picked on for not being into sports and showing interests in something other than ‘traditional’ male-oriented activities, but it’s not often you get to hear such thoughts and frustrations from ten and eleven year-olds so clearly and honestly. Sure there were some nerves evident for the boys, but not many people would be comfortable talking to a roomful of strangers about their insecurities and emotions now, let alone when they were so young.

Presenter Maxine McKew did well in keeping the proceedings on track and raised a few key issues about masculinity in recent news, including Ian Thorpe’s recent announcement of his sexuality and Tony Abbott’s comments praising the Japanese submariners who attacked Sydney Harbour in 1942 for their “skill and honour” to Japanese leader Shinzo Abe. Very different topics but all opening out contemporary ideas about what being masculine is and how it is viewed and valued.

A Blush of Boys was an enjoyable and insightful look into the representative minds of two generations on the expectations and pressures they must deal and have dealt with, when faced with defining their own masculinity. Sadly these talks are for one night only at The Wheeler Centre but there is always something interesting happening there that is worth checking out.

Men Overboard: A Blush of Boys took place at The Wheeler Centre on Wednesday 16 July.

Events, Review, Theatre, Whats On

REVIEW: Moreland Theatre Company Presents THE ODD COUPLE

Classic comedy revisited

By Margaret Wieringa

Oscar is a happy-go-lucky divorcee who has his mates over every Friday night to play poker in the squalor of his apartment. When Felix his uptight buddy suddenly becomes single, Oscar saves him from his despair by allowing him to move in. However it is clear that Felix’s obsessive cleanliness and Oscar’s carelessness cannot exist together happily for long.

In this production of Neil Simon’s The Odd Couple, the poker game is underway as the audience comes in, and once the show starts, we meet four likable New Yorkers, wisecracking and ribbing each other (Lloyd Bissell, Travis Handcock, Nick Lawson and Riley Nottingham). It’s the scenes with these guys I liked the most, especially when Oscar and Felix are thrown into the mix. The accents are good and consistent and the characters are held strongly by all throughout. Unfortunately however, at times some of the jokes seemed to have been sacrificed in order to keep the accents accurate. But with a Neil Simon script, if you miss one joke, you only need to wait a moment for another.

The Odd Couple

Brian Edmond does a fine job playing the slobby Oscar, capturing the sarcastic humour and the element of nastiness of the character but still allowing his heart to shine through. His performance is contrasted nicely with the entrance of David Lawson-Smith as Felix, especially with the variety of ailments he suffers in his first fifteen minutes onstage. These two were able to draw the audience in to the lives of the men, but were the most enjoyable when interacting with the larger cast. The delightful English accents of the two extremely fashionable ladies (Andrea Mentlikowski and Teresa Noble) were a breath of fresh air, just when the tension between the two men was getting to be enough.

While there seemed to be something odd with the floor (many of the characters were literally sliding about in a distracting manner), the set was fabulous, especially the wonderful wallpaper and the scruffy crocheted couch cushions that captured the life of a man living amongst things his wife abandoned.

It’s worth braving the wonderful Melbourne winter we’re loving at the moment for an evening of laughter.

When: July 17-19 & 23-26 at 8pm with a 2pm matinee on July 19
Where: Mechanics Institute, 270 Sydney Rd, Brunswick
Tickets: $20 full, $15 concession, groups 8+, $15 on Weds 23.
To book: call 0426 577 346 or www.trybooking.com/FBVE

Events, Musical Theatre, Whats On

EVENT: Melbourne Season Launch of STRICTLY BALLROOM: THE MUSICAL

Taking new steps

By Narelle Wood

There was love in the air for the launch of the Melbourne season of Strictly Ballroom: The Musical. While the Lonsdale Ballroom of the Sofitel seemed a little too classy and a little low on glitz for the garish and over-the-top ballroom dancing world created by the film, the night provided an exciting glimpse of all that this stage show promises to deliver.

Strictly Ballroom

The relatively new and Australian production company Global Creatures is responsible for the collaborative effort with Baz Luhrmann in moving this iconic Australian film to the stage. Directed by Luhrmann, and with costumes by Catherine Martin, the show promises to deliver on the visual extravaganza the duo have become famous for; approximately one million Swarovski diamantes were hand-sewn onto the costumes to provide just a touch of the dance world glamour.

Throughout the night, hosted by Barry Fife himself (Robert Grubb), we were treated to a preview of the talents of some of the cast including the vocal stylings of Thomas Lacey and Phoebe Panaretos (Scott and Fran), the incredible Flamenco dancing of Fernando Miro (Rico) and the dancing talents of Rohan Browne and Nadia Coote (Ken Railings and Tina Sparkle). While the Flamenco dancing (Paso Doble and Flamenco infusion) and the performance by Ken and Tina are clearly recognizable moments from the film, the song “Beautiful Surprise”, performed by the characters Scott and Fran, pointed to some of the new musical numbers that have been especially written for the show.

With any re-creation of an icon there is a risk that some of the fans (the diehard Strictly Ballroom fans who know ‘where the man goes, the lady must follow’ and that ‘there are no new steps’) may find the new aspects to the musical difficult to deal with, and early reviews were mixed. However, if the quality of performance, music and lyrics of “Beautiful Surprise” are any indication, the new elements of the script will only embellish the stage adaptation.

I personally cannot wait to see what the combination of Luhrmann, Martin and Global Creatures have produced and I look forward to Strictly Ballroom; The Musical fulfilling the promise that the audience will walk in and dance out come its season premier in January 2015.

Venue: Her Majesty’s Theatre
Season: Begins January 2015
Bookings: https://premier.ticketek.com.au to register for the Strictly Ballroom: The Musical ticket waitlist

Events, Review, Theatre, Whats On

REVIEW: Collette F Keen’s THE DEATH OF KINGS

Powerful examination of a tragic time

By Myron My

I recently watched the documentary We Were Here about the AIDS crisis in San Francisco during the 80s where gay men were dying in a matter of weeks from the “gay cancer”, and I had wondered how bad the situation had been in Australia. Three weeks later, I am watching the new theatre work The Death of Kings, which looks at that exact topic.

The Death of Kings

In 2010, Colette F. Keen and Adam Deusien interviewed a number of gay men who had experienced the HIV/AIDS epidemic in Sydney in the 80s. From there, Keen’s script for The Death of Kings was born.

Five actors – Mark Dessaix, Greg Iverson, Sebastian Robinson, Joseph Simons and Tyson Wakely – tell the various anecdotes and experiences gathered from that time. They are not restricted to performing on the stage; they walk around and utilize the whole venue to tell their character’s stories. There is very little in terms of set or props so it is up to the five men to make these words come alive, and they deliver strong and engaging performances, especially from Dessaix and Robinson. Deusien’s direction seems effortless and very organic, which ultimately means a lot of time and effort would have gone into giving it that naturalness.

The opening moments are lighthearted and humorous and recreate the blissful time just before the virus appeared in Sydney. From there, the story progresses to its spread, the effects it had on the gay community and the ultimate tragedy of the deaths. As one character movingly states, you would spend ten minutes every Tuesday reading the obituaries to see which of your friends had died that week…

Keen states the inspiration for making The Death of Kings was to ensure the stories of that period did not get lost in time. Personally I found a perhaps even more important reason in the need to remind people that this virus is still a huge issue in society and for us to know just what we are risking when having unsafe sex, especially when there are still many young gay men contracting HIV/AIDS.

The Death of Kings does not preach or force anything upon its audience. It presents the real stories of these people honestly and straightforwardly, with both depth and emotion. A show like this doesn’t happen often and The Death of Kings is one that needs to be watched by all people: gay, straight, man or woman.

Venue: Howler, 7-11 Dawson Street, Brunswick
Season: Until 19 July | 8:00pm
Tickets: $35 Full | $25 Conc
Bookings: http://h-w-l-r.com

Circus, Comedy, Events, Theatre, Whats On

REVIEW: Revolt Productions’ Encore of TWO POUND PARLOUR

Revamped, revitalised and re-viewed

By Myron My

In Two Pound Parlour, Miss Friby (Elizabeth Dawson-Smith) returns from exile after performing “preposterous acts of showmanship”. In order to find the critic who made such comments, she gets her girls and boy together to create a spectacular show to coerce the reviewer to attend and then enact her revenge. Cue a big night of burlesque, dance, circus, vaudeville, comedy and songs!

Two_Pound_Parlour

It has been a year since I first saw Two Pound Parlour so I was keen to see how the show has evolved and developed over time, and for the most part, it has turned into something better. There are still a few skits that fall flat – the Vegas wedding (despite its changes) still doesn’t work and is more awkward than funny – but the energy and commitment the six performers put in is more than you could ask for.

The addition of Daniel Ham (Egson Ham) as the first ever male in Two Pound Parlour is an excellent choice. Apart from being able to perform the “male” roles, such as in “Not In A Gay Way”, the dynamic versatility he brings keeps things interesting. Also appearing for the first time as Unleashya Deville was Aleisha Manion, who along with Stephanie Marion Wood (Lady Stiff) stole many of the scenes they were in. Their role in “Heaven in a Box” was particularly hilarious and Wood’s vocal talents are more than impressive.

As an ensemble, the group works extremely well together and the pace and choreography are extremely tight. The showy tap dancing routine and the memorable stomping-dance number really highlight just how synchronised they are.

With some worn for only a few minutes, the vast array of costumes designed by Kim Ritchie and Sara Yael is testament to the amount of time and skill that has been spent on getting this show up again. The set design by Rob Smith needs to be mentioned for its creativity and really setting the scene for the audience. The music by band Rapskallion is of a high level and the song performed by Miss Friby and the two singers, Yael and Carmen O’Brien, is perfectly executed.

Two Pound Parlour is still a little rough around some of its sexy edges but overall, it is a highly welcome return for this group of talented performers and this returning critic will be interested to see where Miss Friby and her girls and boy go to next with this wild and crazy ride.

Venue: Revolt Productions, 12 Elizabeth Street Kensington
Season: Until 16 July | 7:30pm
Tickets: From $35.00
Bookings: http://revoltproductions.com

Cabaret Review, Performances, Whats On

REVIEW: Andrew Stano has NAILED IT!

A familiar cabaret face with an exciting new show

By Bradley Storer

Nailed It!

The atmosphere for the opening night of Nailed It!, a showcase of new musical work, was casual but friendly as performer Andrew Strano (previously seen as one half of cabaret duo The Bad Boys of Music Theatre) walked out onstage and sincerely thanked the audience for coming, and apologized for his co-writer Loclan Mackenzie-Spencer’s absence due to a conducting commitment for a certain blockbuster musical playing at the Regent.

The pair have constructed an array of fantastic original songs, mainly (at least in this showing) involved with relationships, love and growing up. They explore it both in a comedic sense, as in one song which brutally deconstructs the mating habits of bees and flowers, and in a sincere heart-felt manner – but every song manages to find a surprising (and usually hilarious) perspective. Take, for example, a pretty Jason Robert Brown-style ballad expounding the benefits of incest, or a wacky upbeat number comparing a love of babies to crack addiction. The highpoint of the show is a brilliantly written ballad about accidentally destroying a car with a twist that makes it genuinely heartbreaking.

Strano is a charming presence onstage, with a rich, warm vocal tone and a refreshingly quiet charisma that makes him easy to relate to and wins the audience over whenever he speaks. The banter and links between songs is deceptively playful and improvisational, which is a credit to director Casey Gould for making it seem simultaneously perfect and made up on the spot. The music stand in front of Strano physically blocked him from fully connecting with the audience during the opening number, but was used later for some effective choreography. Strano was accompanied on opening night by Robyn Womersley, whose playing throughout was assured and expressive.

Nailed It! is a delightful showcase for the talents of a wonderful new musical duo, and the wonderful work on display promises great things for their future which I look forward to seeing!

Venue: The Butterfly Club, 5 Carson Place (access from Little Collins St)
Date: Wednesday 9th – Sunday 13th July
Time: Wednesday/Sunday 8pm, Thursday/Friday/Saturday 9pm
Price: All tickets $20, Preview $15
Booking: www.thebutterflyclub.com or at the door

Events, Performances, Review, Whats On

REVIEW: Luke Hocking in IMPOSSIBLE OCCURRENCES

Modern-day magic with old-fashioned charm

By Jessica Cornish

A century and a half ago, séances, Ouija boards and magic tricks were all the rage – however, these days, entertainment usually comes in a slightly less mystical form than Impossible Occurrences.

Melbourne-born-and-based magician Luke Hocking brings us a glimpse of classic on-stage entertainment pre-television and internet. Dressed sharply in a traditional tuxedo, Luke performs a mix of magic standards and well-executed sleight-of-hand tricks as he conjures up the seemingly impossible in his sixty-minute performance.

Impossible Occurrences

Impossible Occurrences relied solely on the deft showmanship and award-winning skill of Luke, with lighting design and professional audio non-existent. In a venue seating a mere 45 people a night, this intimate performance is definitely a nice change from the usual theatrical night out where production values are sometimes better than the talent they are meant to be supporting.

The only issue with this venue choice is that because there is neither raked seating nor a raised stage area, it was sometimes difficult to see clearly the illusions unfolding. Luke did his best to ensure tricks were performed at an elevated level; however, a small rostrum would probably help those who are in the third row have a more pleasurable experience, in not having to cram their necks and constantly worry they’ll miss some exciting visual spectacle.

The show was well-structured, and clearly also well-crafted and executed. Notes were transformed into different values, marine creatures appeared from thin air, and crowd participation levels were extremely high throughout the whole night.

Luke Hocking‘s charmed and charming show is a refreshing change of atmosphere and a unique contrast to the usual entertainment available around Melbourne. Impossible Occurrences will be performed every Friday night until September 5 at the Marriott Hotel, corner of Lonsdale and Exhibition Streets. Make sure you book in advance for performances, as there is only limited seating available: http://events.ticketbooth.com.au/event/3826689

Performances, Review, Theatre, Whats On

REVIEW: Moira Buffini’s LOVEPLAY

Love, Sex, Influence and Evolution

By Narelle Wood

From the outset it was clear that Loveplay by Moira Buffini was not so much about love as it was about the influences of love and the consequences of these on the relationship.

Loveplay

The premise behind the 90-minute play was to explore the influences of love through the ages, beginning from the Classical Age of AD 79 through to The Age of Excess in 1992. Some of the scenes in the earlier eras were confronting, including strong inferences of rape, and while this didn’t continue through to the more modern times, sex featured heavily throughout the play.

Buffini’s script is exceptionally well written, with some brilliant comedic moments scattered amongst the darker themes. The ensemble cast (Chris Saxton, Michelle Myers, Luke Cadden, Kathryn Tohill, Trudi Boatwright, Jacob Pruden, Fleur Murphy and Myles Tankle) play a variety of characters across the ages, and in a rare occurrence, each member of the cast held their own to provide a true ensemble performance.

Given the limited staging options that the Mission to Seafarers offers, the transitions between the ten different eras are achieved, not only through costume changes, but also through prop reveals and lighting. The deliberations between the eras are important as the language of the play offers a limited realism as far as the etymology of language and the portrayal of women are concerned. While it would be obviously difficult to write the earlier scenes in the appropriate version of English, there were some words that were glaringly out of place. The female characters in the earlier eras also seem to have a strong voice, and although I initially found this distracting from the authenticity of the play, in hindsight it did offer a fresh feminist perspective on women and their relationships to and through love.

While I’m not sure I agree completely with Buffini’s take on love and the influences of love, Loveplay provides both an interesting and unique perspective that resulted in a thought-provoking and entertaining experience.

Venue: Mission to Seafarers, 717 Flinders St, Docklands
Season: July 4th – 20th
Tickets: $28 Full | $25 Conc
Bookings: www.tbctheatre.com