To Kill A Mockingbird - Review

Review originally posted at www.suzygoessee.com
Venue: New Theatre (Newtown NSW), Mar 18 – Apr 19, 2014
Playwright: Christopher Sergel (from the novel by Harper Lee)
Director: Annette Rowlison
Actors: Khadija Ali, Katy Avery, Claudette Clarke, Sarah Carroll, Teagan Croft, Cheyne Fynn, Steve Donelan, Christine Greenough, John Keightley, Dave Kirkham, Kai Lewins, Craig Meneaud, Hudson Musty, David Ross, Donna Sizer, Lynden Jones, Peter Maple, Ryan Whitworth
Image by Bob Seary

Theatre review
Harper Lee’s book was published in 1960, and has since become one of the most popular novels in modern times. Its central theme of social injustice remains poignant and the depiction of its characters’ courage to oppose them, is no less powerful half a century later. New Theatre’s staging is mindful of the story’s significances and director Annette Rowlison’s work pays reverence to our collective memory of To Kill A Mockingbird, whether in the form of book, film or theatre.

Rowlinson’s rendering of the American South in the 1930s has a charming and sentimental beauty. There is a joyfulness in watching children play outside, and neighbours going about their daily business on their porches and front lawns. The trio of child actors, led by Teagan Croft as Scout, bring magic to the stage with their undeniable talent, and Rowlinson’s ability to create chemistry between these vibrant children and their adult counterparts is central to the success of the show. In fact, the show only falters in the court scenes where the children are not in prominence.

Atticus Finch is played by Lynden Jones with great integrity. The subtlety in his performance is an intelligent choice for a character that audiences know so well. There is no need to explain who Atticus is. He takes into account our familiarity, and saves his dramatics only for a handful of emotional scenes. Jones’ most heightened moment happens in the courtroom, and his powerful delivery rescues that scene from being otherwise slightly low on energy.

The support cast is uniformly strong. In fact all actors bring something special and each have memorable moments in the production. Katy Avery as Mayella Ewell transforms her simple role into a riveting one, and the intensity at which she attacks her part is a highlight. Claudette Clarke’s Calpurina is grounded and tender. She has a relaxed confidence that is very enjoyable. Sarah Carroll plays Maudie Atkinson, who is the Finchs’ neighbour and our narrator. She brings an air of upbeat optimism that is comforting, and also provides an effective voice of reason that is a crucial mechanism of the plot.

Boo Radley’s appearance towards the conclusion can be tricky to handle, but Rowlinsons’ artistic sensitivity shines through and the scene is a triumph. A moving crescendo is delivered, and the moral of the tale is brought home. It is impossible to not love To Kill A Mockingbird. We have all experienced ostracism, and we have all witnessed discrimination. Boo Radley lives in all of us, and to see him materialise and lovingly depicted on stage, is profound.
www.newtheatre.org.au

Quack - Review

Review originally posted at www.suzygoessee.com
Venue: University of Sydney Studio B (Camperdown NSW), Mar 19 – 22, 2014
Director: Zach Beavon-Collin
Playwright: Ian Wilding
Actors: Nick Welsh, Alexander Richmond, Melissa McShane, Geneva Gilmour, Alex Magowan, Meg McLellan

Theatre review
Ian Wilding’s fantastical script is action-packed, funny, and satirical. Its influences are genre film and popular television, which makes it a natural choice for the young theatre makers at University of Sydney. Using the western and zombie genres, and taking inspiration from the Australian adversarial political system, Wilding creates a strange bygone world in which everything seems to be an analogy for the state of our world today.

The Sydney University Dramatic Society’s production is as playful as the script allows. Zach Beavon-Collin’s direction makes lovely use of the atmospherics, greatly assisted by lighting and music design, and indulges heavily in the gory details of all the zombie action. His work will be remembered for blood and pus that overtakes the stage for a good half of the show, which is unfortunate for the actors whose performances are subsumed by the theme park quality of the experience.

The cast is a committed one, but the humour of Wilding’s writing proves to be challenging. Alex Magowan is an exception, leaving an impression with consistently effective comedy. His portrayal of Gunner as an overblown caricature is exaggeratedly brash but a very welcome presence to scenes in the first act that tend to be lacking in energy. Meg McLellan is another supporting actor who shines in each of her appearances. She plays Rodney with a sense of precision, and provides an authenticity that sets her apart as being the most polished of the group. Alexander Richmond is strongest of the leads. His Dr Littlewood takes some time to develop, but in zombie form, the actor is impressive (and repulsive).

As mentioned before, some of the technical elements and music are crucial to the more successful aspects of this production. Josie Gibson’s original score is an accomplished one and often steals the show. Lighting designer Chrysanti Chandra works with minimal facilities, but does well to manufacture a lushness in the show’s moodier sections. These artists might be young and hungry for experience, but they prove themselves to be anything but a bunch of quacks.
www.sudsusyd.com

High Windows Low Doorways - Review

Review originally posted at www.suzygoessee.com
Venue: TAP Gallery (Darlinghurst NSW), Jul 4 – 14, 2013
Playwrights: Jonathan Ari Lander, Noelle Janaczewska, Katie Pollock, Alison Rooke, Mark Langham, Ellana Costa, Melita Rowston
Director: Paul Gilchrist
Actors: Alice Keohavong, Helen Tonkin, Peter McAllum, Matt Butcher, Kit Bennett, Gavin Roach, Naomi Livingstone
Image by Zorica Purlija

Theatre review
Subtlenuance’s new production features seven monologues by seven different actors and seven different playwrights. The monologues are presented as a cohesive whole by director Paul Gilchrist, although it is always clear where each story begins and ends. The theme that binds them is the concept of spirituality, with a focus on the actors’ personal experiences, rather than their beliefs.

Common themes emerge. We hear revelations about family, religion and the metaphysical. We also see a sense of struggle that often comes into play in these reflections on spiritual lives. Naomi Livingstone’s piece starts in a space of hopelessness and pain. Her performance is heartfelt and sincere, with a powerful emotional quality that she tends to slightly over-indulge in. Nevertheless, the authenticity in her expression invites us in and helps us connect with her story. Ellana Costa’s interpretation of her story is well structured, and the imagery they create is vivid and uplifting. Gavin Roach’s style is vibrant and camp. The actor’s enjoyment of the stage and his eagerness in keeping his audience engaged, makes him the most entertaining of the group. Mark Langham’s script for Roach’s story is probably the most complex in the show, which helps the performer craft a segment that is more elaborate, physical and livelier than the others.

Matt Butcher’s piece about his grandmother is one of loss and longing. He craves an impossible meeting with her, and finds solace in his memories of their time together. Jonathan Ari Lander does a good job putting those recollections to words, and Butcher uses them to paint a bitter sweet picture of reminiscence and love. In a similar vein, Helen Tonkin recalls her father, further illustrating the link between family and spirituality. Assisted by Peter McAllum’s performance, their depiction of the father and daughter relationship tenderly demonstrates the depth at which childhood experiences affect our lives.

The trouble with monologues is that they are too often written without keeping in mind the other senses that an audience brings with it to the theatre. There must be a difference between reading a poem or a memoir on paper, and going to see a staged performance. There are instances in this production that feel as though the writing would have worked better in a book, but the personal nature of the material helps make the production feel earnest and accessible. There is a resonance that exists where people dig deep to tell personal stories, and in High Windows Low Doorways, the cast wants us to hear them, but the commonality of our experiences also makes us feel heard.
www.subtlenuance.com

The Drowsy Chaperone - Review

Review originally posted at www.suzygoessee.com
Venue: Hayes Theatre Co (Potts Point NSW), Mar 14 – Apr 6, 2014
Book: Bob Martin, Don McKellar
Music and Lyrics: Lisa Lambert, Greg Morrison
Director: Jay James-Moody
Choreography: Monique Sallé
Musical Direction: Paul Geddes
Actors: Jay James-Moody, Gael Ballantyne, Chris Coleman, Emma Cooperthwaite, Anna Freeland, Hilary Cole, Brett O’Neill, Ross Chisari, Laurence Coy, Steven Kreamer, Richard Woodhouse, Jaimie Leigh Johnson, Tom Sharah, Monique Sallé, Michele Lansdown

Theatre review
The Drowsy Chaperone is a brilliantly written musical. It is also a hilarious comedy with intelligently sharp and sophisticated humour that does not underestimate its audience. The show’s concepts and structure are original. Considering the usually restrictive genre, the writers have been able to create something that feels refreshing, yet maintain a classic musical formula that is perennially appealing.

The cast is a fairly large one, but the undoubted star of the production is Jay James-Moody, who plays “Man in chair”, a narrator of sorts who functions as our sometimes tipsy chaperone, guiding us through his favourite musical. James-Moody is also director of the work, and does a good job assembling and crafting the many elements of his creation, but his achievement as performer here is outstanding. His humour is subtle and precise, with a very thorough grasp of the vacillations and nuances in the writing. His connection with the audience is impeccably strong. James-Moody addresses the audience directly and is required to take control of all our reactions to almost everything that unfolds on stage. It is a very tall order but he delivers at every point, and in unbelievably fabulous form.

Hilary Cole as Janet van de Graaf impresses with a beautiful and versatile singing voice. Her role is a demanding one, and she delivers on many fronts but some of the choreography exposes her shortcomings. Cole’s work is full of conviction, and she looks very much the part, but can sometimes introduce too much fragility into her characterisation. Her fiancé Robert Martin is played by Brett O’Neill who has created a character that seems to be magically transported from the 1920s. It is a performance that is authentic and meticulously studied. O’Neill is delightful in the genre, with a strong singing voice and confident execution of choreography. Ross Chisari is slight of frame and plays a smaller role, but leaves a substantial impression. He is by far the strongest dancer in the cast, and has a surprisingly strong voice that belts out some of the most powerful notes in the show. Chisari has many qualities that would see him thrive in the field for all the decades to come.

In its final moments, the show takes a swipe at blockbuster musicals like Cats and Les Misérables. Indeed, The Drowsy Chaperone is not for every Tom, Dick, Harry and their 8 year-old children. It doesn’t operate on a level of simple sentimentality and doesn’t rely on unthinking emotion to hit its mark. This is a supremely entertaining show that appeals with its clever humour, but may need its crowd to have some level of cultured awareness. It is also a show about our love of performance. “Man in chair” has an obsession for stage performers in his record collection, and this production gives us many reasons to be enthralled in our seats, amused and awestruck.
www.hayestheatre.com.au

The Train Shed - Review

Reviewed by Dominique Broomfield, mum of two, blogger and co-founder of babiesandtoddlers.com
My little boy is obsessed with trains so the day trip for his second birthday was a no-brainer. We went to The Train Shed, Luddenham where he could ride on a real Thomas the Tank Engine. Even better it’s affordable, situated in a vineyard and only an hour outside Sydney.

Set in rural farmland, the Train Shed is open for rides on a mini-sized Thomas, Toby, James, Percy, Mavis and Gordon every Saturday and Sunday from 10am – 4pm.

The whole family can enjoy the rides at $6 each. I would recommend you purchase a book of six for $30, or if you stay more than three hours, an unlimited day pass for $35 is good value. Children under two can take a free adult with them.

All aboard
There are two stations from which you can board a mini Thomas or one of his friends. We went on a Saturday, although it was busy, there were always two trains running out of each stattion, limiting wait times – essential with restless little ones.

Each train ride last about five or six minutes, allowing time to enjoy the scenery, whilst firmly securing your “choo-chooing” toddler. There are two routes taking you across the bridge, over the pond, past a few features like gnomes and old train parts, through the tunnel and back up the station.

First stop: Food
The café is average selling the usual fare of over-cooked, dry chicken nuggets, hot dogs and meat pies. No sandwiches or a healthy alternative. If you are staying for the day I would recommend taking a picnic or using the BBQ facilities. Then just treat the kids to an icecream or slushie. My little girl was very impressed that the lady made her a rainbow slushie – layered with all the different flavours. There is lots of shaded seating and tables and grassy areas to picnic.

Second stop: Shopping
The staff are very friendly and it was nice to see some of the train drivers kids helping out in the shop and manning the model train inside. The shop sells the usual array of Thomas merchandise. Lots of trains but the choice of track was limited. There was a TV set on the wall in the shop playing Thomas episodes to which my kids gravitated. I have mixed opinions about this, good for a rainy day and more could be made of it with bean bag seating etc or just remove the distraction.

Birthday treat
A real Sydney suburban double-decker carriage is the birthday party venue. There are various party packages: DIY but reserved table(s) to a hot finger food platter with optional extras including a Thomas birthday cake, Thomas balloons, table settings and party bags. Check the website for full details. We didn’t book a party as my little boy is only two but there was one in full flow and the kids were having a ball.

Final call
The facilities are adequate for a two-three hour stay but the Train Shed is just that, a shed which houses a gift shop, ticket booth and refreshment kiosk. Whilst the surrounding countryside is beauiful, the immediate environment was in need of a bit of TLC. I can’t help thinking that it could be so much more. A playground would be a huge improvement or a Thomas track set up on a low table in the shop. If your kids are like mine and don’t sit (while you try and enjoy the very nice Devonshire tea), it would be desirable to have some other amusement when they have used up their six rides. Having said that, The Train Shed is an inexpensive way to treat the family to a fun day out and all little Thomas fans will love it. Mine certainly did.

The details
Location: The Train Shed is situated on Northern Road at Vicary’s Winery Penrith NSW 2751
Opening times: 10am to 4pm every Saturday and Sunday, whatever the weather. Closed public holidays
Amenities: Wheel chair and buggy accessible. Plenty of parking. Shaded seating. Toilets. Refreshment Kiosk. Shop. Party venue.
For more information: http://www.thetrainshed.com.au

Dimboola - Review

Review originally posted at www.suzygoessee.com
Venue: King Street Theatre (Newtown NSW), Mar 13 – 22, 2013
Playwright: Jack Hibberd
Director: Darcy Green
Actors: Darcy Green, Louis Green, Ashleigh O’Brien, Phillip Ross, Alixandra Kupcik, Adam Delaunay, Anna Dooley, Julian Ramundi, Connor Luck, Annie Schofield, Kimberly Kelly, Zoe Tidemann, Letitia Sutherland, Tim Mathews, Michael Yore, Cameron Hutt

Theatre review
Jack Hibberd’s Dimboola is a play written with the metaphysical “fourth wall” completely removed. The audience’s presence is always acknowledged and whenever possible, characters are made to involve us in their story. In Epicentre Theatre’s production, even lighting design embraces the concept, with the entire theatre lit a bright white, and house lights are never turned off so that we are all conscious about being part of the onstage action.

Darcy Green’s direction pays tribute to 1970s Australia, with visual design aspects made to look very close to the 1979 film version, and actors determined to take us on a time travel expedition in which references to 2014 are strictly forbidden. What results is an experience that is unique, if a little bizarre. The humour is broad and old-fashioned. Under the guise of a country town wedding reception, the setting is relentlessly drunken and raucous. The air of wild disarray is successfully created by the uniformly strong cast, but some jokes and plot lines do get lost amidst the bedlam.

Adam Delaunay plays Angus with gleeful exaggeration, in a style that is reminiscent of villains in pantomimes. We don’t hear very much of what he has to say but his physical work is impressive and certainly attention grabbing. Anna Dooley as Florrie has some of the funniest facial expressions one can hope to encounter in the flesh. Her fight scene in particular is uproarious, and the most memorable moment in the show. Annie Schofield is hilarious as Shirl, playing up her character’s parochialism to great effect. It is a big and noisy crowd at the party, but Schofield works enough magic to stand out, with a characterisation that can be described as, well, a bloody ripper.

This work is an oddity. It is an interesting observational study of one aspect of our identity from a time past, so the audience does view it from a detached (and ironic) distance. We watch the nostalgia, but do not always find ourselves deeply immersed in it. Perhaps an update might improve the experience. Dimboola shows how we feel about ourselves when we are not at our best. The show is cheerful, forgiving and delirious, much like how we often think of each other.
www.epicentretheatre.org.au

Hilt - Review

Review originally posted at www.suzygoessee.com
Venue: Old 505 Theatre (Surry Hills NSW), Mar 12 – 30, 2014
Playwright: Jane Bodie
Director: Dominic Mercer
Actors: Alexandra Aldrich, Joanna Downing, Stephen Multari, Sam O’Sullivan

Theatre review
Jane Bodie’s script seduces with intrigue and structural complexity. Her characters divulge little of themselves, but we witness their interchanges at close range. At play is the way these contemporary Australians interact with each other, and we see how connections are formed in our modern lives. Bodie sets up what at first seems to be unconventional relationships, but over the course of her storytelling, we begin to question whether these are exceptional cases that we witness, or actually, a rare confession of common experiences.

Direction and performances tend towards naturalism, which makes Hilt “audience friendly”, turning challenging ideas into digestible concepts. Director Dominic Mercer succeeds in creating believable characters and communicating details of their stories, but could benefit from taking a little artistic license in expression. Real life sometimes needs sprucing up for the stage.

Mercer’s cast is a focused one, and all have clear trajectories with their individual motivations and destinations. Alexandra Aldrich plays Kate with a lot of graveness, which is an accurate depiction of the dark world in which she dwells, but prevents some of the dialogue from being more dramatic and punchy. Stephen Multari is effective in highly emotive scenes that require anger and frustration. Both actors seem constrained by the subtle and minimalist setting. Supporting actors Joanna Downing and Sam O’Sullivan provide excellent support and necessary lightness, helping add variety to the show’s palette of moods.

This is an Australian story that is as valid as any. It does however, have an unexpected sophistication in the incisive way it talks about family, marriage and sex. Nothing in the twenty-first century can truly be claimed as being unique to any cosmopolitan city, but Hilt certainly articulates a lot about what life today is like in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, etc. It provides a mirror into the things we do. Its accuracy and originality might be disorientating, but good art is known to do that.
www.venue505.com/theatre

Monkey - Review

Review originally posted at www.suzygoessee.com
Venue: UNSW Io Myers Studio (Kensington NSW), Mar 11 – 15, 2014
Director: Ben Winspear
Playwright: Les Winspear (based on the traditional Journey To The West)
Actors: Students from UNSW School of the Arts & Media

Theatre review
The enduring tale of Journey To The West is one of enlightenment and aspiration. It is also about mentoring, development and progression, all of which come together to make Les Winspear’s contemporary retelling of Monkey a natural thematic choice for a production involving young people. The characters in the story are mischievous, imperfect and unafraid of failure. This serves as great catalyst for students to approach their play with a sense of playfulness and daring.

Director Ben Winspear’s style is brave and bold. He is faithful to the story, but is audacious in vision. Rules are made to be broken, and one is tempted to conclude that rule-breaking is a method he cherishes when creating magic in the theatre. Or perhaps, it is simply his outrageous imagination that reaches beyond convention and the predictable, into a space that feels refreshing and original for contemporary audiences. Indeed, the director’s ability at materialising the fantastical details of Monkey, not only gives us a work that is dynamic and highly amusing, it provides a safe and spacious springboard for his student actors to experiment and perform. The wildness of this world they create, encourages lively expression but also comprises a healthy protection for those who need it. This is a stage so full of colour and vigour that nothing can look out of place.

Design is excellent. All aspects, from costume and props, to set, sound and lighting are thoughtful, inventive and confidently executed. It is by no means a show about polished production values, but what this crew achieves with a minuscule budget in the most basic of venues, is impressive. It is a beautiful collaboration of disciplines that works together to tell a story with clarity, wonder, and a lot of fun.

All performers appear to be students. It is a big cast, with varying degrees of ability, but unified by a common level of enthusiasm and commitment. Some seem to be appearing on stage for the very first time, and others are brazen and ambitious. Most are allowed their moment in the sun, and each bask in their own, in idiosyncratic, joyful ways. There are performers who impress with their use of voice, and some with their dance. Actors who charm us with comic timing, as well as those with outstanding physicality, and presence so strong, they steal our attention for a second or two.

Although Monkey and his friends reach a penultimate moment of glory, what we remember most after all the dust has settled, are his qualities of mischief and joy. We often forget the importance of the light, for the weight of darkness makes for easy victories, especially in the arts. It is unimportant what the scriptures at the end of Monkey may contain, if the journey that is taken fills itself with all that is gallant, and good.

https://sam.arts.unsw.edu.au

Balmain Sinfonia - Review

European journey 

Balmain Sinfonia, conductor Gary Stavrou 

Reviewed by Ben Oxley

Dvorak, My Homeland - Donizetti, Una furtive lagrima for wind quintet 

Enescu, Romanian Rhapsody No. 2 

Mozart, Bassoon Concerto, soloist Ben Hoadley 

Rimsky-Korsakov, Scheherazade

Is there room in Sydney's arts calendar for another orchestra? Would you go out to Macquarie University to hear them? Balmain Sinfonia's opening concert of their 2014 season began in middle Europe: Czech charm well balanced and assertive in the popular My Homeland overture. It is cast in the composer’s best national style, with effective use of folk tunes, set in chromatic passages well handled by the players. Part of the work includes a song that became part of the Czech National Anthem. Here it was given a stirring and aptly heroic performance by Stavrou and the full orchestra.

Then we left for Italy, and an item not set down in the program: Una furtiva lagrima for wind quintet. Lovely interlude - where was the tenor? Perhaps we could count this as an early encore. The quintet gave the aria refinement, with clear ensemble, solos handled well by the horn and bassoon.

Off to Romania, and a lavish birthday gift from a doting husband. In fact, according to our conductor you can 'have' the orchestra - at a very reasonable price. Beethoven for banknotes? Or bars of Bach for gold bars? Yehudi Menuhin (a former student and friend) poignantly described Enescu as “the most extraordinary human being, the greatest musician and the most powerful influence ever exercised upon me.” The unison string writing reminiscent of Bartok has a lustre even in the Macquarie Theatre's somewhat dry acoustic. The advantage is that each solo instrument is heard with clarity. Oboe and cor anglais gave distinctive colour to this traditional tonal piece.

What Mozart conjured in Salzburg at eighteen years of age, our bassoon soloist Ben Hoadley really brought to the fore, his reed dancing along with the strings, oboes and horns. Ben Hoadley is a bassoon graduate of Tanglewood and the New England Conservatory in Boston. He has played with the Boston Symphony Orchestra as well as the Australian Brandenburg Orchestra, Melbourne Symphony, and NZSO. The evenness of Hoadley's sound across the instrument was admirable: several entries started high and light, all gaining from his finesse.

Discussions with the aproned staff at interval over the name for Australian sparkling wine (can't say Champagne) sent us back north to Russia in Rimsky-Korsakov's Scheherazade. Alastair Duff-Forbes led the symphonic splendour in the skillful violin solos. Full brass complement balanced the lush strings and winds. Percussion featured too in excellent ensemble.

I was pleasantly surprised - messaging a colleague to confirm that the Sinfonia are the real deal. "What's in the next concert?", I asked. "We'll know after the committee meeting", the box office lady replied. What we do know is that it's on Sunday 15 June and details will be online at http://balmainsinfonia.com/concerts/next-concert/. See you there?

The Renaissance Players performing British Birds, Beasts and Bards - Review

Reviewed by Regina Su
On Wednesday the 26th of March, I entered the Great Hall at Sydney University with a critical eye, with my reviewer hat on. I walked out in awe, impressed at what I had seen, enthralled by what I had heard, with not a negative thought in my head. The concert was a performance by The Renaissance Players and directed by Winsome Evans. Each of the eleven performers had beautiful timing, wonderful expression and they held complex Renaissance music in their capable fingertips. Some musicians played multiple instruments and collectively, their sound was so very suited to the acoustics of the Great Hall.

Not only did we hear Renaissance music, but instrumental pieces from the 12th century, as well as tunes all the way up until the late 1970’s. The music was wonderfully adapted and transformed by the Snave Pluckpayers and had a wonderful edge of humour to it, where appropriate. They played tunes from the Beatles on the Great Hall organ, as well as performed Beatles tunes with traditional Renaissance instruments; at times it borderlined a parody, without any disrespect. The final song was the famous “Jerusalem” which rang though the hall with mighty spirit. I felt I had stepped into period drama, perhaps the Lord of The Rings or even straight back into history. The performance was excellent and mesmerising.

The program uses sentences describing some of their pieces as having a “continuous series of simultaneous, rhythmically syncopated and melodically elaborate variations”, and while much of this jargon went over my head, as a blank state-like audience member, I was awestruck. Jessica O’Donoghue and Susie Bishop were excellent sopranos, performing alongside magnificent baritone Mitchell Riley. Geoff Sirmai presented cleverly-chosen performance poetry; poetry that sported a dark satire, witty humour and excellent expression.

The Renaissance Players performing British Birds, Beasts and Bards, was a marvellous performance. It’s the kind of music that needs to be seen and experienced. The music would be wonderful to catch on LP or CD, however the players performed with full gusto, having the acoustics of the Great Hall behind them, clever costuming and an excellent arrangement by Winsome Evans. I would definitely see them again.

SHORT AND SWEET GALA FINALS - Review

Reviewed by Regi Su
Photo by Sylvi Soe
This year, the world’s biggest little festival, celebrated their Sydney Gala Finals at the Seymour Centre to conclude the 2014 festival. During this year’s Short and Sweet Festival, over 162 plays were performed out of around 1000 nominated internationally. To date, the festival has catered for more than 3000 original new theatre works globally, since it began in 2002.

The top twelve at the Sydney Gala Finals were as follows-

1) Guided By Voices- This piece was creative and original. I thoroughly enjoyed watching this piece as it opened the set with humour, good nature and a quirky insight into the little voice commentary we often have while we humans make decisions. Excellent timing and excellent acting.

2) Nana- During this play, the audience roared with laughter at the sexually explicit humour presented by a little old lady. The synopsis states that the play “explores some of society’s most taboo topics: love, loss and sexuality among the aging.”

3) The Blue Balloon- I really enjoyed this play. For me it was touching, metaphorical and it showed excellent use of props and lighting. The use of space was very creative and the idea was very innovative, with undertones of human loss, even depression. Very poignant.

4) Stalemate- This was a wonderful play; innovative, original and terribly amusing, with relevant pop culture references. It magnified the frivolous in a fresh new way, as the protagonist had chosen to bake a cheesecake with a biscuit base, but the biscuit backfired with a lengthy lawsuit demanding his rights. There were puns galore.

5) Some Other Toy- This play engaged with an original futuristic concept, while the audience were in stitches over the dilemmas that arise when the use of a sex toy goes horribly wrong. Great use of lighting and well-acted by the two women who held the scene.

6) Wild Flowers- This play finished the first act with a bang and led us into the interval with a food fight. The fight arose from high-pressure tension between three ladies at a tea party and their social etiquette, rules and psychological bullying. An exaggerated flare up that left the audience in high morale by the night’s half-way point.

Motherhood Out Loud - Review

Reviewed by Lydia Cheng
Motherhood Out Loud made its Australian premiere last Wednesday at the Craft Bar, with the intention of showing that “it takes two to tango,” not just in bed, but also in life.

With an opening scene of screams and agony-filled grunts as the actors simulate childbirth, the audience is immediately drawn into the world of newborns, modern families and growing older. The point of the play is to show the complexities of raising a child. While many of the references are American, there is a universal sort of language: that family is family, regardless of the situation that it is grown in.

Each act is a well-contained story and many deal with complex family situations. The actors are all skilled, having performed in multiple venues, and convincingly portray mothers and children. The children are not always so ideal, the mothers are not always so perfect, and each story-line is cripplingly accurate.

One discusses having a transgender son: Brooke Davidson takes on the role of a New York-Jewish mother who is completely unsure about how to address the fact that her son loves dresses more than toy trucks. Another is about a new mother, learning how to “squeeze, hold, and release” with her child. She has to squeeze her baby, hold onto her child, and eventually release that child into the world.

Andrew Mead performs a fabulous piece about a father at Christmas time, who has to explain that his daughter doesn't have a mother. Instead, she has a “Daddy” and a “Poppa” that love her very much.

Another skit involves a simple concept: how do you address having an adopted child? As the act progresses, Bridie Connell shows that you address it with aplomb, growing irritability, and the understanding that no matter what you do, you will always have to prove that you love your children, adopted and biological.

Finally, Jennie Jacobs plays the role of an aged mother. Instead of the traditional concept of motherhood, motherhood is now another concept, where the child she has reared for so long must now look after her. The mother who has sheltered, cared for and loved her child, must now be resigned to her future.

Motherhood Out Loud will run March 19 until April 6. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to go ring my mum. There's about 18 years of my life I need to apologize for.

Clybourne Park - Review

Clybourne Park
BY BRUCE NORRIS
FROM: MARCH 13
DIRECTED BY:
TANYA GOLDBERG
CAST INCLUDES:
PAULA ARUNDELL
THOMAS CAMPBELL
BRIALLEN CLARKE
NATHAN LOVEJOY
WENDY STREHLOW
RICHARD SYDENHAM
CLEAVE WILLIAMS

DESIGNER: TOBHIYAH STONE FELLER
LIGHTING DESIGNER: VERITY HAMPSON
SOUND DESIGNER: DARYL WALLIS

'honoring the connection'

Reviewed by Ben Oxley
With the 2011 Pulitzer Prize for Drama, 2012 Tony Award for Best Play and Olivier Evening Standard Awards, it's helpful to backtrack to the play's prequel "A Raisin In The Sun" by Lorraine Hansberry. This serves as context to the shape of  Clybourne Park, and the integrity of its structure.

A Raisin in the Sun portrays a few weeks in the life of the Youngers, an African-American family living on the South Side of Chicago in the 1950s. When the play opens, the Youngers are about to receive an insurance check for $10,000. The matriarch Mama puts a down payment on a house for the whole family. She believes that a bigger, brighter dwelling will help them all. This house is in fictitious Clybourne Park, an entirely white neighborhood of Chicago. When the Youngers’ future neighbors find out that the Youngers are moving in, they send Mr. Lindner, from the Clybourne Park Improvement Association, to offer the Youngers money in return for staying away. The Youngers refuse the deal.

As we enter Clybourne Park, we have a handle on the tense racial and societal pretext, but not on the real 'elephant in the room'. What we discover is the ache of parents for loss, and an inability of those around them to listen to their problems. After all, this was post-war, politically genteel middle America.

The second act is a sequel in a sense, cleverly lifting the story to our time, capturing the progress or lack of social inclusion and dialogue. Nonetheless, the house is made over for the transition, and the staircase is as strong a silent player in the unfolding tale.

To get this to work as drama today it takes a fine cast, and we have strength in depth in every role. Paula Arundell, herself an award-winning actor, straddles the dual roles of Francine and Lena superbly. Both strong figures, and essential to play against Nathan Lovejoy's overbearing Karl and Steve. Around the room, Wendy Strehlow fastidious Bev and Richard Sydenham as Russ double speak their way through the fog of shared but singular grief.

Thomas Campbell gives Rev. Jim an unctuous touch, and brings poignancy at the end with his handling of Kenneth. Briallen Clarke did a believable job of deaf expectant mum (there's a stereotype) Betsy, and in turn expertly plays the placating Lindsey. The one compassionate figure comes from solid Cleave Williams, with Albert and Kevin both harried by willful women and more articulate men.

Tanya Goldberg extracts the gut-wrenching social text with the smartly satirical observations to create a careening train crash in Act One. The 'chorus interruptus' continues in Act Two, revisiting the history, explicitly unveiling the divide between cultures in the house.

Sets and costume made Clybourne very believable, and Tobhiyah Stone Feller deserves credit for creating the tone and taste. Verity Hampson's thoughtful lighting design led us through the tale, as did Daryl Wallis' evocative audio.

Cheers to all hands at Ensemble for a mighty success, and I left to discover what the capital of Morocco really was. What was the point?