Jun 11

CABARET: Little Bird – State Theatre Company of SA – Her Majesty’s – 2.5K

IMG_0552Little Bird is presented as a dark fairy tale for adults. Penned by Nicki Bloom, it is a theatrical staging of one soul’s biography, as the protagonist, Wren (Paul Capsis), is born, grows up, seeks to find his true self in the world and wraps up any loose ends in his life; all the while shedding not-so-metaphorical layers of himself. The problem is, there’s no arc to the narrative and nothing interesting actually happens. There’s no message. You catch glimpses throughout of the feeling that should surround this show for it to work as a piece of art; for it not to matter that it has no point, for it to be beautiful for beauty’s sake, for it to be powerfully emotive and make you feel something – joy, sorrow, pain, love, confusion, wonderment – but it never quite manages to maintain that quality and thus falls short of this.

adelaide-cabaret-festival-760The atmosphere is not helped by the cavernous space of Her Majesty’s stage which seems incongruous with the show. Capsis wanders about it (directed by Geordie Brookman), up and down the centre feature (the front of which is obscured from view for the majority of audience in the Dress Circle), trying to fill the space, but this doesn’t really add anything to the piece. It would do just as well, if not better, being presented without this distraction, to allow Capsis to centre and ground himself and to give the core elements of the production that show some promise – the songs and his voice – a chance to capture the audience.

As it is, Capsis’ performance varies in quality. There are times when his voice soars through the theatre or a particular characterisation drips with delicious cynicism or a hint of mystery; however, they’re not frequent and just as you’re starting to get into the scene, he’s back up stalking and the moment is lost. For the most part he does not seem to have any connection with what he’s singing; there is no powerful emotion behind it and the vocalisation itself seems forced rather than fluid. At times the music seemed to get away from him and his focus was on catching up to it, rather than feeling it or presenting it. Some of the fault in this may also lie in the composition (Cameron Goodall and Quentin Grant); again, there are moments of great beauty followed by long stretches of the mundane.

Little Bird doesn’t seem to know what sort of show it wants to be. Its base is clearly in cabaret but then its focus is complicated by trying to turn it into a big, theatrical experience. Meanwhile the music isn’t polished enough to overcome these obstacles and there is no feeling of intimacy. In an alternative, simpler style of presentation, it may have worked better, but staged as it is, one was left feeling rather underwhelmed.

Kryztoff Rating: 2.5K

Jun 11

CABARET: Perfect Tripod – Festival Theatre – 4K

adelaide-cabaret-festival-760Perfect Tripod is the marrying of musical comedy trio Tripod (Scott Edgar, Simon Hall and Steven Gates), with actor, comedian and composer Eddie Perfect, to create a group that reimagines Australian songs in enchanting, almost entirely a cappella, four-part harmonies. From The Bee Gees to Silverchair, this quartet adds their own flavour to some well-known classics, as well as showcasing the works of more alternative artists, such as Archie Roach and Claire Bowditch.

Tripod have now been together for 18 years and over that time they have grown as performers, developed their act to a fine art and built up a strong fan base. It could be considered risky to mess with that dynamic by adding an outsider to the mix. In Perfect, however, they have found both a voice and personality which slot into the line-up almost seamlessly.

IMG_0552The four men are given the opportunity to strut their stuff as lead singer at different points and there’s no doubt each has a powerful instrument (though a touch of illness appeared to affect Gates’ top range). While the Tripod boys have particularly honed their harmonic skills in the upper register, Perfect’s bass voice is exceptionally impressive, with a beautiful smooth tone that seems to resonate right through you, and adds a new level of possibility to the group harmonies. The audience was mesmerised as the guys sang their well-known rendition of the haunting ‘Meet Me in The Middle of the Air’ by Paul Kelly. Another highlight of the evening was the energetic, sexy and mischievous reworking of Lanie Lane’s ‘Oh Well, That’s What You Get for Falling in Love With a Cowboy’.

Despite the musical content of this show being mostly straight down the line songs, as opposed to the comedic numbers for which these performers are best known, there was still a good deal of cheeky, light-hearted joking included. This combination results in a final product that is simple but a lot of fun, and also shows the quality of the artists’ voices and musicianship.

Kryztoff Rating: 4K

May 30

CAB FRINGE FEST – Exposing Edith – Preview

Edith 1 Edith 2 Edith 4CABARET FRINGE FESTIVAL SHOWCASES THE LEGENDARY PIAF

WITH EXPOSING EDITH

and exciting overseas opportunities open up

 

Exposing Edith, a 2014 Cabaret Fringe Festival standout that tells the extraordinary story of Edith Piaf and leaves the audience to decide for themselves who she really was, will be playing at La Boheme on 11 June and at Nexus Cabaret on 14 and 15 June, before venturing overseas later this year.  

Written and performed by Michaela Burger on vocals and Greg Wain on guitar, Exposing Edith is a stunning mix of authentic, vintage French pop and contemporary sounds. Having explored the undertones of Piaf’s vocals and lyrics, Burger and Wain created their own unique interpretations of her work, using acoustic guitar with loop, delay and effect pedals. Although Piaf rarely composed her music and only occasionally co-wrote, the duo believes the show reflects what Piaf might have created herself, had she had all the musical tools artists can access today.

The songs are punctuated with extraordinary and rarely told stories from Piaf’s life.  Although there is no doubt that Burger and Wain are huge fans of the French singer, Burger explains, “We don’t portray her through rose tinted glasses; we literally ‘expose’ her for all that she was!”

Exposing Edith played to sell out houses at the Cabaret Fringe Festival last year, before its first official season at the Melbourne Cabaret Festival. Audiences and critics alike loved it, including Kate Ceberano who heard the duo play at the Festival Theatre’s Piano Bar.  

Since the Melbourne Cabaret Festival, Burger and Wain have developed Exposing Edith and added new elements and are now keen to take the show overseas. Dates are being finalised for Singapore and negotiations ongoing with various venues in Europe. But before going anywhere, there was no doubt in the pair’s mind that Exposing Edith should be performed in Adelaide first.  

“We are so excited by all the opportunities to take the show overseas but we’ve only been able to get this far thanks to the loyalty and support of our friends and family. To honour and thank them, we felt very strongly that Exposing Edith had to play in Adelaide first. And when better than at cabaret time!” says Burger.

The pair has had many admirers over the years. The Sunday Mail selected Burger as a ‘top pick’ of the Cabaret Fringe Festival two years ago and ABC Radio in Melbourne described Exposing Edith as ‘sublime’.

More on the show:  http://www.michaelaburger.com/Michaela_Lucas/Exposing_Edith_1.html

Season dates:    Wednesday 11 June @8pm                         @La Boheme

Saturday 14 June @7pm                               @Nexus Cabaret

Sunday 15 June                 @7pm                                   @Nexus Cabaret

 

Bookings @ www.cabaretfringefestival.com ; tickets from $25

 

May 28

THEATRE – Master Harold…. and the Boys – 4.5K

BENJI RIGGS - HALLIE

BENJI RIGGS – HALLIE

By Peter Maddern

When Master Harold starts, there is seemingly nothing more than wholesomeness about the relationship between Hallie (Benji Riggs), an ordinarily cocky white high schooler and his two black friends, Sam (Shedrick Yarkpai) and Willie (William Mude).

Together they are in Hallie’s parents’ tea rooms; he attending to his homework and they preparing the tables. However, there is a dark undercurrent in the emotional wellbeing of the student that gets displayed when news comes from his mother that his father intends on coming home from hospital. His condition, one infected stump of a leg, brings out the most vicious and controlling poison from the otherwise affable kid.

Around this ill-disciplined and impetuous performance, Sam plays the nurturer, the groomer, the father Hallie is otherwise missing while Willie muses about his upcoming dance competition, the highlight for the nearby black township that brings the people together and imbues them with purpose.

This is South Africa of 1950, with apartheid both legally and emotionally rumbling along unhindered and as such in modern Australia the language that flows when things turn nasty sears one like a butcher’s bandsaw; its force of delivery will make you shudder.

This play stands or falls on the player cast as Hallie and young Benji Riggs rises to the occasion supremely. His Afrikaner accent is thick, convincing and never misses a beat. His carry of emotion from the flippant to the feisty is similarly flawless. Given he just a year 12 student himself one can only hope we see much more of him in the years to come – what a stunning performance.

SHEDRICK YARKPAI - SAM

SHEDRICK YARKPAI – SAM

Shedrick Yarkpai is somewhat, theatrically as well by virtue of his role, subservient to the young tyro until the final 15 minutes or so but then he assumes the mantle and delivers some powerful messages to the young man who has by then lost the plot.

His approach will remind one of the great Mandela himself but recall this play was first performed in the early 1980’s, well before that man’s humanity was put on show.

William Mude has, in fact, the most gargantuan of tasks as he was hauled in to play Willie less than ten days ago after the original actor simply went AWOL. It is to his credit that the intervening period seems to have been spent more on movement and delivery than memory and although carrying the script, Mude delivers a solid performance. Full credit to him for taking on the challenge for it would have been the greatest pity if this production had not gone ahead.

Rob Croser’s direction must be commended as well. There can be no doubt that his and his young charge’s courage and dare have been let loose in tandem in this play –  they may have crashed and burned as one but as it has happened if we have observed the limits of their flight together then it certainly was not obvious.

Master Harold can seem like a play from another age but we all need to be wary of true racism and sustain a society that has the freedom to fight back against its pernicious reach. Master Harold also presents a consummate performance from a young man the name of whom any theatre goer needs to pencil in on their must see list.

Kryztoff Rating   4.5K

May 09

THEATRE – Independent Theatre 2014 Preview – Master Harold

BENJI RIGGS - HALLIE

BENJI RIGGS – HALLIE

MASTER HAROLD

In this, its 30th birthday year, Independent Theatre is producing not three plays but four.  Having just completed its critically acclaimed production of Bernard Shaw’s CAESAR & CLEOPATRA, the company is turning its attention to South African playwright Athol Fugard’s masterpiece – “MASTER HAROLD” . . . AND THE BOYS.

Set in Port Elizabeth in 1950 – at the start of the Apartheid era – Fugard’s play looks at the relationship between a white schoolboy and his best friends – two African waiters in his mother’s tea-room.  During the course of a rainy afternoon, the whole world of South African racism is exposed in a series of conversations about kite-flying and ballroom dancing.  Then something snaps, and in an instant – in a world gone awry – the boy becomes “Master Harold”, and the two men (his surrogate fathers) are relegated to the status of “boy”.

SAMUEL MWANGI - WILLIE

SAMUEL MWANGI – WILLIE

The play is more than a little autobiographical.  Fugard’s middle name is Harold.  His mother did run a tea-room in St George’s Park, Port Elizabeth, and her two servants were the young Fugard’s best friends.  After a rare argument with his friend Sam, the boy humiliated the man in much the same way as Harold does to Sam in the play.  Fugard has said that he wrote the play partly to exorcise the shame that had haunted him since that action.

Because of its specific casting needs, the play has never been seen on stage in Adelaide.  Starting with Cry the Beloved Country in 2006, and continuing with Mister Johnson, To Kill a Mockingbird, Free Man of Colour and Othello, Independent Theatre has a pioneering and well-established history of working with African actors.  Indeed, director Rob Croser has just won the SA Governor’s Multicultural Arts and Culture Award for his work with actors from all over the African continent.

The play’s cast of 3 is as follows :

·        

SHEDRICK YARKPAI - SAM

SHEDRICK YARKPAI – SAM

Shedrick Yarkpai has starred in CRY, THE BELOVED COUNTRY, MISTER JOHNSON, FREE MAN OF COLOUR and OTHELLO.  He was most recently seen in State Theatre’s MAGGIE STONE. 

·         Kenyan-born Samuel Mwangi worked on stage and in television in Nairobi before coming to Australia. 

·         Benji Riggs is a Year 12 student and talented star of many Adelaide Youth Theatre productions.

Fugard’s classic was unable to be performed in South Africa when he wrote it, and, instead, had its world premiere in USA.

Even now that Apartheid has been disbanded, the play still resonates with any society in which people are subjugated to others by virtue of race.

 

GOODWOOD INSTITUTE (home of Urban Myth Theatre), 166a Goodwood Rd, Goodwood

May 27, 28, 29, 30, 31 @ 7.30; matinee Saturday 31 @ 2.00.  90 minutes, no interval.

Bookings at www.independenttheatre.org.au or BASS

Enquiries – Allen Munn 0419 830 768

May 09

THEATRE – Sir Terry Pratchett’s Thief of Time – Bakehouse – Preview

TOT image finalIt’s going to be Monday forever. No-one will live. No-one will die…

 

TIME has run out.  Literally.  Leaving her two sons to manage the ebb and flow of time on the Discworld. The only problem is, one of them is forever trying to steal it, and the other is trying to make it tick. Well what else should a neglectful mother expect when she has left one of her “twins” with the Guild of Thieves and the other with the Guild of Clockmakers? 

 

Not to worry, the Thief (Lobsang) has the History Monks to help him, and the Clockmaker (Jeremy) has the Auditors to help him.

 

 It is the History Monk’s  job to store time and pump it from the places where it’s wasted  – like underwater (I mean,  how much time does a codfish really  need?) to places like cities, where there’s never enough time for anyone. These are the people who will lead Lobsang on his quest to save time.

 

But you know teenagers!  One of them is always bound to fall into the wrong crowd.  Jeremy’s reputation as a clockmaker has spread far and wide.  It has attracted the attention of the Auditors.   Auditors are tidy. They believe that everything has its place in time and space and that it should remain there.  Forever. With Jeremy’s help they can stop time by building the world’s only truly accurate clock. That should stop those pesky humans who don’t seem to understand schedules and time management schemes.

 

The only thing that the Auditors are not reckoning on is that Lobsang has more than the History Monks to help him.  He has heroes!  

 

If there’s anything the Discworld is good at, it’s assembling a full cast of heroes, even if they are the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse. (well five, actually, if you count the one who left before they were famous).

 

Sound complicated?  Well that’s life isn’t it? (and time).

 

Come and see if you can sort it all out.   If you can’t, then it doesn’t matter as long as you LOL (the real weapon of choice of any self-respecting hero)

 

WHEN:
Preview Friday 23rd May
Opening Night Saturday 24th May
Season continues May 28, 29, 30, 31  June 4, 5, 6, 7.
All shows at 8pm.
WHERE:
Bakehouse Theatre, 255 Angas Street, Adelaide
TICKETS:
Adults $20/ Concession $18/ Fringe Benefits $16/ Groups (10+) $16/ Preview – all tix $15
BOOKINGS:
www.bakehousetheatre.com or at the door on the night (subject to availability)

 

PLEASE NOTE: By agreement with Sir Terry Pratchett, all proceeds from the Opening Night performance will be donated to SAVES (The South Australian Voluntary Euthanasia Society) http://www.saves.asn.au/

May 09

ADELAIDE International Guitar Festival – Preview

10340166_666396830075465_7602581529100756555_nAdelaide International Guitar Festival announces two new international acts, unveils young South Australian talent and lifts the lid on an amazing late-night line up to complete the full program for this year’s jam-packed event  

 

Artistic Director Slava Grigoryan today announced the full line up for this year’s Adelaide International Guitar Festival (AIGF) from July 17-20, including two world-class international acts, and the first-ever Adelaide Guitar Festival Orchestra, featuring South Australian school kids.

The Festival’s opening night will be a Spanish extravaganza, starring the José Antonio Rodríguez Trio, direct from flamenco heartland, Córdoba, Spain.  Rodríguez, one of the Córdoba Guitar Festival’s favourite sons, is now a composer and performer of international renown. He won his first flamenco prize aged 17, and embodies flamenco music and philosophy with exquisite sensitivity.

 

The Córdoba Guitar Festival is a sister event of the AIGF and Rodriguez’s appearance in Adelaide further cements the shared vision of both events.  The trio will be supported by outstanding local company Flamenco Areti.Festival Theatre, Thursday July 17.

The closing performance of the Festival on July 20 pays homage to fresh, young guitar talent from across the globe – from European stars to SA school kids.

The Stochelo Rosenberg Trio is led by world-famous gypsy guitarist Stochelo Rosenberg from the Netherlands. Regarded as a true heir of Django Reinhardt, Rosenberg is synonymous with gypsy jazz. In Australia for the first time with his new power trio featuring energetic young players Sebastien Giniaux (France) and Joel Locher (Germany), his legendary flair and virtuosity are infused with unprecedented vigour.  This dynamic, hip trio will amaze with their crossfire of unbelievable solos, breathtaking rhythms and constant invention.

The trio will be supported by the inaugural Adelaide Guitar Festival Orchestra. AIGF Artistic Director Slava Grigoryan and Brisbane’s acclaimed guitar ensemble specialist Paul Svoboda have visited schools across the state and hand-picked 50 of SA’s best young guitar players, aged nine to 18. Many of these youngsters will realise a dream of performing on the Festival Theatre stage, taking their place in the 75-strong guitar orchestra, led by Grigoryan and Svoboda. The orchestra also includes 25 young players from Svoboda’s Aurora Guitar Ensemble.

Both Slava and Leonard Grigoryan will play solos in this performance. This inspiring concert will celebrate the dedication of young guitar students across the State, as well as the passion and commitment of guitar teachers. 6.30pm on Sunday July 20.

Heading up his third Festival, Artistic Director Slava Grigoryan said he was proud to be able to showcase not only international acts, but to turn the spotlight on young, emerging talent from around the world.

“We are thrilled to be able to secure the amazing talents of players such as the José Antonio Rodríguez Trio and Stochelo Rosenberg Trio,” he said. “This calibre of talent is rare and to be able to bring them to Australia is just fantastic.

“But unearthing raw, local talent through the inaugural Adelaide Guitar Festival Orchestra has been an absolute honour for me. By visiting SA schools, from Elizabeth to Kensington and beyond, I have been able to experience the grass roots of SA guitar talent.

“To be a part of the musical journey of these amazing local kids and to encourage and work with them has been one of the most rewarding aspects of my job as artistic director of this Festival. With the help of SA guitar teachers we have been able to discover the most passionate, talented kids and to hear them perform as part of our closing night performance will be a career highlight for me.”

Also announced today is the late-night component of the Festival, the much-loved Coopers Late Night Sessions. Enjoy the club-like vibe of the Space Theatre and soak up the sounds of a diverse and talented bunch of players each night of the Festival.

Get set for a wild opening night when three of the world’s finest shredders come together for the first time. Local young gun Cam Blokland, Sydney’s Simon Hosford, who has played with a host of stars and is associate musical director on Australia’s Got Talent and X Factor, and composer, producer and multi-instrumentalist Marcel Yammouni will get the place jumping on July 17.

Award-winning blues veteran Chris Finnen and his close friend of more than 40 years Phil Manning will join forces for an inspiring three-part club show. A founding member of the legendary band Chain, Manning has been at the forefront of Australian blues since the ‘60s. Finnen, too, is one of the gems of Australian blues and was inducted into the New York Blues Hall of Fame in 2013.

And for an unforgettable night of jazz, three of the best will take to the stage on July 19. Adelaide’s James Muller (Vince Jones, Renee Geyer, Don Burrows and more), Sydney’s Ben Hauptmann (James Morrison, Joss Stone, Gurrumul) and innovative bass player Christopher Hale will be joined by vocalist Gian Slater and Ben Vanderwal on drums to complete this stellar line up of jazz talent.

And the Coopers Late Night Sessions closing  Festival Finale will be a surprise packet of amazing Guitar Festival guests, including an encore performance by the People’s Choice winner of the 2014 15 Minutes of Fame. This is the segment of the festival where young hopefuls vie for the chance to be discovered, winning the opportunity to share the stage with their guitar heroes.

The Festival’s Meet the Maker series is back by popular demand. Step inside the minds of the men and women who handcraft beautiful guitars, gaining insight into the patience, talent and inspiration behind their works of art.

There is also a host of exciting events on to complete the program for this year’s Guitar Festival, including Workshops, Master Classes, Talks, and the GreenRoom’s GuitarARt competition, where 18-30 year olds show off  their creative sides by transforming a guitar into a work of art.

Several shows for this year’s Adelaide International Guitar Festival have already been announced including Adelaide classical guitarist Andrey Lebedev, who will take to the stage in an amazing double bill with the talented Sydney Guitar Trio. The Sydney Guitar Trio, featuring Raffaele Agostino, Janet Agostino and Richard Charlton, joins forces with actor and musician, Rory O’Donoghue to present a program of storytelling and music in the Dunstan Playhouse on Friday, 18 July.

An extraordinary Festival premiere sees one of France’s favourite sons of classical guitar Judicaël Perroy on a standout double bill with acclaimed composer and performer Máximo Pujol in the Dunstan Playhouse on Thursday 17 July.  Máximo Pujol brings his tango trio direct from Buenos Aires to Australia for the first time.

In what promises to be a major gala event of the Festival, one of our finest musical exports the Australian String Quartet (ASQ) will be joined on the Festival Theatre stage by three very special guests on Saturday 19 July. Firstly, acclaimed Spanish guitarist Pepe Romero will accompany the ASQ, then AIGF Artistic Director Slava Grigoryan will join the quartet on stage, and finally Argentina’s contemporary tango virtuosos, the Máximo Pujol Trio, will accompany the ASQ to complete this once-in-a-lifetime event. This exclusive gala concert will open with a dynamic performance by Brisbane’s acclaimed Aurora Guitar Ensemble, directed by Paul Svoboda.

In an Australian premiere event, a magnificent double-bill featuring two giants of the guitar world will perform with the Adelaide Art Orchestra on July 18. Classical music legend Pepe Romero will perform solo the world’s most beloved guitar concerto, Joaquin Rodrigo’s Concierto de Aranjuez. And returning to Adelaide after his outstanding 2010 Festival appearance is Yamandú Costa. This young genius will perform the Australian premiere of his orchestral suite, Fantasia Popular.  

 

Also performing on 18 July is spellbinding slide guitarist Debashish Bhattacharya. Steeped in Indian classical music, Bhattacharya has an international following not only for his playing but for his extraordinary instrumental arsenal. A tireless innovator, he is accompanied by his “Trinity of Guitars” – including his lap-slide chaturangui,  14-stringed gandharvi and the anandi, a four-string slide ukulele, all devised to facilitate his lyrical flights.

 

In an all-Australian exclusive, leading Australian soprano Siobhan Stagg joins intrepid proponent of period instruments Geoffrey Morris in an exploration of some of the finest songs ever penned for voice and guitar.  They’ll be supported by the outstanding Guitarissimo, a group showcasing the talents of Elder Conservatorium musicians. Expect exquisite songs and rare masterpieces in this one night only show on 19 July.

 

Electric guitarist extraordinaire Guthrie Govan brings his virtuosic playing to the Guitar Festival in an Australian premiere performance. Govan has recorded with acts ranging in genre from melodic rock to jazz fusion, played with power trio The Aristocrats and recently played on Steven Wilson’s album The Raven That Refused to Sing. Govan’s skilled elision of jazz and progressive rock comes to the fore in his solo work and will enthrall audiences on 19 July.

 

Composer and bass guitar virtuoso Christopher Hale will perform his Flamenco-infused jazz project Sylvan Coda on 20 July in the Dunstan Playhouse. Hale’s origins in Flamenco and Afro-Cuban music emerge in a fearlessly original performance, featuring an 8-piece ensemble with Johnny Tedesco’s striking Flamenco dancing and a stunning vocal section led by jazz luminary Gian Slater. To open this performance Aloysius Leeson Quartet bring together some of South Australia’s most versatile musicians.

And talent from across the globe will converge on Adelaide for the Adelaide International Classical Guitar Competition. The international contenders this year are from the Russian Federation, Thailand, USA and Romania.  The ACT, NSW, Queensland, Victoria and WA will represent Australia in this prestigious competition.

Adelaide Festival Centre CEO Douglas Gautier said this year’s Adelaide International Guitar Festival showcased world-class performers as well as celebrating emerging new talent.   

 

“Slava Grigoryan has again curated a top-class program attracting world famous names to this year’s Adelaide International Guitar Festival,” he said.

 

“The Guitar Festival is a unique music celebration of the world’s most popular instrument and a highlight of our 2014 Festival calendar which also includes the Adelaide Cabaret Festival in June and OzAsia Festival in September. We look forward to once again shining the arts and culture spotlight on this outstanding event.”

 

 

WHAT Adelaide International Guitar Festival

WHEN July 17-20, 2014

VENUE Adelaide Festival Centre

BOOKINGS BASS 131 246 or online at bass.net.au

MORE INFO – For further information visit www.adelaideguitarfestival.com.au

Get social with us on Twitter @guitar_festival or Facebook Facebook com/adelaideguitarfestival

May 07

THEATRE – Neighbourhood Watch – 3K

Eugenia Fragos, Eleanor Stankiewicz & Miriam Margolyes - image by Share Reid

Eugenia Fragos, Eleanor Stankiewicz & Miriam Margolyes – image by Share Reid

By Peter Maddern

It doesn’t get more anonymous and uninspiring than the street where Neighbourhood Watch takes place. Director, Julian Meyrick and designer Louise McCarthy’s set is populated only by white windowless low rise blocks and an eclectic racial mix of people not doing much.

Its 2007 when the play opens with 20 something Catherine (Eleanor Stankiewicz) wiling away the time with her flatmate, Ken, both pursuing dreams in the entertainment industry but little else. Across the road is widowed Hungarian Ana (Miriam Margoyles), a woman we who come to see is as colourful and well-worn as the dress she wears.

Both her and Catherine’s lives are frozen, the former from the deep scars of hardship and loss especially during the war and the latter from separation from her boyfriend. Over time they come to befriend and help each other start to move on in their lives.

In many ways this is a difficult play to fully enjoy. For starters it is very long – 2 ½ hours (including interval), punctuated repeatedly by innumerable scene and set changes that tend to disrupt, distract and elongate the narrative. By some measure the structure requires some of this with a number of flashbacks, primarily to Ana’s youth, mainly in the war, where Stankiewicz takes on Ana’s role, but a severe tightening of the text would not go astray.

Image by Shane Reid

Image by Shane Reid

As delightful as the tall, barelegged Stankiewicz is to observe, her character is not one with which we easily find a connection. Her dissiness often strays into selfishness rather than being a product of love lost distraction and the development of her relationship with Ana at times lack credibility – why would anyone sleep on the couch of a neighbour when her own bed beckons 15 metres away?

The plucked from Hollywood ending and the extraordinary lack of empathy with ‘friends’ in the street somewhat also belies Meyrick’s  note that playright Lally Katz’s approaches this as rather more of an observer than ‘coldly omniscient literary god’. Where Neighbourhood Watch does succeed is as an exposition of the worlds of isolation we effectively choose to live in notwithstanding ever greater urban congestion.

Anyway, season subscribers and current ticket holders should not lament for all is by no means lost. Miriam Margoyles delivers one of the best performances seen at the Playhouse for many years. Her broken English does not hide a life of pain and yet a yearning for friendship to ease her load, to avoid ‘the shame’ and as a means to impart her wisdom to a ‘baby horse’. Her relationship with her feisty dog, ‘the Bella’ is as amusing as it is consistent with her disposition, especially as displayed to Milova (Eugenia Fragos), the Serbian who travels from afar each day in the hope to share one coffee with her. Margoyles is a delight not to be missed.

Nic English similarly pleases in various roles, all as the embodiment of the ideal catch. James Smith’s Ken is as interesting as any, a man of conviction and generosity, traits that get lost in Catherine’s confusion and Fragos’ Milova is fun as an intense bundle of misunderstood frailty.

Challenging writing styles should be embraced but without Margoyles being in top form Neighbourhood Watch may have proved to have been a long night wandering the street.

Kryztoff Rating   3K

Apr 26

THEATRE – Death In Bowengabbie – 4K

DSC_7247 jumping best frontBy Peter Maddern

It seems Bowengabbie is somewhere in like Tasmania, an old rural town that has lost its only industry and is now slowly dying off, Its youth has mostly fled and the only reason they would venture home would be for funerals (yep, it seems very like Tasmania).

Oscar (Elliot Howard) is one such former member of the town; educated, now an architect he is soon to be wed and then off to create new places in the Middle East.

But he has come home, for the first time in 15 years, for Aunt Jeannie’s funeral and there he confronts his past, past family, former friends, lost loves and an unhappy home.

The trouble for Oscar is that over the space of just a few weeks he keeps having to come back as yet another reli bites the dust and is disposed of in the most bizarre farewells imaginable.

Caleb Lewis’ play is performed by just one man, here Elliot Howard, as both the narrator and Oscar as well as a host of secondary characters. It’s 60 minutes of intense scrutiny and his arrival on the stage before a darkened audience is somewhat akin to his character’s return to the faces of his upbringing – a potential mix of support and dread, of flattery, salvation or devastation.

Howard does a masterful job switching between his characters including his contemporary Gary and grandfather, Pop, as well as the only likely love interest remaining in Bowengabbie, Abi. Along the way he jumps puddles, pays his respects, gets into fights and expertly carries his audience through the morbid, the extraordinary and the very funny.  Peter Green’s direction and Stephen Dean’s lighting are deft touches that transport us to various locales and in and out of moods without the histrionics that lesser crew may have strayed into given Mr Howard’s solitary confinement.

Post the Fringe, Death in Bowengabbie is a delightful way to usher in the new season of theatre.

Kryztoff Rating   4K

Apr 20

THEATRE – Death in Bowengabbie – Bakehouse – from 24th April – Preview

Bakehouse Theatre Company is proud to present:-

 “DEATH IN BOWENGABBIE”

A very different love story that will delight and surprise you.

 It will tickle your funny bone and warm your heart at the same time.

DSC_7247 jumping best frontSuch is the skill of master story teller Caleb Lewis –  an award winning local writer,  the author of Dogfall which played to full houses and great critical acclaim at the Bakehouse in 2007, and whose “inventive, accessible new work” Maggie Stone finished  State Theatre’s 2013 season “on a high note”(The Australian)

 Death in Bowengabbie was the Fringe 2009 winner of the Judges’ commendation for Best Writing.

It will be directed by Peter Green, who brought you East of Berlin and Girl in a Goldfish Bowl (amongst many others) and features Elliot Howard (last seen at the Bakehouse in Neil LaBute’s Fat Pig)

“Welcome to the sweet life” reads the sign on the road as Oscar returns to his home town.  Unfortunately the sign is fading, as are the town’s inhabitants.  Little does Oscar know that the first funeral that brings him back to Bowengabbie is only one of many in a town where, devoid of most of its younger population, the old folks are all dropping like flies.  Here funerals really are a celebration of life. More than that, they are a party.   For Oscar, something else is also drawing him back to Bowengabbie – far away from his current wedding plans……..all he has to do is to admit it to himself.

“Death in Bowengabbie” is possibly one of the top 970 greatest love stories of all time. It will pull very gently at your heartstrings all the way to the twist at the end.  It’s just possible that it could also make you die laughing.

Reviews from previous performances:-

 “A rich, dark, hilarious comedy…the only thing missing is a dull moment” – Rip It Up 2009

“Ah, the things you do for Love. Big laughs, lots of giggles and plenty of surprises” – The Advertiser – March 2010.

“Lewis has a beautiful way with language…macabre, weird – and strangely delightful. Put it on your essential viewing list!” – Adelaide Theatre Guide

“….there are a lot of laughs – especially for those who grew up in a country town and still feel a part of them belongs there” – Sydney Morning Herald

“Death in Bowengabbie” is a pleasure from beginning to end. Run, don’t walk……This is one show not to be missed”. Arts Hub

Written by: Caleb Lewis
Directed by: Peter Green
Featuring: Elliot Howard
Produced by: Pamela Munt
Sound, Lighting and video: Stephen Dean
Still Photograpy: Michael Errey

WHEN:   Previews – April 24 & 25.  Opening Night April 26.  Season continues (Wed to Sat) until May 10.
 All shows at 8pm.
WHERE:  Bakehouse Theatre, 255 Angas Street, Adelaide.
TICKETS:  Adults $30; Concession $25; Fringe Benefits $25; Groups (6+) $25; Previews $20; Students $15
BOOKINGS: www.bakehousetheatre.com  (or at the door on the night subject to availability) (no phone bookings)