Reviewed by Catherine Hollyman
Part of the Mardi Gras Festival, Elegies For Angels, Punks and Raging Queens is an ode to those who have died from AIDS and a tribute to those who helped them through their final months, weeks or days.
Sounds a bit heavy for an evening’s entertainment?
Well, you’d be forgiven for thinking so, but rest assured that whilst it’s certainly a heavy topic, director Brett Russell has carefully crafted a production that certainly tugs on the heart strings, but that I found surprisingly more informative and celebratory than depressing.
The 31 monologues, each performed by a different actor, are written from the perspective of a character that suffered with, and died from, AIDS. After every four or five, the monologues are interjected with powerful songs representing the feelings of friends and family members dealing with the loss.
The music, by Janet Hood, and lyrics and additional text by American lyricist Bill Russell, were inspired by the NAMES Project “AIDS Memorial Quilt” – a community art project to create an enormous quilt in memory of people who have died of AIDS-related causes - and Edgar Lee Masters' collection of poems featuring 212 characters each providing an account of their lives and losses within a fictional small town, Spoon River.
The entire production was intimate, somewhat due to the theatre space itself, but more so thanks to the openness of the characters and actors. It was a bit like reading the diary of someone I didn’t know, which was both a revelatory and confrontational. I came away thankful for the message that life is short – celebrate it!
Lows
The sometime forced actions hammed it up in places where it didn’t need to be, once or twice yanking me away from the world of the character and back to my seat in the audience.
The lighting was basic and at times poorly timed, leaving an actor to depart the stage in full light. As this was the first show, it’s something that will improve in subsequent nights
Highs
With such a huge cast, you can often expect a few dud performances, but all 35 performers give a convincing performance and delivery of the American accent. Standouts for me included:
The four singers, in particular Jason Te Patu who shows depth of emotion throughout each of his songs and characters and brings the show to a commemorative close with his gospel-esque performance, with the rest of the cast as his chorus.
Deirdre Lee advises us on how to identify true friends in her portrayal as a female Sales Executive trying to climb the corporate ladder in a male-dominated world, whilst living with AIDS. Lucy Maunder’s musical response as the Personal Assistant who stayed by her side was heartfelt and honest.
Cassandra Joslin provides some well-timed light reprieve with her advice to “spend it before you die” monologue which morphs into song and dance and will get everyone in the audience laughing and clapping along.
Booking Information
Dates: On now until 3rd March
Venue: Reginald Theatre at The Seymour Centre
Times: Fri 6pm & 9pm, Sat 4pm & 8pm
Duration: 90mins no interval
Tickets: Adult $40, Conc / MG Member $35
Call: (02) 9351 7940 to book
