Events, Performances, Review, Whats On

REVIEW: The Australian Premiere of BARBIE LIVE! The Musical

Pretty in pink, and playful pre-teen fun

By Margaret Wieringa

The Palais Theatre in St Kilda was decked out in pink and ready for the hundreds of excited little girls who attended the Australian premiere of Barbie LIVE! The Musical. Celebrities were spotted with their young families, including Shane Jacobson and Neighbours’ Ryan Moloney.

The pink, sparkly curtain opened to reveal a movie set, where Barbie and her friends were shooting her next film. Her co-star and best friend Teresa was experiencing a slump in confidence, so Barbie took her on a journey, revisiting her old films to inspire her.

Barbie Live The Musical!

The first act saw them visiting Swan Lake with some questionable ballet and then Mariposa, a land with lots of crystals. The set for Mariposa was impressive, especially the use of UV effects for the crystal cave and the mayflower pole. The transitions however, using clips from the Barbie movies, were very clunky and not totally necessary. By the end of the first act, I was getting restless. Thank goodness for Act Two!

It was like the show had drunk a whole lot of red cordial, because everything perked up and had more life. There was a whole heap of audience interaction that the children loved, the story was more engaging, the music was more exciting, and it was far more fabulous!

I wondered a little about the morals of the show, however. Bad girl Raquelle (Courtney Cheatham) wanted Teresa’s role and was prepared to go to great lengths, including sabotage, to get it. At the end there was no comeuppance for her, which left me thinking that the moral must be that if you are being bullied, just put up with it: you might still win. I couldn’t actually see the need for a ‘baddie’ in the show, and feel it would have been as engaging for the kids without one and could have ultimately offered a better moral.

Kristina Miller, playing Teresa, had a strong voice that really belted out her numbers. The ensemble was fantastic, totally committed to the performance with magnificent, cheesy smiles the whole time. Even though it was very clear they were people, there were some doll-like movements throughout the dancing that were a lovely touch. It was a little odd that a show called Barbie LIVE! had Barbie as a less important character in the performance, but beautiful Chelsea Bernier still got up there and gave the little girls exactly what they wanted. A real live Barbie.

Venue: Palais Theatre in St Kilda
Season: Sunday April 6, 11am, 3pm and 7pm, Monday April at 11am
Tickets: $49.90/$69.90/$99.90
Booking: http://www.ticketmaster.com.au/ or call 1300 660 0131300 660 013

Comedy, Festivals, Musical Theatre, Whats On

REVIEW: The Shuffle Show for MICF

Playlist roulette makes for wonderful musical comedy

By Narelle Wood

1000 songs in 60 minutes that The Shuffle Show promises seems like a completely implausible task. I have no idea whether the musical comedy duo of Elena Gabrielle and Grant Busé achieve this monumental task, but even if they don’t, I don’t care, because what they do provide is a witty, energetic musical extravaganza.

The Shuffle Show

Rather than just sing, and provide a useful, but clichéd, count of all the songs they sing, Gabrielle and Busé merge the idea of a Mac Genius Bar experience and shuffling through an Ipod playlist. As a consequence the show covers a plethora of musical styles and makes some commentary on the familiar experiences of Apple’s highly controlled customer service regime and the domination of Apple devices on the world market.

The playlist choices were unconventional and the resulting musical compilations were so diverse and skilfully constructed that it is far too difficult to pick one favourite moment; I would end up listing the whole show. For Melbournians it might be the ode to Melbourne weather, or for those with more eclectic tastes perhaps the rock and rap medley. Whether it’s big butts or big divas are your thing, the construction of the medleys and their execution was flawless.

If the witty comedic interludes and the extensive songs choices are not enough to entice you, then go for the sublime singing voices of both Gabrielle and Busé. These are two phenomenally talented musicians whose voices I could have continued to listen to well in to the wee hours of the morning. Gabrielle hits all the high notes of some of all the iconic divas, and Busé has a bluesy rock voice that is simply divine.

If you love music, have an assortment of musical tastes, are a little embarrassed by some of the music on your playlists, or are looking for a good laugh, this show is for you. And failing all of that then go for Gabrielle and Busés’ lycra-clad, Apple Store geek dance moves.

Venue: The 86, 185 Smith St Fitzroy
Season: Thurs 10th – Sat 12th April, 10pm
Tickets: full $20 | Conc $18
Bookings: http://www.the86.com.au/micf2014.html or at the door

Comedy, Festivals, Musical Theatre, Whats On

REVIEW: Centrelink the Musical for MICF

Dance for the dole!

By Narelle Wood

They say any good comedy is based on truth and anyone who has ever tried to deal with any aspect of Centrelink, or any other government agency for that matter, will find that Centrelink the Musical provides good comedy based on circumstances that are eerily familiar.

Centrelink the Musical

Centrelink the Musical, directed by Greg Ulfan and conceived by Rohan Harry, follows a day of queues and queries at the Centrelink office, detailing the frustration of disabled Ed (playwright Adam Willson), long-term unemployed Gary (Dylan Lloyd), expectant mother Janine (Artemis Ioannides), the harrowing blank canvass Thyme (Harlene Hercules) and the long-suffering Centrelink employee Janine (Jacqueline Cook). The humour at times is delightfully inappropriate as it pokes fun at some of the truths of the people and their circumstances that lead them to the protocol-bound welfare office.

Out of all of the character it is Gary, the perpetual loser with all the inside know-how necessary to circumnavigate Centrelink’s protocols, that provides the most hilariously cringe-worthy lines and Lloyd’s delivery of Willson’s script is priceless.

Although there was the occasional flat note during some of the songs, overall the cast was exceptionally strong and Hercules’ portrayal of the recently graduated artist was as brilliant as her poetry was ridiculous. It was nice to see the matriarch of the Centrelink office was able to provide a justification for both her Gestapo-like and condescending approach to those in the unemployment queue, and Cook seamlessly transitions between these aspects of her character’s personality.

While there was a minimalist approach to sets and musical accompaniment, the costuming was trashy and completely appropriate, none more so than the bulging pregnant belly of Ioannides’ character Janine and Gary’s almost obscenely short shorts. The songs by Nathan Leigh Jones were clever and really spoke to the heart of each character’s frustration with life and dealing with the changing and more demanding welfare system.

This show provides some great laughs and although the humour seems to be only at the expense of the less-fortunate characters, the show does point to some of the inadequacies of our welfare system. Both the employed and unemployed alike will find something to delight them in Centrelink the Musical.

 
Venue: The Mechanics Institute, 270 Sydney Rd, Brunswick
Season: Sun 6th April 5pm, Tue 8th April 8pm, Wed 9th –Sat 12th 9pm
Tickets: full $28 | Conc $15
Bookings: http://www.comedyfestival.com.au/2014/season/shows/centrelink-the-musical

 

Events, Festivals, Theatre, Whats On

REVIEW: La Mama Presents PUBLIC TOILETS, PRIVATE WORDS

The writing’s on the wall…

By Myron My

Performing as part of the Melbourne International Comedy Festival, Public Toilets, Private Words takes a look at just what its title proclaims. The inspiration for the whole comedy cabaret-esque show is taken from graffiti found scrawled on toilet cubicles, including that of the venue in which they are performing: La Mama Theatre. It’s because of this that the show has been able to constantly evolve and grow over time as different graffiti is found and different actors are able to bring different ideas to the show.

Public Toilets Private Words

This season’s performers – Tom Albert, Caitlin Armstrong and Eloise Maree (the creative producer of Public Toilets, Private Words since its creation in 2011) – have brilliant banter, and the interaction with the audience feels genuine and not at all contrived. Whenever artists are breaking that wall with audience members, it opens them up to unpredictability and the cast manage this with aplomb and an easy casualness that makes them all very likeable.

The three work with various ideas stemming from the graffiti of public restrooms such as theories as to why people choose to graffiti toilets in the first place, and then take a humorous look-back at the history of toilet graffiti. This is intermixed with monologues and thoughts pertaining to the topic at hand, which sometimes get a bit too serious for a show in a comedy festival. Even with their acknowledgement of the irony, these interludes feel out of place.

The artists are a talented trio: Albert plays a variety of musical instruments and the obvious singing ability of all three help support the various types of songs they perform. My highlight of the evening though would be the ‘dance’ number to Swan Lake – very enjoyable to watch.

As a comedy show, Public Toilets Private Words does not always hit the mark. The humour is often side-stepped and the laughs are not plentiful. However as a performance piece, it is an interesting concept and a unique show, which brings depth to an idea that most people would not even think twice about.

Venue: La Mama Theatre, 205 Faraday Street Carlton
Season: Until 13 April | Wed, Fri 6pm, Thurs, Sat 9pm, Sun 4pm
Tickets: $25 Full | $15 Conc
Bookings: 
http://lamama.com.au 
or 9347 6142

Cabaret, Festivals, Musical Theatre, Theatre, Whats On

REVIEW: Backwards Anorak Presents WINTER IS COMING

When you play a game of thrones, you sing or you lose…

By Margaret Wieringa

In hopes of getting work on the popular HBO series, a group of musical theatre graduates stage a musical interpretation of the television series Game of Thrones. Is that the plot or is that what is actually happening? Both, perhaps?

Crated and performed by Michelle Brasier, Vince Milesi, James Baker, Laura Frew and Leo Miles, Winter is Coming for this year’s MICF opens, appropriately, with the television theme played and sung with intense and hilarious gusto. We the audience are included as ensemble, though the real casting battle is between the five on stage. Who will be Ned Stark, Jon Snow, Hodor, though most importantly: who will be Khaleesi?

Winter is Coming

The war is being waged between the performers: the quietly spoken musician, James, (spending his off-time in the performance catching up on his Game of Thrones reading) and the understudies, Laura and Leo, but ultimately it is the two leads who must contest the final battle; Vince vs Michelle, and the winner will be the mother of dragons.

The show seems to break so many rules; but in breaking them, the humour flows. Often, the five actors talk over each other, and the hilarity comes in when a single line or even a single word is distinguished. There are “in” jokes galore, yet as someone not in the know, I felt included. I found myself laughing at comments without really knowing what was funny. Throughout the show the focus was split, sometimes up to five different ways. That shouldn’t work; but here it does.

And, don’t forget, it is a musical. The Music Room at Trades Hall is small, but these adorable performers fill up every space with their ridiculous antics, including some pretty impressive dance routines. The choices for the songs were at times unpredictable, including the duet of Khaleesi and Samwell.

Highlights? So many. The baby in the blanket, the dragons, the totally cringe-worthy yet magnificent representation of Tyrion, the foray into Narnia, the swordfight… If you have seen Game of Thrones, and especially if you love it, then you must get yourself to this show.

Venue: Trades Hall (The Music Room)
Season: Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays from March 27-April 19 at 10:45pm
Tickets: $22/$17

Bookings: http://www.ticketmaster.com.au/ or call 1300 660 0131300 660 013

Comedy, Festivals, Stand-Up Comedy, Theatre, Whats On

REVIEW: Emily Taylor’s PET for MICF

Unleash the comedy!

By Margaret Wieringa

Did you have a pet growing up? A cat, a dog, perhaps a guinea pig or a goldfish? Chances are, you probably did. It’s a fascination for many of us, and Emily Taylor taps into our shared experiences to create this hilarious one-woman show.

Emily Taylor in PET

Mind you, it doesn’t feel like one person much of the time; Emily introduces a huge assortment of characters onto the stage to explore the topic. There is the kind-hearted vet for example, who adopts the animals no-one else wants, filling her life with animal friends to the detriment of her human interactions; or the dog trainer with the list of injuries longer and more horrific than you really want to know.

Emily brings these diverse characters together with a series of more traditional stand-up routines: stories from childhood, from early work experiences and all, of course, related to animals. The stories are sweet, funny and, at times, disturbing.

Somehow, Emily is able to manipulate her face in the most mysterious of manners to truly become the animal. Just the twitch of an eyebrow or the tensing of a muscle was enough to start the titters in the audience. But it is when she gives her all, forming grotesque facades that are amazingly close to the animals she is representing, that the real laughter happens.

Emily is not afraid to appear less attractive: the first and, possibly my favourite moment of the whole show, was the initial interaction between a person and a dog and when the physical result of that opening hangs around for some time, it totally won me over to Emily’s humour. A bit later, we see Emily’s impersonation of a horny guinea pig that really and truly has to be seen to be believed – but enough potential spoilers. Go and check out these characters yourself.

Pet is in the tiny Locker Room at the Portland Hotel, and so is bound to sell out quickly. Get organised and get there before you miss out.

Venue: Portland Hotel – Locker Room
Season: 27 March – 20 April, Tues-Sat 6pm, Sun 5pm
Tickets: $15-$20
Bookings: http://www.ticketmaster.com.au/ or 1300 660 0131300 660 013

Cabaret Review, Festivals, Whats On

REVIEW: Homos in Kimonos for MICF

Double bill of cabaret boys for this year’s festival

By Jessica Cornish

Among the many shows for the Melbourne International Comedy Festival, having a catchy title and a great gimmick are essential, and this comic double act featured two solo cabaret performances, linked by the fact that both men were dressed in kimonos and suffered from alter-egos taking over their shows every now and then.

The night was launched by Will Hannagan, whose hour-and-a-bit of shenanigans was a little hard to follow at times, but was highly entertaining none the less. He had a stunning voice that had a lot of depth to it, good articulation, and indulged in quirky physical snippets throughout the performance.

Homos in Kimonos

Some of the evening’s funniest moments were when Will slipped into tales of real-world experiences from his time spent in Paris, to a few truths about his life with his boyfriend. His show jumped between personas: he has a deep obsession with and love for his drag-alter ego, Mother Marxist, which must ultimately be destroyed in an unexpected twist of crowd participation.

The performance was accompanied by three-piece band, Scrimshaw Four. Not only did Scrimshaw Four provide musical backing for the evening, they also interacted with Will which added a new level to the performance. The idea worked very well, and the musicians worked hard, and no doubt as the season continues the music will continue to tighten up.

Unfortunately Will was in shadow for much of his performance as he was too far down stage , so while his band were permanently illuminated, he was not. This is easily fixed, and Will definitely deserves to be in the limelight throughout.

James Halloran was the second featured artist of the night, and is making his Melbourne debut performance. His show also involved alter-egos, as James faced the battle of ‘the Halloran’ taking over. However, I can’t really tell you much more, as I confess I didn’t really understand his performance.Unfortunately with the acoustics of the room, it was quite difficult to understand what he was singing about due to a loud keyboard and projection issues. Also at this stage, the stories linking the songs are not very clear. As the season progresses I hope James builds up more confidence in his obvious abilities and is able to showcase them more successfully, as I distinctly feel that he is capable of delivering a much stronger performance both vocally and dramatically.

Homos in Kimonos will be playing at the quirky venue The Baron Said, hidden off Kerr St in Fitzroy. This beautiful space reminded me of a mini art-deco warehouse. It’s slightly tricky to find, and parking was a little challenging- so make sure you give yourself an extra 15 minutes to find a park and the venue, or better still, catch public transport!

12 Shows 01 Apr – 13 Apr
Tue-Sun 8pm

Full $25
Concession $20
Tightarse Tuesday $18

Bookings and information: http://www.comedyfestival.com.au/2014/season/shows/homos-in-kimonos-will-hannagan-james-halloran-in

Comedy, Festivals, Review, Theatre, Whats On

REVIEW: Pop Mashup: Happy Birthday Doctor at MICF

Cult characters cross paths in quest of comedy

By Narelle Wood

I love the premise of this show: Dr Who meets Harry Potter meets other pop cultural icons all in the name of saving the world. The idea is that on his birthday, Dr Who finds himself making friends with Hermione Granger, and thus begins their journey to prevent the Grumpy Cat from achieving world domination (hopefully reuniting Hermione with Harry along the way).

Pop Mashup

Ruben Francis‘ portrayal of Dr Who was fabulous and he did appear to be one of the only performances whose acting wasn’t at all awkward. While Grumpy Cat (played by Melinda King) had an amazing singing voice, the sexiness was uncomfortable to watch, not because it was overt but because it was odd.

The endearing minion character Zip (Andrew Cross) really held the show together; partly because his acting was also good and partly because his storyline seemed to be the only one that had continuity. That being said, I’m not a dedicated Dr Who fan, so it was more than probable that there were a few jokes and storyline quirks that went over my head.

There were some very funny moments and some extremely persuasive poignant discussion about the benefits of being a minion. The song parodies were really cute, for the most part both well-selected and well-performed, although again the dancing was awkward and not in a particularly funny way.

I was disappointed that there were only a spattering of other pop-culture references and often these seemed to rely on the obvious, apart from Harry’s wand being a drumstick (the percussion kind not the chicken kind). The Harry Potter references were fairly thin, and for a die-hard fan (which I am), not particularly clever; the brandishing of the wands didn’t even have the appropriate swish and flick. I did however love the My Little Pony moments: they were gold, and the Tardis was also fabulous.

Despite Francis’ great depiction of Dr Who and reasonable performances by the rest of the cast, the show lacked fluidity and the funny moments were random and spread fairly thin: I suggest this is one for hard-core Dr Who devotees.

Venue: The Butterfly Club, CBD
Season: Saturdays at 5pm and Sundays at 4pm until 20th April.
Tickets: Full $23 | Conc $20
Bookings: http://www.thebutterflyclub.com/shows or www.ticketmaster.com.au

Events, Opera, Review, Whats On

REVIEW: Victorian Opera and Monash University Presents GAMES OF LOVE AND CHANCE

Enamored  with opera anew

By Narelle Wood

Games of Love and Chance was a smorgasbord of operatic music ranging from classical operas such as Carmen and The Magic Flute to the more recent operas of Summer of the Seventeenth Doll and Blitzstein’s Regina. The pieces selected offered a vast array of emotional journeys, from love lost to love regained, as well as love’s fortune foretold.

Games of Love and Chance

The almost eighty-piece orchestra, consisting of students from the Monash Academy Orchestra and several guest musicians, showcased the immense wealth of upcoming musical talent, performing Wagner’s Die Meistersinger von Nurnberg Prelude to Act Three from Tristan and Isolde with seemingly professional ease.

If it was difficult to believe the age of the musicians in the orchestra, it was even harder to believe that many of the young operatic artists had never performed with an orchestra before. Of this group of up-and-coming opera stars, it was Matthew Tng and Kate Amos that provided some of the stand-out performances; it was not just the clarity of their voices and their range but the embodiment of their characters, especially with the lack of context normally provided by costumes, sets and props.

Normally I’m captivated by watching the performers or the mesmerising rhythm of the violin bows, but during this performance I was just as fascinated by the conducting style and instant rapport with the audience of Richard Mills, the Maestro and Artistic Director at Victorian Opera. His passion for music, developing new talent and preserving our cultural heritage was clearly evident not only in the way he spoke during the introduction of each piece, but also in every flourish of his baton.

A highlight of the evening was the outstanding vocal soloists, many of whom are icons of the Australian operatic scene; among my favourites were Douglas McNicol, Jeremy Kleeman and the phenomenal performance of Lisa Gasteen.

While opera may not be everybody’s cup of tea, the collaboration between Monash Academy Orchestra and Victoria Opera provides a perfect opportunity to experience this great art form for both the opera novice and aficionada alike.

This performance took place at Robert Blackwood Hall, Monash University, Clayton on March 29, 2014. Visit artsonline.monash.edu.au/mapa/events for upcoming events.

Comedy, Festivals, Late Night Shows, Stand-Up Comedy, Whats On

REVIEW: Bryony Kimmings in SEX IDIOT

May contain brutal songs, outrageous stories and hilarious sex scenes

By Narelle Wood

Sex Idiot was brilliantly funny, but the content of the show justified its 10.45pm time-slot for MICF 2014 and is certainly not one for the kiddies. Much of Bryony Kimmings’ show cannot be described without a barrage of euphemisms for sex or heavy censorship. It is safe to say when the blurb in the media release describes the show as an ‘unapologetic account of female sexuality in the 21st century’, it is in no way lying.

Sex Idiot

Kimmings’ unabashed and extremely physical performance, along with her seemingly sweet exterior and brutal honesty, that makes this show not only work, but incredibly funny and only, perhaps, a little bit offensive. She recounts her experiences of finding out she has an STI and the journey she then embarks upon to discover who she contracted it from. Her promise to those who helped her solve the mystery was a piece of art to be used in the performance. As a result we were treated to songs, poetry, interpretative dance and an audience participatory art piece that was perhaps more a warning about risk-taking behaviours than the resulting art.

This show is very well-constructed and Kimmings’ persona means she naturally endears herself to the audience. But while the show is extremely funny, it is also very poignant and a little sad; I walked away feeling as though I had laughed through a very honest lesson about love, sex and life.

Highlights of the show included the juxtaposition between what I’ll call the ‘Cup of Tea’ song and the song about how Kimmings’ would deal with a cheating boyfriend; one sweet, the other violent but both showcasing Kimmings’ slightly unhinged view of relationships in a way that is both charming and disturbingly familiar.

Sex Idiot is not a show for the prudish or faint-hearted. But if you like a voyeuristic romp through someone else’s sex-life and the resulting STI warning then Bryony Kimmings’ Sex Idiot is right up your alley.

Venue: Melbourne Town Hall
Season: 10.45pm 3rd, 4th and 5th April
Tickets: $25
Bookings: www.ticketmaster.com.au