Review: The Drowsy Chaperone (Squabbalogic Independent Music Theatre)

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drowsychaperoneVenue: Hayes Theatre Co (Potts Point NSW), Mar 14 – Apr 6, 2014
Book: Bob Martin, Don McKellar
Music and Lyrics: Lisa Lambert, Greg Morrison
Director: Jay James-Moody
Choreography: Monique Sallé
Musical Direction: Paul Geddes
Actors: Jay James-Moody, Gael Ballantyne, Chris Coleman, Emma Cooperthwaite, Anna Freeland, Hilary Cole, Brett O’Neill, Ross Chisari, Laurence Coy, Steven Kreamer, Richard Woodhouse, Jaimie Leigh Johnson, Tom Sharah, Monique Sallé, Michele Lansdown

Theatre review
The Drowsy Chaperone is a brilliantly written musical. It is also a hilarious comedy with intelligently sharp and sophisticated humour that does not underestimate its audience. The show’s concepts and structure are original. Considering the usually restrictive genre, the writers have been able to create something that feels refreshing, yet maintain a classic musical formula that is perennially appealing.

The cast is a fairly large one, but the undoubted star of the production is Jay James-Moody, who plays “Man in chair”, a narrator of sorts who functions as our sometimes tipsy chaperone, guiding us through his favourite musical. James-Moody is also director of the work, and does a good job assembling and crafting the many elements of his creation, but his achievement as performer here is outstanding. His humour is subtle and precise, with a very thorough grasp of the vacillations and nuances in the writing. His connection with the audience is impeccably strong. James-Moody addresses the audience directly and is required to take control of all our reactions to almost everything that unfolds on stage. It is a very tall order but he delivers at every point, and in unbelievably fabulous form.

Hilary Cole as Janet van de Graaf impresses with a beautiful and versatile singing voice. Her role is a demanding one, and she delivers on many fronts but some of the choreography exposes her shortcomings. Cole’s work is full of conviction, and she looks very much the part, but can sometimes introduce too much fragility into her characterisation. Her fiancé Robert Martin is played by Brett O’Neill who has created a character that seems to be magically transported from the 1920s. It is a performance that is authentic and meticulously studied. O’Neill is delightful in the genre, with a strong singing voice and confident execution of choreography. Ross Chisari is slight of frame and plays a smaller role, but leaves a substantial impression. He is by far the strongest dancer in the cast, and has a surprisingly strong voice that belts out some of the most powerful notes in the show. Chisari has many qualities that would see him thrive in the field for all the decades to come.

In its final moments, the show takes a swipe at blockbuster musicals like Cats and Les Misérables. Indeed, The Drowsy Chaperone is not for every Tom, Dick, Harry and their 8 year-old children. It doesn’t operate on a level of simple sentimentality and doesn’t rely on unthinking emotion to hit its mark. This is a supremely entertaining show that appeals with its clever humour, but may need its crowd to have some level of cultured awareness. It is also a show about our love of performance. “Man in chair” has an obsession for stage performers in his record collection, and this production gives us many reasons to be enthralled in our seats, amused and awestruck.

www.hayestheatre.com.au

www.squabbalogic.com.au

5 Questions with Brett O’Neill

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rsz_1069168_10201646988048453_838512451_nWhat is your favourite swear word?
Piece-a-shit!!! It just slips out… A lot…

What are you wearing?
I was in my Peter Alexander pyjamas but now I am not.

What is love?
Love is cuddling while a storm is raging outside. Metaphorically and physically.

What was the last show you saw, and how many stars do you give it?
Merrily We Roll Along on Digital Theatre. 5/5. A truly touching, funny and heartbreaking staging of this musical. Everyone should buy it online. And all of the other ones. I may have done this. Maybe.

I would have loved to have said Sweet Charity (I was even rehearsing on their set) but I was one of the unfortunate buggers who missed out on a ticket for this one (yay for selling out though!!!)

Is your new show going to be any good?
Judging by the standing ovation we got for our last preview, I think we’re on a winner here. This is the feel-good show Sydney needs. In the afterglow of Charity, our tickets are selling like hotcakes so people need to book right this second. (Not a marketing ploy. I know someone that sold 3 of their kids to see this show, even though the tickets are reasonably priced)

Brett O’Neill is appearing in The Drowsy Chaperone, with Squabbalogic Independent Music Theatre.
Show dates: 14 Mar – 6 Apr, 2014
Show venue: Hayes Theatre Co

5 Questions with Alexandra Howard‏

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rsz_alexandra_howard_654x820What is your favourite swear word?
I am not sure that I have a favourite as such and it probably isn’t even considered a swearword, but my most common would be “idiotic”. It can sum up a lot of things.

What are you wearing?
A black pencil skirt and white Forever New blouse. Unfortunately, the starving actor phase didn’t suit me very well and I had a to get a secondary desk job, complete with business attire.

What is love?
Haha if I knew the answer to that question, I wouldn’t have needed to write my current show.

What was the last show you saw, and how many stars do you give it?
The Black Cat, 3.5 stars. Entertaining, good subject.

Is your new show going to be any good?
I hope so. We have a small team who all believe in this production. Please note Wonderland contains implied sex scenes, swearing and monsters… and who doesn’t love a show with a disclaimer!

Alexandra Howard‏’s new show is Wonderland, with Lexx Productions.
Show dates: 8 – 12 Apr, 2014
Show venue: Seymour Centre

5 Questions with Lucy Goleby

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lucygolebyWhat is your favourite swear word?
Probably douchebag. Not sure if it’s really a swear word, but it’s my go-to in times of annoyance!

What are you wearing?
Yoga gear, Lululemon tights and top, and a jumper I stole from my boyfriend.

What is love?
Love is like a colour. It’s impossible to describe but you know it when you see it.

What was the last show you saw, and how many stars do you give it?
The last show I saw was Cosi at La Boite in Brisbane, directed by David Berthold. Cosi is such a fabulous and fun play, and the cast was great. 4/5 stars!

Is your new show going to be any good?
Well, I reckon it is, but I don’t like telling people what to think, so come along and decide for yourself!

Lucy Goleby is appearing in A Moment On The Lips, with Mad March Hare Theatre Company.
Show dates: 25 Mar – 12 Apr, 2014
Show venue: The Old Fitzroy Hotel

Review: Dimboola (Epicentre Theatre Company)

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rsz_1506680_10151906976482061_1759131297_nVenue: King Street Theatre (Newtown NSW), Mar 13 – 22, 2014
Playwright: Jack Hibberd
Director: Darcy Green
Actors: Darcy Green, Louis Green, Ashleigh O’Brien, Phillip Ross, Alixandra Kupcik, Adam Delaunay, Anna Dooley, Julian Ramundi, Connor Luck, Annie Schofield, Kimberly Kelly, Zoe Tidemann, Letitia Sutherland, Tim Mathews, Michael Yore, Cameron Hutt

Theatre review
Jack Hibberd’s Dimboola is a play written with the metaphysical “fourth wall” completely removed. The audience’s presence is always acknowledged and whenever possible, characters are made to involve us in their story. In Epicentre Theatre’s production, even lighting design embraces the concept, with the entire theatre lit a bright white, and house lights are never turned off so that we are all conscious about being part of the onstage action.

Darcy Green’s direction pays tribute to 1970s Australia, with visual design aspects made to look very close to the 1979 film version, and actors determined to take us on a time travel expedition in which references to 2014 are strictly forbidden. What results is an experience that is unique, if a little bizarre. The humour is broad and old-fashioned. Under the guise of a country town wedding reception, the setting is relentlessly drunken and raucous. The air of wild disarray is successfully created by the uniformly strong cast, but some jokes and plot lines do get lost amidst the bedlam.

Adam Delaunay plays Angus with gleeful exaggeration, in a style that is reminiscent of villains in pantomimes. We don’t hear very much of what he has to say but his physical work is impressive and certainly attention grabbing. Anna Dooley as Florrie has some of the funniest facial expressions one can hope to encounter in the flesh. Her fight scene in particular is uproarious, and the most memorable moment in the show. Annie Schofield is hilarious as Shirl, playing up her character’s parochialism to great effect. It is a big and noisy crowd at the party, but Schofield works enough magic to stand out, with a characterisation that can be described as, well, a bloody ripper.

This work is an oddity. It is an interesting observational study of one aspect of our identity from a time past, so the audience does view it from a detached (and ironic) distance. We watch the nostalgia, but do not always find ourselves deeply immersed in it. Perhaps an update might improve the experience. Dimboola shows how we feel about ourselves when we are not at our best. The show is cheerful, forgiving and delirious, much like how we often think of each other.

www.epicentretheatre.org.au

5 Questions with Jane Bergeron and Carrie Ann Quinn

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rsz_possessions_imageWhat is your favourite swear word?
JB – “Fuck-me-sideways”, it has such a lovely rhythm.
CQ – “Fuck-a-duck”, I’ve always been a fan of rhymes.

What are you wearing?
JB – Movement clothes – black leggings, black skirt, geranium pink T-shirt (& matching lippo), black and white polka dot bra, bare feet.
CQ – Usual rehearsal outfit – black leggings, black skirt, ballet flats. oh, and a neon pink bra.

What is love?
JB – Wanting the best for someone; wanting them to be happy; putting yourself second, or third…
CQ – Freedom to be who you really are, to show every strength and weakness to another person and be accepted unconditionally.

What was the last show you saw, and how many stars do you give it?
JB – Lady Rizo in the Spiegeltent at that the Sydney Festival. She was fabulous! Four stars.
CQ – In January, I saw Grounded by George Brant, off-Broadway in New York City. Four stars. Wonderful play, brilliant writing.

Is your new show going to be any good?
JB – Come and see it and decide for yourself!
CQ – Absolutely. We would accept nothing less! It’s a real pleasure and luxury, really, to produce a new play twice in a year on two sides of the globe! As both playwrights and actors, we have freedom to refine the show; subtract and add things to fit the new space and the new country!

Jane Bergeron and Carrie Ann Quinn appear as the notorious Mancini sisters in Possessions.
Show dates: 26 Mar – 5 Apr, 2014
Show venue: King Street Theatre

Review: Heaven Help Us (Gherkin Global)

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rsz_heaven_help_us_sirmaiadscn8386Venue: Bordello Theatre (Potts Point NSW), Mar 12 – 29, 2014
Playwright: Keith Bosler
Director: Keith Bosler
Actors: Lyn Pierse, David Woodland, Orlena Steele-Prior, Emma Galliano, Tai Scrivener, Nick Radinoff
Image by Sirmai Arts Marketing

Theatre review
From Goethe’s Faust to Dudley Moore’s Bedazzled, the story about a man selling his soul to the devil is a motif that western cultures are more than familiar with. For many, the journey through life is nothing but a navigation between good and evil, so it is no wonder that another play has surfaced, in which a character explores those dichotomous choices.

Keith Bosler’s work is not an attempt to offer up something new to this discussion. In his writing and direction, Bosler is an exorcist, determined to get to a conclusion where irrefutable goodness exists, and it triumphs in the form of romantic love. The predictability of his plot and obviousness in his story are disappointing, but the earnest voice we hear is ultimately a comforting one. There is an innocent, almost childlike tone to the show, in spite of the overt portrayal of Satan and his aides as lustful, crude and so very naughty. Bosler’s approach keeps the devil and his nemesis completely segregated, so the concepts of good and bad are never allowed to become complex.

The highlight of the production are actors Lyn Pierse and David Woodland who seem to be able to “sing the phone book”. Pierse’s God is ironically and perversely, the only multidimensional character in the show. She is simultaneously kind and caustic, and is keen to play with frivolity at every opportunity while also effectively poignant when gravity is required. David Woodland plays the devil with a lot of flamboyance. His work is filled with tricks and techniques to prevent the character from ever becoming too plain. Woodland is a highly entertaining performer, even if our devil here is written with little originality. The rest of the cast struggles to match up to these two scene stealers, but in the second half, Nick Radinoff comes to life with surprising and funny consequences, showing off considerable comic ability.

Heaven Help Us retells a story that is too familiar. It however does include an unusual transgender character Michaela, who was formally known as the archangel Michael. After years of doing good, she had transformed into the female form. The joke is somewhat reversely sexist, but amusing nonetheless. Grey areas are by nature controversial, but they are also much more interesting. There is no requirement that all art is made for controversy, but it should strive for something that is at least a little out of the box. The butterfly leaves its cocoon to take flight; the angel should follow.

www.heavenhelpus.com.au

5 Questions with Cat Martin

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catherinemartinWhat is your favourite swear word?
‘Bollocks’. Also, ‘balls’! (Thanks, Alan Ayckbourn). Say them. They’re fun, if only mildly offensive… but ‘fuck’ is satisfying too, and is usually the first word to escape my mouth when the wheels fall off. I like that it’s not gender-specific.

What are you wearing?
Black singlet top, lurid pink bra, cheap skirt from Rivers that I love for its hectic floral pattern and light-weight material. No shoes, as I’m embracing the early Autumn mellowness, and I enjoy the feeling of childlike freedom. A necklace that says ‘LOVE’ (or ‘EVOL’ if I put it on the wrong way).

What is love?
Uplifting. Inspiring. Heart-breaking. Humbling. Generous. Necessary. Beautiful. In a relationship, love is a choice that you make. And keep making. If you can. It’s been interesting, and essential, to explore and compare what love means to each of us as we rehearse Construction Of The Human Heart. I predict that we are all going to need a stiff drink after a few rehearsals, as we make ourselves vulnerable and share our experiences and stories of ‘love’ with each other…

What was the last show you saw, and how many stars do you give it?
On The Shore Of The Wide World at the Stables (Griffin). 4.5/5 stars. Awesome script, elegant and restrained direction, and beautiful acting. Bawled through the last half hour.

Is your new show going to be any good?
Yes. That is our intention and our passion. It’s an amazing play. But the audience will decide.

Cat Martin is appearing in Construction Of The Human Heart, with Apocalypse Theatre Company.
Show dates: 16 Apr – 3 May, 2014
Show venue: TAP Gallery

Review: Hilt (Mirror Mirror)

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hiltVenue: Old 505 Theatre (Surry Hills NSW), Mar 12 – 30, 2014
Playwright: Jane Bodie
Director: Dominic Mercer
Actors: Alexandra Aldrich, Joanna Downing, Stephen Multari, Sam O’Sullivan

Theatre review
Jane Bodie’s script seduces with intrigue and structural complexity. Her characters divulge little of themselves, but we witness their interchanges at close range. At play is the way these contemporary Australians interact with each other, and we see how connections are formed in our modern lives. Bodie sets up what at first seems to be unconventional relationships, but over the course of her storytelling, we begin to question whether these are exceptional cases that we witness, or actually, a rare confession of common experiences.

Direction and performances tend towards naturalism, which makes Hilt “audience friendly”, turning challenging ideas into digestible concepts. Director Dominic Mercer succeeds in creating believable characters and communicating details of their stories, but could benefit from taking a little artistic license in expression. Real life sometimes needs sprucing up for the stage.

Mercer’s cast is a focused one, and all have clear trajectories with their individual motivations and destinations. Alexandra Aldrich plays Kate with a lot of graveness, which is an accurate depiction of the dark world in which she dwells, but prevents some of the dialogue from being more dramatic and punchy. Stephen Multari is effective in highly emotive scenes that require anger and frustration. Both actors seem constrained by the subtle and minimalist setting. Supporting actors Joanna Downing and Sam O’Sullivan provide excellent support and necessary lightness, helping add variety to the show’s palette of moods.

This is an Australian story that is as valid as any. It does however, have an unexpected sophistication in the incisive way it talks about family, marriage and sex. Nothing in the twenty-first century can truly be claimed as being unique to any cosmopolitan city, but Hilt certainly articulates a lot about what life today is like in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, etc. It provides a mirror into the things we do. Its accuracy and originality might be disorientating, but good art is known to do that.

www.venue505.com/theatre