Worktable - Live Art Review

What: Worktable
When: 14 - 25 March 2018
Where: Main Hall, Arts House
Created by: Kate McIntosh

What is live art? For years I have said I don't have a clue but this year I think I've finally figured it out. Live art is an experience given to the attendee. It is an experience out of the ordinary. Something the person would not normally think to do in a way they would not normally think to do it. The idea is to provoke thought and insight and to just be something different for a small moment in time.Something other than perhaps you normally are both on your own and as a collective. Worktable, part of this year's Festival of Live Art, gives us all of this and more. The idea is so simple I left wondering why this hasn't happened before.

Kate McIntosh is the creator. She has a long history of creating live art experiences and Worktable can stand tall within her portfolio. This is not the first iteration of the event but I am so glad I have had the chance to experience it. Beware though, the experience is addictive so you should book in your return visits right now because you will want to do it again and again and again! (And it's probably better to use her stuff than doing it with your own at home.)

Worktable takes place in four movements. I have to be really careful what I say though because to tell you too much is to give away some of the experience and that would be a bit of a shame. Most of you who know me will be surprised by this comment but on this occasion - at least for the first time through - it is nice to not know too much in advance. (The addiction comes from knowing the journey and wanting to travel it again).

As you can see in the photo above, you begin in an entry foyer with shelves of paraphernalia. This is not junk. Everything is in good condition. It is an installation in and of itself and the first moments of pleasure are just perusing the collection. It seems all the more precious because you are told you will have to pick something and take it completely apart so as you admire the collection you already mourn it's loss.

I had a lot of trouble choosing my item and eventually committed myself to instinct rather than being confused by logic. I was then led into one of four small rooms inside of which is the worktable as advertised. Another collection - this time of saws and hammers, and scissors, and screw drivers, etc - greeted me. Having just signed a personal injury waiver I was pleased to see the safety goggles and gloves, particularly as I kept hearing the violent sounds of smashing and shattering coming from other booths!

Each stage in Worktable is about collections - collections of what is now, collections of destruction, collections of creation, and collections of the new. We take, we break, we make, we partake and how we do it, what we do it with, and how we become involved is entirely our own choice. We make our own journey.

For me I got to work out some feminist rage and process an unpleasant experience with a cockroach. For everyone it will be different. Everyone will be on their own and also part of a community. I use the name Samsara and Worktable is very much an embodiment of this word in it's ancient meaning. Perhaps this is why I feel so drawn to this project...

There is plenty happening at Arts House so when you book, take a look at the rest of the program (some of which I will be reviewing for you over the course of the week) and pick a whole program of experiences while you are there. Don't forget - you are going to want to do Worktable more than once. Believe me! Oh, and it is wonderfully accessible too!!!!

4.5 Stars

It's Not Easy Being Green - Cabaret Review

What: It's Not Easy Being Green
When: 7 - 11 March 2018
Where: The Butterfly Club
Created by: Katie Visser
Musical direction by: Joseph Daniel jnr
Performed by: Joseph Daniel jnr and Katie Visser

Joseph Daniel jnr and Katie Visser

Cabaret is a wonderful beast because it can be just about anything.  The main requirement is that it forms an intimate relationship between the performer and the audience. Oh, and it usually includes some songs and even more occassionally comedy (although neither of these elements are essential). Visser's show It's Not Easy Being Green at The Butterfly Club has all of these elements and with a voice made for power ballads with the strength and stamina of a full concert in her lungs, just going for the music alone would make this an enjoyable night out.

It's Not Easy Being Green is about Visser's journey to veganism which she pledged to fully three years ago - a brief and unsuccessful attempt at vegetarianism in her youth notwithstanding. Through her travels, Visser tries to demystify the idea of vegans as hippy, intolerant, skinny evangelists. Vegans are human too you know!

At this point I need to admit the disclaimer I am an omnivore (I never understand why people say carnivore, but that's another essay..) and as a Monist I am one of those people who say 'what about the plants?' To understand why I say that you have to go and see the show.

Don't get me wrong. It's Not Easy Being Green is not a sermon or a recruitment drive and the Oreos Visser hands out early in the show (apparently they are supposed to be vegan) make it impossible to get upset about anything anyway.

It's Not Easy Being Green is a gentle explanation of her motivations and experiences (which does not include a weight loss benefit) and gives us a window into domestic bliss despite one person being a vegan and the other an omnivore and the ever echoing question 'where's the meat?' resounding through her house.

Visser is not a stand up comedian but the song choices she and Daniel have made had us rolling in the aisles. From 'Dancing In The Dark' at the start of her journey to 'Heaven is a Place on Earth' when she finally finds a vegan restaurant in Berwick because her suburb of Crimebourne thinks a vegan menu option is french fries.

After pointing out that the fate of the planet depends on how many cows are farting and a few corny puns which made us laugh, not cringe, Visser really hits her vocal stride in Hart's 'Dog and Butterfly'. She follows this with a beautiful (and original) ode to her husband 'Here's To Us Both (You Know When Someone Loves You)'.

Visser is a vegan for all the reasons everyone quotes - environmental, compassion, being cool - but she is also a Netflix binge watcher so she is definitely one of my peeps too! She totally won me over when she broke social convention telling us "You are not what you eat!"

It's Not Easy Being Green is heartwarming, honest, and beautiful. Don't miss it. It's an early show (7pm) so pop in for a cocktail and a giggle before heading out for more serious shenanigans.

3 Stars

Windows - Theatre Review

Written by: Ayse Bayramoglu
Directed and designed by: Lloyd Jones
Performed by: Sandra Chui, Anna Ellis, Faith Karakas, and Zac Kazepis
Stage Managed by: Laura Barnes

Anna Ellis and Zac Kazepis - Photo by Darren Green

Sometimes the most powerful pieces of theatre can be found in the most unassuming places and Windows, which is now playing at La Mama Theatre, is one of those experiences. Combining the writing of Bayramoglu with the direction of Jones is perhaps one of the most unexpected pairing I have seen in a long time and the evening brought people to tears.

I am not saying the production is perfect...but maybe it is... I can't really say too much because I risk giving a major spoiler and I do not want to do that, but I will do my best to talk about what has me so excited about Windows.

The play itself is a seething, unrelenting mass of despair and hopelessness. Bayramoglu's writing is as unforgiving as life itself. Riffing on the idea of fairytales and seeing the world through rose tinted glasses, two young people (the age is a little confusing but I would guess pre-teen) play the game 'Windows' where one of them would pretend to look out of (or into) a window and see scene and then describe it. 

Esme (Ellis) is poor and abused and Huso (Kazepis) is not. He is in love with her, she is not in love with him. She stinks, he is clean. He can give her things she needs, she won't give him things he wants. Instead she looks for work. This is possibly where the age gets confusing because I don't know at what age children can start working in Turkey (Bayramoglu is Turkish).

The script is dark and powerful and perhaps not surprising, but the impact towards the end was there for all of us to see as Jones (director) had us sitting in a square around the tiny stage space, unable to hide from each other as the truths are revealed. Even as the children are looking through real and imaginary windows we are looking into each others eyes, into the windows of each others souls.

Jones is determined to keep us constantly aware of ourselves and each other throughout this performance and he uses an exciting and intriguing myriad of techniques to do so. If you follow my writing you will have heard me refer to traditional performances spaces as dark prison theatres. The audience has to sit in darkness, in regimented rows looking nowhere but straight forward. You are not allowed to move, or cough, or talk, or fidget, or check your phone because that would be a crime. The basis of this belief is that if everyone's complete and undivided attention is not solely on the stage we won't 'get' the art and the willing suspension of disbelief will be broken.

Brecht said balderdash, I say balderdash, and apparently Jones says balderdash too. I think I'm in love with him!

Whilst entering the space, and with Jones constantly saying "shhh", the audience crunches and chuckles their way to their seats. It is impossible to comply with his instruction then or at any time during the show because the floor is strewn with dried pasta. As soon as a foot moves there is noise. My favourite moment was a delightful irruption of reality when a guide dog started eating the pasta, crunching happily and noisily. And then of course we had the poor owner trying to quieten the dog and keep it in line. It was perfection.

Why it was wonderful rather than disruptive was because Jones had already given the audience permission to be real people in the space. Being quiet and hidden, not existing in the room was not something Jones allowed for one second. As a theatre maker (and someone with a similarly leaning bent) I understood what was happening but I also enjoyed watching and hearing audience members who didn't recognise the artifacts.

What worked the best was that as an audience we actually had to work harder to engage with the story. We had to activate ourselves rather than being passive bystanders who can sit back and disconnect and at the point in the story it was most important, it shone a laser beam with a strength beyond anything I have experienced.

It wasn't just Jones' audience set up which made it work though. He had the actors using hyper-real acting which usually drives me crazy. In this instance though, it acted to force the audience to work harder and to find their own way into the tales being told which is probably why I got to see grown men weep. I doubt if this would have occurred if the audience had been allowed to be passive watchers.

The main bug bear for me is the whole thing is too long. At 2 hours with no interval it could easily have been cut by 30 minutes. Some of it is the direction - there are long breaks in the performance which, whilst essential to the technique, could be shortened - and part of it is the writing (or perhaps the translation?).

Bayramoglu's play seems oddly circuitous and repetitious. I wondered if this was a nod to pre-writing storytelling techniques, but it doesn't work very well and the repetitions aren't clear about providing new information if this is the case.

Also, the text swings wildly between being overtly literal and overtly obscure, sometimes in the same sentence. It left me asking questions about why not be explicit about this when you are being explicit about that? There is a key moment when the obscurity made me angry because I feel theatre is about giving people language to speak about their experiences and Bayramoglu (or the translation) drops the ball big time when it matters most.

I cannot tell you more than I have. You really do have to experience this for yourself. Many of you will hate the very things I love about it, but I doubt if very many of you will ever have seen or heard some of the great ideas in this production of Windows. Beware though, this will hurt. Not every fairytale ends with 'happily ever after'. Does anyone's?

4 stars

Twelfthnight - Theatre Review

What: Twelfthnight
When 2 - 4 March 2018
Where: Victoria Gardens
Written by: William Shakespeare
Directed by: Jennifer Sarah Dean
Musical Direction by: Ben Adams
Performed by: Iopu Auva'a, Nicola Bowman, Saxon Gray, Lelda Kapsis, Johnathan Peck, Mitch Ralston, John Reed, Paul Robertson, Alec Steedman, Bridget Sweeney, Peter Tedford, Chloe Towan, Annabelle Tudor, and Jacqueline Whiting.
Set by: Karli Laredo
Costumes by: Rhiannon Irving
Stage Management by: Natasha Brown

Annabelle Tudor, Nicola Bowman and Peter Tedford - photo by Burke Photography

 For those of you who are feeling a sense of deja vu fear not, this really is the second Twelfthnight production this year and 2018 is a much better year because of it. As I said in my GJ Productions review, Twelfthnight is one of my favourite Shakespeare plays so I was beyond delirious when I found out Melbourne Shakespeare Company were bringing it to us again - in a park! - before the Summer leaves us and Winter drives us all indoors again. (Yes, I do know it isn't his greatest play but it is still one of the funniest romps he wrote).

Melbourne Shakespeare Company have chosen to present Twelfthnight as a full scale pantomime and their clowning skills are more than up to the task. One of the amazing things about this ensemble is everyone in the team is always working to the same standards which means - in a play like this - you get to fully experience all of the texture, wit, and intricacies Shakespeare has built into the characters and the world they inhabit.

The other guarantee you always get with Melbourne Shakespeare Company is they select locations which are gloriously beautiful in their own right and Victoria Gardens in Prahran does not let us down. Lush glass strewn with the first leaves of Autumn provide an amazing atmosphere. The Victoria Gardens has lovely little clearings which allow for a controlled space to work in, and Melbourne Shakespeare Company chose to work with a stone and wood beamed pagoda as a backdrop to create an almost Greek stage set up. It meant the simple act of coloured drapes was all that was needed to set a scene of luxury with an antiquitous feel just right for this gender bending romp.

As you can see in the photo, Irving has gone all out with the costumes. Again, one of the guarantees with this company is you will always delight in the colour and movement of the characters and you will always know which character you are watching. Great for kids but also great for adults such as me who are losing their ability to keep track of all the characters Shakespeare brings us. Perhap,s for me, these costumes lacked the unity of concept usually so strong in Irving's work. Having said that, this production is pantomime so colour and movement are the order of the day and we certainly got a lot of that!

When you see two of the same productions you can't help compare regardless of the time between. There is so much I loved about the Commedia approach of the one in January, but the clowning skills and direction (Dean) of this show stopped just short of acrobatics so the energy was immense.

Viola (Kapsis) and Orsino (Auva'a) totally stole the show - which was hard to do - as they inadvertantly fall in love. What I really adored was Dean allowed us to see the attraction right from the very start. This play does not work with subtly and Dean never made us try and read obscure signals at any time and I can't praise her highly enough for the boldness with which she works. It also gave Viola the space to react with real intention against Whiting's Olivia which made all of the scenes electric and unexpected.

The comedy trio of Maria (Tudor), Sir Toby (Tedford), and Sir Andrew (Ralston) were perhaps not as syncopated as I was expecting and Bowman did not have the vocal strength for Festes. Just as I was about to feel a little disappointed though, up comes another superb comedy trio in the form of Maria (Tudor), Priest (Towan), and Fabian (Sweeney)! A unique grouping but it worked magnificently.

Peck's Malvolio is a clowning masterclass. His physical humour is superb and his attempt to capture a wayward letter brought the house (park) down with laughter as he mounts the pagoda and chases down this will'o'wisp paper with a range of platforms drawing ouches and guffaws from the crowd similtaniously.

My one real complaint is the play seemed to drag out a bit which, for a high energy clowning pantomime, is problematic. The wide playing area meant a lot of time was spent running on and off before the scenes started and, as much as I loved Peck's clowning, the amount of time he spent reading and interpreting the letter after it was caught caused me to lose track of what it actually said. In the end I had to rely on my memory of the play to know there was more than just cross-gartered yellow stockings involved.

This production of Twelfthnight is so much fun and superbly produced. Unfortunately their three week season has been cut short, so you only have this weekend to see it. Take your family - it starts at 7pm and is only an hour and a half long - and have a picnic or pizza and laugh one last time before the seasons change.

3.5 Stars

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