The Confessions of Jeremy Perfect - Theatre Review

What: The Confessions of Jeremy Perfect
When: 28 February - 11 March 2018
Where: La Mama Courthouse
Written by: Sandy Fairthorne
Directed by: Judy Ellis
Performed by: Sean Paisley Collins, Simon Finch, Alex McTavish, Eva Justine Torkkola, and Ruby Wall
Set design by: Elisenda Russell
Lighting by: Richard Mclean
Sound by: Jack Stirling
Stage management by: Anne Powell

Eva Justine Torkkola

The Confessions of Jeremy Perfect is a new play by prolific playwright Sandy Fairthorne and is showing for the next two weeks at the La Mama Courthouse. It is a story about breeding and how we do it in 21st century Australia. It is also a play about people with all the complexities, beauty and ugliness which comes with our humanity.

Fairthorne's ouvre is Australian family drama. Her work delights in exploring family dynamics and her wonderful facility with realistic yet clever dialogue helps her to create characters of depth and detail which audiences can't help but delight in.

The Confessions of Jeremy Perfect is the tale of a young couple - Jeremy (Finch) and Rosa (Torkkola) Perfect - who have a newborn child and are in conflict over parenting styles. Jeremy want's to respond every time the baby cries but Rosa is of the 'cry it out' school of rearing and because she is a psychiatrist she would seem to have the academic and professional nous to know the right thing to do.  At the same time though, she is also diagnosing and medicating her husband Jeremy at home which gives the audience a beautifully unsettled space to watch the unfolding drama.

Part of me wonders if this play did not start out being something other than it became because there is so much potential in this opening scene, but most of it just becomes a mechanism rather than the basis of the investigation of the play which is a great opportunity missed I suspect.

An annoying Last Will and Testament has Rosa's sister Annie (McTavish) trapped into living in the same house. Apart from the usual sibling rivalry, Fairthorne has set up McTavish as a non-breeder to balance discussions which will ensue as the family circle grows.

And grow it does as Jeremy's brother Joe (Collins) and his girlfriend Simone (Steele) find themselves homeless and living in the attic. Their dog just died and being around baby Carl makes this young couple decide to get pregnant and the scene is set for a dynamic and compassionate exploration of survival of the species.

The idea is strong and the cast, for the most part, is up to the challenge. McTavish comes straight out of the box with great energy, interpretation and brings the first big laughs in the show. My only regret is I wondered if her character is even needed in the play.  McTavish is so good though, keep the character until the end of the season please!

Finch has an incredibly complex role with Jeremy who is constantly slipping between the influence of pharmaceutical drugs, sanity, and alcohol and manages most of it with great detail and humanity. His character in this complicated set of circumstances raises huge ethical questions for the audience and puts them in a light we rarely contemplate.  The main one being what is domestic abuse?

This leads me to Torkkola, playing his wife. There is so much potential in this role and so much of what happens and our understanding of what happened hinges on the knife edge she walks between reasonable and unreasonable. Unfortunately neither the direction (Ellis) or her acting skills allow her to find that precipice and keep us, the audience teetering and so the pay off at the end - whilst still incredibly powerful - is a really big leap for us. Rosa is just too - well - normal?

I loved Steele's dry and disbelieving delivery of lines and the interloper girlfriend, Simone. Her place as the Everyman at the start points beautifully back at the others before she slips gracefully into the madness of their world herself.

There is so much which is so good about The Confessions of Jeremy Perfect and the writing is delightful and witty but it is much, much too long. The play runs for 1 hr 40 and could easily be cut by 30 minutes. The problem is we know what is going to happen - or at least one aspect of it - and we spend so much time sitting there watching a prolonged set up when all we really want to do is get there and then see what happens next. It really is worth waiting to see what does happen though!

Russell's set was both beautiful and annoying beyond belief. Her eye for photography, colour, and composition are clear as tones of peach, blue, white, and rust intertwine through the costumes and the set dressings. There are 'zones' for the kitchen, the verandah, the bedroom, etc as all good interior designers will tell you there should be.

So what is it which drove me crazy? Down stage centre was dominated by a big, six seater laminex table. Thus the entire play takes place behind it (and way too much time sitting at it...). There is always this table between the actors and the audience so we can't connect fully with the performances. Why would you give the most powerful positions on stage to a piece of static furniture? Why is that not the first thing Ellis changed when rehearsals began?

McLean's fairy lights had a similar effect on me. As soon as I saw them texturing the back wall of the bedroom I spent the rest of the play wondering when they were going to turn on and how anyone could possible use them logically in this real world pregnancy drama. I shall simply say they did turn on... and off, and on, and off, and on... you get the point.

The truth is, these production details only annoyed me because there was so much which was good and enjoyable about the show. With some ruthless but compassionate dramaturgy The Confessions of Jeremy Perfect stands to be great modern play with a long life ahead. Oh, and best stage sex ever!

3 Stars

Delilah - Theatre Review

What: Delilah
When: 20 - 25 February 2018
Where: The Butterfly Club
Written by: Clare Hennessy
Directed by: Romi Kupfer
Performed by: Laura McAloney, Francesca O'Donnell, and Sass Pinci
Design by Abbie Lea-Hough
Dramaturgy by: Glenn Saunders

Sass Pinci and Laura McAloney

Delilah is a new one act play being presented at The Butterfly Club this month. Presented by Left of Centre, it sits in an unusual space somewhere between a staged reading and a full production. I found this quite intriguing because it seems to allow for a work to be considered produced for funding and competition purposes without having to manage and resource what we would generally consider a produced work. I suspect we will see a lot more of this type of production in the near future so we will probably have to come up with a name for it.

On the plus side, a production of this scale really highlights the script and allows the cast the freedom to let go of the book which can be quite inhibiting in staged readings. On the down side, it really highlights the script and offers little to designers on the visual side of the practice. Having said that I really think Lea-Hough (designer) could have done so much more to create the characters and their world for very little extra effort or cost.

Delilah is the story of a young urban couple - Samson (O'Donnell) and Delilah (Pinci) - with Delilah's brother Dominic (McAloney) as the outsider looking in. Samson is an up and coming professional fighter with anger issues, and Delilah is his (supposedly?) abused girlfriend. Dominic is a mechanism to constantly put pressure on Delilah to get out of the relationship.

The whole story is book ended by the biblical tale of Samson and Delilah. In a nut-shell the bible story tells us Samson was given super strength by God. He fell in love and married Delilah who was offered a lot of money to find out the secret of his strength. Delilah bugs Samson until he finally tells her the strength is in his hair. He went to sleep, she cut his hair, and he was able to be captured and tortured.

The story of Delilah the play begins with this metaphor - our modern Delilah having cut off Samson's plaits before a big fight. It is a bit hard to tell in this production, but the story then goes back in time to the sequence of events which led to this moment, this betrayal.

Whilst this is a story with intriguing possibilities, my greatest hesitation about Delilah is the confusion about whose story is being told. According to the title it is Delilah's, and the media release insinuates it is an insight into domestic violence. That may very well have been the writer's (Hennessy) intention but this is not the play she wrote. This play is Samson's story - as is the biblical tale - and I am suprised the dramaturg (Saunders) did not pick up on the confusion.

You may say this doesn't matter as long as the story is a good one and well told. Perhaps. The next problem for me though, is that it is evident the story of Samson is not Hennessy's to tell. I often condemn men for trying to write women's stories and I am going to say this has the same lack of intensity and intention because women don't know men's stories. Everything becomes a stereotype.

In this production the entire problem is escalated because for some reason they decided to have women playing the male roles and all of the creatives (except Saunders) are women so who was there in the team to provide a male perspective? On the casting choice, I am all for gender fluidity but on stage gender is binary unless actively worked against. Theatre is the art of signs and signals so if you put a female in a male role you better be trying to say something or you end up saying nothing at all and this is what has happened to Delilah. Casting O'Donnell and McAloney in male roles and then not providing any information on how to read (or not read) this through costume or direction leaves the whole thing feeling very amateur and unfocussed.

This is not so much a reflection on performance. O'Donnell played her part well (and was de-gendered quite successfully I admit), and McAloney really hit her stride in the second half of the show.

Kupfer's direction is really a case study in creating tableaux with a few dated and rather twee theatrical movement tricks to try and give the work some depth and otherworldliness but it justs adds to the sense of 'drama school'. At 70 minutes the play is at least ten minutes too long and all of that can be attributed to the direction. It is slow and drawn out and despite a very affective sound track, tends to destroy the suspense rather than build it.

I know this is a harsh review, and I really thought there was promise and possibility in the play itself although Hennessy needs to go back and compare her intention to her product. There is no abuse in the script - just a hint of rough sex. The time lines are way out of wack. In one day Delilah finds out she's pregnant, chucks a sickie to tell Samson, plots to betray him with Dominic, and quits her job. I am all for telescoping time in a script - I use the technique myself - but in a play written as realism this is utterly fantastical.

There is a lot of potential talent in this team but they need to all start from the same place and not be afraid to talk to each other about inconsistencies. I would really love to see it performed with men playing the men because I think the creative team could use some male experiential perspective with the story as it exists right now.

2 Stars

Romeo & Juliet - Theatre Review

What: Romeo & Juliet
When: 9 - 18 February 2018
Where: Queens Park, Moonee Ponds
Written by: William Shakespeare
Directed by: Alan Chambers
Performed by: Alexandra Aldrich, Lore Burns, Brendan Ewing, Victoria Haslam, Ty Holdsworth, Katharine Innes, Todd Levi, Masashi Shimamoto, Letitia Sutherland, and Harry Tseng.

Victoria Haslam

In an ode to Baz Luhrmann - and more specifically Leonardo Di Caprio - Sly Rat brings spectacle and imagination to the Shakespeare in the park classic, Romeo and Juliet. Over the top and with a keen eye to beauty and detail, what sets Sly Rat's production apart from every version before it is the outstanding interpretation of Juliet which shapes the entire production and makes this show leap into the category of extraordinary and truly contemporary.

Director Alan Chambers has taken a look - a real look - at what Juliet says and how she talks and realised that this character transcends the moment. Juliet often speaks as if from hindsight and Chambers has done what I have never seen anyone else do. He has let her age. And thus, this story is told in the confines and freedoms of her mind.

Trapped in a body aged and incapable of independent function, Juliet (Victoria Haslam) relives the adventures leading up to her life's tragedy. It is not said, because the text is altered very little, but I certainly inferred that whilst Juliet got enough poison to appear dead, she did in fact survive. The opening tableau seems to suggest a long and fruitful life although in her twilight she seems trapped in the reliving of those fateful 'in fair Verona' when two star crossed lovers met their plight.

Told from a dream perspective the first act is an indulgence of Surrealism. Set up like a wedding, the play devolves into something resembling the Mad Hatter's tea party as pink flamingo's pepper the lawn, bubbles and smoke distort the backdrop of epic beauty (Queens Park is stunning!) and Chambers indulges in visual flights of fancy. Surrealism is all about using the trope of the dream to create unexpected juxtapositions and Chambers revels in this in everything from the frame of age reliving youth, through to endless repetitions of Leonardo Di Caprio popping up all over the place.

It is ironic that in this incredibly clever retelling, the freshness of the idea is almost contradicted by the form which rides the waves of 1920's origins through the 60's of Lewis Carroll's imaginings before landing in the 2000's with Di Caprio. Personally I enjoyed the journey and the respect for lineage but I missed the utter contemporariness of the introduction as the play devolves into the nightmare of the 2nd Act only to be taken over by an almost Constructionist edge as troops of Di Caprio's invade Juliet's mind before she is swallowed up.

Having said that, the visual elements are stunning and Haslam's Juliet is ferociously dominating as she counts back all the steps which led to the death of her one true love. Her Romeo has taken on Davidian qualities of perfection in her mind, naturally, and Masashi Shimamoto revels in the melodrama of this interpretation - and he has the body to back it up!

I was intrigued by many character interpretations although in the end I do think the play suffered from too many acting styles and the overriding style of Surrealism doesn't account for, or accomodate this adequately. This seems to be a common issue with younger directors.

I was surprised and intrigued by Katharine Innes' Lady Capulet. Todd Levi's Lord Capulet was a more traditional interpretation but mighty fine as well as was Alexandra Aldrich's feisty nurse. Brendan Ewing was stunning as Mercutio and I very much enjoyed the quieter, yet lothario styled Tybalt portrayed by Harry Tseng. I was not convinced by Ty Holdsworth's Benvolio.

One element which had me perplexed was the interpretation of the religious characters as a Wiccan. Or perhaps it is truer to say I didn't warm to the angry, angsty version of a Wiccan presented by Lore Burns. I just couldn't figure out why she was so grumpy all the time when Shakespeare's Friar Lawrence is extremely approachable as a character.

Regardless, this is a wonderful version of the age old story of Romeo and Juliet and the visuals are so strong it stops people passing by and compels them to stay and watch. The location is stunning, the grass is full and soft and green and the gardens are immaculately groomed. Tickets are free and they have a BBQ and licensed bar so you literally can eat, drink and be merry as you engage in this romantic tale cleverly told. An early start time also makes it extremely family friendly.

4 Stars

Glitterfist: Libertine - Cabaret Review

What: Glitterfist - Libertine
When: 30 January - 3 February 2018
Where: The 86
Written by: Bree Zilla
Composition by: Toyah Hoetzel
Performed by: Glitterfist, Jessica McKerlie, and Six Inches Uncut

Jessica McKerlie, Glitterfist and Six Inches Uncut

It's Midsumma Festival time so the way the trio in this photo are dressed is pretty much the norm rather than the exception right about now. Having said that, even as the mask of night slips away and the sun wakes us up, a whole lot of that glitter and sparkle is finding its way into the daylight hours. Even our 'day drag' - as Glitterfist calls it - is discreetly celebrating excess as metallics, sequins, animal prints and bling bedazzle offices and educational institutions giving expression to, and worshipping our individuality.

Playing at The 86, Glitterfist:Libertine is all about worship; worshipping the polytheism of indulgence, the glory of glitz and glam, and -most importantly - worshipping ourselves by indulging in our every desire. Written and directed by Glitterfist the show is an orgiastic overindulgence of sex and sensuality as she and fellow divinities Pleasure (McKerlie) and Filth (Uncut) try to find the balance between freedom and connection.

Identity, gender and sexuality are the themes on which the Midsumma Festival revolves and as society moves toward a non-binary aesthetic most shows in the festival tackle larger societal issues with a focus on pain and healing. Glitterfist: Libertine does do this, but in a much more traditional and celebratory context. They bring the joy and naughtiness of the previously secret world of drag into the open air with a new little twist.

Billed in the marketing material as "...Australia's first cabaret featuring an all non-binary gendered cast..." it made me hesitate. What do they mean and how can they make such a claim after a history which includes Les Girls amongst others? Upon seeing the show, though, I understood what they were saying. Each of the artists have genital accoutrements which signify both the male and the female. Thus, Glitterfist has chest hair and a light emitting dildo and Filth has a tentacled vagina under his bedazzled horn phallus. It is anybody's guess as to what is hidden under Pleasure's codpiece.

The story is how the divinity known as Glitterfist matured into an empowering entity helping people find their freedom and themselves, mentored by the older deities Filth and Pleasure who accidently midwife her into our world of flesh and blood. Starting as a pleasure seeking, naive, and thoughtless babe Glitterfist learns about the pain and cost involved in expressing indulgence and looks at some war wounds. The big message is don't always be at war and wear your armour. Relax and be vulnerable sometimes. Enjoy what you have fought so hard for (and are still fighting for).

The show is slow and mesmerizing and absolutely self-indulgent. Normally this would annoy me, but in this instance form follows function and if the message is to engage in our own personal self-indulgence what better way to do it than to show us what that looks like and how fun and fabulous it can be.

I'm not entirely sure where this show moves the gender conversation but it hits the sexuality issue right in the face. I was a little disappointed Glitterfist: Libertine did it from the traditional freak perspective which has always been the safe space for sexual diversity in modern times. It did however open up a wonderful subtext about the role of polytheism in societies.

It occurred to me whilst watching the show that polytheistic societies have a much greater integration of diversity and acceptance. Pick your favourite god and worship as appropriate. After all, we are just pawns in their whimsical and capricious games anyway. Monotheism, on the other hand, is a totalitarian regime where difference is unacceptable and cannot be tolerated. It becomes clearer and clearer to me over time that monotheism cannot exist contiguously with tolerance and diversity. The question is which will we choose?

Glitterfist: Libertine is fun and flambouyant and I absolutely adored Uncut's character Filth. Dry, witty, and surprisingly down to earth for a deity all about getting dark and dirty, they brought the laughs when the audience got too lost in the Glitterfist trance. Your eyes will water with the extreme stimulation of the costumes and Glitterfist revels in her burlesque roots. A great way to start a big and bold night out.

2.5 Stars

KIllJoy: Destroy The Fantasy - Cabaret Review

What: KillJoy - Destroy The Fantasy
When: 24 January - 3 February 2018
Where: Melba Spiegeltent
Created by: Mahla Bird, Amy Broomstick, and Cat Scobie
Directed by: Maude Davey
Performed by: Mahla Bird, Amy Broomstick, Rin McCardle, Zak Pidd, Cat Scobie, and Jade Stevens

Cat Scobie, Mahla Bird and Amy Broomstick - photo by Kira Puru

Ladies, this is our time. We are no longer sitting in the kitchen ironing whilst the big strong men are out earning our keep. We are taking up our space in the community - the whole community. So why the heck are shows like KillJoy - Destroy the Fantasy still considered Fringe?

In the iconic tradition of artists such as Finucane & Smith, KillJoy is a trio of smart, sexy, talented people who deny a binary existence and are loud and proud about it.  They have a vision for tomorrow and it is a vision of freedom for all humanity. The catch? You have to tear up the old notions, systems and establishments to bring in the new.

I find it intriguing how feminism is leading the charge into a non-binary world and yet on some meta level it makes so much sense. The feminine as accepting, nurturing, and fertile has been the understanding of all ancient polytheistic religions.

Enough philosophy. Let's get down to the fun stuff. KillJoy - Destroy the Fantasy is a roller coaster ride of magnificence, beauty, pain, despair and triumph all in jam packed hour and half.

Cat Scobie starts the show with a killer entrance as the little boy in Where The Wild Things Are. Singing to the musical accompaniment of the grittiest femme punk grunge band around (Zak Pidd, Rin McCardle and Jade Stevens), she takes us straight into the belly of the beast. Cobie's background includes a formal education in design so you know everything in this show is presented to delight all your senses, but most especially your eyes and ears.

The rest of the cast join her for that iconic deconstruction of party girls after a night on the town. Drunk and lying in the gutter with their knickers everywhere but where they ought to be, they take us on little vignettes into the night before where they were having a good time, disturbing nobody, only to be brought down by misogynist dickheads who yell shit like 'Take the compliment you stuck up bitch' and other endearing phrases.

The show is full of amazing circus arts and fun and furious burlesque and exposition. Mahla Bird is an aerialist and her trapeze and silks routines are elegant and eloquent as she gets tangled and tumbles only to recover and start again and again. A metaphor we all understand. To put a full-stop behind the non-binary aspect of life not only is Bird a athlete and artist, she is also sexy and smart. A researcher in the field of neuro-science, Bird brings her finding to stage examining the gender biases from the moment of birth in her act 'Is This All There Is?'

Scobie and Bird also deny and defy the idea of strength as masculine in their insanely difficult acrobatic duet. There is no strongman in this routine. They are both equals and the struggle is that of supporting each other, not one or the other.

Amy Broomstick is a talented burlesque artist who brings a witty and disturbing image of femininity to the stage as she learns how to be a woman. As well, she and Scobie bring their formidable vocal talents to the evening's entertainment. The band is phenomenal so when I say the singers are up to the challenge this is not a light compliment. There used to be a belief that only men could bring that driving, hardcore sound to music but move aside patriarchs - femme is here and  it is going to be heard!

For those who like a light snack with their evening's entertainment, there is candy for all with the help of the audience and a piñata. But is the candy for everyone? Find out. Come to KillJoy - Destroy The Fantasy at Melba Spiegeltent. You will leave feeling energised, loved, and a part of the future rather than an outdated past.

4.5 Stars

Bent Bollywood - Dance Review

What: Bent Bollywood
When: 25 January - 3 February 2018
Where: Brunswick Mechanics Institute
Choreographed and performed by: Raina Peterson and Govind Pillai
Sound by: Adrian van Raay

Govind Pillai and Raina Peterson

In 2015 I was honoured to witness a glorious demonstration of classical Indian dance at the Footscray Arts Centre called In Plain Sanskrit. At the time I was mesmerised as Raina Peterson, Govind Pillai and a Carnatic orchestra introduced me to the ideas, techniques, and beauty of the traditional dance forms of Mohiniyattam and Bharatanatyam. Little did I know less than three years later I would be once again enchanted and inspired by these two magical performers as they combine their honour of tradition whilst breaking down the tropes to be reinterpreted in a new world in Bent Bollywood.

Performed as part of Midsumma Festival and in the wake of the plebiscite and all that has followed, these two amazing artists bring us the apt and essential reintroduction of Sri Ardhanaareeshvara to our emerging non-binary culture. Even more significant than the idea of the work, we are privileged to be told the tale through the mind, body and spirit of Peterson - the living embodiment of Shiva and Pravati. The god / ess walks among us as the stories are woven by these two magnificent dancers.

Sri Ardhanaareeshvara is portrayed visually in a few different forms, and the evening starts with probably the most famous - as the 8 armed figure. A common representation in dance, the lighting denies us the face so what we see are two bodies with arms weaving and intertwining as one, denying and defying individuality and separation.

We are then witness to the living god /ess as Peterson comes forward for their solo piece layered steeply in the tradition of the Mohiniyattam form. Delicate, narrative hand and arm gestures combine with fluid body movements depicting another popular form for the deity - being bent in three parts. The sinuous, graceful movements, never wavering from the tempo of the drone, hypnotise as they talk to us about wholeness and unity. Most people unfamiliar to the culture may not recognise the symbolism of the choreography but the divine beauty is undeniable and we can all recognise the third eye, as Peterson / Sri Ardhanaareeshvara allows us perception beyond ordinary sight.

As with their previous show, Peterson and Pillau structure the evening to begin deep in traditional form and element, gently ripping away - piece by piece - the tropes to reinterpret the concepts of male / female, yin / yang, revealing the myth of the binary in nature and spirit. The reverence of the deity in tradition gives way to the embodiment of today.

Pillau delights us with not only his incredibly athleticism and artistry as a dancer, but also with wit and humour as he begins a love story which will carry us through the rest of the evening. Using the techniques of Bharatanatyam (a traditional female dance form) he uses of hand and face gestures to tell his tale of adoration clearly and whimsically - and just a tad naughtily too!

Pillau and Peterson have structured the array of dances within the context of the the form as well, including the Nritta, Nritya, and Natyam. To experience Bent Bollywood is to experience the divine and the carnal, the spiritual and the emotional. It has everything and more including all the sparkles and spangles, lust and love, and fun and fabulousness of what you might look for in a Midsumma show.

I cannot urge you strongly enough to make you way to Brunswick Mechanics Institute to see these two mind blowing artists open up the world for you with the sweetness of nectar and the spiciness of cinnamon. It is bent. It is Bollywood. It is so much more!

4.5 Stars

Twelfth Night - Theatre Review

What: Twelfth Night
When 18 - 28 January 2018
Where: Fairfield Amphitheatre
Written by: William Shakespeare
Directed by: Jack Wilkinson
Performed by: Jack Hawkins, Vincent Kos, Grace Maddern, Laura Majzoub, Jake Matricardi, Jacob Mills, Tim Ian McMullin, Joel Norman-Hade, Madeline Pratt, Sean Sully, and Chloe Towan.
Masks by: Tessa Wallis

Madeline Pratt, Laura Majzoub, and Joel Norman-Hade - photo by Matthew Howat

The first time I ever saw Twelfth Night it was in an amphitheatre in Perth on a glorious summer evening. To this day I still remember it as one of the best shows I have ever seen. You can imagine how delighted and excited I was to be invited to the same show in another amphitheatre on a rare hot and glorious evening in Melbourne.

I wasn't disappointed. I love Twelfth Night. It is my favourite Shakespeare comedy and people don't perform it nearly often enough. Add to this, Commedia dell'Arte and I was in an ecstasy of theatre perfection. Finally, in GJ Productions we find a theatre troupe willing to explore the history of theatre making and bring it into the 21st century, overcoming the tedium of realism and breathing life back onto the stage.

Whilst it is true the ensemble need some training in mask work, the thing most of them understood was the need for zalli or gestus - the overacting of the body to portray the expression lost behind the mask. On that score there were some hilarious and unexpected character interpretations.

Pratt's Maria was pure Commedia from head to toe, and Mills' Aguecheek took me completely by surprise and the ponsy, ocker, nebbish. His sword fight with Cesario (Towan) is one of the gales of laughter highlights of the night. McMullin's Malvolio is also uproariously gross and sleazy and almost steals the show at some points.

Whilst perhaps not having the physicality down as pat, Sully's (Clown) delivery of some of the sharpest Shakespearean puns is beyond compare. Add to that his skills with music and a guitar and he brings this whole crazy world into focus. Norman-Hade's (Belch) lush is also as lovable as he is funny and Matricardi (Antonio) is as adorable as he is doleful.

Wallis' masks are quite astounding in their detailed design and nuanced interpretation within the characters of both the Shakespearean and the Commedia realms. It is quite astounding how well the Illyrians fit the societal structure of Commedia - or maybe it is the true universality of Commedia which has been allowed to shine through in this production.

It is clear Wilkinson is still quite inexperienced as a director but he does keep the staging clean. He needs to develop understanding and skill in the development of pace and intensity across the narrative arc. All of the fantastic work done throughout the evening was almost destroyed as the play's climax fell into a stuttering abyss. Luckily the show ends in a song and Sully drags the show back up on it's haunches with a rousing finale.

I am not saying this production is perfect and the direction becomes quite predictable, but there is something about the energy and enjoyment this cast bring to their shenanigans which makes an evening by the river, swatting insects and sitting on a blue stone seating bank really enjoyable. You can't get this experience in a stuffy, black, prison theatre such as those where the bulk of our arts funding seems to be invested.

Take someone you like, a picnic basket, some cushions, and lots of bug spray and settle in for a night of fun for everyone. Yes, this is kid friendly. If you can't get them to sleep because of the heat let them relax and cool down by the river. The only disappointment is the Fairfield Amphitheatre is not an accessible venue because everyone should be able to enjoy this experience.

3.5 Stars

Much Ado About Nothing - Theatre Review

What: Much Ado About Nothing
When: 2-17 December 2017
Where: St Kilda Botanical Gardens
Written by: William Shakespeare
Directed by: Jennifer Sarah Dean
Musical Direction by: Ben Adams
Choreography by: John Reed
Performed by: Syd Brisbane, Nicola Bowman, May Jasper, Khisraw Jones-Shukoor, Dion Kaliviotis, Lelda Kapsis, Jonathon Lawrence, Ella Lawry, Jacob Machin, Madeleine Mason, Fabio Motta, Johnathan Peck, Hunter, Perske, John Reed, Paul Robertson, Bridget Sweeney, and Annabelle Tudor.
Set by: Alia Syed
Costumes by: Rhiannon Irving
Stage Management by: Lauren Rosato

Annabelle Tudor and Lelda Kapsis - photo by Burke Photography

It has been a long time since I have seen such an energised, exciting, and engaging Shakespeare but Melbourne Shakespeare has finally brought the Bard back to life. Their production of Much Ado About Nothing, being presented at the St Kilda Botanical Gardens, is one of the best pieces of theatre I have seen in a long time.

This laugh-a-minute pantomimic romp doesn't stop from beginning to end. Luckily it is a generally young cast because they need all the energy of youth to keep up with the speed of light entrances and exits! Of course Melbourne's iconic patriarch of the stage, Syd Brisbane (Leonato), manages to keep up with nary a misstep or hiccough to interrupt his stride.

Much Ado About Nothing is a tale of disception, love, and misinformation. Benedick (Fabio Motta) and Beatrice (Annabelle Tudor) are in love but refuse to admit it to themselves and the world. There are hints of The Taming Of The Shrew in this relationship. On the other hand Claudio (Jacob Machin) and Hero (Madeleine Mason) are in love but through the stirring of rumours, call off their wedding. As with all Shakespeare's love stories, though, all's well that ends well... (pardon the pun).

Jennifer Sarah Dean (director) and Ben Adams (Musical Director) have given this energetic romp a modern edge by making Don Pedro (Khisraw Jones-Shukoor) a music producer and having the cast engage in singing battles in the tradition of hip hop battles. There is not a lot of tampering with the script to make it fit this conceipt but occasionally it does come across as slightly forced.  To be honest this is true of nearly every contemporary adaptation though, and this troupe do it way better than most.

The play is performed in the rose terraces at the St Kilda Botanical Gardens and Rhiannon Irving (Costumes) has celebrated the location with stunning impact in her magnificent costuming which made the whole event feel very English tea party, strawberries and cream. Alia Syed (Set) also shows impeccable restraint in her set decisions, and also a wonderful attention to detail with the elements present.

Dean demonstrates a brilliant understanding of comedy in this production and with such a large cast and such a full script I was really impressed with how she kept the detail in the high jinks and slap stick from beginning to end with no lulls or dips. The impulsive energy inherent in the text is embodied by everyone on stage in every moment and whilst the play has some adult themes (such as cuckolding) this is beyond child friendly - it is kidtastic!

Motta, Lelda Kapsis (Antonia), and Nicola Bowman (Margaret) steal the show a bit but only because what they are doing is so evidently embedded in their soul. This is not a slight on any of the others because this is some of the best ensemble work I have ever seen.

Adding to the humour is the great stings by John Reed (choreographer). The homage to Bob Fosse was an act of complete genius and is probably the stage moment of the year.

I can say nothing else except this is completely unmissable. You will not see a better Shakespeare production for many years to come so get on down and see it while you can. It is only on til mid December. You will find it hard to ever have more fun with a piece of theatre ever!

5 Stars

Lost: 5 - Theatre Review

What: Lost: 5
When: 22 November - 3 December
Where: Irene Mitchell Studio, St Martin's Youth Theatre
Written by: Daniel Keene
Directed by: Michele McNamara
Performed by: Pearce Hessling, Fleur Murphy, Kiniesha Nottle, Stephanie Pick, and Marty Rhone
Lighting by: Jason Bovaird and Maddy Search
Sound by: MBRYO

Stephanie Pick

The works of one of Melbourne's great playwrights, Daniel Keene, is not seen on our stages as much as it used to be so there is a sublime joy in experiencing his poetic and evocative storytelling in Lost: 5 presented as part of the 2017 Poppyseed Festival season. Presented by Ilumi-Nation Theatre (the same team who brought us 4.48 Psychosis earlier in the year), the show is a journey through the dignity and complexity of our lost homeless ones.

Michele McNamara has selected 5 of Keene's monologues and interwoven them to try and create a complex tableau of the invisible people in our world. It is always tricky to present a range of monologues as a complete piece of theatre and Lost: 5 comes as close to working as I have seen achieved in a while. The styles and assortment of monologues selected have an enticing texture and the performances are very, very good. For the most part the dramaturgy is good too.

For me the biggest flaw was the choice of 'The Rain' as the connecting through line. The piece is highly repetitive and this works when it is a whole because the poetic structure is strong. Once you split it apart though, the rhythm fails and meaning becomes obscure.  'Two Shanks', on the other hand - which was also split into two segments - stands strong and proud. It is hard to say why one worked and the other didn't.

Part of the answer may lie in the performances. There is a saying in performance - start strong and end strong and it doesn't matter what happens in the middle. Lost: 5 seems to do the opposite. Fleur Murphy gives a heartfelt performance, but it is incredibly naturalistic and almost too ordinary for the incredible complexity of this wonderful woman who is drowning in the detritus of kindness. The calmness of her performance sets a mood and pace which the rest of the cast work hard to overcome. And yes, I am going to say it - you do not use stage makeup to age your face in an intimate theatre.

Stephanie Pick is up to the challenge though, and the humour and pathos of the beautiful story of a babe found in a bin punches through even my cynical exterior and her exploration of the rhythm in the writing is mesmerising. Kiniesha Nottle breaks the sombre mood with her feisty portrayal of 'Getting Shelter'. The language of this monologue is highly stylised and brought to mind the children's speech patterns in Beyond Thunderdome. Nottle's energetic use of the stage was some sort of Beckett/Shakespearean blend which created this amazing sense of the underclasses being a place somewhere in Middle Earth.

The show settles into a slightly more predictable pace as Pearce Hessling shows us his pet in 'A Foundling' and Marty Rhone tells us his story in 'Kaddish'. Rhone's performance was a masterpiece of structure and delicacy as he tells the story of his lost love and as he rages in pain, we rage with him.

The reason the show doesn't quite hold together is because the mise en scene is confused. It is meant to be a scape reminiscent of Flinder Street but it is really a mish mash of items which are meant to signify park benches and street corners but they have not been assembled in any logic and they are inconsistent in their symbology. The biggest mistake is the hotel room for 'Kaddish' though. One of the first lines in the monologue is that "she didn't want to die in a room like this" but I couldn't help thinking the room looked fine. It had an ensemble mattress, a wooden side table and a sitting chair. The poverty being discussed is missing in everything including Rhone's costume.

There is a definite style to Ilumi-Nation's work and Jason Bovaird's angular, shard-like lighting is a great metaphor for these lost people in our society and how they disappear in the cracks and are only ever briefly seen. It would have been great if it could have gotten darker more often because the blocking cried our for spots rather than washes.

MBRYO has created a gentle yet evocative scape full of the complexity and dignity of the stories being portrayed, yet full of industrial sounds keeping us centred in a cold, industrialised, urban society. Bovaird's architectural enhancement of the exposed performance space worked in tandem to disassociate these characters from our warmer world of love and comfort.

Ilumi-Nation has also developed the motif of putting MBRYO on stage which seems to insinuate the presence of the writer. Whilst I love this idea as a post-truth symbology, it does not work as effectively as it did for their previous performance. There was one moment late in the play when Murphy crosses worlds with him. More of this would have developed this idea to a more integrated level.

Lost: 5 is a wonderful collection of writing and the performances were complex and sincere. As beautiful as all this was I admit to wondering why it was being performed right here, right now though. This is possibly the biggest issue for me. The show comes across as a showcase rather than a piece of theatre with intention. Having said that, it is beautiful and I would recommend seeing Keene's work any time you can.

3 Stars

Birdcage Thursdays - Theatre Review

What: Birdcage Thursdays
When: 2 November - 12 November 2017
Where: fortyfivedownstairs
Written by: Sandra Fiona Long
Directed by: Caitlin Dullard
Performed by: Sophia Constantine, Sandra Fiona Long, and Genevieve Picot
Set by: Joanne Mott
Lighting by: Rebecca Etchell
Sound by: Raya Slavin

Sophia Constantine and Genevieve Picot

Theatre is being kicked and dragged into the 21st century by original thinkers and people (mainly women in my opinion...) who are eschewing the standard tropes of narrative dominated story telling, moving beyond affective performance making devices, and going straight to the heart of experiences with what I like to call post-truth theatre. Sandra Fiona Long is one of these intrepid trail blazers and tales such as Birdcage Thursdays, playing at fortyfivedownstairs this week, which embody script and performance as equal partners is leading the charge.

Long's writing is deceptive in that, on the page, they appear finely crafted hyper-realistic portraitures without the obvious driving energies of 'dramatic action'. I always say when you look at a play you have to understand who wrote it and Birdcage Thursdays is the perfect example. Long is a writer, performer, director and you have to understand that as she crafts the play she is imagining a world so much greater than dialogue and all you have to do is see this play to understand the fullness and exquisite craftsmanship Long brings to the theatre form.

Birdcage Thursdays does have narrative. It is the tale of a woman who has boxed herself into her retirement complex just as life has boxed her in to an endless retirement of craft projects and hobbies. She is on the verge of being kicked out because of her tendency to overcompensate, self-indulge, and hoard and her over-achieving daughter has to 'sort' her mother out. This is not a self-less tale. If the mother is kicked out it is the daughter who will have to deal with the consequences, and the mother must - on at least some level - know this is her mechanism for getting attention. Neverless it is a real problem, there is real threat, and the consequences impact the lowest and most significant level of Maslow's Hierarchy of Need.

Throw into the mix a cockatiel whose mating partner is dead just as Helene's (Genevieve Picot) husband is dead, and who is fated to live out it's final years trapped in a cage alone just as Helene is trapped in amongst her boxes, and you have the ingredients for a story mired in pathos if handled by anyone of less skill than Long. Switching between the alienation of using numbers instead of character names, giving every character a name, and also having a narrator/chorus/co-participant this play breaks all the boundaries to get at the real, totally subjective, often absurd heart of these intense family dynamics and circumstances.

In order to realise writing of this type of newness and boldness it is important for the director to really understand the artist. Caitlin Dullard has known and worked with Long over many years including as Long's assistant director at DVA Theatre. The trust and collaboration is evident as some truly unexpected and yet powerful performance choices have been made. In particular the style of oration for the Narrator resembles a 45rpm record being played at 33rpm. This is a bold choice because traditionally the narrator is objectified and non-partisan. As well as commenting on the warping of time in moments of intense personal experience, the Narrator (Long) also sees and communicates with Helene. They are both (all three) taking this journey together, telling this story supported by each other, and experiencing these moments as human beings sharing this world.

The rapport and connection between Picot and Long is so intensely beautiful it almost makes your heart want to stop beating. The moments are brief, but the sense of togetherness and support is as essential to the tale as any of the more overt blocking or dialogue.

Sophia Constantine is a wonderfully energetic foil to Picot's stillness. Constantly circling the stage she is as much the reason for her mother's fort as she is earnestly trying to help her mother escape it. Constantine doesn't quite match the other two in character nuance, but her physicality is key to the work and as the cockatiel she is mesmerising.

What really lifts Birdcage Thursdays into a whole other stratosphere though, is the work between Long and Raya Slavin. Being a vocalist herself, Long has worked with Slavin to make the voice a part of the aural architecture of the world. Using spoken world, humming, sound processing, and composition the soundscape of this adventure adds layers of texture, truth, and unreality to the finely wrought architecture of the characters.

Birdcage Thursdays is beautifully majestic. It is work of now, not of yesterday. If you only understand realism and/or post-dramatics you will not appreciate this play. If you are able to even glimpse the era of post-truth you will understand and a new sense of the world will open up to you. It is personal, experiential, real, and fiction all at the same time. Are you ready for it?

4.5 Stars

The Comic Psychic - Comedy Review

What: The Comic Psychic - Are You There Michael Jackson?
Where: The Butterfly Club
When: 1-5 November 2017
Performed by: Bernadette Mirabelli

Bernadette Mirabelli

We often talk about seeing and hearing diverse voices on stage, but after watching The Comic Psychic it occurred to me that there is one voice we see and hear little of - the middle age immigrant woman. Laughing along with Bernadette Mirabelli's puns and pop culture humour I had the best 45 minutes in a long time at The Butterfly Club last night.

I have spoken before about how much I enjoy evenings of 'dad humour' comedy - how gentle they are as you cackle benignly with the corny joke heard a million times before. With The Comic Psychic I realised I had missed the wry, dry wit of the mum/grandma keenly observing life in a self-deprecating manner and working her way through a bottle of gin or vodka.

For our psychic Madame Elbac, the choice was vodka. Her five vegetables a day are the brands of potato which make up the contents of her tumbler and she is not going to let her repetiteur Herbie (or Herpes as she prefers to call him) judge her for it.

Elbac is cable backwards, and Madame Elbac is a conduit between the spirit world and our material world. Elbac has cleared the kitchen table of dishes, replacing them with a crystal ball and she has decided to touch base with Michael Jackson and check in on him. Unfortunately her communications highway is as effective as our NBN so we meet a few other Micheal's along the way.

With an eagerness boardering on naivette, a powerful singing voice, a no-nonsense awareness of the world, and an accent which will instantly remind of bright sunny kitchens with yummy food in the oven The Comic Psychic doesn't break new ground but ut had me laughing all the way through. The tone of the show is relaxed and inclusive and with a cocktail in hand you can't go wrong with this one.

2.5 Stars