Category Archives: Theatre

The Maids (Sydney Theatre Company)

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906946-130601-rev-theatre2[1]Venue: Sydney Theatre at Walsh Bay (Sydney NSW), Jun 4 – Jul 20, 2013
Playwright: Jean Genet
Director: Benedict Andrews
Actors: Cate Blanchett, Isabelle Huppert, Elizabeth Debicki

Theatre review
It’s difficult to find Genet’s script relevant in Australia today, as the concept of “domestic help” is far removed from our day-to-day realities. Of course, the employee/employer relationship is commonplace, but our experience of it isn’t quite as oppressive and stifling an environment as portrayed in the play. Therefore, it is form rather than content that is of interest in this production by the Sydney Theatre Company.

All three actors are charismatic, vibrant and thoughtful in their interpretations of the text. There are many macabrely humorous moments played with twisted aplomb by these fearless women, providing not just comic relief, but also a sense of gravity and doom while avoiding a monotonous heaviness that could have easily permeated throughout. A very large screen captures these enigmatic faces in tight close ups (with cameras in the wings), feeding the adoring audience with the star power they desire. This same medium however, is also often distracting and awkward. Our eyes are kept too busy, trying to keep up with too much action, and we quite literally lose the plot at several points.

The set design and lighting are sumptuous. Several costumes look like real couture pieces the script proclaims them to be, and they are truly mesmerising (one is said to be a McQueen). The seductive glamour and luxury of the visual design makes sense within the context of the decadent world in which they dwell. On the other hand, the choice and use of music does not work nearly as well, with inappropriate tunes jumping jarringly in at several points, as though someone had clicked the wrong button on an iPod.

Ultimately, this production is about performance, and the art of acting. Huppert’s less than perfect command of the English language is a minor fault, but witnessing the best in the world onstage tackle an outlandish and flamboyant text is not only satisfying, but thoroughly and wonderfully exhilarating.

www.sydneytheatre.com.au

Antony & Cleopatra (Punchbug Productions)

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Shakespeares Antony and CleopatraVenue: King Street Theatre (Newtown NSW), Jun 4 – 15, 2013
Playwright: William Shakespeare
Director: Ira Seidenstein
Actors: Berynn Schwerdt, Denby Waller, Brinley Meyer

Theatre review
A big question that comes out of this production is whether a show should be put on at all when faced with serious budget constraints. There are some set and costume decisions that prove difficult to overlook, but what remains is a big group of actors (of wildly varying capabilities) relying only on their voices and bodies.

Antony is played by Berynn Schwerdt, whose initial entrance is disappointing, as his appearance in no way matches one’s imagination of the character, or indeed classic movie interpretations of it. Eventually though, the actor wins us over with an extremely committed and thoroughly rehearsed performance, in spite of much weaker co-players and a dismal lack of chemistry with his leading lady. His command of The Bard’s incredibly demanding lines are truly breathtaking.

It was unfortunate that the first (of three) hours felt disjointed and unfocused, but the cast eventually warmed up, lost their nerves and started relishing in their roles. It is only when they are enjoying the play and losing themselves in their individual moments that the audience is drawn in and suspended in time. Shakespeare is not everyone’s cup of tea, but witnessing actors in states of bliss performing their hearts out is always a sight to behold.

www.kingstreettheatre.com.au

Fury (Sydney Theatre Company)

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Fury_716x402_3[1]Venue: Wharf 1 Sydney Theatre Company (Walsh Bay NSW), Apr 15 – Jun 8, 2013
Playwright: Joanna Murray-Smith
Director: Andrew Upton
Actors: Sarah Peirse, Robert Menzies, Harry Greenwood

Theatre review
Murray-Smith’s new work is complex and nuanced, exploring the anxieties of contemporary middle-class Australia. A broad range of themes are explored, from class and racial politics, to marriage, parenting and the education system.

The performance commences disappointingly with a young actor seemingly unsure of her role in the plot, yet distractingly forceful with her facial expressions. Thankfully she exits early on and allows for the stronger players to take over, but her subsequent appearances do nothing in assisting with the development of the story.

On the other hand, Sarah Peirse is wonderfully compelling in the lead role. Her thorough understanding of the character’s world and the writer’s words are impressive and she provides the audience with a generous dose of drama that is both profound and entertaining. At times, however, it looked as though she would have benefited from a less minimal set. The bareness of the stage might have established the coldness of the intellectual “ivory tower” in which the family resides, but it also demanded too much of the actors who looked stranded in empty spaces for so much of the play’s duration.

Upton’s direction is particularly strong in conveying the play’s crucial ideas. Some complicated ideas are staged and performed with palpable clarity, and this is a great achievement. Less successful are the lighter moments, especially in the first half, which come across contrived and tired. There is however, no doubt that the strength of the “important scenes” more than make up for those momentary lapses.

www.sydneytheatre.com.au

Richard III (Or Almost) (EMU Productions)

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King Street TheatreVenue: King Street Theatre (Newtown NSW), May 1 – Jun 1, 2013
Playwright: Timothy Daly
Director: Markus Weber
Actors: Gerry Sont, Lucas Connolly

Theatre review
This production relies heavily on the playwright’s words. Daly’s text is both challenging and clever, weaving together simultaneous layers of conflicting realities through just two players. They go through subtly transforming spaces and characters, while presenting what seems to be a static setting. One might argue that this creates a monotonous two hours, but the integrity of that claustrophobic cell-like environment is preserved.

This work’s post-modernist acknowledgement of audience is exciting. There is a thrilling and slightly sadistic enjoyment in its implication that the two men on-stage are being kept captive and slowly driven insane by the audience itself. Questions about the relationship between artists and society are thoughtfully considered through many beautiful, albeit sometimes cruel, analogies. Plays contemplating the nature of art in modern capitalistic societies and actors discussing acting can be tedious, but within the context of this story, the themes are refreshing and thought-provoking.

www.kingstreettheatre.com.au

One Man, Two Guvnors (National Theatre of Great Britain)

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OM2G_F11[1]Venue: Sydney Theatre at Walsh Bay (Sydney NSW), Apr 2 – May 11, 2013
Playwright: Richard Bean, based on The Servant of Two Masters by Carlo Goldoni
Songs: Grant Olding
Director: Nicholas Hytner
Actors: Owain Arthur, Edward Bennett, Amy Booth-Steel, Alicia Davies

Theatre review
This work of nostalgia references British comedy in the 60s and 70s, utilising every familiar mechanism that contemporary audiences would know from Benny Hill, Are You Being Served, and the Carry On films. It cleverly incorporates an endless string of raucous gags, unafraid of the lowbrow but carefully avoiding anything that would be deemed “bad taste” by today’s standards, such as the homophobia and misogyny that had featured prominently in the past.

Hynter’s direction brings to Sydney a breath of fresh air, a kind of theatre less concerned with “high culture”, and more to do with pantomime and commedia dell’arte. Sydney Theatre at Walsh Bay felt like it had been administered a shot of adrenaline; not a minute passed without screams of laughter were hurled at the stage in joyful appreciation.

Theatre is serious business, one which comprises hundreds of different disciplines. Even in the realm of pure entertainment such as this production, One Man, Two Guvnors demonstrates what can be achieved when great skill and talent are applied perfectly.

www.nationaltheatre.org.uk

The Ham Funeral (New Theatre)

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hamVenue: New Theatre (Newtown NSW), Apr 23 – May 25, 2013
Playwright: Patrick White
Director: Phillip Rouse
Actors: Lucy Miller, Rob Baird, Zach McKay, Steve Corner

Theatre review
From what can be deciphered, the story isn’t particularly interesting. The direction is uneven, with a couple of scenes coming across under-explored or possibly misunderstood. The leading actor, while earnest and intense in his performance, was essentially monotonous in his interpretation of his character and lines. All that said, the experience of a surrealist theatrical work must always be an unconventional one. Tackling this difficult text without a lot of smoke and mirrors (it’s a minuscule budget) requires a whole lot of commitment and passion, which this team has in abundance.

The manifestation on stage of a world in a constant nightmare state is particularly successful. A sense of dread permeates, while glimpses of comedy and sexual tension keep the plot moving along deliciously, most notably during scenes where the leading lady is in confrontation with her vociferously formidable male ensemble. Also remarkable, is the production’s soundscape, which is sensitively designed and pays good dividends at unexpected points, when the playwright’s words simply needed more.

www.newtheatre.org.au

Robots Vs Art (La Mama Theatre)

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ImageVenue: La Mama Courthouse (Carlton, VIC), Apr 17 – May 5, 2013
Director/Playwright: Travis Cotton
Actors: Daniel Frederiksen, Simon Maiden, Natasha Jacobs, Paul Goddard

Theatre review
This tale has been told many times before. Man is again at threat of being consumed by its own Frankensteinian monster, but this retelling is still intriguing. While the play’s ideas are not original, they are updated with the hue of current human concerns that make its theme engaging. Its most successful moments revolve around the story’s robotic autocracy attempting to make sense of art and human emotion. Although exaggerated, this portrayal of government comes across convincingly and comically similar to our daily experience of leaders in civilisations today. Less successful, however, is the attempt to end the play with the human race escaping obliteration, which comes across tragically unconvincing.

www.lamama.com.au

Dance Of Death (Malthouse Theatre)

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Venue: Beckett Theatre at Malthouse (Southbank VIC), Apr 18 – May 19, 2013
Playwright: Friedrich Dürrenmatt, English text by Tom Holloway
Director: Matthew Lutton
Actors: Jacek Koman, Belinda McClory, David Paterson

Theatre review
The players are brilliant. They are charismatic, humorous, agile and precise. From the very start, the audience is eating out of the palm of their hand, keen to see what unfolds. Their depiction of a dysfunctional marriage (to put it mildly) is fascinating and thrilling, but it is a struggle to find more than great entertainment value from this production, which is curious as the play does go into very dark places. Its last third turns more serious, but this is where the show loses focus, and the crowd is left bewildered as to what is being conveyed.

Production values are wonderful. Sound and music, set and props, and lighting all felt flawlessly executed and artfully created. This is a loud and dynamic, yet elegant production, which theatre-goers will enjoy even if its ending fails to match u up to its astounding start.

www.malthousetheatre.com.au

Cowboy Mouth (Exhibit A: Theatre)

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Venue: Goodtime Studios (Carlton VIC), Apr 1 – 28, 2013
Playwrights: Sam Shepard & Patti Smith
Director: Emily O’Brien Brown
Actors: Belinda Misevski, Benjamin Rigby

Theatre review
This is a little-known play for good reason. The script is incredibly messy, as one would expect from a work created from the depths of intoxication. O’Brien Brown’s direction is intelligent, keeping emphasis on performance, emotion and mood, rather than story. Misevski shines brightly in this intimate staging. She is fearless and focused, presenting to the audience at close proximity, a character covered in open wounds. Her performance is intense, but also varied and colourful. A reminder of the great importance of “small theatre” productions.

www.exhibitatheatre.com