Feb 27

FRINGE: Awake – Theatre – Queen’s Theatre – 3.5K

Awake is a duo of short plays, both looking at particular medical conditions which rob people of their minds. There is a specific focus on the impact of these illnesses on the family; those who have to watch their loved ones disappear, and who look after them through this time.

In the first, a young couple are pushed to the brink by the loss of his ability to create and retain memories. For him, every moment is his first, every experience new. For her, their days are endlessly repetitive as she tries desperately to get him to retain any small amount of information. The second, longer, play revolves around Esther, who has recently learnt that she has a condition known as Fatal Familial Insomnia – a condition which means that, until she dies, she will never sleep again. Her brother and son must try to find a way to live with one another, as the family curse kills her and they each face the uncertainty of their own futures.

The scripts capture the journey that is inescapable when a member of your family is diagnosed with such an illness; the grief, the humour, the fatigue, and the helplessness. They are generally well written, though some of the alliterative elements became a little grating. The set is simple, aesthetically pleasing and adaptable to both plays, and lighting effectively adds the appropriate mood when needed.

The performances were strong all-round, with particular kudos to Justin Batchelor who took on two very different and challenging roles. The plays are book ended and bridged by pieces of music, performed live on stage by the four actors. These are pleasant, if not inspiring, and do well to draw the audience in, enable the transition from one play to the other and conclude the show.

It seems likely that this production would benefit from a more intimate, theatre style venue, and the air-flow at the Queen’s could certainly be improved to increase audience comfort. These issues aside however, this was an enjoyable, emotionally engaging, quality piece of theatre, focusing on an interesting topic.

Kryztoff rating: 3.5K

Feb 27

FRINGE – An Irishman’s Guide to Internet Dating – Austral – Red Room – 2K

Reading a title containing the words Irishman and Guide together surely would build up a rather high anticipation, be it for good old Irish entertainment that Aussies just love, or the hilarious views that only the Irish could have, which everyone just loves. Very few would be expecting to be listening to a sad, self glorifying, self involved rant about an Irishman’s verloren love life. Plus side, it contained the Irish accent and did raise a few laughs but the ‘Guide’ was no where to be found. You may need to judge this one for yourself.

Kryztoff Rating   2K

Feb 27

FRINGE TICKET BINGE – THEATRE TUESDAY

THEATRE TUESDAY

Fringe Theatre fans, we have a treat for you today.

CIT AT HIGHER GROUND

Win free double passes to any of the following highly acclaimed Centre for International Theatre shows:

Tues 28th Feb      8pm          Imperial Fizz                                      Higher Ground

Tues 28th Feb      6.45pm      Ballard of the Unbeatable Hearts        Higher Ground

Tues 28th Feb      8.15pm      Spitfire Solo                                      Higher Ground    Kryztoff review gave it 4K

Tues 28th Feb      7pm          The Boy James                                   AC Arts              Kryztoff review gave it 4.5K

Tues 28th Feb      9pm          Outland                                             AC Arts              Kryztoff review gave it 5K

Make a night of it by going to two shows back to back.

Want to win? Then, let us know at win@kryztoff.com by 9pm tonight (Monday) and tells us which show(s) you want to go to.

OTHER TOP SHOWS

We also have double passes to giveaway to the following:

Tues 28th Feb      6pm           The Big Bite Size Soiree                     Bakehouse

Wed 29th Feb      9.45pm       Love Child                                        Higher Ground

Again, if you want either or both of these let us know at win@kryztoff.com before 9pm to go into the draw.

Theatre Tuesday brought to you by Kryztoff.

Feb 26

FRINGE: Misery – Theatre – Higher Ground – 4K

After a successful and critically acclaimed season at the Bakehouse in July last year, Michael Allen’s production of Stephen King’s Misery returns to the Adelaide stage, giving Fringe audiences an opportunity to catch this quality home-grown production as part of the Centre for International Theatre program.

Waking after a car crash in the American countryside, author Paul Sheldon (John Maurice) finds himself at the mercy of Annie Wilkes (Joanne Hartstone), his self-professed number one fan.  Annie is, quite clearly, more than a little unhinged, and the smallest things can cause her to shift between intense love and deep hatred for Paul. When the hatred and anger take hold, Paul invariably suffers. One of the major causes of Annie’s ire is the revelation that Paul has killed off her favourite character, Misery Chastain, in his latest novel and she decides that he will work every day to produce a new book in which she is resurrected. Can Annie’s desire ever be full assuaged though and will Paul manage to escape her clutches either mentally or physically intact?

Despite a few opening performance technical issues and the ubiquitous audience mobile phone interruption (seriously people, turn them off!) both actors keep their characterisations strong and steady throughout. From the moment she steps on the stage, Hartstone’s creepy portrayal of Annie has you shrinking back in your seat. While the character could not be described as sane at any point during the play, Hartstone manages to reign in the crazy enough at various times to make her seem frighteningly believable rather than outlandishly implausible. Maurice gives a measured decent into desperation as the trapped Paul, which nicely compliments Annie’s psychotic mania.

While incredibly chilling and gruesome at times, there is also a lot of humour in the script of Misery and this production captures both sides of the action. Not one for the faint of heart, and a bit longer than most Fringe offerings at the more traditional play run time of over two hours (with interval), this is never-the-less a quality and entertaining production and definitely worth escaping the house for a few hours.

Kryztoff rating: 4K

Feb 26

FESTIVAL – ADT’S Proximity – Her Majesty’s – 4K

By Fiona Gardner

ADT has been under the Artistic Direction of Garry Stewart for the last decade. The company is renowned for the choreographic physical abilities and athleticism that the dancers are required to carry. Garry’s work possesses a post modernism structure; drawing upon his dancers’ capabilities and creativity to collaborate within the work. Two dancers that I find to touch me personally in a creative aspect are; Tara Soh and Kialea – Nadine Williams.

With the use of film, Garry Stewart’s work Proximity creates a multi dimension of choreographic aspects, with a diversity of perception allowing an alternating experience as an audience member.

In parts, Proximity use’s pre-recorded film. The technical standard of the piece is astonishing by French video engineer Thomas Pachoud.  The projection is on to three large screens, which creates an intimate viewing experience.

Unlike HELD, Proximity tends to draw you more into the images on the screen rather than the live dancers. One section capturing a close up of Jessica Hesketh face, where the camera capture’s a 5-second snippet of film, allowing a change of characters, which is then projected onto the large screens, this creating an out of body schizophrenic experience.

I believe that the older generation are falling away from such productions as ADT due to the sound, although the Y generation are moving towards the work due to the multi dimensional effects and the vibrancy of Garry’s Stewarts artistic ideas.

For the dancing as a whole, solo sections tend to be the dancers’ strongest choreographically. In a group formation, the dancers perform synchronistic movement with intrinsic detail which tends to lose the choreographic impact.

I believe in dance it can be difficult to create a clear dialogue and meaning for the audience.  After viewing pieces in Switzerland, I found their dance works tends to incorporate much more of a theatrical setting through speech. Movement tends to be generated with more organic meaning, rather than traditional lines. Garry Stewart style still sticks to the traditional difficult manoeuvres with head spins, strong technique, falls and floor work.

Overall I miss the passion that Larissa McGowan projected when she dominated her presence with the audience. ADT dancers are a majority of young dancers, being guided by a renowned choreographer Garry Stewart; let’s see if Garry Stewarts direction will lead ADT into the next decade.

Kryztoff Rating   4K

Feb 26

FRINGE – Santos ASO Symphony under the Stars – Elder Park – 5K

By Ben Nielsen

On the back of a season that celebrated their 75th anniversary, The Adelaide Symphony Orchestra begins 2012 with the ever popular Santos Symphony under the Stars- arguably their biggest event of the year.

Directed by guest conductor Marc Taddei, the evening featured special guest soprano Antoinette Halloran, star of Australian stage and screen.

The Symphony under the Stars is a testament to the Adelaide Symphony Orchestra and their endeavour to make classical music accessible. Thousands gathered in Elder Park for an evening of free alfresco entertainment, despite the gruelling temperatures.

The program was structured to appeal to the diversity of audience members; it included a variety of well known pieces such as a West Side Story medley (Bernstein arr. Mason) and Fantasia on ‘Greensleeves’ (Vaughan Williams); to more obscure symphonic tunes such as Rimsky-Korsakov’s Capriccio Espagnol.

Soloist Antoinette Halloran stunned the audience with her musical aptitude with a selection of operatic pieces by Dvořák and Puccini. In the second half, Halloran seamlessly navigated through a whole other genre, with a collection of well-known music theatre songs such as The Sound of Music by Rodgers and Arlen’s Over the Rainbow.

The traditional visual and aural spectacular concluded the evening- fireworks and canons accompanied by the triumphant sounds of Tchaikovsky’s 1812 Overture.

The orchestra’s musical capabilities were still perceptible in the alfresco setting. Fine musicianship, precision and dynamic contrast were as equally astounding without the acoustics of an auditorium.

The Symphony under the Stars provides an opportunity to gasp, hum, tap, clap or cheer; an experience unparalleled to that had within the confines and etiquette of a concert hall. The sounds of enjoyment emanating from the audience throughout the performance were a declaration of the success of Symphony under the Stars; which is now considered a South Australian institution.

Kryztoff Rating  5K

Feb 26

FRINGE: Fleeto – Theatre – Holden Street Theatres – 4K

After a vicious knife attack on his friend Andy, Mackie (Jordan McCurrach) heads out on the streets of Glasgow with a bunch of like-minded lads to exact revenge on the people who they think are responsible for this deed. With heightened emotions, a bloodlust and group-mentality, things quickly escalate out of control and an innocent young man loses his life at Mackie’s hand. This is, sadly, not an uncommon occurrence and, as we follow the police officer (Andy Clarke) who is charged with the duty of informing the unfortunate victim’s mother (Pauline Knowles), we learn about the knife culture engulfing the city’s streets and the environment that is the breeding ground for the perpetrators.

Through Mackie and gang leader Kenzie (Neil Leiper), we get to see two very different sides to the young men who are involved in these gangs and commit such dreadful acts of violence. Kenzie is the unfeeling scum, who takes a gleeful enjoyment from the act of murder, while Mackie is the more humane side, wracked with guilt and unsure of how to proceed with life now that he has taken another’s. Both are the products of the housing schemes they inhabit and the parents who were absent from their upbringing, whether in a physical or emotional sense, or both.

The style of the piece is engaging, moving fluidly from scene to scene on an almost empty stage, with much of the dialogue delivered in structured verse and laden with the heavy Glaswegian accent. The actors have honed the emotions of the characters well, with the energy and aggression of the younger males well balanced by the quite grief and dignity of the mother and the resigned but stoic presence of the police officer. The gang of lads, populated by local boys, inject a menace into their scene which adds to the overall effect of the four-handed play, and compliments the fine acting of the rest of the cast.

Fleeto is powerful theatre and is illuminating as the backstory for companion piece Wee Andy (also playing this Fringe). It is a revealing, and rather depressing, journey into the world of the lower classes, which are looked down upon and often feared by others; those who have had better chances in life and have not had to endure the forces that work to shape these lads into the thugs they may become.

Kryztoff rating: 4K

Feb 26

FRINGE: His Ghostly Heart – Theatre – Holden Street Theatres – 4K

There is something about the dark that changes everything; something pure, something safe, something frightening. The world is no different because the sun has set or the lights are out and yet that enveloping blackness can alter our behaviour and encourage us to do and say things we never would in the light.

Daisy (Sara Lange) and Tom (Hjalmar Svenna) are a young couple, who use the dark as a protective blanket, to cover themselves in their most intimate moments. Through their post-coital conversation, we get a glimpse of their relationship and the issues which threaten to destroy it. The deft writing of Ben Schiffer raises the question of whether self-image and that seen by others can ever match. While it does get a little overly philosophical at times, it is for the most part interesting and engaging.

Bereft of sight, your hearing takes up the slack, picking up the nuances in the conversation and the sounds of small movements to form a picture in your head of what might be going on not two metres in front of you. Under the direction of Martha Lott, the two performers create a realistic and emotive picture despite the sensory deprivation, with the expression in their voices clearly conveying the feeling in the piece.

The confined space of the Manse and the proximity of the actors may be unnerving for some, but add to the atmosphere and feeling of voyeurism that are inherent to the play. This is a distinctive theatrical experience and a fine production of a well written, thought-provoking play.

Kryztoff rating: 4K

Feb 26

FRINGE: Wee Andy – Theatre – Holden Street Theatres – 4.5K

Written as a companion piece to Fleeto (Tumult in the Clouds’ other offering this Fringe), Wee Andy looks at the impact of gang violence, on a family and a community. A young lad, Andy Graham, has been the victim of a terrible knife attack, his life only just saved and his face horribly and permanently disfigured. He has been brought up in an environment that breeds gangs and has not managed to escape their cruel attentions.

The majority of the story is told from the viewpoints of Andy’s mother (Pauline Knowles), as she tries to protect her boy from any further harm – potentially to be caused by the menacing Kenzie (Neil Leiper) – and Mr Andrew Scott (Andy Clarke), a surgeon who was once a housing scheme boy himself and who now spends his days and nights trying to patch up the kids who come in with these horrendous injuries. Both of these characters also have thoughts to share on the reasons for the escalating violence and theories on how best to combat it.

While we may not live in the harsh climate of Scotland’s toughest housing schemes, these are not themes which are foreign to Adelaide life. A lot of people have similar opinions about young people going out and “running amok”, and the parents who let them do so. Is it likely that there are any more solutions to these societal issues here than in Glasgow, or are the feelings of hopelessness and frustration universal?

Wee Andy makes you question how different classes of people respond and relate to one another, think about the way upbringing influences how people turn out, and wonder whether things can ever get better, or if the downward spiral of society is already too far gone and the perpetual cycle of violence will be never-ending. This is one of those shows which remind you that truly moving theatre does not need to be complicated or flashy; the most important facets are the performances of the actors, the eloquence of the writing and the power of the story being told. Wee Andy is nothing but quality in all of these areas.

Kryztoff rating: 4.5K

Feb 26

FRINGE: Akmal – Royalty Theatre – 5K

Comedians are like wine, some never become enjoyable, no matter how long they have been aged, some have a very clear use by date after which they go down the drain and then there are those which age so well, better and better year by year. One of these well aging comedians is Akmal, even though he probably has quite some years to go until he is, as Akmal himself puts it “that age where pants are optional”.

It is so refreshing and entertaining to be present when an amazingly gifted comedian is on stage, such as the very talented Akmal, who rather than having to rely on jokes with timed pauses so the audience knows when to applaud, is able to deliver a conversational story while throughout interacting with audience members and weaving them into the story, but with such wit and jest as Akmal does, to have the audience in constant fits of laughter.

Very, very entertaining. Surely the audience is glad that Akmal didn’t follow into medicine with the rest of his family but applied his gift to the amusement of 1000’s, who must be a lot healthier after so much laughter.

Akmal delivers a show you just don’t want to end.

Kryztoff Rating   5K