Monthly Archives: February 2014

5 Questions with Major Scales

Posted in Suzy's 5 Questions by

majorscalesWhat is your favourite swear word?
I don’t use swear words, just the words around them (Son of a *** / Mother ***).

What are you wearing?
I’m relaxing at home in my smoking jacket and pince-nez.

What is love?
Love is never having to say “You’re wearing THAT?”

What was the last show you saw, and how many stars do you give it?
4 stars to the man on the street who swallowed a balloon whole. 5 stars for getting it back out.

Is your new show going to be any good?
That’s for history to decide.

Major Scales is appearing in The Vaudevillians, part of the Sydney Gay & Lesbian Mardi Gras 2014 festival.
Show dates: 18 Feb – 2 Mar, 2013
Show venue: The Vanguard

Review: We’re Bastards (Two Peas)

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bastards1Venue: Old 505 Theatre (Surry Hills NSW), Feb 6 – 23, 2014
Playwright: Oleg Pupovac
Director: Glen Hamilton
Actors: Tara Clark, Oleg Pupovac
Image by Anna Chase

Theatre review
We’re Bastards is a play that doesn’t go anywhere, about people who don’t go anywhere. Everything seems congested, but within the stagnation, an abundance of characterisation is explored in its main characters. Darling and Joe are siblings living in the disenfranchised lower classes of the United States of America. Their concerns are a world away from our middle class Australian theatre audiences, but they are a pair of oddities that instantly spark our interest. It is a bit of a freak show that unfolds, but care is taken to attempt an explanation for the damage they display.

Oleg Pupovac’s script might be too simple for some tastes, but his strength as an actor shines through within the straightforward context. Pupovac achieves a level of realism with his speech and movement that gives the production a feel of authenticity. His chemistry with Tara Clark, who plays his sister, is a highlight of the show. There is a level of intimacy between the actors that comes across, and adds complexity and mystery to their relationship.

Glen Hamilton’s direction is colourful and energetic, but his style is gentle, which sometimes comes into conflict with the script that resides in a space simultaneously cold and brutal. We’re Bastards is a brave work that takes on a time and place that is ignored but intriguing. It is about the third world that is sprouting in our own backyards in this age of increasingly severe class divisions. We all have a stake in this bastardry/illegitimacy, but it is too easy to turn a blind eye, and it is the job of art to impose these stories of injustices upon us.

www.venue505.com/theatre

Review: Bite Me (ATYP)

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rsz_bite_me_5_gxmphotographyVenue: ATYP Under The Wharf (Walsh Bay NSW), Feb 5 – 22, 2014
Director: Anthony Skuse
Playwrights: Jory Anast, Jake Brain, Sophie Hardcastle, Tasnim Hossain, Julian Larnach, Zac Linford, Felicity Pickering, Emily Sheehan, Kyle Walmsley, Keir Wilkins
Actors: Airlie Dodds, Darcie Irwin-Simpson, Joel Jackson, Angelica Madeni, Sam Marques, Paul Musemeci, Julia Rorke, Emily Sheehan, Kate Williams

Theatre review
Each year ATYP (Australian Theatre for Young People) brings together 20 young writers aged between 18 and 26 to participate in their National Studio. As part of the week, the writers are given a common theme and each creates a seven minute monologue for a 17 year old actor. Bite Me presents 10 of those scripts, in an unusual format that brings them together, not as a coherent whole, but a visceral entity that stands alone as a singular work of theatre.

The common theme in all the writing is food, but Anthony Skuse’s direction does not rely on that convenience to tie things together into one obvious unit. Instead, he focuses our attention on the actors’ work and design aspects of the production, to create an experience that is dramatic, thrilling, and avant garde. Skuse is acutely aware of the audience’s senses and all the potentialities an empty space holds for addressing them. His respect for actors and all their capacities is evident, and we are given the best sides of all his performers. Along with movement coach Adèle Jeffreys, Bite Me showcases a kind of image driven theatre that wonderfully imagines bodies in spaces, and pushes the boundaries of creativity within a realm of minimalism.

The cast is a young one, and while their standards of performance vary, all are allowed to present their strengths, and an excellent sense of evenness is achieved in terms of stage time. Julia Rorke, in Kyle Walmsley’s Food Baby, is easily the funniest in the ensemble. Her comic timing is natural and gleeful, and her determination in connecting with the audience is irresistible. Paul Musumeci’s performance of Keir Wilkins’ George is beautifully restrained. Like a caged lion, Musumeci exhibits a powerful magnetism, one resulting from a very controlled expression of a certain mysterious intensity that resides in the actor’s being. Jory Anast’s Pip Nat Georgie is performed by Airlie Dodds who delivers, without the aid of makeup and costumes, a memorable depiction of an archetypal young Australian masculine character. Dodds’ feminine appearance provides the perfect juxtaposition for her character, and allows us to see the actor’s interesting work with great clarity.

Set, lighting and sound design are thoughtful and exquisite. Narratives are scarce in Bite Me, but its atmospherics are dynamic and beautiful. This is a great achievement, given the minimalist approach taken by all the technical components. There have been many other showings of short plays that have entertained or titillated more, but this is a production that fascinates and impresses. It is thoroughly original.

www.atyp.com.au

Review: Proof (Ensemble Theatre)

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proofVenue: Ensemble Theatre (Kirribilli NSW), Jan 31 – Mar 8, 2014
Playwright: David Auburn
Director: Sandra Bates
Actors: Matilda Ridgway, Catherine McGraffin, Adriano Cappelletta, Michael Ross

Theatre review
There seems a fine line between genius and madness. Both are by nature alienating, and people who present these qualities frequently feel misunderstood or isolated. In our age of overdiagnosis and hypervigilance, mental conditions seem to be everywhere, presenting to society innumerable challenges relating to the way we manage them in daily lives. As we continue to obsessively pathologise every less than common behaviour including the display of extraordinary talents, so do our tendencies to impose conformity throughout our communities. Proof is a story about a woman’s gift in mathematical ability, and the pressures she faces from living a less than conventional life.

Sandra Bates’ direction relays the story clearly, and pays close attention to dynamics between characters. We have a good sense of who these people are, and the world in which they live is portrayed vividly. Tragic elements of the play are fleshed out particularly well, with themes of death, illness, betrayal and jealousy providing tension and gravitas. The production is however, less effective in its lighter moments, where some of the comedy can be stiff and muted. Bates’s work might not be consistently strong through every scene, but where the drama does work, things get fabulously explosive.

The four actor ensemble is tight and even. These are generous performers who have opened up to their audience and to each other. The frisson between characters is a highlight of the show, and their interchanges are thoroughly enjoyable. Michael Ross plays Robert with ardour and depth. He delves into a realism that appeals to our empathy, but also performs the character’s madness with a fiery gusto that keeps us engrossed. Lead actor Matilda Ridgway is committed and present. She has a warmth that allows us to identify readily with Catherine’s ordeal, but her emotional range requires further expansion in order to hit all the right notes required by the emotionally complex script.

David Auburn’s writing delivers a story that is intriguing and passionate. It is also deceptively simple, and only with protracted excavation can all its subtleties be brought to light in the theatre. In this new production by Ensemble Theatre, we are treated to a fascinating story, told with an authenticity and a gentleness that will resonate with anyone who has ever wondered about the insanity and ingenuity that resides in every person.

www.ensemble.com.au

5 Questions with Jinkx Monsoon

Posted in Suzy's 5 Questions by

jinkxmonsoonWhat is your favourite swear word?
Not to be too on the nose, but I would have to say shit.

What are you wearing?
Three girdles, five pairs of tights and Opera gloves.

What is love?
I wish I knew.

What was the last show you saw, and how many stars do you give it?
Briefs. 5 out of 5. It has everything I love in a circus show, plus ten times more man butt.

Is your new show going to be any good?
That’s for history to decide.

 

Jinkx Monsoon is appearing in The Vaudevillians, part of the Sydney Gay & Lesbian Mardi Gras 2014 festival.
Show dates: 18 Feb – 2 Mar, 2013
Show venue: The Vanguard
Image by Jose A. Guzman Colon

Review: Short+Sweet Dance 2014 (Short+Sweet)

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shortsweetdance1Venue: New Theatre (Newtown NSW), Jan 21 – Feb 2, 2014
Festival Directors: Joshua Lowe & Adam Wheeler
Photography by Pia

Theatre review
Short+Sweet Dance is a platform for emerging and professional choreographers from a wide range of genres to develop and showcase their work. It is also an opportunity for the Aystralian dance community to share and exchange ideas. This review is based on the Gala performance, which presented best pieces from this year’s festival, where more than 45 works from all over Australia featured over two weeks. It is noteworthy that a vast majority of performers are very young, but their abilities range widely. One of the strengths of this collection of works is the way in which each dancer’s capacity is taken into account, and no one is required to stretch too far beyond their faculties. The program is also memorable for its diversity, with artists from different backgrounds working across a good range of genres.

We commence with Familiar Strangers by Joseph Simons, who bases his abstraction on celebrity culture, and expresses a point of view that is characteristic of queer young men. Kirsty Fromholtz’s And Then Patterns (pictured above) features four dancers, each with a unique way of moving, is tender and probably the most emotionally engaging piece in the show.

Burlesque styles are explored in Natalie Pelarek’s Sink Or Swim, and Eva Crainean’s Girl Getting Bitter, both with a strong female presence, dealing with themes of gender difference. Sink Or Swim in particular, handles the subject matter very well, with extremely effective use of humour and sees Renelle Loretta Jones’ outrageous comic chops stealing the show.

Other stand outs include Jay Bailey’s Jaybird, which features a completely live soundtrack by the incredibly impressive beatboxer L.C.Beats. Also from the world of hip hop is Amber McCartney, whose interpretation of “popping and locking” in Hard-Boiled Wonderland, which utilises precise physical articulation brings to the program a sense of wonder and intrigue. No Fungus, No Tree by Sean Marcs and Anna Healey is an unusual work that features two very focussed and captivating performers. Their segment using Yazoo’s 1982 recording “Only You” is beautifully minimal and highlights the fantastic chemistry between the two. Nyunga by Thomas E.S. Kelly delivers an indigenous perspective and stars dancing sisters, Taree and Caleena Sansbury, who are truly delightful and graceful in their quiet confidence.

Our young dancers need to be congratulated for the training they put into their vocations. The amount of dedication in their art is evident in their skill and on their flesh. Their exploration into human physicality and visual mediums provides us with new and enlightening ways of looking at our own bodies and relationships with this vast universe in which we dwell. List of prize winners below.

Outstanding Choreography (joint winners):

  • Sean Marcs and Anna Healey for creating and performing No Fungus, No Tree – exploring the world of the symbiotic; and
  • Brianna Kell and Alexandra Andrews for creating and performing Salt – an inspired investigation

The People’s Choice (audience voted):

  • Swing Dancin’ – Natasha Crane’s infectious and quirky mix of styes performed by 25 artists

Award for Audacious Work:

  • Eva Crainean for Girl Getting Bitter – a comical, sexy and vengeful piece commenting on serious social issues and the femme fatale stereotype.

Outstanding Female Dancer (shared):

  • Amber McCartney for Hard-Boiled Wonderland – a movement study inspired by the work of Japanese novelist Haruki Murakami; and
  • Rosslyn Wythes for /Lu:p-/   – inspired by entrances, exits and the cyclical process where, within each loop, different information is revealed.

Outstanding Male Dancer: 

  • Harrison Hall for his solo work Melekh – “casting a shadow of light from within the darkness”.

www.shortandsweet.org