Take A Seat - Theatre Review

What: Take A Seat
When: 25 - 29 January
Where: The Butterfly Club
Written and Directed by: Kieran Gould-Dowen
Performed by: Mursal Ahmadi, Alexander Gavioli, Kotryna Gesait, Jaya Jamieson, Adrian Quintarelli, Emily Scerri, and Ryan Stewart.
Dramaturgy by: Ange Arabatzis

Ryan Stewart, Adrian Quintarelli, Alexander Gavioli, Kotryna Gesait, Emily Scerri, and Jaya Jamieson

Take A Seat is the new play by a rather prolific young theatre maker and writer, Kieran Gould-Dowen, which is playing on the downstairs stage at The Butterfly Club. A story about an array of people who are waiting for final judgement, this is a surprisingly positive story - or set of stories - and is a play people with a religious bent will love.

This play is very ambitious, covering an vast range of fatal circumstances. I am not sure if Gould-Dowen was somehow trying to process a personal experience when he wrote this but the play could use a bit of whittling to allow a more personal connection for the actors and audience.

Having said that, the play covers everything from suicide, and natural death to car accidents and violent gang rape so I guess there is something for everyone. Gould-Dowen also touches on racial issues, inter-religious tensions and anti-gay sentiments. Phew! Do you see what I mean about their may be too much going on? The play is only an hour long after all...

Something I find myself saying quite a bit is that it is rarely a good idea for a playwright to direct their own work. Not because playwrights can't direct. It is just that there is a automatic response to fix problems with the script through acting and technical devices which means they don't give themselves the space to critically examine what they have created and therefore develop as a writer.

The other problem is that Take A Seat does not demonstrate Gould-Dowen's skill as a director either. The stage at The Butterfly Club is small and Take A Seat has a cast of seven, so a creative use of stage space was always going to be a priority. 

For some reason Gould-Dowen has chosen to fill the stage with chairs - more chairs than actors - so there is nowhere for anyone to go. Because of this the entire hour is a long game of musical chairs, but with more chairs than players there is no tension, there are no obstacles to challenge the performers.

The acting was okay and I particularly enjoyed Kotryna Gesait as Sophia and Mursal Ahmadias Nasra. Alexander Gavioli has a real presence on stage and did most of the work in keeping the energy up. He has real talent and played the American soldier who died in Afghanistan with commitment. What he needs to do now is find a way to express the vulnerability which lies under the bluster and then there will be no stopping him.

One of the most poignant moments in the show is a reunion between a father and son played by Adrian Quintarelli and Ryan Stewart respectively. Unfortunately niether of them truly embody their characters and there is nothing in the writing to give Stewart any kind of presence or purpose to being on stage so that whole scenario falls apart. 

I have often wondered if you can write a positive drama for stage and this is what Gould-Dowen has attempted with Take A Seat. The idea is a good one but it does tend to fall into trite platitudes once the characters have told their stories.

Take A Seat does have strong potential with some pruning, refining, and more in-depth exploration of key characters. If you want to see something positive and uplifting - particularly if you are deathly with a mortality issue - come and see this play. It may make you cry, but you will leave feeling positive about things at the end.

Warning: This show contains strong traces of God.

2.5 Stars

Glory Box: Lucky 13! - Cabaret Review

What: Glory Box: Lucky 13!
When: 24 - 29 January
Where: Fairfax Studio, Arts Centre Melbourne
Performed by: Rhonda Burchmore, Moira Finucane, Kamahi Djordan King, Yeshe Maherete, Mark McLauchlan, Rocky Stone, and Azaria Universe

Holly Durant

Once again Finucane and Smith bring us the next iteration of Glory Box: Lucky 13! playing at the Fairfax Studio as part of the Midsumma Festival. Along with Finucane and Smith regulars, each night the show is overflowing with special guests of world renown so you can go every night of the season and have a completely unique and inspiring evening of entertainment. What a great idea!

Glory Box is a show designed to celebrate who and what we are as individuals and as human beings. It is about destroying stereotypes and celebrating the unique and unexpected. A female naked body is meant to be sultry and beckoning, but wait until you see Universe in 'Pearls'. A woman is supposed to be hair free in these modern times but you will laugh your way through Durant's Cousin It style dance. Durant was also mind blowing as the butterfly whose wings are torn away.

On opening night we had the stunning Rhonda Burchmore who made us laugh with her Broadway classic, but 'Wrecking Ball' was hugely surprising and powerful. We were also privileged to experience the mind-blowing acrobatics of pole artiste Mark McLaughlan.

I loved everyone in the show, but for me the night sang in the presence of Rocky Stone. I have seen her Molly Bashful act before in La Revolucion but you can never see this one too many times. My heart really leapt and sang during her aerial act though. Combining tissu moves with aerial hoop Stone used a wide guage rope which allowed her to create a noose for the hoop acrobatics and then twist, knot and drop her way through a tissu routine. Talk about increasing productivity!

Universe's aerial trapeze act right at the start also opened my heart and allowed me space to breath as she destroyed her silhouette with tight bindings coiled around her body creating lumps and bumps where our camera dominated age does not allow women to have them. These bindings cut into her flesh as she contorted and flew on the trapeze creating waves of empathetic pain for the audience. This act was powerful in it's simplicity of concept and condemnation combined with the beauty and strength of her acrobatics.

The beautiful Constantina Bush (who I first came across in Blak Cabaret) joined in the digs and ditties with a completely unique and unexpectedly sexy version of 'Fire'.  Her alter ego King also joined us in the second act and brought a solemnity and pride to the occassion as he sang Kucha Edwards 'Is That What We Deserve'. This was a poignant reminder of where we are and who we are as we prepare for our Australia Day activities.

Of course, the whole event was a satellite around the glowing sun of Moira Finucane who brought us all the favourites. Finucane approaches burlesque from it's traditional roots, combining comedy with politics and adding in a strong dose of the more modern strip tease. She does it all really. Let me just say you have never really seen someone eat a meet pie until you see Finucane eat one!

Glory Box: Lucky 13! is absolutely chock-a-block full of amazing, unexpected, and inspiring performances by the world's best performance artists. The show is a true celebration of our humanity and oneness unlike the celebrations on the 26th. Buy your tickets now because this season is short!

4.5 Stars

Kooza - Circus Review

What: Kooza
When: 20 January - 26 March 2017
Where: Flemington Racecourse
Written and directed by: David Shiner
Composed by: Jean-Francois Cote
Choreography by: Clarence Ford
Performed by: Irina Akimova, Ninjin Altankhuyag, Miguel Berlanga, Marie-Eve Bisson, Yao Deng Bo, Andrei Butar, Paul Butlerm Talita De Lima,  Fernando Diaz, Roberto Quiros Dominguez, Vincente Quiros Dominguez, Alexander Eliseev, Peter Fand, Aaron Felske, Michael Garner, Alessandra Gonzalez, Egor Grachev, Jimmy Ibarra, Sunderiya Jargalsaikhan, Kevin Johnson, Alexander Kashlev, Laura Kmetko, Fritz Kraai, Sunderiya Jargalsaikhan, Alexey Lozgachev, Bayarmunkh Munkhbayasgalan, Carl Murr, Vladimir Panfilov, Elizaveta Parmenova, Denis Pirogov, Ghislain Ramage, Lisa Marie Ramey, Brayhan Sanchez, Flouber Sanchez, Sergey Semavin, Yury Shavro, Ronald Solis, Marina Tikhonenko, Olga Tutynina, Mike Tyus, Andrey Vostrikov, and Vladislav Zolotarev
Set by: Stephane Roy
Costumes by: Marie-Chantal Vaillancourt
Lighting by: Martin Labrecque

Charivari and Trickster - Photo by: Matt Beard Costumes: Marie-Chantale Vaillancourt ©2012 Cirque du Soleil 

Kooza is  a classic Cirque du Soleil show which has been around since 2007 and now it is in Australia. Under the Grand Chapiteau at Flemington Racecourse acrobats and clowns fly, leap, jump, skip and dance through the night as they celebrate the idea of circus in a box.

There is only the loosest of narratives in this show which focuses on the idea of the Innocent who lets the Trickster out of the box after which all sorts of circus hijinks take place. The focus of this show is on fun and spectacle, with  a strong theme of duality. You will notice as the show progresses that many acts and parts of acts are performed in pairs - the contortionists, the unicycle, the High Wire, and even the counter-jumpers in the teeterboard work in pairs.

The Trickster is a strong character who brings order and keeps things moving along however it is the clowns who dominate most of the time on stage between acts. This is probably because the writer and director (Shiner) is a clown. These clowns, though, are not funny. Taking archetypes based heavily in Commedia there is a darknesss to them which is unsettling and unfunny.

In particular I was not impressed with the audience participation sections which, in the first one involved female objectification and physical mauling, and in the second was an attempt to embarrass. I was really glad the man selected had some physical acuity which caused the 'clowning' to fall flat. This style of clowning does not resonate in Australia and, whilst it has a long tradition in the world of performance, is an element of the past which should be left behind.

The acrobats on the other hand were phenomenal from start to finish. After a drawn out beginning which included very banal dance choreography by Ford, the show finally kicked into gear with what, for me, was one of the phenomenal highlights of the show - the contortionists (Jargalsaikhan and Altankhuyag). The strength, flexibility and control demonstrated by these women was jaw dropping.

This pair was followed immediately by Bisson who performed one of the most blistering aerial hoop acts I have ever seen. It almost felt she was spinning and twisting and rising and falling at the speed of light.

Part of the amazing experience of circus is watching apparatus being erected and Kooza does not try to hide any of the mechanics of the show. Even the major set element, the Bataclan, reveals the backstage although it replicates the role of proscenium arch and works as the bandstand as well.

The Bataclan (designed by Roy) is a magnificent piece of architecture encompassing the Middle Asian aesthetic echoed in Vaillancourt's Charivari costumes. All of the costumes were stunning, but I felt there were too many influences going on which were unconnected. This is something I felt about the whole show generally.

I had a wonderful night, though, with lots of gasps of awe. The sword fight on the high wire was fun and breathtaking and I always love the Wheel of Death. I also have to say this wheel is one of the most beautiful pieces of apparatus I have ever seen!

The show climaxes with the teeterboard and what a climax it was. These acrobats not only somersault over 9 meters in the air, but they do it on tall metal stilts! The images still resonate in my mind.

I do think I expect a lot from Cirque du Soleil and it is because they always bring a lot to their shows. Kooza is probably not the best show in their repertoire but it is still a mighty fine extravaganza and a great show for the kids because it is light and fun and there is a very naughty dog running around causing havoc as well.

For tickets click HERE. Kooza will be opening in Perth on April 12.

4 Stars

Legends In Concert - Music Review

What: Legends In Concert
When: 18 - 20 January
Where: The Palms At Crown
Performers: J.C. Brando, Damien Brantley, David Brighton, Kimberly Goltry, Kevin Mills, Frank Moore, and Kelly Smith

Legends In Concert

Everything 80s is hot again and to celebrate The Palms at Crown has brought Legends In Concert back to Melbourne after a 17 year absence. Madonna, Prince, Micheal Jackson, David Bowie, and a couple of ring-ins (Adele and Elvis Presley) take our minds off the scorching summer heat to bring us some of the favourite songs we grew up and with all the iconic moves we learnt on the dance floor.

2016 was a difficult year for the music industry and many great artists were lost to us, so it was wonderful to have the evening kicked off with the one and only Prince (Moore). 'Purple Rain' nearly brought the house down and I was jumping out of my seat with 'Little Red Corvette' and '1999'.

A new addition to the Legends In Concert line up is Olivia Newton-John (Smith) and you could have heard a pin drop during 'I Honestly Love You' everybody was so entranced. David Bowie (Brighton) ended the first half of the show in brilliant style with amazing costumes and moves from the back up dancers.

Everything about this show is glitzy and stylish with amazing attention to detail. The costumes are mind boggling, the impersonations absolutely spot on, and the back up band is smokin' with skills we can only dream of.

The second act had some of the biggest names in music pop history but I confess my favourite was Madonna (Gotling). This won't surprise anybody who knows me, but what may be surprising is why Gotling impressed me so much. Most of the performers sang the music as recorded - which was fantastic and what we all wanted and expected. Gotling, on the other hand, was Madonna in concert.

I am sure there are all sorts of copyright issues involved with this but as a result (for those of us who are true fans of Mads) we got one of the most original and high energy segments of the night. Not only did Gotling have the moves and music down - including the artistry with which Madonna changes and arranges her songs in concert - but she even had Madonna's breathing idiosyncrasies and altered live vocal tuning down pat! It was masterful and unexpected and lifted the whole event out of the ordinary.

Having said that, Mills' Elvis had a bit of this going on as well, and Brando as Adele was positively celestial. Not only does she have the vocal replication down to perfection but her transitions between Adele the amazing singer, to Adele the cheeky Tottenham girl still in awe of her success was cognitive dissonance at it most exhilerating.

I don't know whether to be proud or embarrassed I knew nearly every song by heart but regardless, this was a fun night which left both me and my Gen Y plus one screaming, whooping, and bouncing around in our seats the whole night. Legends In Concert is only in Melbourne for three nights so get your tickets now because this is some of the most fun you will have this summer.

5 Stars

A Night At The Musicals - Cabaret Review

What: A Night At The Musicals
When: 18 - 22 January
Where: Fairfax Studio, Arts Centre Melbourne
Performed by: Le Gateau Chocolat and Jonny Woo

Le Gateau Chocolat

You may think 'you've seen one musicals cabaret, you've seen them all' but nothing could be further from the truth with A Night At The Musicals now playing in the Fairfax Studio for Midsumma Festival. Le Gateau Chocolat and Jonny Woo have created an evening of experiences which are fun, intelligent and fall on the floor funny which brought the house down last night and had people jumping out of their seats to give them an ovation.

There were a few tried and true numbers, but most of the evening consisted of very surprising choices performed in unexpected ways. Rather than just being a 'best of' type of show, Chocolat and Woo have put together a clever commentary (I wouldn't call it parody), playfully poking loving fun at the tropes of musical performances common across the globe.

Beginning with a prelude to match any of the grand operas and which leaves the audience guessing, the pair work their way through Phantom of the Opera, Les Miserables, Chess, and Frozen to name only a few. Playing with the songs themselves, performances, and even staging elements - wait till you see how cheeky production gets - the audience are taken through a gamut of hijinks, high kicks, and high emotions.

As all of us girls know, fashion is never a competition (yeah, right!), but I have to say Le Gateau Chocolat won the best gowns of the evening award leaving Jonny Woo to petulantly concede and hide in the shadows. His sparkles and spangles and fringing and frou frou perfectly matched his mellifluous baritone voice which gave 'Let It Go' an oddly nuanced and touching edge, ending with theatrics Bonnie Tyler would be proud of.

Not to be outdone, Woo plays the entire cast of Les Miserables in a feat of theatrical genius. His vibrant tenor created beautiful harmonies between the two of them and my favourite moment of the evening was their totally straight duet 'I Know Him So Well'.

I absolutely loved this show and I realised one of the reasons I was having a good time is that despite all the drag and the touch of camp, this is one female impersonation show which does not demean or deride femininity, something which bugs me in the cabaret industry at large. Chocolat and Woo understand that it is enough to 'be', it doesn't have to be forced. As such, we could all sit back and enjoy their art and laugh with them rather than feeling attacked.

I had no idea what to expect before I went to see A Night At The Musicals but this show is a gift. If you are a musicals fanatic you will probably get even more laughs out if it than I did, but you only have to have been alive in a populated area to still get heaps of laughs from a genre which sometimes feels like it is wrapping it's tentacles around the theatre industry.

A slightly sleepy start hides the true impact A Night At The Musicals has as it unfolds and draws forth titters which grow into gales of laughter. I did not want the show to end. If this an indication of what we are going to see this Midsumma we are in for a cracker of a Festival!

4.5 Stars

Room On The Broom - Theatre Review

What: Room On The Broom
When: 4 - 15 January
Where: The Playhouse Theatre
Directed by: Olivia Jacobs
Music and Lyrics by: John Fiber, Robin Price, and Andy Shaw
Performed by: Crystal Hegedis, Nat Jobe, Andreas Lohmeyer, and Chandel Rose
Puppets by: Yvonne Stone
Design by: Morgan Large
Lighting by: James Whiteside

Nat Jobe, Crystal Hegedis, and Chandel Rose

Room On The Broom is the hit children's show playing at the Arts Centre Melbourne this January. The show is a theatre adaptation of the book of the same name written by Julia Donaldson and illustrated by Axel Scheffler.

Room On The Broom has been a massive success since it was published in 2001. In 2012 it was adapted into a 3D short film and now it is a stage play. If you go to the website there are also online games and activity books for purchase. 

Written by the same creators who gave us The Gruffalo, Room On The Broom is chock full of endearing characters, and enough thrills and surprises to keep even the most unsettled child entertained.

Part puppetry, part acting, part musical, Room On The Broom follows the fortune of a kind hearted witch (Crystal Hegedis) who sets out to defeat a terrifying dragon (Andreas Lohmeyer). Along the way she picks up a cat (Chandel Rose), a dog and a frog (Nat Jobe), and a bird (Lohmeyer). There is only so much a broomstick can take, however, and when this one breaks the troubles begin.

The puppets, created by Yvonne Stone, are totally adorable - especially the dog - and the frog is a real ladies man... er... toad? As gorgeous as these puppets are though, it is Rose as the cat who really steals the show. With all the superior attitude of our real feline friends, Rose spits at the dog and swipes at the bird petulantly as the broom strains under more and more passengers.

The songs are catchy and the performers are young and energetic. There is just enough audience interaction although I think the kids would love a bit more. Overall though, Olivia Jacobs' direction is clever, detailed and at times surprising, keeping the young audience on the edge of their seats until the very end. There is also a joke or two for the adults.

At just under an hour, Room On The Broom is just the right length. Also, if the children bring a box, there are facilities for them to make their own dream world at the Arts Centre before the show.

4 Stars

Allied - Film Review

What:  Allied
Release Date: 26 December
Featuring: Marion Cottilard and Brad Pitt

Brad Pitt and Marion Cotillard

Allied is a World War II Romance of the style we have not seen come out of Hollywood since the middle of the last century. Featuring Brad Pitt and Marion Cotillard, this movie strongly references the 1942 classic Casablanca.

The story is based around two spies - Max Vatan (Pitt) and Marianne Beausejour (Cotillard) - who find themselves working together on an operation in Casablanca and posing as husband and wife. Everything about these opening scenes are unabashedly referential to the 1942 movie, from the cinematography, the colour grading which references film noir, and the second unit cinematography. Lacking subtlety, but highly referential is the dust storm surrounding the spies as they break protocol and have sex because they may die the next day.

Pitt and Cotillard also base their characters on Humphrey Bogart and Ingrid Bergman. Unfortunately, Pitt's version of reserve lacks the depth and complexity Bogart manages and there is no chemistry between Pitt and Cotillard, although Cotillard works hard to soften Pitt's robotic performance. Director Robert Zemeckis has gone so far as to film Cottillard with the same luminescence Curtiz used for Bergman and Cottilard does live up to her predecessor's magic.

Vatan and Beausejour survive their assassination task and Vatan asks Beausejour to come to England and be his wife. She says yes. This moment stands out as the most unbelievable of the film. I just couldn't make myself believe they were in love. In fact, I had a hard time believing there was any real danger but that may be because I have been spoiled by the realism of war films since the 170's - Apocalypse Now, Platoon, Saving Private Ryan, etc.

The film moves into more comfortable territory once the couple are in London. Pitt does relax a little but I spent a lot of time during the movie wondering if Pitt was trying to set himself up as the next James Bond. Zemeckis has cleverly situated the character of Vatan as a Canadian secondment to the British Army to explain Pitt's American accent.

Whilst I had a lot of trouble believing in the start of the movie, curiously I found myself thoroughly engaged by the second half. Cotillard has the most amazing eyes which the audience can drown in and she uses them to devastating effect, never letting us know whether she is a double agent or just what she appears to be. It reminded me of Bergman's comment about not knowing which character she was supposed to truly be in love with in Casablanca.

The Casablanca references abound, including a wonderfully oblique nod to the 'Marseillaise' scene in the 1942 movie. The ending for Allied has a similar impact to Casablanca as the realities of what needs to happen force an impasse with only one solution. The flip of sacrifice from the older movie is an inspired choice and one which brings the movie into a modern aesthetic. 

I confess I cried. Allied is unapologetically romantic and pushes all the right buttons. The nostalgia of the approach seems to give the audience permission to indulge in the pathos in a manner we are not as comfortable with these days. An old world story told in old world ways - it kind of works.

Apparently, the idea for this story came from a 'true' story told to Stephen Knight (original script writer) when he was 21. The story may be true but the movie does not work because of that. It works because it is pure romantic fantasy untainted by modern realism or cynicism.

Despite Pitt's performance there is enough here to make this a fine film to watch and a brilliant one to take older relatives to as a festive gift. Want to calm the waters with mother's-in-law or grandparents? This is the perfect way to head into the holiday family festivities.

4 Stars

The Burly Q Club - Cabaret Review

What: The Burley Q Club
When: 3-17 December 
Where: Greyhound Hotel

Sina King - photo courtesy of Encore PR

The Burly Q Club is an exciting new burlesque/dinner theatre experience produced by Miss Burlesque Australia 2011, Sina King. The show is currently being presented at the Greyhound Hotel in St Kilda and is a raunchy and rollicking recap of the fun and feathers of the heyday of American burlesque.

Burlesque began in the mid 1800's in Britain as a lower class form of comedy revue. A century later and across the oceans Americans added the art of strip tease to the line up to compete with the emerging movie industry for entertainment dollars. By the 1960's burlesque - or burly Q as is was fondly called - was a dying art form.

Dying but not dead yet, a resurgence of burlesque has emerged over the last two decades, the most prominent advocate probably being the luscious Dita von Teese.

Australia has never let burlesque die out completely - probably because of the essence of humour and satire which is essential to the full burlesque experience and whilst burlesque used to be associated with comedy, in modern times it has allied itself with the circus arts. Artists such as Moira Finucane lead the way internationally with the show (now approaching it's 13th year) Glory Box. 

The Burly Q Club is Sina King's latest creation and as dinner theatre it focuses more on the titillation aspect of burlesque with all of the acts incorporating strip tease in some form or another. Circus also features with one of the best aerial hoop acts (Miss Kopalova) I have ever seen. Morphing into a rhythmic gymnatics routine we are amazed to discover "what you can do with a bowling ball" as the MC breathlessly puts it.

Aurora Kirth, compere extraordinaire, brings much of the humour (with a little hint of dominatrix) to the proceedings in the form of Leila, the "multi-accentual" grand dame of undiscoverable European provenance. Leila keeps the crowd in line and in laughter as we journey through the garden of Eden on an exploration of temptation, indulgence, and acrobatics.

Sina King brings the magic of the medicine woman as she plays with a (real) snake in her jungle of temptation, and Zelia Rose brings some tribal "black honey" into the mix - her bananas swaying madly as she proudly reveals her talents.

Things get very hot and heavy, with just a touch of BDSM as Bray Beunrostro and Miss Kopalova explore sexual power in a mind blowing acrobatics routine. This act will leave images never to be forgotten.

Hannie Helsdon brings back the comedy with a cheeky Barbie doll hula hoop routine, and as a little something for the women Rowan Thomas does a strip tease on the Cyr Wheel. Ah, men and their toys...

This is a dinner event, so Leila gives the audience some breaks as the three course meal is served encouraging us to "take a moment to fan down your groin" before once again reminding us "Love is in the air. Reach out and fondle it."

The Burly Q Club is a sexy, awe inspiring night complete with some of the most accomplished burlesque and circus artists I have seen. Magnificently curated it is a wonderful cabaret performance with ostrich feathers and booby tassels galore. As Leila tells us, "Strangers you arrive and lovers you shall leave."

5 Stars

Professor Rosi Braidotti - Event Review

What: Professor Rosi Braidotti
When: 9 December 2016
Where: Victorian College of the Arts

Rosi Braidotti - all photos by Samsara

One of the great secrets of every university town is the public lectures available to the community. University of Melbourne is a well-spring of current thinking and ideas and they run an ongoing series of free public lectures on everything from the physics of entropy through to the randomness of chance and probability.

Last night I attended an incredibly inspiring lecture by world renowned philosopher Professor Rosi Braidotti. Braidotti is currently a professor at Utrecht University in the Netherlands, and is a pioneer in European Women's Studies.

Speaking in Federation Hall at the Victorian College of the Arts, Braidotti addressed the question of what it is to be a feminist in a post-human age. Braidotti is an incredibly lively and engaging speaker and it was impossible to not get caught up in her indignation of the past, frustration in the present, and enthusiasm for the future.

Braidotti grounded this presentation in the works of Foucault and Deleuze, but the true foundation of the talk centred around the ideas underlying the philosophies of Baruch Spinoza. Spinoza laid the groundwork for the Age of Enlightenment with his monistic concept of humanity, the universe and God as well as his belief in the future of mankind being determinist rather than an act of free will.

Beginning with the presentation of Leonardo da Vinci's drawing of the Vitruvian Man, Braidotti condemned the idea of this image being a representation of humanity and thereby, the universal. She asked the question "If this is human and I am not this [white male], than am I human?" She took this idea even further, asking can a concept of universal be represented by female or - an even bigger leap - can the concept of universal be represented by other than human?

One of the intriguing insights raised by Braidotti was the amount of money being poured into future studies in Europe. In particular, she talked about the Future of Humanity Institute at Oxford University and how it is investigating ways to augment biological humanity to help us keep up with the computers and machines we are inventing which outstrip our own unenhanced capabilities.

As such, questions about the usefulness of the concept of other are raised. In a world where humans require augmentation and we are attempting to build moral algorithms into our unmanned killing machines is there really any difference between human and machine, living and non-living, or human and alt-speciies.

Spinoza and Braidotti share the monistic viewpoint and Braidotti is careful to remind us that being part of the whole does not mean we are the same. On the other hand, being different is not about being other. In a post-Brexit, pre-Trump world where the 'other' (such as refugees) are considered disposable these ideas are really important to think about and consider.

These public lectures are a wonderful way to expand our thinking. For example, one of the important observations raised by Braidotti is how it appears the 21st century seems to be a reliving of the 17th century. As such, another Age of Enlightenment is bound to reemerge, unfortunately just not in our lifetime.

Public lectures are a great alternative to movies and sports and gets your brain working in ways it is not used to. They also provide excellent fodder for dinner party conversations and lively debates among friends. And they're free.

To find out what other intriguing and exciting lectures are on offer click HERE.

The Tempest - Theatre Review

What: The Tempest
When: 2 - 11 December
Where: St Kilda Botanical Gardens
Written by: William Shakespeare
Directed by: Jennifer Sarah Dean
Musical Direction by: Ben Adams
Choreographed by: Camilla Cream
Performed by: Madeline Dunkley, Carly Ellis, Andrew Isles, May Jasper, Khisraw Jones, Victoria Mantynen, Jonathan Peck, Hunter Perske, Emma Louise Pursey, Mitch Ralston, John Reed, Paul Robertson, Charles Sturgeon, Jessica Tanner, and Lara Vocisano,
Costumes by: Rhiannon Irving
Stage Managed by: Gin Rosse

Photo courtesy of Melbourne Shakespeare Company

Summer fun with garden productions of Shakespeare has begun and the newest company in the line up, Melbourne Shakespeare Company, are kicking off the season with a laugh packed romp through The Tempest. Hidden away in the beautiful St Kilda Botanical Gardens the shipwrecked souls from Milan sing and swig and bemuse and beguile their way through an hour and a half of enchantment and intrigue.

Watching this production was the first time I ever realised The Tempest is a comedy. Every production and remediation I have ever seen has been dark and gloomy and heavy. Watching the Melbourne Shakespeare Company prance and gesticulate their way through this tale seemed so right and natural, and had me wondering why it is not done more often by companies such as the Australian Shakespeare Company, It has all the fun and frolick of A Midsummer Night's Dream with somewhat more intelligibility!

The Tempest is a play about intrigue, betrayal, magic and love - and it begins with a shipwreck. What more could you want for a fantasy garden tale told in the early sunset hours?

Whilst the original play only has one female part - Miranda (played by Ellis) - Melbourne Shakespeare Company are presenting the play with almost equal numbers of men and women. I don't think this is a political statement as only minimal gender changes have been made to the script. I think it is more just a reflection of our times. It certainly does not hurt the play to do this. Pursey has all the power and gravitas Prospero needs, and Jasper (Stephano) is a very convincing comic drunkard indeed.

The men hold their own though and you will find it hard to find a funnier Trinculo than the one played by Peck. Ralston's Caliban is also excellent with a physicality which adds a great dynamic to the tableaus developed by Dean.

The Tempest is one of Shakespeare's most musical plays - a truth born out by the 46 or so operas which have been inspired by the play. This version indulges in the music without restraint, bringing a litany of pop medleys to amuse and delight. Some of them are a bit too long, but every song choice is amusing, which is completely in tune with the tone of the play. There is a lot of singing in this show and it gets quite pitchy, but there is no reinforcement so there is not much that can be done for that. A pitch pipe would help...

All of the design elements are fantastic. The costumes are truly fabulous, and Irving's work with Prospero and the Ariels is divine. Irving's background is in musicals and this shows in the dynamics and synergies she has created across the costumes of the entire ensemble.

Did you notice I said 'the Ariels'? There is not one, not two...but three of them! It is a really wonderful choice. Apart from echoing Shakespeares use of feminine triads (Macbeth, King Lear, etc), the number 3 is significant in The Tempest including the fact that the whole experience on the island is said to take place over only three hours. Whilst not quite a chorus in the Greek sense, it does allow Ariel to have greater agency in the large playing area and works with the idea of them as spirits of the island who are changeable and changing.

It also allows some fun individual interactions with other cast members and solves a myriad of complexities. It also gives them a strange connection to the natural world of the gardens themselves as they disappear into the surrounding foliage and then reappear at will, their movements echoing the swaying of the branches above.

Dean demonstrates a strong sense of visual aesthetics and knows how to move a large cast around a big space. This is a very physical production and whilst there are a lot of moments when timing is perfect, there are some group moments which are sloppy. Given the scope of this production and the fact they are a new ensemble this is not surprising though. As they work together more, they will develop the syncopation they are evidently aiming at.

Whilst patchy in parts this production of The Tempest is clever and a lot of fun. It is truly family friendly, being accessible to children but still weighted enough for adults to have fun.

3.5 Stars

Mr Phase - Theatre Review

What: Mr Phase
When: 1-3 December
Where: La Mama Theatre
Written by: Christopher Brown
Performed by: Christopher Brown and Solomon Brown

Mr Phase 2002 - photo by Tao Weis

Mr Phase is showing at La Mama Theatre as part of their current Explorations series. You may have a dim memory of this work prodding at your brain and you would be right to think you have seen it before - or a version of it at least.

Christopher Brown first developed Mr Phase in 2002 with the Next Wave Festival and then presented it in 2003 as part of the Melbourne International Festival. Over a decade later he has decided the world has shifted enough to bring Mr Phase out of the closet and take another MRI for a health check.

The Explorations platform at La Mama is not about finished work. It is about artists developing ideas and exploring concepts and showcasing work which they may go on to sculpt into fully formed performances.

You might think this is not the right place for a pre-existing work, but as with all health checks, whilst Mr Phase has the 2003 version to look back on, the current state of health is a completely independent examination requiring a new set of images and a new diagnostic analysis. 2016 is a very different world from that at the turn of the century, and we are being bombarded with 'the smearing accumulation of disparate, unconnected and disconnected experiences...' as the program tells us.

Why do I keep making medical references, I hear you asking. MR Phase is the term used in medicine which refers to an MRI imaging technique which looks at the flow of fluids through the body. As you probably know, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is a high contrast technique which allows radiologists to see extraordinary detail in the internal organs of the body and is the favoured tool for diagnosing neurological cancers. It generally detects fat and water - a detail reflected in the costumes of the show - white and blue.

I don't want this review to become some sort of crazy physics lesson, but to truly understand what Christopher Brown is doing, there are some ideas you need to know. A phase is a distinct stage in a process of change, and these stages can be simultaneous, or overlap. They can also be sympathetic (in phase) or contradictory (out of phase). You may have heard of this in terms of sound and music of which there is a lot of in this show - DJ turn table, sampling, playback, live microphones, etc.

MR phase is the use of spin to create a 4 dimensional image (the fourth dimension being time) to detect the velocity of change. MR phase captures two images at the same time and separates them to explore their unique identities and how they work upon each other. This is the limit of my understanding of this technique so I hope it is enough to make the rest of what I say make sense.

In Mr Phase Christopher Brown begins by playing records on a turntable with a sampler on top - it is a dj set up. He is half dancing around wrapped in a huge white terry toweling bath robe with a red light stuck in his mouth and a huge visor over his eyes. This suggests he is about to reveal something, something hidden, a form of nudity, something deep inside.

It is a very modern image but then out of nowhere he changes the record and we get Pachelbel's Canon in D major, the robe comes of and there he is in a blue polyester sweat suit reminiscent of the 70's. This is the beginnings of an exploration of the influences which have worked on him over time. As the show progresses we see the influences of targeted marketing, and the randomness of information overload working on a soul of odd generosity.

Mr Phase is hilarious. It is something more than stand up comedy, yet something slightly less than dramatic monologue. It is participatory, yet not immersive. It is natural,yet not naturalism. Christopher Brown spins discs, and Solomon Brown spins Christopher (when not playing a mean bass guitar), and both are surrounded by spin as the show goes on.

There is a gentleness and generosity to Mr Phase which is surprising - especially given the content. The audience are invited to slip into something 'more comfortable', and a communion of crackers joins the audience in a moment of gentle worship to the great gods of spin - the advertising gurus.

This iteration of Mr Phase is still in development but the bones are interesting and a strong and engaging piece of unique and thoughtful theatre is about to emerge. Transitions are complicated and unclear at this point, yet the ideas are clear and the points already hit home. I can't wait to see this show fully redeveloped.

4 Stars