An Act of Now
Chunky Move
Melbourne Festival
18-27 October 2012
This review re-printed kind permission Stage Whispers
Beautiful and risky, disturbing and passionate are just some of the ways in which to describe Chunky Move's new contemporary dance piece, An Act of Now. As the very first production by the company's new artistic director Anouk Van Dijk, An Act of Now is a thrilling moment for anyone who cares about dance and its possibilities.
The show begins with audience members placing headphones over their ears and walking along a sloping field at the outer edge of the Sidney Myer Music Bowl. Voices whisper words of warning, or reassurance, in our ear. Dancers guide the audience down the sloping field to the stage in what is an atmospheric start. Music pounds into our ears and up through the floor of the stage. There are times you will wish you could get up and dance yourself, other times when you are glad it is not you trapped within that glass set. Eight dancers in hoodies, and loose, urban clothing appear inside the smoky glass box. They could be individuals waiting for something to arrive, or members of a gang, and the effect is an uneasy one. They could be any of us.
Once the dancing begins, it is fierce, powerful even dangerous. Every part of the glass set is used. Dancers hang from the rafters, cling to the 'glass' panels, and come up out of the floor, legs first. Women dance with muscular men in exchanges that are dangerous-looking, but these women are also quite strong. Highlights are plentiful. Dancers lie together on the floor, and twirl upwards in a wave formation. Another time they are slapping their arms and legs on the stage, or writhing as though they are all having nightmares. I kept looking at their arms and legs to check for bruises, so frenetic and physically challenging were their moves. The intensity of their dancing even had me worried about their welfare at certain points. How did they get through without any injuries? The answer is: they didn't. One dancer had to leave early on due to an injury.
Certain audience members just sat and watched, mouths gaping. It is such an intense, dark piece of work. It will make you feel a whole range of emotions. The final moments are about hope and relief for audience and dancers alike. Absolutely not to be missed.
Tuesday, October 30, 2012
Cool Dude Thurston Moore at Hamer Hall
Thurston Moore,
Supported by Kieran Ryan
Arts Centre, Hamer Hall,
Melbourne Festival
Oct 25
This review is re-printed kind permission of Stage Whispers
Ex-Sonic Youth frontman Thurston Moore is a musos' musician, rated as one of the world's greatest guitarists and for one night only he brought his new band to Melbourne's Hamer Hall for the Melbourne Festival. Arriving onstage to little fanfair, and still jetlagged, Moore launched into songs from his 2011 Demolished Thoughts LP. From jangly pop to blues-tinged rock, and with his trademark cool vocals, Moore still bears the musical character and spirit of the great Sonic Youth. In fact, seeing this concert shows just how much that band was shaped by him.
For the audience, this was a new way to see Moore. He has been to Melbourne before, playing gigs at the Big Day Out and grungy bandrooms with the 'Sonics', in front of a mosh pit of swirling arms, legs and boots. Almost in defiance of the genteel Hamer Hall, his audience refused to stay seated, with many patrons going back and forth to the bar for more beer. You can't take Sonic Youth out of Thurston, and you can't take pub culture out of his audience.
What makes Moore an exciting artist is his songs and the sounds he extracts from his guitars. He can play sweet, catchy indie songs about friendship and then unleash guitar discord that sounds as though the apocalypse is arriving on the back of a swarm of jet-powered wasps. The long slides into guitar fuzz and feedback is well known to anyone with a Sonic Youth album, and it's interesting that Moore still incorporates this into his new work with the new band, Chelsea Light Moving. It might make me sound like a geek, but these moments of sonic anarchy are more like agony to me. I can't abide guitar feedback, personally, and it does get a bit pretentious, if not painful to the ears.
But Moore is trying different things, incorporating a concert harp, and violin into songs like 'Orchard Street', 'Blood Never Lies', and 'Circulation' giving them a sweetness and folk-like feel. The guitar-playing is still super-hot, though.
Those few who left before the encore missed out big time: Moore previewed a new song from an upcoming album that is as incendiary as Sonic Youth at its very best. Apparently the album is out next March. I'm excited.
On stage, Moore played alongside Keith Wood (gtr), Samara Lubelski (bass),John Moloney (drums), and Mary Lattimore on harp.
Support act Kieran Ryan impressed with a full band, with even more instruments than Moore, and a sound with shades of The Smiths and Arcade Fire.
Supported by Kieran Ryan
Arts Centre, Hamer Hall,
Melbourne Festival
Oct 25
This review is re-printed kind permission of Stage Whispers
Ex-Sonic Youth frontman Thurston Moore is a musos' musician, rated as one of the world's greatest guitarists and for one night only he brought his new band to Melbourne's Hamer Hall for the Melbourne Festival. Arriving onstage to little fanfair, and still jetlagged, Moore launched into songs from his 2011 Demolished Thoughts LP. From jangly pop to blues-tinged rock, and with his trademark cool vocals, Moore still bears the musical character and spirit of the great Sonic Youth. In fact, seeing this concert shows just how much that band was shaped by him.
For the audience, this was a new way to see Moore. He has been to Melbourne before, playing gigs at the Big Day Out and grungy bandrooms with the 'Sonics', in front of a mosh pit of swirling arms, legs and boots. Almost in defiance of the genteel Hamer Hall, his audience refused to stay seated, with many patrons going back and forth to the bar for more beer. You can't take Sonic Youth out of Thurston, and you can't take pub culture out of his audience.
What makes Moore an exciting artist is his songs and the sounds he extracts from his guitars. He can play sweet, catchy indie songs about friendship and then unleash guitar discord that sounds as though the apocalypse is arriving on the back of a swarm of jet-powered wasps. The long slides into guitar fuzz and feedback is well known to anyone with a Sonic Youth album, and it's interesting that Moore still incorporates this into his new work with the new band, Chelsea Light Moving. It might make me sound like a geek, but these moments of sonic anarchy are more like agony to me. I can't abide guitar feedback, personally, and it does get a bit pretentious, if not painful to the ears.
But Moore is trying different things, incorporating a concert harp, and violin into songs like 'Orchard Street', 'Blood Never Lies', and 'Circulation' giving them a sweetness and folk-like feel. The guitar-playing is still super-hot, though.
Those few who left before the encore missed out big time: Moore previewed a new song from an upcoming album that is as incendiary as Sonic Youth at its very best. Apparently the album is out next March. I'm excited.
On stage, Moore played alongside Keith Wood (gtr), Samara Lubelski (bass),John Moloney (drums), and Mary Lattimore on harp.
Support act Kieran Ryan impressed with a full band, with even more instruments than Moore, and a sound with shades of The Smiths and Arcade Fire.
Sunday, July 29, 2012
Heidelberg Theatre Company celebrating 60 years
The Importance of Being Earnest
By Oscar Wilde
Heidelberg Theatre Company
July 12 – 28, 2012
Directed by Wendy Drowley
Special thanks to Stage Whispers for permission to run this review on Footlights, Frames and Fiction
Oscar Wilde’s The Importance of Being Earnest is a gift for any theatre company for two reasons: Lady Bracknell and tea cups. Any play with an acerbic matriarch and scenes that allow actors to explore the comic possibilities of teacups, trembling upon their bone china saucers, never goes out of favour.
Heidelberg Theatre Company is rolling out the classics to mark its 60th year, and this Earnest upholds the company’s reputation for good-quality casting, directing, and production. Director Wendy Drowley, who started with HTC in 1953 and served on its committee for 40 years, has captured the charm, sense of fun and intelligence of Wilde’s script.
This play has seven strong characters, all given great lines, and any one of them can steal the show. Most often it is the actress playing Lady Bracknell who is dominant. In this production, it is James Jackson as a cheeky, scene-devouring Algernon Moncrieff. He is clearly having fun in the role, and this is passed on to the audience. Jackson is a hoot, and has terrific chemistry with his co-stars, particularly Taryn Eva (Cecily Cardew) and Ian McGregor (John Worthing). Frances Hutson is no disappointment as Lady Bracknell but plays her a little too straight and too nice. She isn’t an intimidating presence to the other characters, and some of those fabulous lines lose their impact. Judi Clark is a close-second to Jackson in the scene-stealing stakes with her cute portrayal of Miss Prism, a proper lady who starts blushing every time the Reverend Chasuble (John Cheshire) passes by. Cheshire is pretty over-the-top as the geeky Rev, but he gets some of the show’s biggest laughs. Ian McGregor is dashing as John Worthing and is more of a straight man, which works well in his scenes with Jackson. Taryn Eva and Aimee Sanderson are lovely as Cecily and Gwendolen, though both could have more fun and put a bit more venom into their veiled 'fight' scene in the garden. Think of all the possibilities with all that cake and those tea cups.
Add in the gorgeous costumes, and the tastefully decorated sets, and this Earnest is a crowd-pleaser, even if it isn’t tapping too deep into the dark, biting elements of the script.
By Oscar Wilde
Heidelberg Theatre Company
July 12 – 28, 2012
Directed by Wendy Drowley
Special thanks to Stage Whispers for permission to run this review on Footlights, Frames and Fiction
Oscar Wilde’s The Importance of Being Earnest is a gift for any theatre company for two reasons: Lady Bracknell and tea cups. Any play with an acerbic matriarch and scenes that allow actors to explore the comic possibilities of teacups, trembling upon their bone china saucers, never goes out of favour.
Heidelberg Theatre Company is rolling out the classics to mark its 60th year, and this Earnest upholds the company’s reputation for good-quality casting, directing, and production. Director Wendy Drowley, who started with HTC in 1953 and served on its committee for 40 years, has captured the charm, sense of fun and intelligence of Wilde’s script.
This play has seven strong characters, all given great lines, and any one of them can steal the show. Most often it is the actress playing Lady Bracknell who is dominant. In this production, it is James Jackson as a cheeky, scene-devouring Algernon Moncrieff. He is clearly having fun in the role, and this is passed on to the audience. Jackson is a hoot, and has terrific chemistry with his co-stars, particularly Taryn Eva (Cecily Cardew) and Ian McGregor (John Worthing). Frances Hutson is no disappointment as Lady Bracknell but plays her a little too straight and too nice. She isn’t an intimidating presence to the other characters, and some of those fabulous lines lose their impact. Judi Clark is a close-second to Jackson in the scene-stealing stakes with her cute portrayal of Miss Prism, a proper lady who starts blushing every time the Reverend Chasuble (John Cheshire) passes by. Cheshire is pretty over-the-top as the geeky Rev, but he gets some of the show’s biggest laughs. Ian McGregor is dashing as John Worthing and is more of a straight man, which works well in his scenes with Jackson. Taryn Eva and Aimee Sanderson are lovely as Cecily and Gwendolen, though both could have more fun and put a bit more venom into their veiled 'fight' scene in the garden. Think of all the possibilities with all that cake and those tea cups.
Add in the gorgeous costumes, and the tastefully decorated sets, and this Earnest is a crowd-pleaser, even if it isn’t tapping too deep into the dark, biting elements of the script.
Friday, July 13, 2012
Queen Lear MTC review
Queen Lear
By William Shakespeare
MTC
Directed by Rachel McDonald
July 7 to 18 August
Thanks to Stage Whispers for allowing this review to be published on Footlights, Frames and Fiction. Check out the latest reviews on www.stagewhispers.com.au
It is a sensational idea to re-cast King Lear from the perspective of a Queen and to put the formidable Robyn Nevin in the lead role. Nevin’s pose on the production poster, complete with mane of hair and those expressive eye shining with rage, wisdom and grief promises a rich and fearless theatrical experience. Indeed, her first appearance on the stage is electrifying, as she steps forth in a bejewelled red gown with coiffured white and black hair. Chains slither to the stage floor before her like serpents in her lair, as she prepares to put her three daughters to a ‘love test’. Whichever daughter puts on the most elaborate, showy display of love for their mum, will be rewarded with a generous portion of mum’s kingdom.
Director Rachel McDonald has found her perfect Lear and that’s why it’s strange that the production overall is so unsatisfying. It is a three-hour show that quickly becomes plodding, weighed down by jaw-aching dialogue and impossibly complex plots and sub-plots.
McDonald has talked publicly about tapping into the ‘Cinderella’ elements of Lear, with two scheming sisters, Goneril (played by Genevieve Picot) and Regan (Belinda McClory). There's an evil mother, and a good third sister, Cordelia (Alexandra Schepisi), Lear’s youngest daughter. The opening scene in which Queen Lear begins her contest has the look and feel of a delicious fairytale. Nevin makes wicked fun of her first lines, when she announces plans to offload her regal duties on her daughters and "crawl toward death". But retirement is not going to be quite the experience she expects.
The problem is that the Cinderella story is so much easier to follow than this incredibly complex play by Shakespeare. With Cinderella, we immediately side with the good girl and hope her fairy godmother can arrange for her to win over the Prince. In Lear’s world, things are way more complicated. Shakespeare's text has so much to say on so many levels. In this production, that gets lost. We don't know what Lear and Cordelia's relationship was like before that first scene. It's hard to understand why Lear throws Cordelia out. How does she justify that? This production is missing something fundamental to give it meaning.
The dialogue is incredibly heavy; characters are constantly moving in and out of scenes; traps are laid; letters change hands. But what is driving all of this? There’s a parallel narrative involving another parent figure, Gloucester (Richard Piper) and his scheming illegitimate son, Edmund (David Paterson) and more favored son Edgar (Rohan Nichol). Then there are the two husbands of the older sisters, Cornwall (Nicholas Hammond) and Albany (Greg Stone). There is also Lear's friend, Kent (Robert Menzies), who is one of the play's voices of reason.
This Lear is hard work to keep up with. You can almost hear the audience straining, as one, to follow it. Many of the actors seem to be in one gear. They deliver their lines in strong, clear voices but there's not much depth to the characters. There were some sound issues on opening night. To this reviewer, Nevin's key scene during the storm was inaudible. I could hear her speaking but couldn't make out the actual words. The thunder and lightning effects were distracting. This wiped out a big part of the play.
The strong presence of Nevin, and Richard Piper, as Gloucester, keep the play alive. Piper is affecting as the unfortunate Gloucester, who gets his eyes gouged out in the second half of the play. This bloody scene at least brought about a change in the atmosphere. Piper was brilliant at making the transition from a powerful man to a blinded, helpless one. The scene where he walks towards a cliff with his exiled son, Edgar, and talks about wanting to jump off was a highlight.
Despite Nevin and Piper's powerful performances, a talented cast all capable of great things, and striking set design (slinky chains, Ottoman Empire temple decor, and barbed wire), this Lear is likely to frustrate audiences. It should work, but it doesn't.
By William Shakespeare
MTC
Directed by Rachel McDonald
July 7 to 18 August
Thanks to Stage Whispers for allowing this review to be published on Footlights, Frames and Fiction. Check out the latest reviews on www.stagewhispers.com.au
It is a sensational idea to re-cast King Lear from the perspective of a Queen and to put the formidable Robyn Nevin in the lead role. Nevin’s pose on the production poster, complete with mane of hair and those expressive eye shining with rage, wisdom and grief promises a rich and fearless theatrical experience. Indeed, her first appearance on the stage is electrifying, as she steps forth in a bejewelled red gown with coiffured white and black hair. Chains slither to the stage floor before her like serpents in her lair, as she prepares to put her three daughters to a ‘love test’. Whichever daughter puts on the most elaborate, showy display of love for their mum, will be rewarded with a generous portion of mum’s kingdom.
Director Rachel McDonald has found her perfect Lear and that’s why it’s strange that the production overall is so unsatisfying. It is a three-hour show that quickly becomes plodding, weighed down by jaw-aching dialogue and impossibly complex plots and sub-plots.
McDonald has talked publicly about tapping into the ‘Cinderella’ elements of Lear, with two scheming sisters, Goneril (played by Genevieve Picot) and Regan (Belinda McClory). There's an evil mother, and a good third sister, Cordelia (Alexandra Schepisi), Lear’s youngest daughter. The opening scene in which Queen Lear begins her contest has the look and feel of a delicious fairytale. Nevin makes wicked fun of her first lines, when she announces plans to offload her regal duties on her daughters and "crawl toward death". But retirement is not going to be quite the experience she expects.
The problem is that the Cinderella story is so much easier to follow than this incredibly complex play by Shakespeare. With Cinderella, we immediately side with the good girl and hope her fairy godmother can arrange for her to win over the Prince. In Lear’s world, things are way more complicated. Shakespeare's text has so much to say on so many levels. In this production, that gets lost. We don't know what Lear and Cordelia's relationship was like before that first scene. It's hard to understand why Lear throws Cordelia out. How does she justify that? This production is missing something fundamental to give it meaning.
The dialogue is incredibly heavy; characters are constantly moving in and out of scenes; traps are laid; letters change hands. But what is driving all of this? There’s a parallel narrative involving another parent figure, Gloucester (Richard Piper) and his scheming illegitimate son, Edmund (David Paterson) and more favored son Edgar (Rohan Nichol). Then there are the two husbands of the older sisters, Cornwall (Nicholas Hammond) and Albany (Greg Stone). There is also Lear's friend, Kent (Robert Menzies), who is one of the play's voices of reason.
This Lear is hard work to keep up with. You can almost hear the audience straining, as one, to follow it. Many of the actors seem to be in one gear. They deliver their lines in strong, clear voices but there's not much depth to the characters. There were some sound issues on opening night. To this reviewer, Nevin's key scene during the storm was inaudible. I could hear her speaking but couldn't make out the actual words. The thunder and lightning effects were distracting. This wiped out a big part of the play.
The strong presence of Nevin, and Richard Piper, as Gloucester, keep the play alive. Piper is affecting as the unfortunate Gloucester, who gets his eyes gouged out in the second half of the play. This bloody scene at least brought about a change in the atmosphere. Piper was brilliant at making the transition from a powerful man to a blinded, helpless one. The scene where he walks towards a cliff with his exiled son, Edgar, and talks about wanting to jump off was a highlight.
Despite Nevin and Piper's powerful performances, a talented cast all capable of great things, and striking set design (slinky chains, Ottoman Empire temple decor, and barbed wire), this Lear is likely to frustrate audiences. It should work, but it doesn't.
Tuesday, May 8, 2012
An Audience of One
A big thank you to Stage Whispers magazine and online site for allowing me to re-print this review. Check it out at stage whispers.com.au
Appointment with J Dark is performed by Triage Live Art Collective:
A psychologist friend of mine warned me to be on my guard when I told them I was going to experience a piece of 'live art' in which I would be the sole audience member. This warning stemmed from the fact the show was mimicking a therapy session, with none of the safety nets and ethical considerations in place, I assumed. I had booked in for an appointment with 'J Dark', and would be taken through the labrynthine backrooms and stairwells of the North Melbourne Town hall for what sounded like a psychological experiment. Would I end up running out of the building? Probably.
Actually no, I didn't run away but if you're going to participate in this risky type of theatre, it's good to know you have the option.
Performer Melanie Jame Walsh (who plays the mysterious J Dark) worked with director and dramaturge Katerina Kokkinos-Kennedy to create this structured social experiment, with theatrical elements, intended to be performed to only one person at a time. J Dark guides her 'clients' through the narrow halls and back stairs of the town hall, asking questions, such as 'what is a revelation and how does it feel to have one?' Participants could answer in any number of ways, and, importantly, decide exactly how they want to approach each twist and turn in the journey. At each point it feels risky. Just what is behind that closed door? What will happen if I go into that tiny room and sit on the chair, as advised? I know there are a lot of people out there who love their theatre and movies to show them uncomfortable truths, but what happens when you become the subject?
My heart was beating a little faster when I arrived at the theatre for my rendezvous. It was downright sinister to sit at a table with a lamp, with a lift opening and shutting nearby, not knowing what was going to happen next. I texted J Dark to confirm I'd arrived, and got a one-word response from her: 'good evening'. Then the lift opened by itself and no one was in there. It was a spooky effect, and I smiled at the cleverness of it, even as a part of me resented being played with. I went in with the attitude that I'm a reviewer, not J Dark's patient. Everyone who participates should also give themselves a role that puts them in a strong position.
It was a relief of sorts when Walsh arrived as J Dark, and I was dealing with a performer, finally, rather than my own anxieties. The most enjoyable part for me was being invited to choose one aspect of my character and I chose an aspect that was hidden and a bit suppressed, let's say. I felt Walsh was supportive of this choice I made in a genuine way. There were some really uncomfortable moments where I felt my boundaries were being pushed, and not for any good reason. This type of project definitely raises ethical issues for me. My best advice to anyone who wants to check it out is not to be lulled into thinking it is a therapy session.
Tuesday, September 6, 2011
Macbeth, but not as we know it
Down Dangerous Passes Road Review
Here's my review of Down Dangerous Passes Road, which ran at Broken Mirror Studios in August. This review appears on the Stage Whispers website:
http://www.stagewhispers.com.au/reviews/down-dangerous-passes-road
http://www.stagewhispers.com.au/reviews/down-dangerous-passes-road
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