Hay Fever (New Theatre)

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hayfever1Venue: New Theatre (Newtown NSW), Oct 8 – Nov 2, 2013
Playwright: Noël Coward
Director: Rosane McNamara
Actors: Alice Livingstone, Jorja Brain, James Bean, David Halgren
Image by Bob Seary

Theatre review
Noël Coward’s work has an irreverent and subversive sensibility that stands the test of time. Hay Fever is about a family that is characterised by early 20th century notions of decadence and the bohemian, and Rosane McNamara’s vision has created an interpretation that speaks to modern audiences, while retaining all the robust and wicked humour that Coward is best known for.

Judith Bliss is the matriarch of the household, and a middle-aged star of the theatre who seems unable to live life without manufactured drama and exaggerated affectations. Played with flair and excellent humour by Alice Livingstone, the role is front and centre of the show, and absolutely crucial to the success of this production. Livingstone’s firm Cowardian grasp of flamboyance and wit is marvellous. Her skills in high camp delivers barrels of laughter, and she carves out a character that is perversely alluring despite her hideous indulgences. Livingstone’s counterparts do not quite match up to her comedic excellence, but all have created distinct and memorable personalities that move the plot along with clarity and sharpness.

Another star of the show is production design; all visual elements are impressive. Set and lighting design are effective, and their take on 1920s Art Deco is graceful and charming. Costumes are superb and detailed, and in the case of the character Myra especially, hair and makeup are simply stunning.

New Theatre’s Hay Fever is a bold and wonderful achievement. Noël Coward’s characters and wittiness are not the simplest to portray, and even though this production does not hit every punchline perfectly (most notably when the leading lady is off-stage), it is remarkable that his story is brought to life so vividly. With the passage of time, its century-old aesthetics might look to be outmoded, but Rosane McNamara’s direction fleshes out everything that is exceptional and unconventional in Coward’s writing that is rarely, if ever, replicated.

www.newtheatre.org.au

5 Questions with Marc Kay

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marckayWhat is your favourite swear word?
Mother F**ker.

What are you wearing?
Shorts and t-shirt.

What is love?
$200/hour.

What was the last show you saw, and how many stars do you give it?
Jerusalem at New Theatre, 4 out of 5 stars.

Is your new show going to be any good?
No, it will be great.

 

 

Marc Kay plays Mickey the gambling addict cousin from Brisvegas in The Good, The Bad And The Lawyer.
Show dates: 10 – 27 Oct, 2013
Show venue: TAP Gallery

Roberto Zucco (Sydney Independent Theatre Company / Le Théâtre des Assassins)

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robertozuccoVenue: Old Fitzroy Theatre (Woolloomooloo NSW), Oct 1 – 19, 2013
Playwright: Bernard-Marie Koltès (translated by Martin Crimp)
Director: Anna Jahjah
Actors: Tim Cole, Lyn Pierse, Gemma Scoble, Sam Dugmore, Adrian Barnes, Neil Modra
Image by Katy Green Loughrey

Theatre review
Subtitled “the journey of a beautiful murderer”, Roberto Zucco is based on events and crimes committed by Roberto Succo in Italy and France in the 1980s. Bernard-Marie Koltès’ script (his final one, written in 1988) has shades of absurdism, but it is thankfully a coherent one that director Anna Jahjah is able to materialise on stage with humour and logic. This is a funny show with solid performances from some of the cast, and it is indeed the comic actors who leave the greatest impression.

Lyn Pierse plays 3 whimsical roles, and she is the consummate scene stealer. The younger players try hard to match up to her abilities, but Pierse owns the stage, and the audience hungers for her every gag and punch line. Neil Modra and Sam Dugmore are a delightful duo, with brilliant comic timing and chemistry. The personalities they create together, and individually, are whacky and wonderful, and both show a level of confidence and pizzazz that works perfectly for the tone of this production. Adrian Barnes takes on the older male characters, and applies wildly different approaches to each of them. He is a delightful presence but it is his performance as the tender, playful and charming “Old Gentleman” that is most interesting.

Design aspects though not particularly appealing, are effective. The construction of two levels on the Old Fitzroy stage adds a visual complexity to the play, and helps the actors emphasise the physicality of their performances. Jahjah’s work demands that her performers are agile and expressive with their bodies and faces, keeping her show consistently fast-paced and fun. Roberto Zucco fascinates with interesting characters and talented players, but ends up being overly light even though murder and rape are central themes. Nevertheless, this is a show that will entertain and amuse, even if the bigger questions are not thoroughly explored.

www.sitco.net.au
www.letheatredesassassins.com

5 Questions with Brigid O’Sullivan

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brigidosullivanWhat is your favourite swear word?
Bollocks.

What are you wearing?
My pj’s – purple silk nightie.

What is love?
A higher power outside yourself.

What was the last show you saw, and how many stars do you give it?
JD Burgess And Friends at El Rocco – 4 stars.

Is your new show going to be any good?
Of course, I’m in it! Just joking. Unadulterated silliness is always good so we will have a great show.

 

Brigid O’Sullivan plays nosey journalist Rhonda in The Good, The Bad And The Lawyer.
Show dates: 10 – 27 Oct, 2013
Show venue: TAP Gallery

5 Questions with David Halgren

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davidhalgrenWhat is your favourite swear word?
The C word. These days, it’s hard to find an effective swear word that hasn’t been completely desensitised. The C word still works. It’s those consonants. Consonants get me hot.

What are you wearing?
Shorts and a t-shirt. It’d feel completely like summer if not for the hay fever. Hey, that’s the name of our play!

What is love?
Baby, don’t hurt me. I’m sure I’m the first to use that one? Haha, but seriously, don’t.

What was the last show you saw, and how many stars do you give it?
Fireface at ATYP for Under The Wharf. 4 out of 5 stars. Beautifully directed by Luke Rogers.

Is your new show going to be any good?
It’s going to be all kinds of good. I’m working with a talented and generous cast. Coward’s wit is a joy to play, but it’s also extraordinarily technical and relies on a perfectionist’s mind to deliver said wit. Fortunately for you, we’re all perfectionists.

David Halgren is starring in Hay Fever, by Noel Coward.
Show dates: 8 Oct – 2 Nov, 2013
Show venue: New Theatre

5 Questions with Jordan Shea

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rsz_jordysheaWhat is your favourite swear word?
Shit. I find myself saying it over and over, and it can really be used in both a positive and negative way. If you’re called ‘The Shit’, that’s good, if you are ‘Shit’ well, that’s bad.

What are you wearing?
Chinos I bought recently from the Big Apple, and a t-shirt that promotes my current show: Company. I’m barefoot!

What is love?
Baby don’t hurt me. No, Love is indescribable, it’s a terrific feeling, but one that can come with a lot of weird quirks. It’s like a big beautiful mudcake. You take a bite, and it’s great, but then you can taste different things in it. I was fat as a child.

What was the last show you saw, and how many stars do you give it?
Last show I saw was Michael Jackson’s Cirque Du Soleil, that was pretty enormous and impressive. But the last play I saw was Return To Earth by Lally Katz, that was a lot of fun in a good space, highly recommended.

Is your new show going to be any good?
It really is. We live in a city where the work of such a brilliant composer (Sondheim) is vaguely touched upon, but when it is, it’s done brilliantly. This is a prime example. It’s definitely not a typical musical, but more of an intimate play with songs.

Jordan Shea is appearing in Company.
Show dates: 2 – 12 Oct, 2013
Show venue: King Street Theatre

King Lear (Harlos Productions)

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rsz_lear0622Venue: Old 505 Theatre (Surry Hills NSW), Oct 2 – 13, 2013
Playwright: William Shakespeare
Director: Scarlett Ritchie
Actors: Gertraud Ingeborg, David Ritchie
Image above from 2006 production

Theatre review
Harlos Productions’ abridged 60-minute version of King Lear comprises key scenes from the play, joined by a narrator’s summary of events in between. The abbreviation of the plot obviously removes a lot of its development of tension and emotional involvement from the original experience, but what is created with just two players, is a theatrical entity that focuses squarely on the art of performance and storytelling. In the hands of Gertraud Ingeborg and David Ritchie, it is clear that the art form in question is a noble one.

Borrowing from Japanese and Chinese performance styles, both actors articulate their parts distinctly, almost operatically. Their stylistic gestures connect them to the audience, as they guide our eyes into the trajectories of the story. They often speak their lines directly into the fourth wall as though in the form of a narrator, inviting us to admire the beauty in their every movement and enunciation. Indeed, Ingeborg and Ritchie present to us, a craft that is effortless, confident, and thoroughly accomplished. Ingeborg in particular is manifestly comfortable and lively in all her roles, taking on each part with enthusiastic ease, and delighting us with a presence that can only be described as riveting.

Scarlett Ritchie’s direction brings out the best in both actors. We are shown the full range of their impressive skill, which gives the show an exciting feel of constant variation, and that variation is elemental in engaging the audience’s emotions. Props and costumes are minimal, but all items are utilised effectively. The director makes us read those inanimate objects in a specific way, and uses them to accurately shape our perspectives.

Even though the end of the piece is emotionally powerful, and Shakespeare’s epic story is ultimately told successfully, it is the art of theatre creation that triumphs in this production. In one hour, we see clearly the meaning of art, and realise the reverence that we must have for serious art makers.

www.venue505.com/theatre

Family Voices (The Cannoli Mob)

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familyvoices1Venue: University of Notre Dame (Sydney NSW), Oct 2 – 6, 2013
Playwright: Harold Pinter (adapted by Vivian Tselios)
Director: Vivian Tselios
Actors: Adriano Cianfarani, Frances Attard, Nicola Said, Simon Boileau, Susan M Kennedy

Theatre review
In The Cannoli Mob’s Family Voices, production design plays a big part in conveying a sense of stifling and oppressive gloom. These are characters that exemplify English restraint, and the set, while good-looking, effectively communicates that sense of formality and austerity. It is also provides versatility, giving the play a surprising multi-dimensionality in spite of the small stage.

Vivian Tselios’ direction retains the abstraction in Pinter’s words, which gives the show a slightly surreal quality that is alluring and strangely enjoyable. The actors successfully depict an intriguing universe, even though their individual abilities do vary. Adriano Cianfarani plays the lead role, and brings an interesting “narrator” sensibility as though he is never quite present in his own world, which adds to the surreal feel of the show. Although the play does not seem to explicitly discuss locality, Cianfarani’s accent is distracting, and contradicts with the Englishness of Pinter’s writing. Simon Boileau’s appearance is a gift to the aesthetics of the production. On a visual level, he adds a lot to the sophistication of the work, and his acting is also most accomplished of the group. He has a daring and mischievousness that connects well with the audience.

This is a sensitive work that is quiet and thoughtful. The theme of miscommunication in the play is challenging at times, but it has an unusual visceral kind of beauty that envelopes the theatre while its audience listens in and ponders the nature of relationships and parenthood.

www.facebook.com/thecannolimob

Penelope (Siren Theatre Co)

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penelope1Venue: TAP Gallery (Darlinghurst NSW), Sep 12 – Oct 6, 2013
Playwright: Enda Walsh
Director: Kate Gaul
Actors: Nicholas Hope, Thomas Campbell, Arky Michael, Philip Dodd, Branden Christine

Theatre review
Attending a work by independent theatre companies in Australia is unpredictable. We hope for the best, and expect the worst. Resources are limited, and it is a challenge for semi-professional groups catering to audiences who are accustom to productions by dominant, well-funded companies. Siren Theatre Co rises to that challenge with a formidable cast and crew that have come together successfully and exceed expectations. Penelope showcases excellent work by all its actors, designers and technicians, with Kate Gaul at the helm, directing, producing, and proving herself to be a woman of exceptional ability and a brilliant visionary.

The show is at once intelligent, funny, emotional, audacious and confounding. Artistic licences are de rigueur, and no moment is spared of theatricality. The actors, all equally impressive, constantly negotiate the spaces between narrative and extravagance in their performances. There is a strong element of vaudeville in their work, and it is their commitment to the creation of a distinct style that gives the production a specific and memorable voice. Nicholas Hope shows himself to be quite the force of nature, playing the role of Quinn with extraordinary focus and strength. His no-holds-barred mode of performance is disarming and wonderfully mesmerising. Arky Michael’s Dunne is an amalgamation of rock star and Norma Desmond, an outlandish and madcap portrayal that is absolutely joyful.

Production design features prominently. It services the plot perfectly, transforming the relatively small space into one that is full of possibilities for the actors, while carving out an aesthetic for the production that is vibrant and innovative. Indeed, this is a show characterised by its vibrancy and innovation. This company has created something that overflows with ideas and enthralment, and because Enda Walsh’s script is not a simple one, one is compelled to revisit Penelope to experience her more deeply. The femme fatale beckons.

www.sirentheatreco.com

5 Questions with Laura-Beth Wood

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laurabethwoodWhat is your favourite swear word?
I couldn’t possibly say – you would never catch me swearing 🙂

What are you wearing?
Nothing.

What is love?
Ha, I am not the right person to ask that question.

What was the last show you saw, and how many stars do you give it?
Alice – my friends were in it, so I think it was amazing 5/5.

Is your new show going to be any good?
It is going to be amazing. We have an outstanding cast who have all worked so hard. They sound and look terrific. I am really proud of them!

 

Laura-Beth Wood is choreographer for Fame: The Musical.
Show dates: 2 – 5 Oct, 2013
Show venue: Pymble Ladies College