Review: On The Beach (Sydney Theatre Company)

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Venue: Roslyn Packer Theatre (Sydney NSW), Jul 18 – Aug 12, 2023
Playwright: Tommy Murphy (adapted from the novel by Nevil Shute)
Director: Kip Williams
Cast: Matthew Backer, Tony Cogin, Michelle Lim Davidson, Emma Diaz, Vanessa Downing, Tai Hara, Genevieve Lee, Ben O’Toole, Contessa Treffone, Kiki Wales, Elijah Williams, Alan Zhu
Images by Daniel Boud

Theatre review
Even though the war had well and truly ended, devastation and trauma lingered in the minds of both victors and losers. Nevil Shute’s novel On the Beach was published in 1957, 12 years after the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki by the Americans. It imagines a future in which a final explosion occurs in the Northern Hemisphere, with devastating effects of radiation gradually spreading across the entire globe, including Melbourne where we meet the characters of Shute’s story.

This new stage adaption by Tommy Murphy, feels as much a period piece as it does resonate with contemporary pertinence. The dialogue has a tendency to sound drily obscure, but Murphy’s astute condensation of events for his version, allows On the Beach to speak urgently to our modern sensibilities. Whether we associate the story with our renewed experiences of a pandemic, or with our present anxieties around technological advancements especially as it relates to artificial intelligence, the play taps into a sense of doom that seems perennially a part of being human, no matter the epoch.

That masochistic fascination with catastrophe is harnessed powerfully by Kip Williams, who directs the production with astonishing sophistication, connecting with our taste for the morbid, in quiet but intense ways. The narrative of On the Beach is a distant runner up to the gratification supplied by the atmospherics being administered, in a show that deals in the philosophy of certain death.

Michael Hankin’s set design bears a skilful precision that allows for a minimalist aesthetic to operate, using the vastness of empty space to trigger fears pertaining to notions of desertion and annihilation. Lights by Damien Cooper further enhance that sensation of isolation and of insignificance, that we understand subconsciously to be our minuscule piece in the real scheme of things. Costumes, delightful in a very 1950’s manner, are poised and hyper-gendered, as authentically crafted by Mel Page. Auditory pleasures are a real highlight of the staging, with music by Grace Ferguson delivering transcendent romance, along with Jessica Dunn’s sounds that keep us firmly in a space of mournful apprehension.

Excellent performances by the cast ensures our sensory, if not always emotional, investment into their show. Ben O’Toole brings a beautiful and captivating rhapsody to Peter’s increasingly maddening states of anguish. Mary’s dignity is kept intact by the illuminative Michelle Lim Davidson, who exemplifies a woman keeping it together, at the most challenging of times. Contessa Treffone is relied upon thankfully for the crucial lightening of mood, as the irrepressibly vivacious Moira. Dwight is played by a sensitive Tai Hara, every bit the old-fashioned matinee idol, but also unexpectedly touching at the right moments. Also noteworthy is Elijah Williams, whose turn as Swain gives the show some of its greatest poignancy, right when it matters most.

Grace and composure at critical junctures, even if they seem to provide no discernible function, are emblematic of the best of who we are. In this production of On the Beach, ugliness is worse than death, and is mercifully nowhere to be seen. Our tragedy is certainly of our own doing, and it is appropriate that we should endure it, with the utmost dignified serenity that can be mustered.

www.sydneytheatre.com.au

Review: Teenage Dick (Flight Path Theatre)

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Venue: Flight Path Theatre (Marrickville NSW), Jul 19 – Aug 5, 2023
Playwright: Mike Lew
Director: Dan Graham
Cast: Thom Blake, Amy Victoria Brooks, Holly-Jane Cohle, Gemma Dart, Keira Fairley, Rocco Forrester, Chloe Ho, Dean Nash
Images by Andrea Magpulong

Theatre review

When Richard decides to campaign for class president at his high school, it is as much an indication of his ambition, as it is of a thirst for revenge. Based on Shakespeare’s Richard III, Mike Lew’s Teenage Dick transposes the anti-hero to a contemporary context, turning the protagonist into a much younger man, but retains his narrative of disability. This excellent update from 2016, like the original, is both comedic and tragic, brilliantly constructed to have us shifting in our attitudes regarding the problematic central character. With its sophisticated methodology for advocacy, depictions of disability in Teenage Dick are never patronising, with Lew demonstrating an immense capacity for presenting humanity in ways that resonate deeply, without relying on cliché and convention.

Directed by Dan Graham, we are transported convincingly to Roselands High School somewhere in the United States, where the teenagers are delightfully rambunctious and disarmingly bright. Lights by Casey-Moon Watton and sound by Dean Nash are prudently rendered, to bring dramatic emphasis to key moments. Set and costume design by Holly-Jane Cohle are vibrant and whimsical, wonderfully charming with the visuals aspects being established for the staging.

Additionally, the aforementioned Nash and Cohle leave remarkable impressions playing Richard and Buck respectively, both accomplished and endearing as performers, on a stage that buzzes with constant energy. Amy Victoria Brooks as teacher Elizabeth, and Rocco Forrester as bully Eddie, are memorable for the accuracy they bring to their roles. Gemma Dart and Chloe Ho tell meaningful stories, about the challenges faced by girls as they prepare to grow into their womanhood. Thom Blake and Keira Fairley are endlessly amusing with the boisterousness they introduce, to remind us of that characteristic anxiety involved in navigating teenage life.

Our cultures seem very accustom to portrayals of disadvantaged members of society, as either long-suffering and noble, or despicable and Machiavellian. In Teenage Dick we are urged to consider our marginalised as being thoroughly human, with as many virtues and faults as anyone thought of as normal. We understand that Richard could have done the right thing, or the wrong, because the ability to go either way, is thoroughly and disappointingly, the truth about who we all are.

www.flightpaththeatre.org | www.divergenttheatrecollective.com

Review: The Hero Leaves One Tooth (KXT on Broadway)

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Venue: KXT on Broadway (Ultimo NSW), Jul 14 – 29, 2023
Playwright: Erica J. Brennan
Director: Cam Turnbull
Cast: Kira-Che Heelan, Michael Mcstay, Tom Rodgers, Cara Whitehouse, Claudia Shnier, Patricio Ibarra, David Woodland
Images by Clare Hawley

Theatre review

Neeve had gone through great pains, to remove the teeth from her vagina, only to discover that it all grows back after 5 days. In Erica J. Brennan’s The Hero Leaves One Tooth, the folkloric phenomenon of vagina dentata is explored within a context, that feels very much like our contemporary reality. It is the post-#MeToo era, and even our biology is acting up, with our bodies creating new ways of retaliation against the patriarchy. Cleverly conceived, Brennan’s writing is abundant in intrigue, but slightly deficient with its narrative. Even though dialogue tends to be excessively obtuse, its personalities are imbued with enigmatic charm.

Direction by Cam Turnbull revels in the surrealist qualities of the play, fashioning flamboyant gestures that deliver an enjoyable theatricality, although some of the comedy can feel forced and contrived. Set design by Meg Anderson needs greater consideration for exits and entrances, but is otherwise effective in transforming the space into a site of familiar domesticity. Jasmin Borsovszky’s lights are robust and ambitiously rendered, to depict both realism and something decidedly more nightmarish. Sound by Zac Saric and music by Alexander Lee-Rekers with Saric, keep us in a state of anxiety, for a show determined to expose our world for its unrelenting bleakness. Songs by Jake Nielsen add comically macabre dimensions, furthering a sense of the bizarre.

The cast is somewhat lacking in chemistry, but individual performances are generally strong. Kira-Che Heelan’s visible restraint as Neeve, conveys with accuracy how we deal with trauma in everyday life. Michael McStay’s exuberance as Felix is a comical study in a kind of psychological denialism. In the role of Sasha is Claudia Shnier, who brings emotional intensity at the moment it matters most. Playing Mark with pertinent generosity, is David Woodland who manufactures complexity, in place of simplistic adversarial relationships.

In The Hero Leaves One Tooth, we observe that no matter what mental gymnastics a person puts themself through, the body will simply refuse to pretend that feelings do not exist. Some injuries can be healed, but it requires investment into processes that are usually more extensive than we are ready to submit ourselves to. Pain is often a sustained and prolonged experience. The mind will do what it can, in efforts to numb, for temporary relief, but there is no meaningful displacement that can occur outside of a person’s being. Terror manifests, maybe not as belligerent teeth in the vagina, but the body certainly needs a comprehensive experience of the truth.

www.kingsxtheatre.com | www.ratcatchtheatre.com

Review: Forgetting Tim Minchin (25A Belvoir)

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Venue: Belvoir St Theatre (Surry Hills NSW), Jul 12 – 19, 2023
Book, Music and Lyrics: Jules Orcullo
Director: Amy Sole
Cast: Jules Orcullo, Nova Raboy
Images by Clare Hawley

Theatre review

Jules quit her job and moved home during the pandemic, thinking she would take the opportunity to really develop her art. Just when she becomes exasperated about the lack of progress, an accidental social media post exposes her talent to childhood idol Tim Minchin, and things begin to magically fall into place. Jules Orcullo’s original musical Forgetting Tim Minchin is a deeply whimsical work, full of genuine hilarity, juxtaposed against an unrelenting and disarming commitment to emotional authenticity. Despite its creator’s many reminders that the story is mostly fictional, the musical captivates seemingly effortlessly, with its enchanting blend of comedy and heartfelt moments.

The show is hugely entertaining, directed by Amy Sole whose detailed approach ensures an extraordinary attention to nuance, so that we are seduced into the tiny microcosm of Jules’ bedroom, where a world of imagination and passion is allowed to flourish. Set and costume design by Hailley Hunt are rendered with accuracy, for familiar imagery that speaks on where and who the characters are, in both geographical and socio-economic terms. Lights by Kate Baldwin offer meaningful transformations of space, transporting us across various degrees of reality.

Most of the musical accompaniment is pre-recorded, and although arranged in the simplest style, the songs are never any less than thoroughly delightful. Along with a sound design by Christine Pan and musical direction by Andy Freeborn, all that we hear in this musical production, endears us to its central characters, making us understand and care for them, at every moment.

As performer, Orcullo is a magnetic presence, with an ability to access a certain inner truth, that makes her audience defenceless and entirely open to whatever may come, in this unpredictable journey. Playing Jules’ mother is Nova Raboy, whose remarkable capacity for tenderness and warmth, draws us further into the storytelling. Movement direction by Lauren Nalty gives both performers a sense of structured form and discipline to their physicality, to imbue a visual finesse that further elevates the production.

Forgetting Tim Minchin delivers laughter and tears, in copious amounts. It is an opportunity for emotional catharsis, but probably more importantly, it is an exercise in empathy at a time when we feel increasingly persuaded to become hardened and unfeeling. Orcullo’s work showcases a vulnerability that modern life is rarely capable of accommodating, yet is unequivocally intrinsic to the human experience, and foolish of us to neglect. With computers poised to take over every mechanical aspect of our existence, we should perhaps consider a great retreat into the essentially constitutive human materials, of flesh and spirituality; learn anew to celebrate an attention to vulnerability, and begin to strip off generations of cladding enclosed around it, leave behind what was meant to protect, but have inadvertently made us increasingly inhuman.

www.thejoyoffensive.com | www.belvoir.com.au

Review: Jailbaby (Griffin Theatre Company)

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Venue: SBW Stables Theatre (Darlinghurst NSW), Jul 7 – Aug 19, 2023
Writer: Suzie Miller
Director: Andrea James
Cast: Lucia Mastrantone, Anthony Taufa, Anthony Yangoyan
Images by Clare Hawley

Theatre review
In Suzie Miller’s Jailbaby, 18-year-old AJ serves two years for a minor offence, in a prison with the hardest of criminals. Another young man of similar age, but from a more affluent background, Seth too is breaking the law, but is kept shielded from authorities. It is a story about class in contemporary Australia, and about how we foster a culture of men behaving badly. The stakes are unquestionably high in Miller’s play, but a lack of tension and drama, makes the experience feel somewhat clinical and uninvolving. It is admirable that individuals are not singled out for blame, in an examination of our social ills, but for a theatrical piece, our emotions are unfortunately kept too much at bay.

Direction by Andrea James attempts to manufacture frisson, with careful calibrations of atmosphere, along with detailed supervision of performances. Isabel Hudson creates a marvellous set design that allows for depictions of jail visitations while also being effectively evocative of interrogation rooms. Lights by Verity Hampson are thoughtfully rendered to guide us through the numerous spatial transformations taking place in a show comprising short and sharp scenes. Music and sound design by Phil Downing, helps to deliver sensorial richness, almost making up for deficiencies in the narrative.

Actor Anthony Yangoyan takes on both AJ and Seth, excellent at locating nuance for each, and highly impressive in making the two personalities, distinct and convincing. Yangoyan’s concentration and focus are absolutely remarkable, with a presence that keeps us on his side, even as the characters turn alienating. Lucia Mastrantone and Anthony Taufa demonstrate great versatility, in a wide range of roles, all of which prove compelling and energetic. The quality of collaboration in the trio is gratifying to observe, in a production that boasts accomplished work from all disciplines.

In Jailbaby we can deduce that our system of incarceration is an archaic one, that seems never to come under sufficient scrutiny. It feels an old solution to problems that persist, one that should always be modified for improvements, yet seems completely inert, from one generation to the next. Even with unremitting advancements in medical and scientific fields, we remain hesitant to replace punishment with prevention and treatment, such is the extent of the entrenched nature of our systems.

www.griffintheatre.com.au

Review: Miss Peony 牡丹小姐 (Belvoir St Theatre)

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Venue: Belvoir St Theatre (Surry Hills NSW), Jul 1 – 29, 2023
Playwright: Michelle Law
Director: Courtney Stewart
Cast: Gabrielle Chan, Stephanie Jack, Deborah Faye Lee, Mabel Li, Charles Wu, Shirong Wu
Images by Sherry Zheng

Theatre review

Lily is haunted by her recently deceased grandmother Adeline, whose dying wish was for Lily to be crowned winner at Miss Peony, a beauty pageant for young women of the Chinese diaspora. Adeline is determined that her granddaughter becomes part of that long and illustrious history, even if Lily is completely uninterested in having anything to do with that tradition. In Michelle Law’s Miss Peony 《牡丹小姐》, we see a young Australian woman of Chinese ancestry coming to a greater appreciation of her cultural heritage, whilst retaining her identity as a Western progressive.

The play is uproariously funny yet deeply moving, containing all the ingredients necessary for a gripping theatrical experience. It is additionally pertinent, that the work is trilingual (in English, Cantonese and Mandarin, with corresponding surtitles) and suited to all ages, thus creating a rare opportunity for multi-generational engagement. Directed by Courtney Stewart, Miss Peony is playful and chaotic, in the most charming ways. It eschews polish, in favour of something intensely endearing, notable for its subversive embrace of hallmarks of our cultural cringe, in order to institute a sense of pride, on behalf of a community weary from decades of assimilation. Kristina Chan’s exuberant choreography too, draws attention to that in-between existence, of living at once East and West.

A spectacular set design by Jonathan Hindmarsh takes inspiration from the unabashedly glitzy affairs of many minority groups, and along with an extensive wardrobe of evening gowns straddling the beautiful and the comical, we are emphatically transported to a different middle class, one with an unmistakeably novel appeal. Vivacious lights by Trent Suidgeest address the supernatural elements as successfully as they do, the gaudy ostentation of beauty pageantry. Music by Dr Nicholas Ng is memorable for the pathos it encourages, while Julian Starr’s sound design evokes complex notions of time and space, especially with its use of pop music from pre-1997 Hong Kong.

A whimsical cast tells the story of Miss Peony with exceptional warmth and verve. Stephanie Jack brings an emotional truth to Lily, allowing the profound centre of this farce to resonate quite unexpectedly, and indeed powerfully. Adeline is played by Gabrielle Chan whose mesmerising physicality embodies everything important, in this tale of cultural dissolution and of sexism. The exacting delivery of Charles Wu, as pageant producer and master-of-ceremony Zhen Hua, gives the staging a valuable sense of elevation, but it is his flawless instincts for live performance that most strike a chord. Also leaving an excellent impression is the spirited Mabel Li, who turns the youngest contestant Sabrina into a most disarmingly adorable personality. Shirong Wu as Joy is unsurpassable with her deadpan humour, while Deborah Faye Lee’s amusing animated style gives Marcy her familiar authenticity.

As the years go by, our sensibilities around the immigrant experience, become gradually less binary. Over time, we learn to be less derisive of the places we had escaped, and more suspicious of where we have come to seek refuge. We discover ourselves at an enviable position, of being able to identify virtues from contrasting epochs, knowing how to decipher values from a vantage point of having observed competing truths. Many will not understand how a modern woman can also be a beauty queen, but Lily inhabits those contradictions, and is only richer for it.

www.belvoir.com.au

Review: Natasha, Pierre & The Great Comet Of 1812 (Darlinghurst Theatre Company)

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Venue: Eternity Playhouse (Darlinghurst NSW), Jul 7 – Aug 27, 2023
Book and Lyrics: Dave Malloy (based on Leo Tolstoy)
Music : Dave Malloyl
Director: Dean Drieberg
Cast: Cameron Bajraktarevic-Hayward, Anton Berezin, Grace Driscoll, Zoy Frangos, Kala Gare, Lillian Hearne, Jillian O’Dowd, Jules Pendrith, Marissa Saroca, P. Tucker Worley
Images by Robert Catto

Theatre review
Natasha falls for bad boy Anatole, when her fiancé Andrey is away at war. Meanwhile, Pierre is undergoing an existential crisis, and hits the bottle hard. Dave Malloy’s Natasha, Pierre & The Great Comet Of 1812, is based on Part 8 of Leo Tolstoy’s masterpiece War and Peace, in which the novelist draws inspiration from a comet that appeared in the Russian skies, remaining visible to the naked eye for 260 days.

Malloy’s musical rendition is an adventurous work, memorable for its experimental qualities, even if its book can at times be frustratingly indecipherable. Directed by Dean Drieberg, the production is full of vitality, with a mischievous spirit that truly endears. There may be little to savour in terms of a narrative, but each number is richly conceived by Drieberg, in partnership with choreographer Brendan Yeates, to deliver an engrossing experience that talks to us on a visceral level, endlessly fascinating and unpredictable.

Set design by Tyler Hawkins provides a multitude of performance spaces, trying its best to accommodate a show that often feels poised to burst at its seams, with its irrepressible thirst for action and unbridled exuberance. Costumes by Nicol & Ford address the need for accuracy in terms of personality types within a particular historical epoch, but also satisfies our desire for something more flamboyantly theatrical, offering exquisite elevation to a story involving Russian nobility of a bygone era. Also very visually pleasing, are lights by Veronique Benett, who brings a sense of unmistakable lavishness to proceedings, unabashedly extravagant with all the embellishments being rendered.

Claire Healy’s musical direction is an outstanding feature of the show, exciting with its immense inventiveness, able to connect powerfully without relying only on conventional strategies of the genre. It is noteworthy that music is performed by the cast, who seem to be in constant motion, every artist completely dazzling with all that they deliver on this lively stage.

Grace Driscoll as Natasha sings every note with a delicate beauty, and along with the compelling presence she harnesses for the role, keeps us mesmerised and intrigued. Zoy Frangos too is thoroughly persuasive as Pierre, unforgettable for his honeyed tone of voice. The pair’s collaboration in the show’s final moments resounds with a rare transcendence, and is not to be missed by fans of the art form. Anatole is played by Jules Pendrith, whose excellent swagger has us simultaneously seduced and repelled. The soulful Kala Gare is remarkable in her magnetic solo “Sonya Alone”, bringing the house down in the production’s singular moment of minimalism.

Art offers exaltation, but not always in predictable ways. At the theatre, in this town, we are accustomed to a dependence on the content of stories, rather than the very act of telling them, to offer inspiration. On this occasion, the body understands more than the mind, and that is something we simply must learn to trust and listen.

www.darlinghursttheatre.com

Review: Dumb Kids (KXT on Broadway)

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Venue: KXT on Broadway (Ultimo NSW), Jun 23 – Jul 8, 2023
Playwright: Jacob Parker
Director: Sophia Bryant
Cast: Fraser Crane, Ryan Hodson, Mym Kwa, Oli McGavock, Lou McInnes, Dominique Purdue, Connor Reilly, Rachel Seeto, Kate Wilkins, Angharad Wise
Images by Phil Erbacher

Theatre review

It is always between classes, when we see the young people of Jacob Parker’s Dumb Kids chatting and socialising. There is occasional talk about their impending Year Eleven Social, but these ten teenagers are mostly occupied with matters of a sexual nature. At their age especially, talking about sex is really an exploration of self identity, and in Dumb Kids we see a fascinating microcosm, representative of the state of youth culture in 2023. Australia in the future, it may seem, is no longer predominantly straight, with lesbians, gay men, bisexuals and pansexuals becoming as commonplace as heterosexuals. Trans and nonbinary people too, are no longer anomalies in how we recognise gender experiences. Queer, it may seem, is everything.

Parker’s depictions can of course be considered an exaggeration, not only of queerness, but also of a particular kindness that has hitherto eluded most stories pertaining to this cohort. Masculinity is very present in Dumb Kids but its toxic aspects have largely disappeared. Bullying and intimidation are no longer a significant driving force, in this narrative about adolescent sociality. Conformity too has subsided, with these teenagers completely at ease with notions of diversity. Angst and confusion however remain essential, for it is wholly natural to see humans never figuring everything out, about our very own existence, even after learning that we can all make different choices in self-determination.

The bold and idealistic writing is brought to life by Sophia Bryant, whose direction is memorable for imbuing a valuable authenticity, that makes the audience receptive to these radically new portrayals of our young. Along with movement choreography by Emma Van Veen, the show is visually appealing, commendable for delivering much more than configurations of bodies in naturalistic conversational postures.

Set design by Benedict Janeczko-Taylor offers a theatrical rendition of the school playground, charming with its use of colour, and clever in its creation of spatial potential for performers. Janeczko-Taylor’s delightful work extends to costumes, with intricate details that make this staging feel simultaneously real and elevated. Thomas Doyle’s lights reveal an adventurous spirit, choosing to deliver fantastical imagery rather than something more lifelike, and therefore impressive for its ambitious artistry. Music by Christine Pan keeps us in tune with the frequencies of this generation, giving definition to how the staging wishes to conceive of the here and now.

An ensemble of ten effervescent performers bring wonderful spirit and dedication to Dumb Kids, exceptional with the cohesion they have fostered so successfully. Every character is believable and likeable, in a play that resists taking sides. There is no us and them, no good people or bad people, just humans navigating one day at a time. The generosity embodied by the cast, allows for a certain utopic vision to make sense, so that we can begin to be convinced of a brighter future. When all the world turns queer, is when no group is allowed to dominate, and when no one is left outside.

www.kingsxtheatre.com | www.facebook.com/legittheatreco

Review: Romeo And Juliet (Bell Shakespeare)

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Venue: The Neilson Nutshell (Sydney NSW), Jun 23 – Aug 27, 2023
Playwright: William Shakespeare
Director: Peter Evans
Cast: Lucy Bell, Blazey Best, James Evans, Alex King, Robert Menzies, Kyle Morrison, Rose Riley, Monica Sayers, Leinad Walker, Jacob Warner
Images by Brett Boardman

Theatre review

In more innocent times, the act of suicide was the ultimate sacrifice in any romance. Today, many will find the gesture somewhat empty, when we know survival to be much harder an option. Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet however depicts more than that experience of puppy love, not least of all the senseless but intrinsically human tendency, of creating oppositions, and of always choosing discord over harmony. We watch the Capulets and the Montagues revel in being enemies, determined to fight to the bloody end. Peace is our natural yearning, yet it seems we can only ever run away from it.

Peter Evans’ direction commences with a great sense of dynamism; the scene is set in a captivatingly blithe way, and the lovers’ first meetings are handled with charm and elegance. The inevitable bleakness begins noticeably from the third act, and although appropriately sombre, the show turns unfortunately and markedly distant. The moment of great tragedy appears anti-climactic, leaving us surprised by its coldness.

Actors Jacob Warner and Rose Riley are a strong coupling, as Romeo and Juliet respectively, both beaming with dedication and admirable for bringing to the stage an adventurous attitude, that earns our investment into the story. Their chemistry may not be consistently searing, but they certainly make the union believable. Also remarkable is Blazey Best in the role of Mercutio, sensational with the flamboyant masculinity she performs, demonstrating great rigour and faultless instincts, along with extraordinary agility, to deliver the most engaging scenes of the production.

The set features two large platforms, designed by Anna Tregloan who introduces an appealing modern sensibility, with black gleaming surfaces and an abundance of black costumes. Lights by Benjamin Cisterne are conservatively but effectively rendered, always to offer enhancement and never to detract from the drama. Music by Max Lyandvert, while insufficiently sentimental at crucial points, is wonderfully haunting and meticulously guides us through every emotional peak and trough.

A 13 year-old girl dies by her own hands, because her family forbids her to act on her heart’s desire. This can seem outlandish, yet we know that suppressing a person’s nature, always yields traumatic results. The young need to be guided, but they also need to be listened to. Much as we feel the urge to impose upon them all of our values, it is forever prudent to open our minds to what newer generations can teach.

www.bellshakespeare.com.au

Review: City Of Angels (Hayes Theatre)

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Venue: Hayes Theatre Co (Potts Point NSW), Jun 23 – Jul 23, 2023
Music: Cy Coleman
Lyrics: David Zippel
Book: Larry Gelbart
Director: Sam Hooper
Cast: Madeleine Betts, Doron Chester, Chantel Cofie, Sian Crowe, Paul Hanlon, Glenn Hill, Noah Janssen, Katelin Koprivec, Penny McNamee, Mia Morrissey, Conor Neylon, Shannen Alyce Quan, Ethan Rutledge, Marcus Rivera, Aaron Tsindos, Jessica White
Images by Grant Leslie

Theatre review

It is the 1940s and Stine is adapting his award-winning novel into a screenplay for Hollywood. Transitioning from one art form to another proves challenging, as he tries to preserve artistic integrity, in what quickly proves to be little more than a commercial venture. In the 1989 musical City of Angels, we see both Stine’s reality as well as a manifestation of his film noir creation, involving a private detective Stone and the various temptresses within his orbit. Despite its highly convoluted plot structure, the payoff is ultimately underwhelming, offering a narrative that feels much too predictable. Furthermore its humour seems not to have stood the test of time, although it must be said that music composition is its silver lining, with every song proving to be masterfully composed, by the legendary Cy Coleman.

The 3-hour production is valiantly revived by director Sam Hooper, who although demonstrates passionate verve, lacks inventiveness and an eye for detail. City of Angels not only requires great ambition, it demands a meticulousness and sophistication that few are able to muster. There is an evident lack of polish in the set design by Simon Greer, which can be blamed for the many clumsy, and noisy, scene changes. Lights by James Wallis attempt to create a sense of delineation between real and reel, but is in general too muted and lifeless. Costume designs by Esther Zhong are more accomplished, able to instinctively convey personality types of the many characters we encounter.

Music direction by Abi McCunn and Damon Wade, is the unequivocal highlight, greatly evocative of the big band era, with just seven musicians delivering all that is necessary to take us back in time, sonically at least. Singing is also of a high standard, with Glenn Hill and Aaron Tsindos (as Stine and Stone respectively), leading a cast that is never short of dedication and commitment. More memorable performances include Mia Morrissey playing dual roles of Gabby and Bobbi, introducing sensuality along with authenticity, to a production that tries to negotiate the outmoded and problematic portrayals of womanhood. Marcus Rivera is unforgettable in the number “All You Have to Do Is Wait” as Muñoz, full of intensity and unapologetic in a rare singular moment of candour, that feels suddenly resonant.

In 2023 it is perhaps no longer a surprise, that to make money, a portion of a person’s soul has to be sold, along with whatever labour is entailed in the transactive process. Just several decades ago, it had felt poignant to see an artist losing their way, when trying to exploit the big-money world of commercialised entertainment. Today at a time of late capitalism, idealism for artists seems a distant memory, yet we persist in searching for something of greater value, than what can be commodified. Within that spirit, we understand that money can never completely encompass what we do, that it is always the immaterial that represents our true purpose, even as we learn to accept that that which is material, should no longer be seen only as the evil adversary.

www.hayestheatre.com.au | www.jrpaustralia.com