Tag Archives: old fitzroy theatre

Review: Misterman (Siren Theatre Co / Red Line Productions)

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sirenVenue: Old Fitzroy Theatre (Woolloomooloo NSW), Jun 9 – 27, 2015
Playwright: Enda Walsh
Director: Kate Gaul
Cast: Thomas Campbell
Image by Diana Popovska

Theatre review
Enda Walsh’s Misterman addresses the very contemporary concern of fundamentalist religiosity and its place within secular societies. The tension between the private and the public seems to be approaching its breaking point with our obsessive attention on terrorist activity around the globe. The principle of individuals keeping religious beliefs to themselves has always been precarious, and now we see every day, the violent trespass of those beliefs upon the lives of others. Thomas lives in a small Irish town, and like Travis in Martin Scorsese’s Taxi Driver, he becomes increasingly frustrated by the sins he perceives to be thriving around him. Further parallels can be drawn with other “outsiders” like Norman Bates and Carrie, and accordingly, Misterman appeals to our sentimental feelings for the underdog, as well as that undeniable dread arising from seeing the oppressed struggling at the end of their tether.

Beautifully imagined and directed by Kate Gaul, the intimacy of the venue is utilised to enhance the confrontational quality of the text. Her show is a bold one, with an abundance of creative devices invented to provide intrigue, interest and dimension to the monologue format. Subtleties of Walsh’s writing can sometimes be drowned out, but the intensity of what is being presented proves to be arresting, and we engage with the work thoroughly for its entirety. The holistic incorporation of design faculties demonstrates a sophistication that reflects a deep understanding of the nature and capacities of theatre. Set by Gaul, lights by Harley T A Kemp, music and sound by Nate Edmondson contribute much more than atmosphere. The way we understand the protagonist’s environment and his psychology happens through the accomplishments of this formidable design crew, and their exhaustive exploration of space and fantasy.

Thomas Campbell gives the performance of a lifetime in Misterman. His affinity with the material at hand, and the vast amount of depth he has discovered in the text and within himself, have conjured up a tremendous character, rich with life and poignancy. Campbell pushes hard and what he attains is glorious. The focus, energy, sensitivity and intuition he displays, is a rare gift to audiences that we must accept with a gratitude as sincere as what he puts on stage.

The play is about the way we break, and because we are all, to some extent, broken people, the work is accessible in spite of Thomas’ oddness and idiosyncrasies. The isolation and cruelty he experiences is exceptional but also familiar, and through his story, we can perhaps learn about understanding and compassion, which are necessary but often lacking. We don’t need much to survive, but the basic things don’t come easy.

www.oldfitztheatre.com | www.sirentheatreco.com

5 Questions with Katy Curtain and David Woodland

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Katy Curtain

Katy Curtain

David Woodland: If you were to kill someone, how would you do it?
Katy Curtain: I’m not sure, but I know how I’d get rid of the body? If you’ve seen Breaking Bad, you can probably guess where my head’s at…

What was the last show you wished you were in?
I remember having really strong performance envy when I saw La Soiree a while back. It just looked like constant joy. But if I were in it, I wouldn’t be able to watch it, so win win.

If you had to make everyone read one book, what would it be?
Lying by Sam Harris, because it’s a life changer that could improve human behaviour en masse, and it’s conveniently teeny tiny! It fully fleshes out how white lies are most destructive to the person telling them. The way it explores thoughts and behaviour is fascinating.

What fictional television world would you like to spend a week in?
The Sopranos! That part of the world has always captivated me! And a week would be the perfect amount of time to eat my weight in Italian-American food, revel in the accent and indulge in the novelty of gang life before actually having to prove my loyalty.

When you were a child, what did you want to be?
Pat Rafter’s pregnant wife. I saw her on TV all the time when he was playing. She was filmed crying in the crowd one of the times he won the US Open, and I can’t remember if she was pregnant or if I just thought it would be a cooler story if she was. Anyway, I shoved a basketball up my top, made myself cry and walked around like her for a day. I was 7, so I can probably count it as my first acting credit.

David Woodland

David Woodland

Katy Curtain: What’s the best theatre experience you’ve had in Sydney?
David Woodland: As a performer or audience member? Working with Brevity as a performer is definitely up there with the best. The experience of Wittenberg was something that I was extremely proud to be a part of. It challenged me as a performer, and was just a killer script. As an audience member…this is a hard question…I see more indie theatre over main stage, and many experiences stick out in both. But I will say that at the moment there has been a lot of great independent works going on all over Sydney. I can’t pick an overall best, but Phaedra (Lies, Lies and Propaganda) blew my mind.

What would you do with 8 million dollars?
Probably put it with the other eight and not tell anyone… oh shit!

Who is your hero?
I have many influences. In every part of my life, I am influenced by certain people to a degree but ultimately, we are in this alone. So at the risk of sounding conceited, I think that you have to be your own hero. I think that you have to believe and trust that you can be whatever you want to be. That you do not need to rely on anyone to bring you success and happiness but yourself. This is not to say that you don’t need help along the way, but the buck stops with you. This is your game.

Or I could just say Han Solo.

What was your most unrealistic childhood expectation?
That if I held the LP of The Best Of ABBA on a certain angle, I might be able to see up Agnetha’s dress.

What is the most visited website in your browser history (excluding day to day Google, Facebook, email and banking)?
Probably dictionary.com. I didn’t do very well at school. The answer to the previous question and the fact that I asked my year eleven English teacher if there was a country called Latin (not my finest hour) may possibly be a reason for this?

Katy Curtain and David Woodland will be appearing in Being Norwegian by David Greig.
Dates: 9 – 21 June, 2015
Venue: The Old Fitz Theatre

Review: This Boy’s In Love (Red Line Productions)

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TBIL 1Venue: Old Fitzroy Theatre (Woolloomooloo NSW), May 26 – 31, 2015
Playwright: Adriano Cappelletta
Director: Johann Walraven
Cast: Adriano Cappelletta
Musical Director: Daryl Wallis

Theatre review
With any luck, Adriano Cappelletta’s This Boy’s In Love is going to be the last great play about gay life in Australia before same-sex marriage is made legal. Ado’s experiences and perspective as a gay man in Sydney are beautifully, and extremely honestly, documented in this one-man show reflecting life for thousands of individuals from a city in its final throes of inequality and bigotry. Ado is hungry for love like everyone else, but his desires face obstacles unique to metropolitan gay lives. Emerging from periods of oppression and persecution, Ado’s community suffers from dysfunctions, tragic and funny, many of which are fluently articulated in the work.

The piece breaks from conventional monologue formats to provide a theatre that is full of variety, in order to engage, entertain and indeed, educate. It takes frequent detours into sub-genres like cabaret, stand up and dance, and adopts hints of the absurd, so that its ninety minute duration never loses a moment of vibrancy. Director Johann Walraven identifies brilliantly, the many nuances in the text to create moments of surprising poignancy, and to make us fall for the protagonist more and more as the show progresses. As its performer, Cappelletta is generous in spirit, and unbelievably warm, striking a rapport with his crowd so solid, that we cannot help but be enthralled. The level of dynamism in his work is astounding at points, and we get completely absorbed into all his stories, silly or serious.

This Boy’s In Love is as perfect as a monologue can get for small theatre. The only way one can envision this production improved, is with greater investment and imagination into its design elements. Technical enhancements can make the show even stronger, but with what this team is able to assemble, it conveys its intentions perfectly. Love is hard to define. It can mean many different things, but starving anyone of it is cruel and certainly evil. For centuries, love has been defined in narrow heteronormative and religious forms, and in that process, many of us have suffered senselessly. Times have changed, and everyday, more are able to find emancipation. May the day come when sexual bigotry of all kinds in all places be eradicated.

www.oldfitztheatre.com

Review: The House Of Ramon Iglesia (Mophead Productions / Red Line Productions)

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mopheadVenue: Old Fitzroy Theatre (Woolloomooloo NSW), May 12 – Jun 6, 2015
Playwright: José Rivera
Director: Anthony Skuse
Cast: Christian Charisiou, Deborah Galanos, Nicholas Papademetriou, Ronny Jon Paul Mouawad, Stephen Multari, Eloise Snape, David Soncin
Image by Clare Hawley

Theatre review
No man is an island. We need to feel a sense of belonging, not only with other people, but also with places. José Rivera’s The House Of Ramon Iglesia investigates the significance of ancestry and roots, through the experience of Puerto Rican migrants in 1980 New York. The Iglesia family is dislocated in a space between San Juan and Holbrook, and its two generations illustrate the complexity of human attachment to a sense of country and home. In our modern times, populations are in constant flux, and the arbitrariness of borders is negotiated to allow for opportunities and interested parties to collide. The matter of nationalities is no longer a straightforward concept for many, and Rivera’s work questions its importance and indeed, its relevance to individual lives.

Anthony Skuse’s direction of the piece is a passionate rendering that delivers an engaging and energetic theatre, but our empathy for its characters only arrives several scenes after it begins. Early sequences feel distant, perhaps a result of their estranged temporal and geographic contexts. Its themes take time to connect, and even though many of its ideas can be universal, we only recognise them after some investment of imagination and patience, but when the show shifts into a gear of high drama, the play becomes a dynamic one, with performances that impress with emotional depth, and a compelling cast chemistry that creates an extraordinarily believable family unit.

When actors are focused and psychologically accurate, we surrender our trust and follow their journeys without hesitation. Deborah Galanos’ intensity gives her Dolores an admirable strength and although quite flamboyant in her approach, we do not question the authenticity of what is being presented. The melodrama Galanos introduces is delightfully entertaining, and allows the actor to expand her characterisation beyond the scripted lines, so that who we meet is greater than an archetypal maternal figure. In the smaller role of Charlie is David Soncin, whose memorable performance is coloured with a natural exuberance and an effortless magnetism. He plays his role with clear and simple intentions, but always discovers powerful subtleties that add surprising dimension to his work. Stephen Multari’s conviction and emotional sonority is a highlight in many scenes of confrontation and feuding. Javier’s inner world is central to the effectiveness of the play, and Multari’s depiction of it is beautifully resonant. The actor’s vigour and earnestness however, can seem out of place in the show’s more tranquil moments, and opportunities are missed that could allow the character to be more endearing, so that we care more about the lead and all the people surrounding him.

When we think of identity, we inevitably go to beliefs about bloodlines and origin. Place is important, but how we manufacture meaning between lived experience and geography is idiosyncratic and personal, yet collectivism is always a part of the discussion. We talk of nations of peoples, and we talk of partners and kins. Rivera’s story is about that conundrum, not just of how we use identity labels, but also how these labels intersect between friends and family. Each person can have an intimate and private understanding of their own space in the big scheme of things, but arbitration will always exist, even for the strongest.

www.oldfitztheatre.com | www.mophead.com.au

5 Questions with Janine Watson

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janinewatsonWhat is your favourite swear word?
I don’t use swear words. I use swear sentences, so that would be “BLEEPS BLEEPING sake BLEEP BLURP my BLEEEPIING case BLEEPING BLEEEEEEPP of a BLEEPED up BLEEPING smelly BLEEP covered BLEEP RAG.”

What are you wearing?
A lovely biscuit coloured tan. That’s a lie – I’m as pale as death. I’m wearing navy trackies and a striped french-boulevard style t-shirt… so lock up your sons and daughters.

What is love?
A ride to or from the airport. From anyone. Anyone who offers that is the embodiment of love. Except taxi drivers because as we all know if you have to pay for it it ain’t love, now is it?!

What was the last show you saw, and how many stars do you give it?
Riverrun at STC. It was a torrent of gorgeousness. Olwen Fouéré – her very name speaks to the lyricism of this work. Words she was born to speak.

Is your new show going to be any good?
What show? Pretty sure I’m just meeting Kate at the pub every night for two weeks for a natter. So people are very welcome to come along and eavesdrop. Truthfully though, Dolores will be rad. It’s a rare joy to work on. I haven’t been this excited to perform a show since I cast myself as the Jodie Foster character in my self-penned stage adaptation of The Accused for the 1993 Deloraine Drama Festival Secondary School division in Tasmania garnering the Best Actress award.

PS We are also speaking in accents.

PPS Kate Box is the cat’s pyjamas!!!

Janine Watson is appearing in Dolores by Edward Allan Baker.
Show dates: 28 Apr – 9 May, 2015
Show venue: The Old Fitzroy Hotel

Review: Orphans (Old Fitz Theatre / Red Line Productions)

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oldfitzVenue: Old Fitzroy Theatre (Woolloomooloo NSW), Apr 14 – May 9, 2015
Playwright: Lyle Kessler
Director: Anthony Gooley
Cast: Danny Adcock, Aaron Glenane, Andrew Henry
Image by Rupert Reid

Theatre review
Many have likened love to air, associating both with an absolute necessity for survival. Unlike air however, love can manifest in many unpredictable ways, and in Orphans, we see how the best of intentions can become cruel behaviour responsible for untold suffering. Phillip and Treat are brothers who have grown up without parents. They share a close mutual reliance, but without any guidance, their instincts have created young men who are dysfunctional together and apart. Beneath the boisterous tone of Lyle Kessler’s writing, is a tender depiction of relationships that has the potential to move and to connect with every person’s experiences of difficult family dynamics. We all have an understanding of the imperfections that exist in our homes, and the accuracy at which the brothers’ problematic and insular world is explored, allows for thorough identification and empathy.

The production is directed well by Anthony Gooley, who ensures that characters are complex and fascinating, with an amplified realism that provides a sense of familiarity even though the circumstances being staged are fairly extreme. It is an unusual and unpredictable story, relayed with vigour and heightened drama, but we do not perceive a great sense of purpose to the director’s work, other than to establish an atmosphere of enthrallment for the duration of the play. We are gripped for its entirety but leave without discovering great insight that matches the gravity of what is seen. The character of Harold is a father figure who destabilises the brothers’ cozy dwelling, performed by Danny Adcock with excellent conviction and strength, but the role is positioned neither enigmatic enough nor believable enough. Harold’s presence does not always make sense in the narrative, and our questioning of his authenticity is an unfortunate dissuasion.

Aaron Glenane turns in a magnificent performance as the younger brother, Phillip. The actor is marvelously nuanced in his intensity, expressing with great efficacy an exhaustive range of psychological possibilities and physical attributes, completely captivating in a beautifully embellished characterisation of damaged innocence. Glenane’s approach is adventurous and playful, but also sensitive and studied. He understands chemistry instinctively, and fosters a strong bond with colleagues and audience that keeps us invested in Phillip’s plight. Offering a macho and manic counterbalance is Treat, the older brother played by Andrew Henry with a threatening and exuberant energy that keeps us anxiously seduced. The largeness of his personality keeps us on the edge, tense in anticipation of his next outburst of trespass or feelings. It is a powerful performance, but Henry’s final scene requires further finessing. A transition of emotion occurs too suddenly and unexpectedly, taking lustre away from the Orphans‘ concluding moment of piquancy.

We encounter strangers every day, but letting new people into our lives is a rare occurrence. The desire for a sense of permanence and security means that we prevent new influences from infiltrating, whether positive or negative. Phillip and Treat had made a habit of their suffering, unaware that a better way of life was within their grasp. Inspiration resides everywhere, and we must be able to welcome it in when the right ones present themselves, so that life can be lived to the fullest, and with any luck, be survived by a legacy of something good.

www.oldfitztheatre.com

Review: Pvt. Wars (Dudley St Productions)

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dudleystVenue: Old Fitz Theatre (Woolloomooloo NSW), Mar 17 – Apr 5, 2015
Writer: James McLure
Director: Mark Lee
Cast: Michael Booth, Thomas Campbell, Tom Oakley
Image by Rupert Reid

Theatre review
In James McLure’s Pvt. Wars we visit three injured soldiers at a rehabilitation facility. The play was first staged in 1979, but there is no clear indication of the time at which the action takes place. It could be the aftermath of any war, because the ramifications of sending young people to battle never seem to change. Some return victorious, but many end up dead or damaged. It is not a fiercely anti-war piece, but McLure’s writing does place focus on these individuals’ physical and psychological afflictions. Comedy is created from the interplay of their mental dysfunctions, as well as from the tensions derived from their divergent social classes and from the points of dissent, and assent, as cohabitants of the hospital.

Direction of the work by Mark Lee is gentle and elegant. The resultant work is funny, but its laughter comes naturally from the honest exploration of characters, rather than it being a desperate priority. The show is about trauma, but it is kept light-hearted by an evasive masculine approach to pain. The three men come face to face with each other’s terror, but they skirt around the issues, rarely able to address them directly.

Michael Booth plays Silvio, the overcompensating alpha male who brings energy and a sense of danger to the stage. The actor appears to be distracted at several points, but his timing is effective nonetheless, and the sense of barely hidden distress and anxiety he introduces, is a significant contributor to the dynamic pace of the show. The more sophisticated Natwick is performed by Thomas Campbell, an actor with a disarmingly sensitive presence that provides an air of authenticity to proceedings. His very regular sequences of letter-writing to Natwick’s mother is let down by poor sound design, but his warmth is an inviting quality that we connect well with. Tom Oakley’s character Gately sits centre stage for virtually the entire duration, repairing an old radio. He is perennially hopeful, but struggles every day to find direction and meaning. Oakley’s portrayal resists theatrical gesticulation and embellishment, but conveys that confused determination beautifully, with a confident and touching simplicity.

The play comes to a conclusion that intends to be poignant, but a sudden loss of clarity interferes. The story surprises us at the end when it takes an abstract and abrupt turn, leaving us to our own beliefs about war, soldiers and manhood. It does not make any persuasive arguments to change our political affiliations, and its social commentary is subtle. Perhaps all it requires is for us to remember that individual lives are affected, often dramatically, while we become increasingly numbed by headlines that are no longer able to occupy more than a few moments each morning.

www.oldfitztheatre.com

5 Questions with Aaron Glenane

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aaronglenaneWhat is your favourite swear word?
Recently I’ve been using “dodo” as in “Get it together ya bloody dodo!” “Ning nong” is up there also.

What are you wearing?
My man beard, basketball shorts, John Deer t shirt.

What is love?
Honesty.

What was the last show you saw, and how many stars do you give it?
Masterclass at The Old Fitz and I give it 10/10 as Charlie Garber and Gareth Davies are ridiculously hilarious. I also saw Foo Fighters playing to 57,000 people in Melbourne and Dave Grohl had us in the palm of his hand. 11/10 (Spinal Tap style)

Is your new show going to be any good?
Danny Adcock was in character 2 months ago so I think it’ll be sweet!

Aaron Glenane‏ is appearing in Orphans by Lyle Kessler.
Show dates: 1 Apr – 9 May, 2015
Show venue: The Old Fitzroy Hotel

Review: Freak Winds (Old Fitz Theatre / Red Line Productions)

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redline3Venue: Old Fitzroy Theatre (Woolloomooloo NSW), Mar 10 – Apr 11, 2015
Playwright: Marshall Napier
Director: Marshall Napier
Cast: Anna Bamford, Marshall Napier, Ben O’Toole
Image by Tim Levy

Theatre review
Marshall Napier’s very Hitchcockian Freak Winds has all the suspenseful intrigue, perverse humour and subversive eroticism that keeps an audience simultaneously repelled and seduced by its story. Unlike Hitchock, Napier’s work is of the twenty-first century, with much less censorial restrictions, so what we get is an update for the genre and style. It does not resort to gore and constant bloodletting, but it delivers thrills and creates tension with a rather more explicit incorporation of sex, murder and terror. Napier’s lines are quirky and cheekily controversial, and the structure of his play is unpredictable, with an edgy sense of danger at every turn.

Direction of the piece is sharp and dramatic, with beguiling characters that feel enigmatic, but always able to reveal just enough for their plot to work its magic on the audience. Aside from a couple of unexplained touches like the mysterious appearance of a wheelchair at the start of Act 2, and a bizarre moment involving a red light at the conclusion, Napier shows himself to be a director with an untameable creative flair and a knack for conveying complex, multi-dimensional narratives that could be read in a variety of ways by different viewers. His style is elegant, but brave. There is no hesitation in exploring absurdist territory when appropriate, and a distinct eagerness to tantalize with taboo subjects that really satisfies (except for the unveiling of a disappointingly modest dildo after quite a substantial build up).

Ben O’Toole plays Henry, a young and ambitious insurance salesman in the middle of a living nightmare. The role is comparatively simple, but O’Toole works through it aggressively, with an energy that can only be described as exuberant. His entertaining performance is a necessary contrast to the mysterious and somber quality of the show’s other elements, and the actor leaves a strong impression characterised by excellent commitment and passion. In the role of the very creepy Ernest is Napier himself, who brings experience and an intelligence that keeps us on our toes. His work is efficient, often impactful without needing to push very hard at all, but the performer’s eyes seem to always evade our gaze, rejecting our appetite for the truth in Earnest’s world. The play’s third character is Myra, thoroughly weird and unquestionably mad. Anna Bamford is feisty enough for the part, but her interpretation feels repetitive where we expect extremes coming from all sides. Nevertheless, the unorthodox and precarious sexual atmosphere created by Bamford’s chemistry with her cohorts is an unexpected delight for any theatrical space.

Freak Winds is beautifully designed by a creative team that has addressed every aspect of sight and sound with good taste and sensitivity. Nate Edmondson’s sound design rumbles beneath our feet to taunt us into a space of horror, and along with Alexander Berlage’s lights, the small venue is dissected into a hundred different spots, adventurously explored in all their possibilities. The highly effective set and costumes by Lisa Mimmocchi provide a strong context with immediate visual signifiers that help tell the story almost on a subconscious level, from curtains up to the very bitter end.

Freak Winds‘ macabre comedy mixes with spine-tingling gothic influences and dark erotica to spawn an unusual piece of theatre, yet scary tales seem to have been with humanity since time immemorial, existing in different forms in all our cultures. They remind us of our mortality, and of the arbitrary membrane that keeps us separate from harm. We rely on rules and regulations, laws and legislation, but mostly, we count on the kindness of strangers so that we can live unhindered or protected, but all it takes is one person losing their mind for catastrophe to engulf another, such is the fragility of our existence.

www.oldfitztheatre.com

5 Questions with Ben O’Toole‏

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benotooleWhat is your favourite swear word?
Favourite swear word is definitely cunt. Great word.

What are you wearing?
At the moment I’m wearing jeans and thongs with a t-shirt, but in the show my character wears a suit the whole time. Insurance salesman style.

What is love?
Love is a chemical imbalance in the brain, brought upon typically by another person. Pretty magic really.

What was the last show you saw, and how many stars do you give it?
The last show I saw was Cock at the Old Fitz, and I would give that show a 4 stars. Brilliant stuff.

Is your new show going to be any good?
I should hope so!

Ben O’Toole‏ is appearing in Freak Winds by Marshall Napier.
Show dates: 10 Mar – 11 Apr, 2015
Show venue: The Old Fitzroy Hotel