Sep 20

RAW: OzAsia – Rhinoceros in Love – National Theatre of China

Rhinoceros in Love – National Theatre of China – Her Majesty’s Theatre – 16 September 2011

By Julia Loipersberger

It is unsurprising that one of China’s most iconic plays should have attracted a large audience of Chinese expats and curious Western theatregoers, all of whom filled Her Majesty’s Theatre with an exciting pre-show buzz. Performed in Beijing for the first time in 1999, this experimental drama has attracted many followers in more than 30 Chinese cities and been performed over 800 times.  Needless to say, I was excited to gain such an insight into modern Chinese performance culture.

I will admit that this truly was an experimental and unusual play. Part comedy, part heavy tragedy, with elements of a musical and – at random and unexpected times – components of a gameshow, it was beautifully acted but very difficult to follow. In large part, this was because much of the performance appeared – quite literally – to have been lost in translation. In addition to the difficulty of following the English subtitles for the Mandarin performance (the location of the screens meant that often one had the choice of watching either the performance or reading the translation), the performance contained a plethora of cultural ‘in’ jokes and references, which half of the audience found riotously hilarious but the other half did not appear to follow – myself included.

The play’s two main characters, the lonely rhinoceros keeper Ma Lu and his beautiful and irresistible neighbour Ming Ming, were supported by a cast of friends and apparently random characters, who appeared to fulfil the role of a modern, pseudo Greek chorus. Although this added to some of the performance’s more poignant – and some of the more translatably hilarious – moments , it also added to the general confusion and meant that it was at times even more difficult to follow plot and character developments, meaning that even at the end of the play it wasn’t entirely clear what had actually happened.

Nonetheless, there were significant highlights to the performance, not the least of which was the phenomenal set design. Having once seen a minimalist stage with both a banquet-table sized treadmill, puddles of water and torrential rain, I’m not entirely sure that I will ever be able to fully appreciate an ordinary stage design with only a table and two chairs again. Similarly, the powerful performance of the lead Nianhua Zhang was nothing short of heartrending, particularly in the final scenes when the extent of his torment is revealed.

Overall, Rhinoceros in Love was a frustrating experience – I could see a beautiful and tragic story simmering just below the surface, but it was diluted and confused by too many unravelling threads.

Definitely a unique experience, ‘Rhinoceros in Love’ is best left for true fans of experimental Chinese theatre.

Kryztoff Rating    2.5K

Sep 18

RAW: OzAsia – continent by CAVA – Space Theatre

This years OzAsia Festival sure has had some special treats lined up such as this brilliant performance “continent” by the Japanese mime company CAVA. To call this entertaining show just comic mime is somewhat an under rating of the high calibre and mix the performers bring to stage. It’s an extremely well performed fusion of physical theatre with a mix of mime, dance, ballet and lots of energy to a simple yet well worked script which includes cinema, cartoon and comedy, leaving just enough to the audiences imagination.

Kazuaki Maruyama’s inspiration for continent came from the Coen brother’s film Barton Fink. “Its worldview, a mixture of reality and fiction, leaving some things implied, not stating everything, in order to stimulate the audience’s interpretive ability and imagination.” Kazuaki says. The story is about a writer who is struggling to get his work published yet continues with his girlfriends help.

A pity continent was only performed for 3 days during OzAsia. Make sure you see it next time it returns to Adelaide.

Simply Brilliant

Kryztoff Rating   4.5K

Sep 16

RAW: Buried Child – STC – Til 2nd Oct

By Kosta Jaric

The State Theatre Company never fails to make an impression, and they’ve struck a chord once again with Sam Shepard’s Pulitzer Prize-winning Buried Child.

Digging deep into the disintegration of the American Dream, the play focuses on a supposedly wholesome and hardworking Midwestern family and how their values become corrupted by the very secrets and turmoil they keep from themselves and the world.

Dodge is the begrudging old farmer who couldn’t care about the world, including his wife Halie who lives in the glorious past she envisaged as her future. In their golden years, they’re forced to look after the two sons they expected to look after them; Bradley now physically scarred, and Tilden emotionally damaged. As others come into their lives, everything they never said starts to unravel the truth and their existence.

The key to this play is how the cast make the dialogue seem almost poetic at times. As simplistic as the content of the conversation is, it’s never droll and always captivating as it slowly releases more information about the complex lives of these seemingly simple people. There is a disjoint in the family that whilst appearing to be a significant rift still seems to be the common ground keeping them together.

Director David Mealor has assembled a well-fitted cast. Ron Haddrick leads from the front as Dodge, and his presence in every scene is a worthy one. His ability to play the grumpy old codger one moment and the endearingly manipulative patriarch to perfection highlights immense talent.

The rest of the cast warm into their roles. Jacqy Phillips brings a real ‘oomph’ to Hailie, her banter with Haddrick and flirtation with the bumbling Father Dewis (Patrick Frost) humorous. Nick Garsden is the pivotal Tilden and plays simple frustratingly well, whilst Patrick Graham’s portrayal of Bradley does well to swing from imposing to subordinate.

Hannah Norris’ performance is key as the young outsider Shelley, as it’s her arrival that changes the way we see everything, and she manages to ‘slow-burn’ her way through to the end of the play to perfection. Her boyfriend – and Dodge’s nephew – Vince is well controlled by Tim Overton.

One of America’s most influential playwrights, Shepard’s script reads like a narrative to the disappointment and frustration of the average American trying to live that elusive dream promised to all.  Away from the big city, this play offers a glimpse into the real psyche of the Midwest that is rarely glamourised, and you can see why. Having said this, it’s probably not that far a stretch to see this through the eyes of an Australian farmer.

There do seem to be a lot of loose ends that need tying, but the cast, the stark set and the director are all assets to this production. It’s the perfect clash between two generations that existed almost a lifetime ago, but everything about this is still relevant and as concerning today. It may not exactly be black comedy, but it’s darkly comic – a balance you’ll rarely see done as well as here.

Sep 14

RAW: Early Worx – Not Enough Oxygen & Seven Jewish Children – 4K

English dramatist, Caryl Churchill’s works span any number of controversial issues from politics to sex and religion. Early Worx at Higher Ground are producing two in a season that lasts til just Sunday evening.

Not Not Not Not Not Enough Oxygen was written in 1970 as a radio play and depicts the world in the present time, a place of small square apartments, an absence of birds and fresh air, where parks and nature are a novelty and angry, nihilistic youths roam setting fire to things.

This production by Dee Easton successfully conveys the claustrophobic world of an anxious, ageing  father (Roger Newcombe) and the naive, tense and prissy woman he shares his flat with (Amy Brooks) as they await his media personality son’s (Charles Sanders) arrival – a presence not enjoyed for five years and which promises a new world.

It is easy to dismiss the predictions of the world of now created forty years ago as whimsical or in part lucky or obvious guesses with much got wrong that tears away the potential of the story. The debate had in the play about the cost of getting licenses for second children and the plight of those who seek to have such children without state permission can seemingly be easily dismissed.

Yet, looking around the world as now know it, so much of what Churchill has predicted has either come to be or is threatening to do so. The most recent somewhat pointless London riots, the scourge of refugees looking for a home and even the local debate about extending the right to end life all loom as examples of where debate is now being held, a far cry from the mores that would have dictated outcomes on similar issues in the 1970s.

The Early Worx team do a great job to create a space that leaves you worried, with both Newcombe and Brooks in fine form.

After the break, Charles Sanders directs the more controversial 2009 play Seven Jewish Children where a family frets over what to say and how to explain to their child/grandchild/sister the world they inhabit in Gaza. Through being told in the personal perspective, especially to an innocent, of the contradictions, hopes and horrors of life in these contested lands, some heavy messages are conveyed successfully.

Sanders has worked wonders with the space, ably assisted by Chris Donoghue’s lighting with the whole adding to the tension and fragmentation of these lives under pressure. Chrissie’s Page closing speech is a highlight.

This is as it should be – provocative theatre – without heavy over layering of directorial political bias.

Anyone interested in either topic, but particularly the Jewish issue should ensure they get along to Higher Ground during this season.

Sep 14

RAW: OzAsia – The Arrival – Her Majesty’s – 4K

Australian, Shaun Tan’s graphic novel, The Arrival tells of a young father with vaguely Eurasian features who leaves his home to create a better life for his family in a distant, but not strictly identifiable, land of opportunity.

By using various techniques such as photorealistic human figures in abstract and surreal environments and the use of architecture that is both historic and futuristic, Tan creates what the New York Times describes as ‘not an immigrant’s story, but the immigrant’s story.’

World respected percussionist, Ben Walsh, (also known to Adelaide audiences for his role in the highly praised Tom Tom Crew at the last Fringe) stumbled upon this great work of beauty, imagination and empathy when randomly in a bookshop and took upon the task of giving the story a life in sound.

With book images on the screen above the stage, using 11 pieces in his Orkestra of the Underground, Walsh delighted a packed Her Majesty’s Theatre on Sunday night. Not that they much saw his face at work as he conducted, played the drums and worked the computers for various additional sound effects with his back to them.

Works like this run the risk of either trivialising their originals or overwhelming them (such as Mussorgsky’s Pictures at an Exhibition, especially once made saccharine sweet by Ravel) but here the music and drawings complement each other nicely. Given the continuing immigration debate in this country, it was also nice to immerse oneself in the immigrant’s own story and not the political images we have got too use to seeing.

Much a shame there was only one night of it for Adelaide audiences this year.

Kryztoff Rating – 4K

Sep 14

RAW: OzAsia – Koan – Space – 4K

In many ways similar to Four Winds on Festival opening night, Koan, curated by violinist Natsuko Yoshimoto, brings to Adelaide audiences both new sounds and the finest in exponents.

This time six pieces of contemporary Japanese chamber music for up to four players; Yoshimoto on violin, Akikazu Nakamura on shakuhachi, Claire Edwards on percussion and Bernadette Harvey on piano.

If it is impertinent to identify any of these as the stand out performer on the night, then certainly the one who most captures the attention was Edwards. Her work on various percussion instruments, including some remarkable innovations in the name of achieving a particular sound (particularly during Joji Yuasa’s Mai Bataraki), as well as sublime control of tempo and timing highlight why is she is recognised worldwide as one of the most striking and important percussionists of her generation.

Once local boy, James Cuddeford (now resident in Hong Kong), rounded off the night with the premiere of his Koan III, a work commissioned by the OzAsia Festival. (Sadly, yet also gladly, James was absent from this performance as he awaits the birth of his first child.) This work brings all the players together, not just playing at once but physically as well as both Yoshimoto with her violin and Nakamura (looking rather like a character out of James Bond movie) and his shakuhachi gravitate during the piece from the extremities of the stage to be around the piano and percussion by its conclusion.

For an experience of new music for Adelaide ears, superbly – hauntingly and beautifully – performed by world class performers, Koan was an experience not to be missed.

Kryztoff Rating  4K

Sep 10

RAW: OzAsia Festival – Shugo Tokumaru – Space Theatre – 4K

Singer/songwriter Shugo Tokumaru, has garnered great popularity in his home country of Japan, as well as successfully breaking into the US and European markets. Not the easiest thing to do when your lyrics are all in Japanese and your music defies pigeon-holing into one genre.

“Quirky pop” is probably the closest you’ll get to summarising the sound. While Tokumaru took his place up front on guitar and vocals, he was ably supported by a five piece band comprising Yumiko Hishinuma, Shingo Shimmachi, Yoshinari Kishida, Kenji Ho and Kei Tanaka. Along with the more usual drums and bass, accordion and melodica were used to accentuate the harmonies, while not one but two toy pianos, a glockenspiel and an eclectic array of toys, added cute, amusing and peculiar highlights to the pieces, weaving an intricate sound-scape.

While undoubtedly modern, the first few songs had a traditional Japanese flavour to them. Tokumaru melded old and new in a similar way to what the likes of Mumford & Sons and The Decemberists do with Anglo-Celtic folk-pop, just with an Asian feel. As the set progressed however, we heard pieces more akin to mamba, 60s Brit-pop, 80s love ballads, and even a good ol’ country hoe-down. A heavily accented, acoustic version of Video Killed the Radio Star, brought smiles all ’round.

Not understanding the lyrics of the original songs meant that more focus was directed to the musicianship on display (which was of an impressive standard) and Tokumaru’s voice simply functioned as another instrument in the mix. This is not to say that there weren’t several points where it would have been nice to speak Japanese, so as to understand what was being sung about with such passion or joy.

After closing the set with an energetic piece, reminiscent of Sigur Ros, full of thumping drum beats and glockenspiel, the performers returned for an encore. This included Lahaha, the hit track from Tokumaru’s latest album Exit, and a short instrumental segment involving all five backing artists banging away on the drums while Tokumaru showed off his prowess on the guitar. It was a good way to end the evening, sending the crowd away invigorated and impressed.

Kryztoff Rating: 4K


Sep 10

RAW: Shaolin Warriors – OzAsia @ The Festival Theatre

The Shaolin Warriors are one of the highlights of this year’s OzAsia Festival at the Festival Theatre for only 2 nights.

Calling this an energetic show may be somewhat of an understatement. Full of kicks, jumps, thumps and punches this display of agility and coordination with lightning fast speed tells the story of a young child’s initiation and the journey to achieving warrior status. The training, the meditation, the ceremony. We see some unbelievable feats of the body and mind such as breaking iron bars over the head, chopping cabbage on the body and more.

Every popular show tries to include some audience participation; and the Shaolin Warriors have something very special lined up. Which boy, and surely some girls, hasn’t dreamed of mastering Kung Fu, well tonight some 30 or so kids got the opportunity to take their first lesson on stage with a genuine Shaolin Warrior.

Along on the journey we are shown both sides of the Shaolin. The Warrior who is able use anything including his own body as a deadly weapon and withstand great amounts of pain as well as the Monk who peacefully meditates and harnesses the power of Chi. We see a glimpse of the Shaolin’s ability and their Kung Fu and must wonder how many years of dedicated training it takes to master this art which was born some 1500 years ago and was developed to protect the Shaolin Monastery which was attacked many times over the centuries.

The show may be missing a narration which may help the audience understand the journey, but the program available for only $10 gives an overview of this.

Definitely a must see show for the whole family full of amazing feats and abilities, educational as well as entertaining.

Kryztoff Rating   4K


Sep 08

RAW: Stefan Bruneder – Gallery on Waywouth – Til 30 Sept

John Barleycorn - S Bruneder

Stefan Bruneder is Austrian and has been living with his German wife in Norwood for the past four years. His ‘Greatest Hits’ paintings on show at the Gallery on Waymouth are of two kinds. First, solo motifs, applied to a monochromatic background, of such things as spacemen and taxis. Then there are his more complex and larger works that carry many figures, the largest of which, John Barleycom, has a whole crowd involved.

Many of these will remind you of Mad Max cartoons or Where’s Wally puzzles, full of life, depicting peaceful co-existence of many but also with a flavour of popular culture; clustering together all kinds of heroes, villains and artists of various types.

While many works of this genre often resort to cliché, showing you things you would be expected to instantly recognise or heavy on political themes, Bruneder takes us elsewhere, letting us loose on a puzzle solving mission to recognise the faces and symbols and humour (and the associations that link them all together) that this obviously well read and interesting painter has collected in his files of images.

But what makes some of these works even more interesting is many (such as the aforementioned John Barleycom but also Jolly and the Wicker Man and Norwood Mystery) depict Stefan’s views on the uniqueness of Australia Day, as seen by a relative outsider. In particular the ways in which peoples of all backgrounds  come together for marches, fully respectful of their heritage but in full recognition of their new homeland, and how they intermingle with longer term locals, happy to wave their flags and wear the emblems of this country, at the beach, on the streets and at the cricket in a day of celebration.

It is this great potpourri of ideas, icons and internationalism that make Bruneder’s works so interesting, joyful and uplifting, a more than pleasant contrast to so many who like to use Australia Day and its symbols as reasons to express their angst.

Happiness, life and celebration can come in many forms but Stefan Bruneder makes a useful contribution to the Australian collection.

Sep 07

RAW: Speak Up Musicians Support Mental Health – Gov This Sunday

Musicians join forces to raise awareness about mental health

One in five people are affected by mental health issues

Speak Up is an event put together by local musicians to raise awareness about mental health on behalf of sufferers and their carers.

Event organiser and singer Kylena Vigus said:

‘Mental illness is still little understood by our community, although so many people suffer from these issues, and this affects many others, including families and friends. There is still a workplace stigma attached to these problems. In the last few months I have lost three friends, and felt I really had to do something to put this issue on the agenda – something practical to help. Being a musician – an afternoon of music to raise funds and awareness seemed like one thing I could do.’

Speak Up is holding its first event at the Governor Hindmarsh hotel, with three bands performing.

Kylena Vigus said:

‘This won’t be an afternoon of gloom, it will be a celebration of achievement and empowerment, as well as some very good music.’

The bands, Acoustic Highway, Long Time Coming and Lost in Bass, will play old and new favourites, and the MC will be well known presenter Xavier Minniecon.

The event will be held  on the 11th September, 2011 from 1 – 4pm at the Venue, Governor Hindmarsh Hotel.

Part proceeds will go to the Mental Illness Fellowship South Australia (MIFSA).

Kylena Vigus said :

‘The main aim is to encourage those who suffer or are affected by mental illness, to not hide or suffer in silence. Too many lives are lost due to the stigma and public perception. Speak Up is not about education, but realisation that someone close to any one of us could be suffering in silence. ‘

Tickets are available through Venuetix or the Governor Hindmarsh Hotel

More information and interviews: Kylena Vigus  (kylenavigus@hotmail.com) (0420 217 265/08 8276 9277)