Tag: 2016 Melbourne Fringe Festival

Performances, Review

Melbourne Fringe 2016: FALLING APPLES

Powerful concept as lives traverse

By Leeor Adar

The concept of Lene Therese Teigan’s Falling Apples is vast and intimate – a Chekhovian-inspired world where the characters’ lives collide in uncertain times.

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As a fan of Chekhov’s work and Peta Hanrahan’s wonderful direction of A Room of One’s Own earlier this year, I had high hopes for this production presented by La Mama and Verve studios as part of the 2016 Melbourne Fringe Festival, but it was ultimately a cacophony of words, ideas and vibrations.

The Kensington Town Hall is undoubtedly a beautiful place to perform a production. The echo within the large chamber provided a beautiful and haunting introduction as the voices of the performers hummed a suitably melancholy sound – this is Chekhovian terrain after all.

The echo, however, did not bode well for the performers and their interactions. Unless the audience was seated directly opposite the vignette, much of the dialogue was lost within the space. Due to the length of the performance space, the audience was seated along some distance, exacerbating this issue. This had the unfortunate affect of alienating the stories before us. I expect a better choice of space or seating arrangement would have prevented this.

I appreciated the concept of the characters constantly moving within the space as one scene was explored. Undoubtedly the message is clear – we cross paths with other histories every day, and occasionally collide. On this occasion it was further distracting from the already difficult-to-follow dialogue of the active scene within the work.

There were silver linings of strong performances from some members of the cast, particularly Elizabeth Huey-Williams as the troubled sister, and Marissa O’Reilly as the foreign lover. Huey-Williams and O’Reilly gave a lovely depth to their performances that managed to pierce through the chaos surrounding them. Unfortunately, some of the performances were unconvincing and I do not doubt that staging issues contributed.

Ultimately this premiere work was conceptually strong, but weak in execution.

You can catch Falling Apples from Tuesday-Saturday until October 8, Kensington Town Hall: http://lamama.com.au/2016-winter-program/falling-apples

Image by Tommy Holt of T6 Photography

Cabaret

Melbourne Fringe 2018: APOLOGUE

Game show satire ramps up the dark comedy

By Myron My

For those who enjoy the thrill of watching Wheel of Fortune, Family Feud and The Price is Right, you will not want to miss Apologue. Then again, maybe you will, as Apologue is not exactly a contestant-friendly game show. It is however, a quirky and fun look at how the mass media is used to manipulate and control our thoughts and beliefs.

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A hapless contestant is pulled on stage and must answer a series of questions in order to win some inane prizes that are presented as essential and luxurious by the hosts. With each round, the contestant’s comments are taken out of context, and opinions and beliefs are pushed down upon her.

The four cast members are great to watch on stage, each bringing the required energy required for their character and in turn, supporting the others. Elizabeth Wilhelm and Elly Hewitt as game-show hosts Vanessa Rochella and Bradley Marino (with a moustache that seems to have a life of its own) are brilliantly excessive and exaggerated with their fake smiles, and underlying emotional and personal problems seeping through the facade.

Milla rounds out the cast as the focused and no-nonsense stage manager Whimsy DeBarcie, whose only concern is making sure that the show rates well; while Lucy Rees as contestant Jennifer (or Jen, Jenny and Jumanji) portrays the confusion and frustration of being taken out of context and being coerced into saying and doing things she disagrees with as she is pounced on by the hosts. I actually feel Apologue could have gone further and been more direct in its examination of mass manipulation as at times I felt that these ideas were passed over and lost in translation due to the game-iness of the environment.

Apologue is a bold theatre piece by Spoon Eyes Productions that despite this critique, still has you questioning what it is you value and why you value it. With its strong dose of dark humour and over-the-top performances, it is a fitting show to be performed during the Melbourne Fringe Festival.

Venue: Wick Studios – 23-25 Leslie St, Brunswick, 3056
Season: Until 27 September | Sun – Tues 7pm
Length: 60 minutes
Tickets: $25 Full | $15 Conc
Bookings: Melbourne Fringe Festival

Image by Maddie Stephenson

Cabaret, Festivals, Performances

Melbourne Fringe 2016: AWESOME OCEAN PARTY

Quaint, quirky and awash with gentle charm

By Myron My

We’ve all been invited to a party – an ocean party for our half-human half-octopus friend. Created and performed by Giema Contini, Awesome Ocean Party is a 60-minute cabaret-comedy-performance piece that explores loneliness and acceptance through the eyes (and three hearts) of this hybrid creature.

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Contini has great physicality on stage and fully conveys the awkwardness of her character that later reveals to us that it is her birthday whereupon the human side to her begins to surface. Her interactions with the audience are sweet and genuine and convey her longing to belong and be accepted.

While the original performance of the show was staged in an empty swimming pool, for this remount Contini has chosen to perform in The Butterfly Club. With its own quirky feel and some specific set pieces, you willingly believe that you are in some underwater/beach environment. The fish tank in the centre of the stage is a constant reminder of where she has come from and the seashell sandpit is utilised well as a place for her to feel safe and happy.

The highlight of Awesome Ocean Party is the biographical picture-story book Contini reads to the audience, from her birth to the death of her parents and then finding hope and strength. It’s a touching story and the illustrations in the book and the descriptive passages create some stunning visuals for us. The music composed by Nathan Stoneham and played by Ned Dixon support the story – and the performance as a whole – in creating a feeling of belonging and being connected.

Contini has a great voice and the timing and pacing of her songs is well structured to keep the momentum (and a bit of awkwardness) going. Songs like “Under The Sea” from The Little Mermaid and Andrew Gold’s “Thank You For Being A Friend” (which most people would recognise as The Golden Girls theme) express her sea-dwelling and land-dwelling aspirations and desires while also exploring the differences of her life.

There is a whimsical aspect to Awesome Ocean Party that makes you warm to Contini and the show almost immediately. It is uplifting and entertaining while encouraging you to remain true to yourself and your convictions, and believe that everything will turn out the way it should.

Awesome Ocean Party was performed as part of the Melbourne Fringe Festival from 20 – 25 September, 2016.

Circus, Performances, Whats On

Melbourne Fringe 2016: 4+4=4

Power, poignance and peril when you’re at the end of your rope

By Myron My

Presented by The Flying Xamels as part of the Melbourne Fringe Festival, 4 + 4 = 4 is a surrealist circus experience looking at four different lives, how they co-exist together and individually, and are finding their way around. Four circus artists with four ropes perform as individuals and as an ensemble as a poignant metaphor for trying to fit in with life and following the right path.

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There is much to take in and analyse in 4 + 4 = 4, as the way these themes are explored could take on different and personal meanings for everyone in the audience. Fortunately the cast are all too aware of this and ensure that the tricks we see on stage are performed in a meditative and dream-like state. When you consider the technical aspects to some of the tricks, being able to appear that calm actually requires great skill and confidence, which these artists possess to a high degree.

But it is not just the performers who keep us entertained or transfixed on stage. Included in the mix in the back right corner is an artist drawing on pieces of paper on an easel and a camel that is perched atop the performance space and dropping paper flowers down below. At numerous times, one of the circus performers jumps down from the railings and bounds head first through the artist’s drawing, destroying the creation and disappearing into the darkness. The drawings all seem quite pleasant with their cartoon -tyle presentation, but the images themselves evoke a feeling of manipulation and being overpowered. In one way, smashing through the drawing shows the quartet’s defiance at this and their efforts at remaining true to themselves and living their lives their own way.

Similarly, the action all taking place under the watchful gaze of the camel – representing focus, determination and travelling – is another symbolic example of the characters staying on task and on track while undertaking their own personal journeying.

4 + 4 = 4 is circus that makes you question the way you live your life, and consider your place in the world in relation to those around you. Some mesmerizing and captivating tricks – with a well-matched soundtrack and lighting design – ensure you’ll be contemplating this show for some time to come.

Venue: Meat Market, 5 Blackwood St, North Melbourne
Season: until 25 September | Sat 8pm, Sun 7pm
Length: 60 minutes
Tickets: $28 Full | $23 Conc
Bookings: Melbourne Fringe Festival

Cabaret

Melbourne Fringe 2016: COSMONAUT

Magazine sex tips fuel storytelling blast (off)

By Myron My

What becomes of the broken-hearted? In US comedian Ryan Good‘s experience, it becomes a journey of self-discovery through masturbation. This subsequently lead to a comedy show about the ten worst sex tips ever provided by Cosmopolitan magazine and the birth of his highly-acclaimed show COSMOnaut.

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While some of the “tips” are pretty tame, there are some that are downright weird and I’m confessedly not sure they how are even remotely sexual but I guess, to each their own. However, this show isn’t a theatrical list-icle, but a witty commentary on relationships, feminism and the pressure in society to be attractive and successful. I feel a bit more clarity for the story Good is trying to tell would work wonders for this show, as this purpose can get lost with the numerous stories and points being raised.

However, Good is highly endearing and personable on stage and his natural goofiness is a major draw-card to COSMOnaut. His storytelling and singing – there’s a lovely little song to the perineum – is shared at the perfect pace and the build-up to the final tip is about as close to foreplay as you can get in a comedy show.

The success of the show does fall partly with the audience member who agrees to come on stage with Good and on the night I attended, Good struck gold because Dave is brilliant. The banter the two share and Dave’s open attitude allows Good to fully explore the themes and ideas raised in COSMOnaut and results in one of the most romantic wedding vows ever. You would almost suspect that Dave is a plant organised by Good with his quick thinking and responses, but it’s just fantastic luck.

Relationships and life can be tough and messy and with so much pressure coming from the media, it can also be very confusing. COSMOnaut is 60 minutes of cheeky entertaining laughs that urges you to question what you see and read around you and act up if you don’t agree.

Venue: Fringe Hub – Arts House, 521 Queensberry Street, North Melbourne, 3051
Season: until 1 October | Tues – Sat 8pm, Sun 7pm
Length: 60 minutes
Tickets: $25 Full | $20 Conc/Cheap Tuesday | $22 Groups 6+
Bookings: MelbourneFringe Festival

Circus, Whats On

Melbourne Fringe 2016: UNDERTONE

Musical interaction meets circus innovation

By Myron My

Produced by Black Carnation Productions, Undertone is a circus show that – while presenting some impressive tricks and laughs – also explores the relationship between the body and sound. With a live electronic score, it pushes the boundaries of what circus can be, creating a different show at every performance.

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There is a strong physical demand throughout Undertone, that the four performers make seem effortless as they jump through the air, climb on each other and fling their bodies across and under tables. Due to the concentration and focus of these tricks, the performers have also included a good dose of clowning throughout. Under the direction of Avan Whaite, this allows them to break the tension so the audience can breathe calmly, and for their personalities to come through and invite us to create a bond with them.

There are a few mishaps with certain tricks on the night I attended, and it seems at times that while the set-up is there, the follow-through isn’t always a success. However, what does work, and really takes my breath away is the work on the Chinese pole, which is used in various ways, with some acts I have not seen before in circus. Due to the design of the Melba Spiegeltent, you get to see the show from a more intimate viewpoint and acts like the balancing act on rolling tubes become extremely nail-biting, as you see just how near to the edge they roll.

Adding to the “danger” element of Undertone, the electronic soundtrack for the show created by musical director Zoltan Fesco uses live triggering from the performance itself for the audio delights we hear. In doing so, Fesco and the performers are constantly unaware of what could happen next and this unique soundscaping allows for numerous moments of surprise for the audience, the performers and the composer himself.

Undertone may not have the strongest individual acts, but it is one of the more innovative circus shows I’ve seen. With the growing number of circus coming through Melbourne, it’s always great to have your expectations of this art form challenged, and that is where Black Carnation Productions more than excel.

Venue: The Melba Spiegelent, 35 Johnston St, Collingwood, 3066
Season: Until 25 September | Sat – Sun 8.30pm, Sun 3:00pm
Length: 60 minutes
Tickets: $29 Full | $24 Conc | $22 Group 6+
Bookings: Melbourne Fringe Festival 

Festivals, Theatre, Whats On

Melbourne Fringe 2016: BOMBSHELLS

Impressive performances of women on the verge

By Margaret Wieringa

Down a few side streets in Brunswick in an art space called Wick Studios, ROARE Productions are staging the classic Australian play Bombshells by Joanna Murray-Smith for this year’s Melbourne Fringe Festival. The work is a series of six monologues from women pushed to the edge, and Kaarin Fairfax has directed this group of six young performers to find interesting and different interpretations of the collection of characters

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The show starts strongly with Ruby Swann playing Meryl Louise Davenport, the young mum struggling through the constant, frenetic monologue, judging herself and comparing herself to everyone around her. It’s such a bittersweet, tragic and yet very hilarious piece and Swann balanced the humour and pathos beautifully – in a magnificent white jumpsuit, and literally at the end of her rope.

Next, Ruby Duncan was Tiggy Entwhistle, a recently separated woman who is discussing how succulents changed her life. Duncan’s performance was extremely still and monotonic throughout, which was both a strength and a weakness- it gave the writing a far deeper sense of pain, but at times, missed the humour. Certainly, it was a strong performance from Duncan in an unexpected interpretation of the piece.

The first act finished on Anjelica Angwin’s school talent performance as Mary O’Donnell. We’ve all known these young, extremely self-confident teens who are ready to take on the world of the stage. Perhaps we may have even been her… Angwin captured the arrogance and outrage of the teen performer beautifully. And her dance number was delightful.

Returning from interval we meet Theresa McTerry, portrayed by Emily Riley. Starting on stage dancing in her underwear and drinking champagne, we watch Riley go through a wide variety of emotions as she ends up in a magnificently large wedding dress marrying Ted. As the character became more and more overwhelmed by the day, Riley’s performance became bigger and louder and funnier and more tragic, as needed.

Angie Glavas played Winsome Webster, the button-down widow who has seemingly settled into a pattern that will last the rest of her life. It’s always difficult to have actors play characters so distant in age from themselves, and while it was impossible to ignore that I was watching a young performer, she had a weight to her voice, a pacing and a pitch that conveyed an older character. Glavas was able to do real credit to the humour of the writing with her performance – giving a sense of upright respectability with the occasional naughty wink.

The show ends with a showstopper – travelling Vegas-style singer Zoe Struthers played by Olivia Ramsay. I found this monologue felt somewhat out of place, as all previous five are relatively normal, everyday characters but Struthers is extreme – and Ramsay played it to absolute extreme, with smeared make-up and cartoon-like facial expressions. Possibly some of the potential tragedy of this character may have been lost through the melodrama of the performance, but it also was hindered by some technical issues. Unfortunately during the performance there were several technical cues missed which did slow the flow somewhat, but I am sure that they will be sorted as the season progresses.

There are a lot of choices at Fringe time, but if you are interested in checking out the work of some raw young talent, get yourself to Wick Studios for Bombshells.

Bombshells is playing in Studio A at Wick Studios, 23-25 Leslie St, Brunswick

Monday-Sunday at 7:30 and Sat-Sun Matinees 1:30 September 22-27

Tickets are available through melbournefringe.com.au

Preview $20, Full $25, Conc. $25 Cheap Tuesday $15

Cabaret

Melbourne Fringe 2016: THE LONELIEST NUMBER

One strong-woman’s strong one-woman show

By Joana Simmons

Hannah Cryle is one impressive woman. She has gutsily broken away from her established career as an ensemble performer and created a solo show debut, The Loneliest Number. Packed with full-power rock numbers and a bunch of nifty tricks, she successfully proves she can do an ensemble show alone.

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Opening with “Don’t Stop Believing” establishes a fantastic anthem for her and the ethos of the show. Her commitment to air instruments is as big and bold as her hair and fluro costume. Hannah is the circus strong-woman; she can ‘base a 3 high’- that is where she stands on the ground with a person standing on top of her shoulders, and another person on top of their shoulders. She tells us how all the cool things she can do require other people to make them truly impressive. Still, we quickly see she is a strong woman in all senses of the phrase and can do plenty of cool things on her own- hula hoops, super skipping and hilarious facial expressions are a few worth noting. Her earnest character is lovable, and she delivers her amusing anecdotes with great timing and skill. The late-night audience members show their support in whoops and laughs, and prove to be the best back up dancers anyone could have asked for. Some small stand-out quirky moments with her beautiful underlying message of respect make it a memorable theatrical experience.

Because of Hannah’s versatility there is a lot of props and ‘stuff’ in this show. She energetically changes from one to another and keeps her friendly chatter going the whole time but some of the transitions were clunky and she was offstage a lot. At ‘half time’ she cleverly gave us something to do, which bought the intimate audience together, and perhaps a few more of these peppered throughout the changes could make them smoother.  I loved how she took her time to catch her breath when she was speaking, but her face and character could be more extreme: a general rule when accompanied by epic rock ballads is: “more is more.”

Hannah Cryle tells us she is “a bit strong, a bit brave” and inspires us to be too. I say she is a lot strong and a lot brave and has a special gift to share. She encourages us to support #ladiesperformingsolo, there’s a ton of them this Fringe who are all doing brave, funny, important things like she is. As a first solo show, it’s a terrific start, and in my opinion, what Melbourne Fringe is all about. I mean, when else can you dance to “Don’t Stop Me Now” by Queen under a big top in Collingwood on a Wednesday night?

Hannah Cryle – The Loneliest Number

Venue: Melba Spiegletent, 35 Johnston St, Collingwood

Season: 21st September-2nd October

Tickets: https://melbournefringe.com.au/program?event/the_loneliest_number/62c18b4a-cbcd-4723-a19d-6a5c7c4b51a2/

Whats On

Melbourne Fringe 2016: BLAAQ CATT

Profound, powerful, significant theatre

By Myron My

Returning for an encore season during the Melbourne Fringe Festival, BlaaQ Catt is a show that you simply cannot afford to miss. Produced, written and performed by Maurial Spearim, it is a powerful performance and story about how far modern Australia has got to go to make right the wrongs it has committed against the original inhabitants of this land.

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Spearim plays Ruby, a First Nations woman, who takes us through the history of her people, predominantly around the white invasion of their land up until the present day. Referring to events such as the Waterloo Creek Massacre conflict between mounted police and indigenous Australians in January 1838 as well as other significant Indigenous historic moments including their recognition in having the right to vote and the Mabo case, Spearim paints a picture that many refuse to acknowledge or accept.

While there is much factual information and confronting scenes, Spearim balances the tone and mood of the play by incorporating moments of light humour, such as when Ruby is asked by a classmate how to say TV in “aboriginal”. Spearim also performs a number of traditional songs, dances and storytelling through the Gamilaraay language, reminding us of her ancestors – past and present – and allows us to attempt to understand what she has lost.

Spearim has a strong presence on stage and no matter what she is doing, we cannot take our eyes off her. The complexity and range of emotions she displays throughout, switching from one to another, are a testament to the performance skills she possesses.

An evocative symbolic set design by Leon Salom includes a cut-down tree lying on the ground, a representation of Ruby’s culture cut down and dying. Next to it, rising from the ground is a white, large imposing skyscraper indicating the white settlers’ decimation and continual domination of the land. The sound design by Mark Coles Smith and Andre Vanderwert‘s projections work well together to support the set design and further strengthen the affecting ambience of the performance.

BlaaQ Catt demands that we not only acknowledge Australia’s violent history and ongoing racism, but that we do something about it. We are shamed, we are culpable and we are responsible for what has happened and continues to happen. This is an engaging and powerful piece of work that speaks volumes on the state of this country and our treatment of its people.

Venue: La Mama Courthouse, 349 Drummond St, Carlton

Season: until 2 October | Thur, Sat 8.30pm, Wed, Fri 6.30pm, Sun 4pm
Length: 60 minutes
Tickets: $25 Full | $15 Conc 

Bookings: Melbourne Fringe Festival

Cabaret, Comedy, Festivals

Melbourne Fringe 2016: ANDRE TONIGHT!

Spectacularly funny surprise hit

By Myron My

It’s unfortunate when you attend a show only to be told that the show has to be cancelled because the band has called in sick, but that is what happens with Melbourne Fringe Festival’s Andre Tonight! – or so we are led to believe. However, an audience member drunkenly volunteers her services and once she plays some music for our host, Andre DiVenuto, he decides the show must go on – and so it does.

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Created by Chris Ryan and Mark Winter and performed by music theatre star Ryan, Andre Tonight! is an hour of laughs that just don’t seem to end. Ryan encapsulates the late-night variety show, and the European 20-something from Epping (my hometown) perfectly. I’m not sure where Ryan grew up, but he has certainly done his homework as the language, mannerism and style – including the hideous comb-over – scream Epping.

But Ryan is not simply mocking this northern suburbs boy (or the suburbs in general), as he brings much depth to the wannabe celebrity, at one point having the character almost breaking down for disobeying his parents and choosing to follow his own dreams instead. Similarly, audience member/band member Meg has her own issues to deal with popping anxiety pills like they were tic-tacs and getting incessant phone calls from her ex-partner. Despite the antagonistic behaviour towards each other, there is an immediate bond between the two characters, and it is highly entertaining to see it play out over the course of the show.

There is also an added bonus for this show, with the creators managing to get a surprise guest to appear. While it’s best to not know in advance who this person is, it is a pretty remarkable coup that Ryan has orchestrated, resulting in many pleasantly surprised faces in the audience.

It would be fair to say that Andre Tonight! has become the sleeper hit of this year’s Melbourne Fringe Festival – and deservedly so. Ryan has created something quite special with Andre DiVenuto, and if the feedback from this show is anything to go by, there is a good chance Andre will actually achieve his dream of hosting his own chat show on Foxtel very soon.

Venue: Fringe Hub – Arts House, 521 Queensberry Street, North Melbourne, 3051

Season: until 1 October | Tues – Sat 10.15pm, Sun 9.15pm

Length: 60 minutes

Tickets: $20 Full | $18 Conc

Bookings: Melbourne Fringe Festival