Tag: The Butterfly Club

Cabaret, Review, Whats On

REVIEW: Laura Johnston is HITCHCOCK’S BIRDS

Clever and appealing cabaret of tantalising tales

By Myron My

Alfred Hitchcock was a genius when it came to creating cinematic experiences. Very few directors, if any, have been able to recreate the tension and anxiety that Hitchcock managed to conjure up in such great scenes as Janet Leigh‘s shower death in Psycho or the attack on Grace Kelly in Dial M for Murder. However, behind the scenes, things weren’t always so “great” for his leading ladies. In her cabaret show Hitchcock’s Birds, Laura Johnston explores what it really meant to be a woman in one of Hitchcock’s movies.

Hitchcock's Birds

Johnston portray a number of these Hollywood legends, including Leigh, Kelly, Doris Day and Tippi Hedren, and while many of the stories are not exactly new to anyone who has an interest in the man behind the camera or the women in front of it, the way Johnston tells these stories is what draws you in. Johnston uses verbatim interviews and speeches from these stars, which builds on the drama and authenticity of Hitchcock’s Birds. This is also supported by her portrayals of the eight actors where, with some simple but highly effective mannerisms and expressions, she strongly captures the elegance of Kelly, the liveliness of Day, the frustrations of Hedren and so on and so on.

It is Hedren’s story that Johnston spends most of her show exploring, speaking of Hitchcock’s obsession with her and his refusal to let her break free from her contract. Infamously, Hedren did the one thing that no one was ever allowed to do: she mentioned his weight. Needless to say, their relationship was extremely strained during the filming of Marnie: they communicated via a third party during the remainder of its filming. Even though Johnston doesn’t specifically mention this event, you can feel the history coming through in the performance.

While Johnston had a great voice for this intimate cabaret show, a number of songs seemed out of place and didn’t tie in with the events she was relaying. Her impressive rendition of “Que Sera” however, was the musical highlight of the evening.

Johnston brings these famous Hitchcock leading ladies together as if they were attending the same dinner party. It starts out with excitement and laughs they had at the honour of performing in one of his films, but slowly moves to sadness and resentment due to the controlling and dominating nature of Alfred Hitchcock. Hitchcock’s Birds is an intriguing and thoughtful debut by Johnston with strong potential for growth.

Venue: The Butterfly Club, 5 Carson Place, Melbourne

Season: Until 26 July | Fri-Sat 7:00pm, Sunday 6:00pm

Tickets: $32 Full | $28 Conc

Bookings: The Butterfly Club

Performances, Review, Whats On

REVIEW: David Stewart in AZURE

An intriguing show is growing

By Jessica Cornish

Magician, mentalist, spiritualist and psychologist David Stewart swung by The Butterfly Club last night to perform his one-hour show Azure to an eager audience in a sold-out venue.

Azure

Number tricks were hot on tap, with Stewart showing off his incredible ability to rapidly and precisely manipulate numbers and patterns to boggle the minds of onlookers. Even more impressively, or should I say psychically, he could pluck out random audience members, allow free choice to ensue, and then accurately reveal their thoughts – even naming an unspoken word sent telepathically between a couple celebrating their two-year anniversary.

The show relied heavily on this audience participation, mostly in the form of providing double-digit numbers for random allocation of participants (although it quickly and amusingly became apparent that evening’s clientele at The Butterfly Club were not strongly trained in the art of basic arithmetic and spontaneously conjuring up double-digit numbers was in fact too difficult for some, providing answers like ‘four and four,’ rather than forty-four!)

The show is highly enjoyable and has great potential, and there is no denying Stewart is a capable and entertaining performer. However it seems the show is still developing, and as he tours across Australia and beyond, Azure will continue to benefit as Stewart gains in confidence and ease in his showmanship skills, which will come with more time and experience. Additionally, the performance could have been improved technically by adding audio cues (which could be as simple as incorporating more background music into the performance to break the sometimes awkward silences), and further enhanced by utilising different lighting states where possible to add more dramatic atmosphere. I already believe this show will go from strength to strength, and even in this early evolving stage is utterly fascinating to watch.

Azure is therefore an hour definitely well-spent, and was thoroughly enjoyed by all in attendance last night. The crowd were actively engaged and eagerly participating all night in the web of intrigue weaved by this British mentalist, David Stewart. I would definitely recommended popping in to The Butterfly Club tonight for Stewart’s last performance in Melbourne, starting at 7pm ($34.00 adult, $28.00 concession), just make sure to book in advance to avoid disappointment.

https://thebutterflyclub.com/show/azure

Performances, Review, Whats On

REVIEW: Becky Lou in SHAKE

Sexy, funny, resolute and resounding

By Myron My

Fittingly having her Melbourne premiere of Shake at iconic venue The Butterfly Club, Becky Lou lives up to her show’s title. Twirling tassels, bouncing breasts and jiggling buttocks; there is a lot of shaking going on. However, there is more to this show than just sexy and entertaining burlesque routines, as they are interspersed with Becky Lou’s musings on significant moments in her life that have led to her career as a burlesque performer.

Shake

Shake is a well-crafted show that allows Becky Lou to expose herself in more than just the literal sense. Beginning with memories of her four-year-old self dancing topless in a supermarket to Madonna’s Like A Virgin, each story that Becky Lou shares has a purpose. It’s not for entertainment value, it’s not to shock us, but it’s to strengthen the relationship women have with their bodies.

Women are being constantly told to cover up yet to “show us ya tits”, are made to feel imperfect yet subjected to continuous sexual harassment. What Becky Lou does with Shake is invite women to reclaim their bodies, to own their bodies and be proud of them. In this regard, Shake reminded me of a similarly beautiful and thought-provoking show in Maude Davey’s My Life In The Nude.

Like so many burlesque performers, these women should not be congratulated or fawned over for being “brave” about performing nude. They should be admired for being strong women who love their bodies and for taking power away from the male gaze. Becky Lou shares stories from her life in a non-confrontational way so that she does not create a divide with the audience. With a fine balance of comedy timing and frustration and derision towards a patriarchal society, we are all equally disgusted when she informs us of the policeman who wolf-whistled at her when she was just fourteen.

The burlesque routines in Shake highlight the skill and creativity that had Becky Lou crowned Miss Burlesque Victoria in 2013, among numerous other titles. She captures the sexiness and the mischief of the art form but each number is unique in style, costume and the character that she takes. The most memorable ones of the evening were her opening and closing numbers, the latter bringing her story full circle and the former showing us exactly why she is a force to be reckoned with in the world of burlesque.

Shake is more than just a show to titillate or excite us. There is heart and truth in the stories that Becky Lou shares with us, and in the message that she wants to get across. At one point, she confesses that she is most nervous about using her voice in the show because it’s not something she usually does in burlesque. She needn’t be nervous at all though, because we are enthralled by every word she says just as much as every item of clothing she removes.

Venue: The Butterfly Club, 5 Carson Place, Melbourne
Season: Until 12 July | Thur-Sat 9:00pm, Sunday 8:00pm
Tickets: $32 Full | $28 Conc
Bookings: The Butterfly Club
Cabaret Review, Festivals, Whats On

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

Exceedingly good cabaret

By Myron My

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

I Might Take My Shirt Off

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Cabaret Review, Festivals, Whats On

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

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

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

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

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

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

Cabaret, Cabaret Review, Performances

REVIEW: Alexandra Keddie in I SEE ME; AND MERYL STREEP

Ambition, audacity and well-crafted comedy

By Myron My

Everyone has had an actor, singer, athlete or celebrity of some sort that they idolised and dreamed of becoming. As people get older they generally grow out of the fantasy, but not 17-year old Alexandra Keddie. She maintains she wants to be Hollywood actor, Meryl Streep – or at least be just like her. Welcome to her new cabaret I See Me; and Meryl Streep.

I See Me; and Meryl Streep

The stage immediately reminded me of when I was a teenager (and my own bedroom was adorned with posters, and memorabilia from Buffy the Vampire Slayer). On display, Keddie appears to have copies of every single film Streep has ever made, photos and posters, cushions and clothing with her face printed on them, and a signed framed image of her too. The finishing touch is the “Mountain to Meryl” chart, where she has a picture of Meryl’s face at the top of a mountain and her own at the bottom. Each time Keddie’s character perfects a new skill or accent in her cabaret quest, she climbs up the mountain, inching closer to her idol.

At one point in her tale, Keddie takes us through “The Many Voices of Meryl” and this is by far the highlight of the show. She is not only performing in a complex variety of accents, but she is performing them as Streep would, and it is truly uncanny how much she sounds like the three-time Oscar winner. When she reenacts her Margaret Thatcher and Miranda Priestley, you could close your eyes and swear you were listening to The Iron Lady and The Devil Wears Prada. The simple costume choices used for each role are also highly effective.

When not being brilliant in her mimicry of Streep, Keddie convincingly toes the fine line between portraying an innocent fan and an obsessed fanatic. Sure, the glint in her eyes and the way she speaks when talking about Streep may sometimes scream ‘stalker!’, but at the same time, the desperation in her voice and the desire to be successful add the nuances of an upcoming artist who has simply found someone who truly inspires her. There were a couple of moments though, where I felt unsure as to what Keddie was trying to say, more so with the inclusion of material about John Cazale. Up until that point I had not known who this person was or that he was such an influence on Streep, and unfortunately I felt the link between them wasn’t made very clear.

Keddie is either legitimately a huge fan of Streep herself or has spent much time researching her in order to be able to weave anecdotal stories of Streep and her Hollywood career together so seamlessly overall  in I See Me; and Meryl Streep. This is an extremely clever and humorous show not only delving into the world of fandom but also offering some insight into the life of a young woman who has a dream to be ‘someone’. And after all, what is so wrong with that?

The premiere season of I See Me; and Meryl Streep was performed at The Butterfly Club, 3 – 7 June 2015.

Comedy, Review, Whats On

REVIEW: Laura Davis in GHOST MACHINE

Inviting, honest and amusing

By Myron My

There’s a ghost that is said to haunt The Butterfly Club. Upstairs, in its theatre space, the spectre lingers on stage, flashing lights on and off and – oh hang on a minute, it’s just Laura Davis covered in a white bed sheet in a return season of her 2015 Melbourne International Comedy Festival award-winning show, Ghost Machine.

Ghost Machine

Davis travels back to her first existential crisis at the age of 11, and from there she revisits the moments in her life where things haven’t always been that great. It is all done however in a masterful way where despite sharing these personal stories and experiences, she gives the audience permission to laugh at and with her because we can all relate to what she is saying. We have all experienced the despair, the rage and the humiliation our circumstances have induced, in some way, shape or form.

Ghost Machine ponders the age-old questions of what are we doing and why are we here. The show is not a constant bellyache of laugh-out-loud humour but it’s a damn good entertaining hour of insights and story-sharing. Davis has an extremely calming presence and even with the awkward stage persona and the loud talking, she creates a warm and welcoming environment for her audience. This is especially crucial for when she ventures into the crowd asking what their guilty pleasures are or to share the regrets of their lives.

If there’s one thing to take away from Ghost Machine it’s that life isn’t always going to be a bunch of roses. There is always going to be crap that we are going to have to deal with but Davis lets it be known (because it something we need to constantly hear) that looking on the bright side is always important and that we should laugh the little things away. It’s a very valuable lesson. Well that, and not to self-medicate based on a YouTube comment.

Venue: The Butterfly Club, 256 Collins St, Melbourne

Season: Until 7 June | Fri-Sat 9:00pm, Sunday 8:00pm

Tickets: $32 Full | $28 Conc

Bookings: https://www.thebutterflyclub.com/show/ghost-machine

Comedy, Performances, Review

REVIEW: Simon Taylor’s PERSONAL BEST

A personal favourite

By Christine Moffat

Upon introducing himself, Simon Taylor establishes he is a charming comedian. He is prone to serenading audience members, learning their names and chatting amiably with them from the stage. He lulls you into chuckles, and a more comfortable position in your seat. You smile, sip your drink and begin to relax. Once you are better acquainted, the content is riskier, but delivered suavely and with an infectious sense of fun.

Personal Best

Tayor is a writer as well as a performer, and has written for some big-ticket shows, including The Late Show with Jay Leno. His skill with words is crucial for his darker material to work when mixed in with his lighter banter. His fluid syntax is like good piano playing: unlike his piano playing, which is better that your uncle’s but not as good as your high school singing teacher’s. He tinkers with words to make sure they fit, to make sure you are surprised with them (a key ingredient to laughter) and to make sure you remember and think about them later.

However, Taylor’s smooth style does not mean his show is good for ‘all ages’. Your under-15s should probably do something else for the evening, unless you enjoy discussing curses and ‘adult’ concepts on the tram ride home. Taylor swears liberally when the story requires it, and writes a killer dick joke. Not despite this, but because of it, he is all the more urbane and funny.

In a storybook, Taylor would be Prince Charming’s wingman: the guy that shakes his head at his mate’s girlfriends, and goes to the State Library to pick up the geekyicious babe knitting a tea cosy. In an intimate comedy room like downstairs at The Butterfly Club, and at his Personal Best, Taylor is Prince Charming… if the prince was (a lot) shorter, had that Melbourne combination of romance and cynicism, and knew how to use hair product.

So, when you have the chance to see Taylor perform, take it. You will travel the world: discuss love, life, lust and death. You will discover just how diverse a comedy crowd can be (Antarctic honeymoon anyone?), have a bloody good time, and if you’re lucky, maybe even meet his Nonna.

Simon Taylor’s Personal Best was performed at The Butterfly Club as part of the 2015 Melbourne Comedy Festival. His next performance will be the FREE special-event, live-taping of his best stand-up comedy material on May 5: see http://www.eventbrite.com.au/e/simon-taylors-stand-up-comedy-special-live-taping-tickets-16745795124 for more information and to register for attendance.

Comedy, Events, Festivals, Music, Review, Stand-Up Comedy

REVIEW: Jude Perl presents Is it just me?

Musical comedy with a conscience

By Narelle Wood

 Jude Perl knows how to make an entrance, an entrance in a dress that would make Lady Gaga green with envy. Perl’s musical comedy is full of musical and pop clichés in a satirical look at everything from being a pop star to asking the very poignant question Is it just me?

 Jude_Web2

The songs cover a whole gamut of topics, but all seem to have some feminist undertones, or other social commentary hidden amongst the extremely witty and downright hilarious lyrics. Her songs drip with well-written innuendo and a smattering of over shares, which, she acknowledges from the start, are things the audience may not want to know.

Between the musical numbers, Perl performs some non-musical comedy that is just as funny. While I really enjoyed these parts of the show, the highlights for me were the musical numbers; I couldn’t pick a favourite song if I tried. My absolute favourite part of the show was Perl’s voice; it sounded like an incredible cross between Alicia Keys and Suzie Quatro resulting in a sound that I found both familiar and completely unique.

I thoroughly enjoyed Is it just me? from beginning to end. There is something very endearing about Perl that made even the audience participation moments (which I usually dread) completely okay. Jude Perl’s Is it just me? is extremely entertaining and honest comedy at it’s musical best. If good comedy and good music is your recipe for a good night out then this show is a must.

Venue: The Butterfly Club, Carson Place, Melbourne

Season: 6pm Wed 13 May – Sun 17 May, 7pm Sat 16

Tickets: Full $25| Conc $23

Bookings: www.thebutterflyclub.com

Comedy, Festivals, Review

REVIEW: Backward Anorak presents The Hip Hikers’ Guide to the Galaxy

An Intergalactic Comedy

By Narelle Wood

Backward Anorak’s show The Hip Hikers’ Guide to the Galaxy was promoted as an ‘intergalactic master class on assimilating one’s alien self into a hipster world’. It was not so much a master class as it was a brief aside to many of the other chaotic and mostly funny antics on stage.

HH_web

The show began with lots of promise; awkward dancing with impressive flair (Laura Frew); a DJ dropping some very hip beats (Leo Milesi); and the stylish entrance of the show’s two main characters Prince Harian (Vincent Milesi) and his slave Minge (Michelle Braiser). The story is that Prince Harian must find a wife and the audience are employed to help find him one.

The show is a musical comedy and the music selection is great, as is the reworking of the lyrics; it also helps that Milesi and Braiser have fantastic voices. I loved the costumes; it was like the 80’s had thrown up on stage but in a fabulously atrocious kind of way. And full credit to the cast who wore the spandex leggings, sparkly hot pants and oversized knit cardigan seemingly with pride.

While there were some laugh-out-loud moments, especially in the opening minutes, there always seemed to be too much going on. It felt like very little of the show was spent on the storyline. Instead the plot degenerates into seemingly unnecessary cheap jokes about sex, swearing, and some ill-placed and offensive references to ISIS and sex offenders. In fact a lot of the comedy relies on the bullying of one of the characters; I couldn’t quite see how this was humorous. These moments were in direct contrast to the really witty and well-written musical numbers, so I left feeling confused rather than entertained.

I found it to be a combination of things I really enjoyed and things I really didn’t. A Hip Hikers’ Guide to the Galaxy is worth a look if you are familiar with Backwards Anorak’s work or if you like comedy that crosses the line more than once.

 

Venue: The Butterfly Club, Carson Place, Melbourne

Season: Until 19th April (excl. Mon): Tue, Wed & Sun 8pm, Fri & Sat 9pm

Tickets: Full $32| Conc $25

Bookings: thebutterflyclub.com