Elegies for Angels, Punks and Raging Queens

Presented by Paul Holmes Productions

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

The Temperamentals

The Temperamentals by Jon Marans is playing at the New Theatre until 3 March. It is in association with the Sydney Mardi Gras and is an Australian Premiere.
Kevin Jackson the director has striped the play down to rely almost totally on the quality of the actors and the play itself. It is a brave move but it works and actors have to be commended for the role(s) they play.
Jon Marans has produced a piece of work that marks an important historical time in gay social history. It is set in the early 1950's long before Stonewall. It is a docu-drama based on true stories about Harry Hay and a group of men who set up the Mattachine Society. The Mattachine was organised to assert the human rights for sexual minorities. It is not a play that packs a powerful punch, there is drama and laughter, but it quietly and simply re-tells the stories of these men and their lives. I use the word 'quietly' because all the time you are reminded how secretive they had to be; living in fear of being arrested. Of course this happens to Dale Jennings, he is arrested for allegedly soliciting a police officer in a toilet. Dale confessed to being a homosexual (this was unheard of as people shied away from public scrutiny) but denied any wrongdoing. Dale was acquitted on the basis of police intimidation, harassment, and entrapment of homosexuals, and the case was dismissed. It was a landmark case and increased peoples awareness of the gay movement. Behind the actors throughout the show you will see projections of the men themselves which is a constant reminder that this is a true story. You are reminded how unacceptable it was to be gay, you had to be married with children to be socially acceptable and even to advance your career, as Rudi discovers. You see conflict in the men between what they would like to be and what they have to be. Harry Hay (Douglas Hansell) the leader of The Mattachine is living a lie, he is married but having an affair with Rudi Gernriech (Daniel Scott). He also wrote a manifesto for homosexual rights. He eventually divorced realising that marriage wasn't going to 'cure' him!

This docu-drama serves as a reminder that we shouldn't forget what life was like for gay men and woman and how brave these men were and that even today people are still fighting for Gay Rights, with marriage being top of the agenda at the moment.
If you like social history you will enjoy this and if you intend on going to the Mardi Gras Parade seeing this first will give it a more powerful meaning.

Listen to our interview with Daniel Scott (Rudi Gernreich)

Interview with Daniel Scott

Daniel is currently playing in The Temperamentals at the New Theatre in Newtown. Daniel gives a first hand overview of the play and the character he plays.

Listen to this great interview recorded on Triple H 100.1 fm on The Hubbub.

(please note the link will become inactive in about 3 months time, call 02 99403649 if you would like to listen)

The Mardi Gras Colour Blind Project

The Mardi Gras Colour Blind Project is playing at the Sidetrack Theatre until 4 March, with a gala night on 1 March.
The Project aims to challenge the stereotypes of what represents 'Gay Sydney' it is a seven short plays each bringing a different slant on the LGBT (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender) community and the race and cultural background within this community.  I originally thought that it hadn't really tackled the later issue, but then looking back many of the plays did have actors and or characters from different races or cultures.

Canary by Jonathan Harvey

Canary is currently playing at the New Theatre in Newtown and is part of the Sydney Gay & Lesbian Mardi Gras.  I know some of you haven't moved on since 1962 and won't go but please just because it is part of the Festival don't let that stop you seeing a very funny and highly entertaining play.