What is your favourite swear word?
It has got to be CUNT!
What are you wearing?
A singlet and undies.
What is love?
Necessary.
What was the last show you saw, and how many stars do you give it?
Past Tense. 3.5 out of 5.
Is your new show going to be any good?
Swearing, fighting and an unconventional family. It’s going to be so much better than good!
Eleanor Ryan is appearing in Apples And Pears.
Show dates: 6 – 24 Nov, 2013
Show venue: The Old 505 Theatre
What is your favourite swear word?
If mum is reading this then ‘none’ because I don’t swear… otherwise I still like the old traditional ‘bugger’. Just realised that last response could be taken out of context 🙂
What are you wearing?
Shorts and a t-shirt with “TEIAM” written on it. Turns out there is an “I” in it.
What is love?
If I knew that I would not be sitting here at home on the computer while watching The Big Bang Theory on a Sunday night so I guess ‘elusive’.
What was the last show you saw, and how many stars do you give it?
Just got back from holidays so last play was Rosencrantz & Guildenstern Are Dead and I gave it 8/10 and I am a tough critic.
Is your new show going to be any good?
I don’t like to discuss how good a play is that I am in, before after or during, but it is going to be great fun working on it. I think Kim Knuckey is an amazing actor and have always wanted to work with him. Gerry has given us a great play to explore.
Lynden Jones stars in the world premiere of The Maintenance Room.
Show dates: 7 – 30 Nov, 2013
Show venue: King St Theatre
What is your favourite swear word?
Fuck. (In Context: Fuck fuck fuckity fuck.) It’s just so plosive.
What are you wearing?
Blue dress, no shoes! Enjoying my day off by getting out of my theatre blacks.
What is love?
Baby don’t hurt me! Don’t hurt me no more.
What was the last show you saw, and how many stars do you give it?
Rosencrantz And Guildenstern Are Dead. Does it need more stars than Tim Minchin and Toby Schmitz? It was pretty shiny. I give it four stars.
Is your new show going to be any good?
Heck yes! Rooted is smart, funny as balls and just that little bit heartbreaking. It’s a stellar cast and we have heaps of fun. We opened on Thursday and I swear I’ve laughed every single show and I’ve seen it SIX times now!
Lillian U is stage manager for Rooted.
Show dates: 30 Oct – 9 Nov, 2013
Show venue: NIDA Parade Theatres
Venue: Bondi Pavilion Theatre (Bondi NSW), Oct 29 – Nov 23, 2013
Playwright: Sarah Doyle
Director:Â Sarah Doyle
Actors: Damian de Montemas, Simon Lyndon, Leeanna Walsman, Martin Broome
Theatre review
There are stories that appear time and time again in our theatres because they contain evergreen ingredients, but once in a blue moon, a new story emerges that is poignant, interesting and representative of the times we live in. Anaconda is a tale that can only be told in civilisations that have achieved some level of gender and sexual liberation, and where religion is open to scrutiny. Taboos are omnipresent, but they evolve. What was once unspeakable is suddenly given release, and now is the time that themes of sexual abuse, and their many repercussions, are beginning to gain attention in public fora of certain societies.
Sarah Doyle’s script is an important one. It investigates the unraveling of sexual trauma in adult males from different perspectives, and we are provided valuable insight into hidden truths that are buried underneath the surfaces of our daily lives. Revelation is one of the most revered purposes of art. The play does not hold back at exposing gruesome details (although re-enactments are thankfully avoided), and descriptions of those details resonate powerfully with appalling terror.
Less successful however, is Doyle’s direction of her own writing. Characters do not develop as extensively as the story allows, and they come across overly simplified. The dynamics of the wife and husband relationship in particular, lack chemistry and credibility, even though performances are fairly strong. Actors are cast well, and all four bring conviction and gravitas to their roles, but the show requires greater “light and shade” for the dramatics of the script to work more effectively.
The greatest beauty in Anaconda is the way its plot unfolds. Full of intrigue and suspense, it provides great theatricality to what could have been a dreary, depressing experience. This show is a captivating one, and the air of mystery it creates ultimately finds gratification when it divulges its gritty and shocking secrets.
What is your favourite swear word?
Cunt! Without doubt.
What are you wearing?
Black jeans, black t – shirt with a dollar sign on it. Black flats.
What is love?
Love is having to say you’re sorry… often.
What was the last show you saw, and how many stars do you give it?
Cosi performed by third year students at ACTT. Three out of five.
Is your new show going to be any good?
Apples And Pears is original, fast, slick, and so much fun to perform. Although I think I’m the only one who doesn’t get to say “cunt”, 5 out of 5!
Deborah Jones is appearing in Apples And Pears.
Show dates: 6 – 24 Nov, 2013
Show venue: The Old 505 Theatre
Venue: Sydney Theatre at Walsh Bay (Sydney NSW), Oct 31 – Nov 3, 2013
Choreographers:Â Joshua Consadine, Halania Hills, Richard House, Ty King-Wall, Ben Stuart-Carberry, Alice Topp
Image by Branco Gaica
Theatre review
The Bodytorque seasons by The Australian Ballet feature works by emerging choreographers, and this year the company presents six excellent and diverse pieces. There is an emphasis on the idea of technique this season, and these young artists have all brought to the event their individual perspectives, which are distinct, confident, and strong.
Alice Topp’s Tinted Windows is modern and romantic, with an immense sensuality that is quite overwhelming. It conveys romance so effectively, proving that narrative storytelling is no match for dance forms when appealing to those emotions of longing and intimacy.
Finding The Calm by Richard House is memorable for its theatrical sensibility, juxtaposing stillness with dance to create poignantly moving moments. Some of the shapes he creates in various pas de deux are surprising, and deeply affecting in a way that only flesh on flesh connection can communicate.
In Polymorphia, Benjamin Stuart-Carberry focuses on the beauty of movement, as well as of the human body. It is the perfect commencement to the night’s program, and is immediately arresting and captivating.
The dancers are of course, divine. Vivienne Wong exudes extraordinary aura from every pore; she is a real star of the evening. Jarryd Madden has the rare ability to create dramatic tension in his dance, with minimal reliance on facial expression. Chengwu Guo’s athleticism and the uniqueness of his discipline allows him to stand out, and his abilities are showcased perfectly in Ty King-Wall’s The Art Of War.
This is a breathtaking night at the theatre. Some of the music is performed live, and listening to these emotive and sometimes euphoric classical compositions is a truly special experience. The same euphoria is delivered time and time again through each choreographer’s work, all varied but all accomplished. Ballet is not always for everyone, but this program has wide appeal, and it is hard to imagine anyone able to resist the unquestionable genius of these artistic triumphs.
Venue: The Newsagency (Marrickville NSW), Oct 29 – Nov 9, 2013
Performer and devisor: Michelle Pastor
Musical director: Alison Avron
Theatre review
Michelle Pastor and her show Spoil Your Love Life are above all else, quirky. Pastor’s brand of endearing silliness is amplified in one of the smallest venues in Sydney, The Newsagency. This 40-minute comedy cabaret piece is not the most ambitious of creations, and it springs forth from the simplest of premises, but “small theatre” like this can certainly amuse and entertain.
Pastor is a performer with great conviction and natural charm. The songs for her show are well-chosen, and Alison Avron’s arrangements are pleasantly structured. Pastor has some tuning issues that are exposed by the intimacy of the room, but her phrasing is strong, and she uses the songs well to tell her character Hanna’s story.
Hannah has a deep infatuation for movie star Hugh Jackman, and the glitzy Hollywood lifestyle he represents. The elusiveness of “the big time” is a theme of the show, but it is a comforting idea that emerging Australian theatre practitioners like Pastor are able to showcase their work, irrespective of clout or stardom.
What is your favourite swear word?
I’m very fond of fuck-face, especially as a term of endearment.
What are you wearing?
No shoes. I very much like not wearing shoes. One of my favourite things about living in Australia is that this is an acceptable lifestyle choice.
What is love?
Perseverance, compromise and cups of tea.
What was the last show you saw, and how many stars do you give it?
Jerusalem at the New Theatre. 4 stars.
Is your new show going to be any good?
Yes, yes it is.
Charlie Hanson is appearing in Triune.
Show dates: 22 Nov – 7 Dec, 2013
Show venue: TAP Gallery
What is your favourite swear word?
Cunt. I think it’s also my favourite word.
What are you wearing?
Currently, my pyjamas. But then it is early morning, being 11.30am. I’m not an early riser.
What is love?
Love is inconvenient. Usually because I find myself falling for the wrong person. He’s always unavailable in some way or another. But then again – so am I!
What was the last show you saw, and how many stars do you give it?
I saw Dirty Rotten Scoundrels. I give it 5 stars – it was one of the best musical theatre pieces I’ve ever seen. Funny and witty.
Is your new show going to be any good?
Well I’ve done it before, and it was pretty good last time… It’s a big barrel of laughs and spectacular costumes!
Trevor Ashley is starring in Star Struck.
Show dates: 8 Nov, 2013
Show venue: The Star Event Centre
What is your favourite swear word?
That would be the F-word I repeated loud and long and clear when I was knocked off my bicycle last Friday.
What are you wearing?
A white shirt and jeans.
What is love?
Much considered in Shakespeare’s Sonnets and seems crucially to depend on many precarious variables.
What was the last show you saw, and how many stars do you give it?
The Good The Bad And The Lawyer with a star to each actor for a five star show.
Is your new show going to be any good?
The writing is very good and Bryan Andrews knows what he is doing so what could possibly go wrong?
Peter Hayes is appearing in Shakespeare’s Sonnets.
Show dates: 30 Oct – 9 Nov, 2013
Show venue: TAP Gallery
Suzy Goes See 