Mar 10
FRINGE 2018 – AWO AT THE TONYS – 4K
by Riccardo Barone
The Adelaide Wind Orchestra comes back to the Fringe with a program all based on music performed/awarded/written around the Tony awards (the highest US theater award).
What a pity for the low amount of people coming to the show!
The conductor David Polain, with hilarity and charisma, demonstrates the hard work behind hours spent on rehearsals; the orchestra plays with a compact sound, full dynamism and strong precision, as we can listen from the performance of L. Bernstein’ s Overture Candide.
Melissa McCaig, with the already Director of Music of the Concordia College Mat Noble, introduces the concert and sings with excellent interpretation and involving passion some of the Broadway classics such as All that jazz.
The potential and the strength of the Awo is a reality that needs to be enhanced. Last Fringe has been outstanding with Awo at the Oscar, performing soundtracks from awarded movies.
Probably the bizzare decision to perform this year on a Saturday at 2:30 pm didn’t really help to bring more audience.
Kryztoff Rating 4K
Mar 10
Fringe 2018: GINGZILLA: Glamonster VS The World – 4.5K – Gluttony
Gingzilla is THE Glamonster.
7ft tall, Gingzilla is unleashed upon the world after putting up with too much of the patriarchy. Armed with a powerhouse voice, a killer wardrobe, and the most amazing pair of heels you’ve ever seen, Gingzilla gets her revenge on those that would keep her from being her most glamourous self.
Firstly, Gingzilla’s voice is incredible. Singing songs from a range of artists including Beyonce and the White Stripes, she handles every song effortlessly. From the first note sung, you’ll sit back and marvel at a voice that rivals most of what you hear on the radio.
Combined with cleverly produced audio-visual content, including Gingzilla superimposed onto the original King Kong movie and a range of sexist ’50s beauty advertisements, this show is a well-produced, clever, and entertaining night out – and a must-see at this year’s Fringe.
Kryztoff rating: 4.5K
Mar 09
FRINGE THEATRE – My Brain is a Dick – Tuxedo Cat – 2K
By Peter Maddern
Calixta Cheers has a mission – to take on those things that terrify her and in doing a fringe show she is attacking one of those she fears the most. Continually posing the question “how long do you pretend to do something before you are actually doing it” Cheers introduces Dylan Warren to make her point on a make shift set of drums and generally provide much needed comic relief.
While the social media age may have spawned a flurry of self-flagellating ‘look at me’ acts at this year’s Fringe and the ambition to take on one’s insecurities is admirable, it is quite a different thing to ask people to pay for your pleasure of doing it. This is especially so when the production is poorly rehearsed and the presenter cannot manage eye contact with her paying public.
Kryztoff Rating 2K
Mar 09
FRINGE THEATRE – Bromance – Wine Centre – 3.5K
By Peter Maddern
Relationships between males, especially in this country, always seems to attract attention – is the bromance homosexual or worse, a friendship others can only dream of? Ryan Hawke and Nathaniel Schneider’s tight, witty and insightful piece at the Wine Centre features a fat, slovenly, drifting sloth (Ethan) and the good looking, career oriented and ‘got his shit together’ Toby who comes to his aid when things threaten to come apart.
Both the actors do excellent jobs with their roles, at home in their skins, while the weird guy who drops in as narrator provides the comic relief necessary to ensure their audience doesn’t take it all too seriously.
One of the better small shows at this year’s Fringe and one worthy of more work and productions.
Kryztoff Rating 3.5K
Mar 09
FRINGE 2018 – SOMA – SOUND BATH – 5K
by Riccardo Barone
Soma: it’s the harmonic marriage between music and science.
Our body pulses following a specific rhythm, also vibrating on different frequencies. What happens if we try to translate everything in music? We would listen to our body symphony: heartbeat, breath, brain waves, they are becoming numbers and then frequencies, so finally sound.
Two composers working on this pioneering project: Darren Curtis and Bradley Pitt, which I remember them for their spectacular Firmament at the Fringe 2017.
The spacious Harts Mills in Port Adelaide is the right environment for this meditating experience.
The audience comes equipped with yoga mats: fundamentals to prepare our state of mind for a bath sound with closed eyes.
The music has been performed with live electronics and Tibetan bowls, cymbals, tam tam, gongs. It has been completely immersing, the experience is a deep voyage into your consciousness.
Around the space you could enjoy some artwork realised by the artist Jessica Curtis based on Fibonacci’ s sequence mixed with numbers coming from the results of the study on human body’s frequencies, weight and other factors.
Another permanent installation with music from headphones was at the end of the space where you could sit or lay down on a mat and allow yourself to go in a deep meditation.
Art will always be in touch with the space around us and above us, and at the moment we need to experience more events like this one, to amplify our sensitivity and knowledge of our essence.
The amount of work done for this event is really impressive!
Kryztoff Rating 5K
Mar 09
FRINGE 2018 – EURIPIDES’ ALCESTIS – 2.5K
by Riccardo Barone
Would Euripide be satisfied if one of his tragedies would be delightedly accompanied by Irish songs? It’s quite brave and tenacious!
Who knows what would think C. W. Gluck, or J.B. Lully as well!
The young sparking Scrambled Prince Theatre Company reinterpreted with humour and enthusiasm an ancient classic enhancing the meaning of life (love and death) in a dynamic picture.
The choir intervenes with two lead sopranos and the rest of the actors together. The music, which has an important role, presented with improvised traits, commenting most of the scenes, has been originally composed and performed on a keyboard with the organ sound.
Costumes are simple and efficiently effective, reflecting and respecting the ancient style.
The audience is responsive, participating with pathos and wonder.
There were no curtains to open and close the scene. At the end of the show, straight after, the company started to put all the stuff away dismounting the stage.
Kryztoff Rating 2.5K
Mar 08
FRINGE 2018 – KOKODA – 5K
by Riccardo Barone
A simple soldier. An Aussie soldier. No, not really a soldier, one of them, Commandos, one man army. Not really. Let’s start again: a young mankind, a “chocolate soldier”, butcher meat, hero with no glory, someone who tried to be a soldier. What could have been the daily life of a soldier in the 1942 during the second world war and, to be precise, during the New Guinea campaign?
The director Peter Maddern explores feelings, emotions, common actions who hide behind a human being and underlines how the war can transform a simple person, unable to embrace a weapon, in a merciless revenge-thirsty one.
A solo performance, the actor Todd Gray lets everyone witnessing on his intense performance as a soldier. Spectacular the interaction between theatre and cinema, due war footages projected on the stage becoming scenography.
The author’s historical reconstruction is so detailed and I can see similarities regarding the lack of military training in Australia with the rest of the world. Similarly, for example, is the Italian campaign in Russia where soldiers have been sent in the pure hibernating weather with pots and forks!
Kokoda is what everyone should know, story of a simple men across the history of Australia.
Kryztoff Rating 5K
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